I’m not innately a morning person, but when I visit my family in Colombia, sacrificing some sleep is completely worth it for the few days when my grandma grasps my arm with a mischievous smile on her face. She stage-whispers to me if I’m in the mood for something “different” this morning, which is always code for getting breakfast from the bakery down the street. She and I sneak out, arm in arm, determined to navigate the perilously uneven sidewalk in order to obtain some freshly-baked goods.
Every time my mom makes arepas, I can’t help but remember these mini escapades with my grandma that are ironically my closest experience to sneaking out of the house. Arepas are best described as very thick, soft and flavorful tortillas, but this recipe is altered so they are protein-packed and perfect for meal prepping.
Preparation time: 1 hour
Servings: 20
Ingredientes:
48 ounces of cottage cheese
½ cup of 2% milk
4 cups of instant corn masa flour
4 tablespoons of canola oil
½ tablespoon of salt
Instrucciones:
1. Blend cottage cheese and milk in a blender until smooth, then transfer it into a bowl.
2. Mix the blended cottage cheese, instant corn masa flour, canola oil and salt with a spoon until it starts to reach a dough consistency, then use your hands to finish incorporating the ingredients.
3. Wet one of your hands with water (this helps to hydrate the dough so it doesn’t crack). Scoop ⅓ cup of dough and roll it into a ball. Flatten it with your hands until it’s reached your desired thickness. I like it to be ½ inch thick, or about the width of my index finger.
4. Warm a nonstick pan over medium heat. Place the flattened dough on the pan and cook until the underside is golden brown, then flip it over and repeat on the other side. The second side usually takes less time to cook, so be vigilant.
5. Serve plain, or doctor it up with butter, salt, cheese slices, cold cuts or avocado. With thicker arepas, you can form a makeshift sandwich by slicing it two thirds of the way horizontally and putting the cheese, cold cuts or avocado on the inside. ¡Buen provecho!
