“This is a sponsored post from Nestlé; however, all recipes and opinions are my own.”
Growing up in Panama, I loved celebrating the holidays. We always had a lot of family gatherings and there was always an abundance of different foods. One of my favorite treats was a drink called Chicha De Avena (an oatmeal drink). You could drink it either hot or cold and it was delicious either way. Since I am not a chocolate fan, for me it was a great replacement for hot chocolate. Another one of my favorite was empanadas. I love empanadas and they are super simple to make. Although the majority of empanadas are savory, you can also make them into a sweet treat to drink along with your Chicha de Avena.
I moved to the United States when I was 17 years old. I miss my holiday traditions so I enjoy making my family the same recipes I grew up with, It makes me happy that I can share my heritage with my boys and continue with my Panamanian traditions. I would like to share these two favorite holiday recipes with you. They are quick, easy and so delicious!
There are many things can either make or break a recipe, especially when it comes to Hispanic food. I have found that many Panamanian recipes are made with specific ingredients so that you get the best results. Luckily, in Panama, we use a lot of Nestlé products. I actually used to live next to a Nestlé factory growing up. I remember walking to the bus stop every morning and smelling the Nestlé chocolate. Even though I don’t like chocolate, I do like the wonderful smell!
When I make Panamanian food for my family, I always go to Walmart to buy my ingredients. In my opinion, Walmart has the best selection of Latin ingredients and foods. Even better, it is a one stop shop. You can find everything there, which is helpful when you are carting around two little ones.
For the two recipes below, I bought all my ingredients at Walmart, and used Nestlé “La Lechera” condensed milk which gives this drink that creamy, wonderful goodness.
My first recipe is for the Panamanian Chicha De Avena (Oatmeal Drink)
Here is a video on how to make Panamanian Chicha De Avena. Recipe will also have a printable version
Panamanian Chicha De Avena Recipe (#JuntosConNestle)
Makes 8 servings
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 1 hr 10 min
Ingredients
- 6 cups of water
- 1 cup of quick cook oats
- 2 cups of cold water
- 1 can (14 ounces) Nestlé La Lechera condensed milk
- 5 tbsp. of vanilla extract
- 2 cups of cold water
- Powdered Cinnamon, to taste
Directions:
- Pour the water in a large pot and bring to a boil.
- Add oats and cook for 5 minutes (stirring occasionally).
- After 5 minutes, remove oat mixture from the burner.
- Add the cold water, Nestlé La Lechera condensed milk, and vanilla and stir until all ingredients are incorporated.
- Put a cover on the pot and refrigerate for one hour (or drink piping hot).
- Sprinkle powdered cinnamon on the top and serve.
- Enjoy!
Here is my second recipe for the delicious empanadas. Empanadas are really fun to make and it’s something that you can do with your family as a bonding moment that your kids will always remember. My kids love kneading the dough for these colorful holiday empanadas. Just make sure their little hands are clean.
Here is a video on how to make Apple & Peach Holiday Empanadas.
Apple & Peach Holiday Empanada Recipe (#JuntosConNestle)
Makes 8 servings
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 32 minutes
Total Time: 1 hr 2 min
Ingredients:
- 1 box thawed pre-made pie crust (or you can make your own)
- 1 cup sliced peaches (I used canned peaches, but you can use fresh peaches)
- 1 cup sliced, peeled apples (your favorite variety)
- ½ cup butter
- 1 can (14 ounces) Nestlé La Lechera condensed milk
- 1 tbsp. vanilla extract
- ½ can crema de coco (cream of coco)
- 1 tbsp. powdered cinnamon
- Red gel food coloring
- Green gel food coloring
- 1 tbsp. powdered sugar
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- In a medium size pot, add peaches, apples, butter, Nestlé La Lechera condensed milk, vanilla extract, crema de coco (cream of coco) and powdered cinnamon. Simmer for 20 minutes. Stir frequently so that the condensed milk does not stick to the pot. After 20 minutes, remove from burner and let cool.
- Add red or green food coloring to your dough and knead until you get your desired color.
- Roll dough out and cut using your favorite Christmas cookie cutters. You want to use a larger cutter as these dough shapes will be folded in half to make the empanada.
- Once filling has cooled, fill in your empanadas with the cooled fruit mixture. Press both sides of the empanadas together and seal all of the edges with a fork.
- Place the empanadas on a non-stick cookie sheet and bake for 12 minutes.
- Let the empanadas cool for about 2 minutes and then drizzle some Nestlé La Lechera condensed milk over top of them as a glaze.
- Sprinkle some powdered sugar over the top.
- Enjoy!
I hope you and your family enjoy both of these Nestlé holiday recipes as much as my family does. We will be setting both of these wonderful treats out for Santa this year as our version of milk and cookies. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! #JuntosConNestle
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