Colombian Food and International Flavors

Fall is here and its around this time of year that I usually feel a little sad, having to say goodbye to summer, knowing that colder days are on the way. It is never easy for me! Having a bad cold at the moment isn’t helping matters. Having said that, fall does have it’s up [...]

Apple season has arrived here in the Northeast and the supermarket has been taken over by all different types of apples! Apple Crisp and Apple Pie are the most popular desserts for this fall fruit, but I have a confession to make, I don’t like apple pie! I do however love apple crisp. It is [...]

One of the things I love most about Colombia is its many geographical, topographical, and climatic variations. Naturally, there are going to be variations in what people eat throughout the country as well, but beans are a country wide staple. If you had to choose one food that you would miss the most if it [...]

Today I want to start by saying thank you to all of you for your wonderful comments on my post “My Life Lately” You are amazing guys! If you’ve been visiting my blog for a while now, you’ll have noticed that I like to make and eat soups. Today I want to share with you [...]

Today I want to share another delicious fall recipe with you. The stuffing for the pork chops is essentially onions, garlic, red bell pepper, apples and bread crumbs. If you are a meat-fruit combination fan, like me, you will love this dish. It is a fabulous, sweet and savory dish. Buen provecho!

What to do with so many pumpkins and butternut squash? Of course you can make pies and soup, but how about something different? Here is a simple and delicious side dish made with pumpkin. It’s fall here in the Northeast and there are pumpkins everywhere. It is hard not to cook with them. I have [...]

I had apple crisp for the first time in this country about six years ago and I fell in love with it. I am not an apple pie person, so apple crisp was the perfect dessert for me. But I prefer pears over apples without a doubt, so I made this pear crisp topped with [...]

Pandebono is a traditional colombian cheese bread. I have been getting a lot of e-mails asking me for this recipe, so here it is my friends. I made these delicious pandebonos last week and they came out perfectly and were delicious. For a minute, I did not miss Colombia while eating these fantastic cheese balls, [...]

Colombian-Style arroz con pollo was one of my favorite recipes growing up. My mom would make it at least once a week for lunch. Rice with chicken is one of the most popular dishes in Colombia and South America, but every country has their own variation. This is my mom’s arroz con pollo recipe. Enjoy!

Bandeja Paisa is probably the most popular Colombian dish, originally from the Andean region of the country where the people are called “Paisas” and the area where I was born and raised. Bandeja paisa is something I’ve eaten all of my life and if I have to choose my last meal on this earth, this [...]

These empanadas are a popular snack in Colombia and are served by most Colombian restaurants in the USA. Traditionally, these delicious fritters are made with shredded pork and beef, but in my family we always make them with ground meat. Serve them with ají and lime wedges on the side. In Colombia, empanadas are also [...]

This is one of those recipes that I really enjoyed preparing. There are a lot of things that I miss about my country, but the three that I miss the most are my family, my friends and the food. Medellin, like other cities in the world, has hot dogs stands on the streets and this [...]

Papas rellenas are a popular Colombian food that we eat for breakfast or as a snack. You can serve them hot or cold and they are delicious with ají sauce. Colombians have different versions of this recipe. I called my aunt in Florida to get my grandmother’s recipe for this one. Some people add cooked [...]

Sancocho is a common Colombian dish that you can make with fish, beef, chicken or pork. Sancocho de gallina is originally from the Colombian Region El Valle. Traditionally this soup is made with hens, but you can use chicken too. I have a lot of good memories associated with this meal. One memory is of [...]

Hayacas or Hallacas are a traditional dish from Venezuela as well as La Guajira department of Colombia. This delicious dish is usually made with precooked cornmeal(masarepa) filled with beef, pork or chicken, and vegetables, raisins and capers. The meat is cooked with different seasonings, spices and herbs, such as, garlic, cumin, achiote, cilantro, amongst others, [...]

Tamal is an important dish in Colombian cuisine and you’ll find them on almost all traditional Colombian restaurant menus. There are many different variations of tamales throughout the country. Tamales Tolimense is a recipe I have been planning to share with you for some time now. The filling in this tamal is chicken, pork belly, [...]

This traditional dish, originally from the Tolima department of Colombia, is often served on special occasions. This popular dish consists of a whole pork stuffed with rice, peas, potatoes and spices , cooked in a brick oven for about ten to twelve hours. Lechona was Mamita’s favorite Colombian dish and it was the main course [...]

I want to share another traditional Colombian Christmas treat with you. These Hojuelas are a delicious fried pastry that we eat with Natilla and Buñuelos at Christmas gatherings. Just writing this post made me homesick and I began missing the holidays in Colombia with my family. Growing up in a big Colombian family like mine [...]

Buñuelos are a traditional Colombian Christmas treat, but they are also popular year round for breakfast with hot chocolate or coffee. On December 7th in Colombia, friends get together to celebrate “el dia e las velitas”, a Christmas tradition in honor of the Virgin Mary. They light candles in front of their houses or on [...]

Natilla is a sweet custard that is traditionally served during Colombian Christmas gatherings. There are many variations of this dish throughout the country but this Natilla is my grandmother’s recipe and is very special to me. I called my mom and one of my aunts for the recipe, but they didn’t have it because they [...]

There are many variations of tamales in Colombia, but they all have something in common and that is that they are all wrapped in banana leaves. I am going to post many types of tamales recipes in my blog but to start let me introduce you the tamales Antioqueños, from the region Antioquia, my hometown. [...]

A couple of weeks ago, having not gone to the market yet that week, I was trying to figure out what to make for dinner. I didn’t have a lot of food in the fridge and the only vegetable I had was broccoli. Whenever I spend too much time trying to figure out what to [...]

This fruit salad is a delicious and beautiful recipe for entertaining. I made two different dressings, so you can make both and let people to choose or you can just make your favorite. If you don’t like any of the fruits I included, you can certainly use the fruits of your choice.

One of the things I love most about spring and summer is the fresh fruits and vegetables available. Strawberries are definitely one of my favorite fruits. When I was growing up in Colombia, I loved to go out of the city with my family on weekends, stopping at fruit stands on the side of the [...]

I love banana bread, but I don’t like to bake. So I usually eat it when my mother-in-law makes it for me. However, we were invited to a last minute dinner party and I didn’t have anything to bring, but I always have bananas at home, so I decided to create this bread and everybody [...]

Salchipapas is one of those dishes you are going to find all over Colombia on the kids menu at restaurants. I grew up eating Salchipapas con Salsa Rosada and I still enjoy this traditional Colombian snack.

This juice is delicious and extremely refreshing on a hot day. Try it, your kids will love you for it! Ingredients (4 Servings) 5 cups watermelon, peeled and cut into chunks 1 cup crushed ice ¼ cup ice water 2 tablespoons sugar Directions Place all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Serve [...]

This is another Colombian rice recipe and as I’ve mentioned before in this blog, rice is a staple in a Colombian diet. Arroz con fideos is a popular recipe in my family. As children, we loved it because of the little angel hair pasta in the rice.

I have been cooking more meatless dishes the last couple of years. My husband became a vegetarian about 3 years ago, so I am developing some recipes for him. Why haven’t we decided to turn 100% vegetarian in this house? Well, simply because I love my meat, seafood and poultry! Cooking a meatless meal is [...]

These Chicken Quesadillas are absolutely delicious and they make a satisfying lunch or weeknight dinner. They are creamy and full of flavor and are a fantastic way to use your leftover chicken. I’m telling you, this might be my new favorite quesadilla recipe and I am going to make it over and over again. You [...]

It’s popular in Colombia to cook meat or poultry in Onion or Tomato Sauce. My mom made this dish all the time with a variety of different meats and we all loved it! It is the perfect weeknight meal, because it is cheap, easy, simple, fast and full of flavor. Serve it over white rice, [...]