Inspired by the coconut breakfast quinoa I recently cooked up, I decided to try a savory preparation using quinoa cooked with coconut milk. I added black beans for extra substance and played off the tropical flavor of the coconut with mango, avocado, fresh mint, and lime juice. The resulting salad was colorful and delicious (not to mention healthy) – perfect for serving my parents for dinner at the end of a hot day of sightseeing.
Everyone talks about how popular carne (meat) is over here in Argentina, but no one prepared me for how much the Argentines love their queso (cheese). While the variety isn’t quite the same as back home, there are still plenty of cheeses in the supermarket, and ham and cheese sandwiches are everywhere. And it seems like any empanada that doesn’t have meat in it has cheese instead. These spinach and three cheese empanadas are heavy on the cheese, but maybe the spinach in there can help you feel a little healthier about making these. But the taste should really be justification enough. You may have leftover filling – and that’s perfectly okay because it also makes a delicious dip. I’ve only been here a short while, but, as a longtime cheese lover, I think I’m going to like it here.