Hey y’all! I’m so excited about today’s post.  My sweet sister-in-law, Mariel, has a fabulous paelo food blog and she so kindly agreed to share a recipe with you all today!  Mariel is from Ecuador, and this is one of her childhood recipes.  No, it’s not paleo, but she has tons of delicious cave-man foods on her site, Amazing Paleo-check it out!  Her recipes have been featured on Bodybuilding.com and she also is an amazing fitness expert.  If you have any questions at all, don’t hesitate to ask.  She loves to help and you won’t get any bad advice. Seriously, y’all.  My legs are toner because of this woman.

Mariel is one of the sweetest, kindest, and most determined people I know.  She has a huge heart and her kind spirit is contagious.  I am so grateful that she married my husband’s brother, and I feel so blessed that we will be friends for life.  

I had the pleasure of having some of this traditional Ecuadorian cake when I visited  Mariel last time.  It’s DELICIOUS…the perfect amount of sweet, and I’d recommend trying it alongside a cup of coffee. Enjoy my friends!

Bonnie and I met 3 years ago during a family dinner at our in-laws. It was my first time meeting my husband’s entire family (my husband and I had just started dating at the time and he took me to his parent’s house for some quality family time).

Bonnie and Cy were visiting the family in Idaho for a few days. I think it was wintertime, since I recall wearing a red scarf with a matching red hat.

During dinner, I kept thinking the Lewis family was wonderful…they were all so nice and so very entertaining. By entertaining, I mean hilarious and crazy. They had great memories to share and were amazing storytellers, keeping everyone at the dinner table laughing and interested. The conversation took a million different routes; everyone participated and shared little stories about their most recent adventures.

I vividly remember what was served for dinner…a wonderful Teriyaki Chicken with sautéed vegetables and white rice. So incredibly yummy! Can you guess who helped prepare it? Yes, the lovely Bonnie (along with Rachel, our other sister-in-law who is a great cook as well).

Ever since that first day of meeting Bonnie, I’ve admired her. One can instantly tell her love and passion for the Lord, and her natural kindness to those around her. She is so good with people, bringing nothing other than a positive attitude and love to the table. Isn’t that wonderful? Another great quality of her is her writing skills.

She has been a total source of inspiration to me in that area. I’ve always admired her love for sharing her life experiences and recipes. Bonnie started her blog back in 2008 and since then, she has greatly succeeded at sharing her story with the world. She shares her everyday occurrences, her successes and scares, and her love for food and family.

I have to thank her for bringing so much joy to me through her words. I am sure thousands of other would agree with me on this one. Here is to you Bon and to many more years of blogging success!

It is a huge an honor for me to be a guest on this blog. Hope you all enjoy this Ecuadorian inspired recipe!

Torta de Maqueno (Tradition Ecuadorian Plantain Cake)

Ingredients:

Tools You’ll Need:
- 9x13 in baking dish
- Grater
- Mixer/mixing bowl
- Wooden Spoon
- Fork

Ingredients:
- 6 medium plantains (very ripe)
- 3 eggs (separate yolks from egg whites)
- ½ cup raw honey
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 oz. melted butter
- 8 oz. finely grated Queso Fresco (no salt added)
- Zest of ½ lime
- Non-stick spray

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Spray your baking dish with non-stick spray.
3. Place egg whites in your mixing bowl and mix them thoroughly until they become like white foam (using fresh eggs and a dash of salt can help reach the desired consistency better and faster). Set aside.
4. Place plantains in your mixing bowl and smash them with your fork until you get a paste-like consistency.
5. Add brown sugar and melted butter to your plantain paste, mix for about 3 minutes.
6. Add yolks, cinnamon, vanilla extract and mix thoroughly.
7. Add in the finely grated Queso Fresco and combine.
8. Add white foam (egg white mixture) to the rest of your ingredients; incorporate using a wooden spoon.
9. Pour mixture in baking dish and bake for about 40 minutes.