The Secret Footprints Recipe

To connect with The Secret Footprints I chose to make my own pastelitos. In The Secret Footprints Guapa is tempted out of hiding when the family leaves pastelitos in their picnic basket. She is surprised when the family is nice to her. At the end of the story, the boy leaves pastelitos in his pants pockets for Guapa.

Finding a recipe:

After deciding I was going to attempt to make pastelitos, I began looking for a recipe. Due to food allergies this was a little complicated. Most of the recipes I initially found online included meat and cheese as main ingredients; the two things we do not eat. After reading over several recipes, I concluded that I could easily make my own recipe using ingredients we already had.

Ingredients:

Splash of avocado oil

1/4 cup dried onion chopped

1/4 cup water

1 package Quorn chik'n tenders frozen (omit if making this recipe vegan)

1/2 cup green chili - I prefer medium hot or hot

1 can Rotel

1 can black beans drained and rinsed

1 can corn drained and rinsed

1 package Pillsbury Grands biscuits

Vegan butter melted (optional)

Directions:

1. Soak dried chopped onion in water for 5 to 10 minutes, drain off any remaining water.

2. Preheat oven according to the directions on the biscuits. - The kind I used called for 350 Degrees.

3. Add a splash of avocado oil in the bottom of a large saucepan. Heat on medium high.

4. Add Quorn chik'n tenders and soaked onions and stir. Continue to cook until Quorn is mostly thawed.

5. Add green chili. Cook for 2 minutes.

6. Add corn and black beans. Cook until very little moisture is left in the bottom of the pan.

7. Cut biscuits in half and flatten like a pancake.

8. Place half the flattened biscuits on a nonstick cookie sheet.

9. Spoon the skillet mixture onto the biscuit halves. Make sure to leave 1/4 inch around the edge of the dough.

10. Cover the filled dough with the remaining biscuits. Use a fork to seal the edges closed.

11. Brush melted butter over the top of the sealed pastelitos (optional).

12. Bake pastelitos 12-15 minutes.

13. Allow to cool 3 to 5 minutes.

Reviews:

Jessy - 5 star delicious. I cannot believe how amazing these turned out and they were so easy. I think next time, and there will be a next time, instead of cutting the biscuits in half I will roll them out and fold them. I think this will be a little easier than trying to keep the filling on the small circle of biscuit. Would be great garnished with salsa and avocado. I do not have small children at home, but I think I will use the book and recipe next time I visit my niece and nephew in Denver. We will start by reading the book together and discussing the characters. Then we will make the pastelitos together. We will make extra pastelitos to leave out for any ciguapas in the Denver area.

Nica - This is awesome, let's add it to our normal meal plan.

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