# Hi, foodies in the Hive!

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I hope you are all healthy and well 😃

**Healthy ready-to-eat foods available around the clock are a practical solution for eating homemade meals without spending all day in the kitchen. Homemade vegetables spreads are a good example.** 

Personally, I like to see a lot of colors and feel different flavors and textures at breakfast; usually, I get half my body in the fridge and  pantry and start rummaging in every corner; then I assemble a menu that only I understand, ha, ha, ha, ha. But we love it that way. Since the week is hectic, this I can usually only do on Sundays, but I'm on vacation....

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...So yesterday I made coconut milk and prepared two spreads that my husband and I really like: the one on the left is **a mix of sauteed vegetables and fruits**: (eggplant), zucchini, green bell pepper, garlic, tomato, and coconut milk**; while the one on the right is made of **roasted eggplants and fresh garlic**. **One good thing about these spreads is that they keep so fresh for up to a month in the fridge**, that you can turn an arepa or some toast with coffee into a **more nutritious breakfast and with more charm**.
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The recipe for the red spread always varies a little, and it's one of those wonderful things that happen by accident; once, like ten years ago, I sautéed some vegetables to fill a loaf of bread, and I was supposed to let them crush just a little in the blender, but instead, I let the blender puree them. 

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I liked the result so much, that I decided to keep it in a jar in the fridge, and this was our spread for a couple of weeks. 

Over time, I learned to incorporate the albumen coat, the part we remove from the pulp to make coconut milk; ; it gives it a smoky flavor, since we roast the coconuts a little over the stove to shell them more easily....

*I usually eat this albumen coat if I'm not using it in some other preparation, as it's rich in fiber and always comes with some of the coconut pulp.*

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The recipe for this eggplant spread is from my late mother. How she hated to cook! And yet, the few recipes that I can take from her cooking are the ones that have stayed with me forever; one of them is her eggplant spread; she used to spread it on crispy cassava cakes (cassava toasts).
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 This spread is definitely one of my favorites in the world--it's similar to baba ganoush in texture. 

Today I served the spreads inside avocado halves; I put them in the big hole that was left after removing the seed. And of course I served cassava toasts at the table; as good *cumaneses*, we love it. 
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This is really delicious; if you're interested in the recipes, I'm so happy to tell you; just keep reading, please 😊
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#### We'll start with the eggplant spread, 
since we are going to process the red spread in the bullet blender, which will still have remains of the one.
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![image.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/marlyncabrera/243WieZ2nUMf9RspSp9bMtkzbwNizDe71o3cDe45PNEy3e2eHnLFtu212xTX4ep79Wc6U.png)

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![image.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/marlyncabrera/23tbR7b7aisv3W1bUYdoy495UFAU8gJythJ97jQQYHqDsWMjWcgKb6PFubEME3j3mLEub.png)
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* 4 medium size eggplants (700 gr approx)
* 1 tablespoon freshly crushed garlic
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
* 1 tablespoon white vinegar 


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![image.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/marlyncabrera/23tbRUkifHisV6716izgGHB5QBsYyBtBhYsAwGG1qNZZnurGn8piTqHPjeYX3wPUaqrFx.png)
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Wash the eggplants and roast them directly over the stove fire (medium-high heat) until they look totally black and feel really soft. 

![image.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/marlyncabrera/EogMQ9XiPqimmtVDExAvMEEuXnDYnDk6WYLKgQafn13xNVkE2nMC4pKUfaSfCJk3NDi.png)



These eggplants were medium and I roasted them for about 5 minutes on each side.

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<center>https://media.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPTc5MGI3NjExOGFlZDJmMmQxNzcyZjcxMWE4MzFkZGM0MDI3MWFmZDM4N2UwNzIyZiZjdD1n/9F5hd0AvUlJcjMZMNl/giphy.gif ![image.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/marlyncabrera/23tbRgs4MrbhzsfNrm8j6kunXqGzPfh1NbV1F2eV3ZNqnqwLovyLhNzLmm443C6i9mm7R.png)</center>

![image.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/marlyncabrera/23z7G46HeuiYHrN3M2TSnzJcCmatom6vmjzRmeR9znsY8iEd6vKAw3vu1UbYkNVTo61Xo.png)



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Let them cool and peel them. Then open them lengthwise to check everything looks nice inside the  eggplants.
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![image.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/marlyncabrera/Eoc7Z8hJe2VANi74xYtywLmJbGG3saKvwvot54wtFHcXjx9F7sxEmhpkEsD4gJdS4qH.png)

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Pour all the ingredients into the glass and blend well.

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![image.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/marlyncabrera/23uFU4F9rxRG85xTvWbFNyKuViBhx4NJMbgVAuRXMGd7kj8SZkeNeFXhGJLU4gE6mQLi4.png)

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I used an old Hellman's mayonnaise jar which happens to fit perfectly. This was my husband's discovery some years ago 😁
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![image.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/marlyncabrera/EpC9skYA9ku2JFED97mKWbJWSUA2mV2roV7bNiGyP4En15gmYqS6n7KdZY5DZDU8brF.png)
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#### Now let's Make the Red Spread,
which we also call "the red zucchini and tomato and coconut thing" at home 😂 
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![image.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/marlyncabrera/23s9i69mVLFgeWXSnX8SKpETSSxLvBFy8fAhkYqpL4JEh9TNmVqofgyHCsuzNJMetkL9q.png)
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![image.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/marlyncabrera/23tbR7b7aisv3W1bUYdoy495UFAU8gJythJ97jQQYHqDsWMjWcgKb6PFubEME3j3mLEub.png)
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* 1 cup chopped zucchini
* 1/2 cups chopped green bell pepper
* 1/2 cups chopped tomato
* 1 shot apple cider vinegar 
* 1 teaspoon cane sugar
* pinch of salt
* 1 bay leave
* Coconut albumen coat shaves (1/2 cups approx.)
* 1/3 cups cocnut milk
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* a little olive oil to sauté vegetables
* freshly ground black pepper
* Himalayan pink salt to taste for serving at the table

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![image.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/marlyncabrera/Ep7wbHKKoEqSbmBTGRJGzANcLrSHJZEXWXbr4znKkxz7DXdBd87X1eRktu9xjQkDHcQ.png)

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**Easy**. Sautee all the vegetables in olive oil x 2 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients and let it cook over low fire x 2 more minutes. 
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![IMG_20230331_192331.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/marlyncabrera/23w2mSCPqPDwDrepGX6NKN5JhrQssmqhecTqKnoiEot8rckdRoXqFDYvgSijpc6fLprLi.jpg)

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![IMG_20230331_192357.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/marlyncabrera/23tvXzxxM48sfYvBRD93cpbf9V8zzuZAW6WyYrZhBiZWCfBmDWjSLyHohbStSyqFPV3sQ.jpg)

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Let  it cool and mix well in a blender. I used the same jar where I processed the eggplant spread. No need to wash it first.

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![image.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/marlyncabrera/23w2sWWmxCNTrHyrDDW9xaqpBjKHTG27fypRqnhEJ4feDsMgoggJrnDWBi692kKSrQegG.png)

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A nutritionist friend of mine, whom I respect very much, recommended that I use very little salt when cooking and then add Himalayan pink salt at the table--without overdoing it. So I bought this one, from *Fumage*. I paid $6.7 for this 453 gram jar, with grinder. Supposedly this salt is much healthier to have on the table; I hope it is, since it costs so much more than our regular salt, which is so cheap I don't even know how much it costs (maybe 15 cents a pound).
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![image.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/marlyncabrera/23wWrw3sahzpRZ6mCzV5WgE77X3F9iekckg1Vh6KtX4SRwT8kUcJyWeyiHxyQeywL7LKQ.png)
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I served the spreads with avocado, sunflower seeds (raw), and a little ciboulette from our garden.

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![image.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/marlyncabrera/23wgTtqXVAFVVSZWzHPogDsF4MoZgcmpqLjYQEH7wb1etk9xSRFA9BMTBXbMMN9sU6f8D.png)
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I complemented our plantbased breakfast with ripe plantains cooked in cane sugar syrup, margarine and cinnamon, cassava toasts, homemade pickles, coffee and some fruit (plums and oranges). 

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![image.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/marlyncabrera/23x1DUP62ehn27MhKuRBDnuDyGEKTTgjn7bdipBvLDEqLUU4WUwqeTsLDRibNxooNdnV7.png)

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**Tip:**The red spread tastes really good with pickles. 

**You can keep it in a tightly closed glass jar in the refrigerator and it will last up to a month in excellent condition. The eggplant spread can last up to a month if you keep it in a tightly closed glass jar and make sure that the surface is always covered with oil.  For preserving these spreads in such a way that they retain their original flavor and freshness, it is important that you only use clean and dry serving utensils.** 
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![image.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/marlyncabrera/EokdCEAy1oYEUYccxvn5qKzfN3A3i3qSRWjtRJqD97Y9vLMzpdm5c7J1GRwoj2uR2z3.png)
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*These delicious spreads, much lower in saturated fat than mayonnaise, butter or cheese spreads, are also a good source of fiber and vitamins. They contain a good amount of fresh garlic, which is so good for boosting our body's immune system; since they go with fresh avocado, which is high in monounsaturated fats, we are also doing our heart good.  In addition, I've added pickles for beta-carotene and to counteract the sugar that I always consume more than I should, as in the case of the delicious plantains, which while high in fiber and vitamins, are also sweet, sweet, sweet. The red onions I pickled along with the baby cucumbers contain B9, which is excellent for the heart. Cassava toasts for energy; they might not be healthier than regular toasts, but they're gluten free, which is better for me. Little by little, we're trying to eat better* 🙂 
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# <center>Bon appetit!</center>


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# <center>Thank you so much for your visit :)</center>


###### All text and images are my own. I have taken the pictures with my Redmi 9T cell phone. And if any GIFs here, I've used GIPHY(https://giphy.com/create/gifmaker) for all them.
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