Quinoa is a South American grain that is especially high in protein. It's so good for you, in fact, that it was recently called out by a group of nutrition experts as one of the top five foods to incorporate into your diet (find out the other four ingredients in this Washington Post article by Denise DiFulco).

Quinoa is delicious in breads, soups, and gratins. If you can find quinoa flakes (which I recently discovered at Whole Foods), substitute them for oatmeal in all kind of bread and cookie recipes, for an extra punch of protein.
But quinoa truly shines in salad and pilaf-type dishes like these recipes from the talented food guides at About.com...

Vegan Quinoa Salad
Greek Quinoa Salad with Feta
Low Fat Curried Quinoa and Peas
Quinoa and Edamame Salad
Spicy Sweet Potato and Quinoa Salad
Quinoa Pilaf with Mushrooms and Ginger
Quinoa Salad with Pecans and Fresh Herbs
Steak and Quinoa Salad with Mango Salsa
Quinoa and Cranberry Pilaf

South America has a tradition of cooking with clay pots. Peruvian pachamanca is baked in clay pots placed in underground ovens, and Brazilian feijoada is always served in an array of different-sized clay dishes. The kitchen of the house we rented in Peru was decorated with antique clay pots. The pot pictured here could go right onto the stove on high heat without breaking, yet it appeared to be unglazed. Just seasoned and well-used.

I really wanted to keep one of those seasoned clay pots - there were so many I don't think anyone would have noticed - but I left them there. Instead I bought a brand new, terra cotta unglazed clay pot at the market and brought it back with me. It survived the trip, but I am afraid to use it for fear I will crack it in my ignorance. I asked in Peru how to season them, but everyone had a different method. It seemed like a mysterious process - something you had to learn from your grandmother. Or maybe everyone's grandmother just passed down the family cooking pots, like Southerners do with well-seasoned cast iron skillets.

Therefore I'm very excited about Paula Wolfert's new book, MEDITERRANEAN CLAY POT COOKING: Traditional and Modern Recipes to Savor and Share. I can't wait to learn the secrets of cooking with clay, which according to Paula Wolfert, will add great flavor to food, and cook it slowly to perfection, better than any crockpot ever could. I hope to get my pot seasoned up and hard at work very soon.

Potato Gratin Dauphinoise Recipe from Paula Wolfert
Using Unglazed Clay Cookers for Oven Roasting
Asian Food and Clay Pot Cooking

Papas criollas are small buttery Andean potatoes. They are the most important ingredient in the famous Colombian stew called ajiaco. Andrea Meyers just posted an interesting article about papas criollas on her blog andreasrecipes (which has a nice section of Colombian recipes). Apparently papas criollas are amazing when fried whole. And she has exciting news - she found fresh papas criollas at her local Trader Joes store.

More About Ajiaco
Andrea's recipe for Ajiaco Bogotano
Quick & Easy Ajiaco Recipe
Shopping online for South American ingredients

Dia de los Muertos, or "day of the dead" (November 1, All Saints Day), is celebrated in most of Latin America as a way of remembering loved ones who have passed away. In Mexico this tradition is particularly elaborate. Decorated candy sugar skulls, special breads, and other traditional foods are all part of the celebration. Read all about Dia de los Muertos in this article by Chelsie Kenyon, About.com's guide to Mexican food.

All About Dia de los Muertos
Gallery of Sugar Skulls

Make and enjoy some great Halloween treats this year, with help from the food guides at About.com...

Halloween Recipes from Linda Larson, Guide to Busy Cooks
Gross (but cute) Halloween Recipes from Stephanie Gallegher, Guide to Kids Cooking
Collection of Halloween Cupcakes
Halloween Candy Recipes from Elizabeth LaBau, Guide to Candy (Don't miss the Bloody Good Vampire Truffles!)
Frighteningly Good Halloween Entertaining Ideas from John Mitzewich, Guide to American Food
Haunting Halloween Cocktails from Colleen Graham, Guide to Cocktails (be sure to check out the Vampire Kiss Martini)

If you plan to visit Buenos Aires someday, or Iguazu Falls is on your must-see list, don't forget to include Montevideo in your travel plans. This New York Times article describes all the great street food, dulce de leche bakery treats, grilled meat, and fantastic dinners that you can sample in addition to all the tango dancing, shopping, beaches, and historic districts to enjoy. Montevideo is a great city (with wonderful food) that is sometimes overshadowed by its Argentinian neighbor. But don't miss it - you'll be glad you went.

More About Montevideo

Uruguayan Recipes...
The Chivito Sandwich
Faína
Yerba Mate Tea
Alfajores

This cheesy corn casserole is made with the large kernel Andean corn called choclo. Choclo is less sweet than typical North American corn, and has a nutty flavor and chewy texture that pairs really well with cheese. You can find frozen choclo at Latin food markets and online.
Recipe for Choclo con Queso

More Recipes with Choclo..
Ensalada de Choclo - Corn Salad with Queso Fresco Pastel de Choclo - Corn and Beef Casserole

Shopping for South American Ingredients

South America is known for its amazing variety of potatoes. Potatoes do come from that part of the world, after all. Many South American recipes, such as Colombian Ajiaco stew, require very specific kinds of potatoes to be considered authentic. You can buy the papas criollas (small yellow potatoes) that are essential to a good ajiaco outside of Colombia, but you have to buy frozen, imported ones, and they can be hard to find.

Fortunately, even if you live way North of the Andes mountains, you can probably still enjoy lots of locally grown potatoes suited to your own regional climate and growing conditions. Cornell University researchers have developed several varieties of potatoes that grown well in New York State, including a nice purple variety called Adirondack Blue, and a yellow Yukon Gold-like potato called Keuka Gold. (read more about them here). It's all part of a growing trend to find new and heirloom varieties of vegetables that grow well in particular areas. So before you buy imported potatoes, be sure to check out the potatoes at your local farmer's market - you might be surprised at what you find!

Some Potato Recipes...
Roasted Red, White, and Blue Potatoes
Papa Rellena
Papa a la Huancaina Potato Salad
Papas Chorreadas
Llapingachos - Ecuadorian Potato Pancakes

If you enjoy reading about food, especially stories about the quest for unusual culinary specialties, you won't be able to put down Feeding a Yen by Calvin Trillin. Don't miss the chapter about ceviche and his very memorable trip to the ceviche meccas of Peru and Ecuador.

There are other interesting quests in the book - such as the hunt for fish tacos in California, and for pimientos de Padrón in Spain.

Calvin Trillin happens to be in the news right now because of his (humorous) New York Times op-ed piece about why an influx of smart people working on wall street caused the stock market crash.

Review of Feeding A Yen from About.com Guide to Contemporary Literature

More About Pimientos de Padrón
More About Fish Tacos
More About Ceviche

The Obamas hosted a "Fiesta Latina" last night at the White House, with plenty of Latin music and dancing. Chef Maricel Presilla, chef and co-owner of two New Jersey restaurants, Zafra and Cucharamama, prepared the Latin-themed finger food meal. (I love that name Cucharamama- it means "mother spoon" in Spanish, and there's a nice explanation of why they chose it on the restaurant's website, along with some great background music).

The menu (read more about it here) sounds wonderful, and Chef Presilla apparently was even able to use tomatillos and honey straight from the new White House garden!