Arepas.. Arepitas Sabrositas!

        Isn't it wonderful to wake up and fill your tummy full of deliciousness, i believe so. I am those kind of people that if in the morning they don't start with a great breakfast, their day is bound to be terrible.
  Coming from a country where the food is pretty damn delish (Venezuela), i can't help but keep the tradition of eating Arepas almost every morning of the week. It's the best breakfast ever!
  Arepas are a very traditional you could say bread, i don't really know how else to explain it, in South America. It is made out of corn flour though not wheat, so you can kind of say they are a fatter version of tortillas since they are both made out of corn. Of course corn was a very well used grain that a lot of Indigenas or Indians used in Central and South America. Colombia and Venezuela from what i know are very big with the whole Arepa thing, it is used for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It's dirt cheap too. Arepas vary from size to how they make it. When i went to Colombia i saw a completely different kind of Arepa though, it was more whole because you could still see the little kernel, nevertheless it was delicious. It all depends on the region or family, my cousins do Arepas completely different than how i do mine. My aunt makes hers more delicious by adding butter and cheese to the dough, it all depends on you.
  Any way, i am going to share with you guys my easy recipe for Arepas . Not vegan, well you can go ahead and fill it up with what ever you like! Its like a sandwich! I like to fill mine up with my tofu scramble! My Arepas a la vegan.

 Arepa Dough for 1 person:
       1/2-3/4 Cup of Arina PAN*.
        1/2 Teaspoon of salt.
        1/2 Teaspoon of sugar.
        3/4- 1 Cup of water.
        1/2 Tablespoon of oil.

1.   In a bowl mix the Arina PAN, salt, and sugar. Then slowly add the water till its doughy but controllable enough to make a ball. MAKE SURE that there are no lumps!

 

 2.Once you have the dough into a ball, moisten your hands and start to flatten it, but not too much you don't want a tortilla! Make sure to keep your hands moist and the dough.

3. Once you have flatten it a little, heat a pan to a medium temperature with oil and little it sizzle for   5 minutes on each side until its lightly toasted or if you're like me, more than lightly toasted.

                           4. Turn on your oven and bake at 345F for 15-20 minutes.
                                                                                                                                  

5. Let it cool a little, open the middle with a knife and stuff that baby up with what ever you please! Enjoy!

 * Arina PAN is the flour that is mostly used in Venezuela and Colombia to make Arepas and Empanadas, it can be found in latin based supermarkets or carnicerias.

   Bises,
     Amanda