South American Food

Pre-baked flatbread (store-bought or homemade) makes a great foundation for a quick meal. Preheat the oven, add whatever toppings you like, and quickly heat.  I especially like naan, a soft flatbread that's somewhere in the range between foccacia and flour tortillas.

Recipe for Flatbread with Queso Fresco, Tomatoes, Rosemary, and Olives

More Flatbreads...
Roti Flatbread
Dahl Puri - Indian Lentil Flatbread
Fainá - Garbanzo Flatbread

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It's surprisingly easy to make queso fresco (fresh cow's milk cheese) at home, and you don't need any special ingredients like rennet - acidic vinegar or even lemon juice does the trick.  Queso fresco is delicious on toasted bread, on arepas, with roasted plantains, crumbled over salads - it's mild and creamy and goes with everything.

Homemade Queso Fresco - Queso Fresco Casero

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South American cuisine doesn't always revolve around grilled meat and fresh seafood. There are many great vegetarian options, especially in categories like beans and grains. Next time you're in the mood to eat veggies, try vegetable stuffed arepas (griddle corn cakes) or quinoa veggie burgers.

Recipes...

Arepa Sandwich with Sweet Potatoes, Black Beans and Spinach
Quinoa Veggie Burgers

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These quinoa arepas are excellent for breakfast, especially spread with cream cheese and jam. Plus they have that extra protein from the quinoa, and a sweet nutty flavor that distinguishes them from  more traditional arepas.

Quinoa Arepas - Arepas de Quinoa

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These pretty strawberry candies are a birthday party favorite in Brazil, along with the chocolate fudge truffles called brigadeiros and the coconut kisses known as beijinhos.

Bicho-en-pé are named for an annoying bug, which can cause an irritating red swollen bump on the foot - I guess the candies resemble the bug bite, which does not seem that appetizing!  But despite their unfortunate name, bicho-de-pé make nice gifts, and are popular with children. They also keep well and would easily survive a trip through the mail.

Brazilian Strawberry Candy - Bicho-de-pé

More Candy Recipes...
Chocolate Fudge Truffles - Brigadeiros
Beijinhos - Brazilian Coconut Kisses
Peruvian Tejas
Maná - Peruvian Marzipan
Candied Marzipan Pecans

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This vegetarian arepa sandwich is stuffed with lots of green things - avocado, edamame, and a creamy cilantro lime dressing. The arepa itself is made with yellow masarepa cornmeal and cheese.

Arepas are best right when they are made, but they can be successfully reheated: first microwave them gently to warm and soften the inside, then crisp the outsides by heating them briefly in a skillet or even placing them in a toaster.

Green Goddess Arepa - Arepa con Palta y Choclo
Arepa Sandwich with Chicken and Avocado - Reina Pepiada
Boliarepas - Bacon Cheddar Arepa Bites

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This banana bread recipe has more than meets the eye - extra protein from both quinoa flour and soy protein flour. Chocolate chips and extra ripe bananas provide lots of sweet flavor.

High Protein Banana Bread - Queque de Platano

More Quick Breads...
Caribbean Banana Bread
Pumpkin Bread with Toasted Pecans

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These high protein "granola" bars benefit from quinoa flakes, which are made from quinoa grain that has been processed into oatmeal-like flakes. You can find quinoa flakes at natural food stores, and they can substitute for oatmeal in any baked good (bread, cookies, etc).

Recipe for Quinoa Energy Bars

More About Quinoa
Quinoa Oatmeal Cookies
How to Cook with Quinoa - Quinoa Recipes

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This collection of recipes for different kinds of roti from Cynthia Nelson demonstrates how imported culinary influences (in this case, from India) can become thoroughly integrated into a regional cuisine. These different kinds of roti are recognizable as Indian-style flatbreads, but they have evolved and adapted to local tastes and ingredients.

Types of Caribbean Roti

More Recipes...

Roti Flatbread
Dahl Puri - Lentil Flatbread
Cuisine of Suriname

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Fainá is the South American version of farinata or socca, an Italian-style flat bread made with garbanzo bean flour. Maybe because it's Italian in origin, fainá is served alongside pizza in Argentina and Uruguay. Often a slice of fainá goes right on top of the pizza, making a sort of sandwich called pizza a caballo.

Basic fainá consists of garbanzo flour, water, oil, salt and pepper, in a ratio of about 2 cups garbanzo bean flour, to about 3 cups water and 1/3 cup oil. It makes a runny mixture that is poured into a hot pizza pan and baked at a high temperature until it's crispy and golden brown. There are many variations on this basic formula - such as cheese mixed into the dough, toppings like onions and olives, and even "stuffed" fainá with fillings.

Fainá makes a great appetizer when topped with something interesting and cut into small squares. It's also an easy and tasty gluten free alternative to pizza.

More About Fainá...
Basic Fainá
"Stuffed" Ham & Cheese Garbanzo Flatbread - Fainá Rellena con Jamón y Queso
Fainá with Chorizo, Blue Cheese, and Spinach
Pizza a caballo
How to Make Garbanzo Bean (Chickpea) Flour

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