Hello, I'm Zoe!
Wepa! My name is Zoe, and I am on a quest to reconnect with my Puerto Rican culture, food, and traditions.
Born and raised in Puerto Rico until the age of 15 when we moved to the United States. As a child, I was always interested in arts, crafts, and music. So much so that during high school and college, I studied theatre and visual arts.
During college, I learned I had ADHD, which put my academics on hold. I decided to explore culinary arts instead, as a means of employment, and to maintain my passion for creativity. I loved culinary arts so much that I never looked back to performance arts again.
As the years went by, I realized I needed to learn more about food than just cooking it. People were coming to the restaurant with dietary needs, and I needed to understand how they all functioned. So, I decided to study alternative medicine with a concentration in nutrition.
Studying alternative medicine opened my eyes to a cleaner lifestyle as well as it became a window to my cultural past. For the first time, I was able to see and connect the foods my grandmother and her ancestors used to heal themselves and maintain their health.
This realization urged me to reconnect with my Puerto Rican roots. Unfortunately, by the time I wanted to reconnect, I had already lost two important sources, my grandmother and my mother.
The decision of making the website brought all my passions into a neat little box of creativity. Allowing me to fully express myself while honoring my family and my culture.
I dedicate this website to those of us who might not have grown up cooking with a loved one. Who might have never been to Puerto Rico and do not know the ingredients. Those who miss someone's special cooking and would like to recreate it.
Join me in my journey, as I reconnect with my culture and explore Puerto Rican cooking one recipe at a time.
What would you find on Girl Meets Fire?
- Simple & delicious Puerto Rican inspired and keto-friendly recipes that I've tested in my own kitchen that I hope you'll try and love!
- An email newsletter where I share with you new recipes and resources every other week!
- All of my favorite kitchen and photography equipment that's essential to me!
More about Zoe and Girl Meets Fire
The name came out of frustration. Frustrations with myself for not being able to do what I am passionate about cooking and teaching. Girl Meets Fire symbolizes me facing my passions head on and my desire to cook on an open fire 🔥😉.
Start with flavor. Sofrito is a key condiment in the preparation of many Puerto Rican dishes. Although we are accustomed to using adobo powder, I do have a recipe for the fresh paste version of adobo. Use this to season your meats and proteins. These two recipes can be used as seasoning for any recipe you would like, even if it is not Puerto Rican. Arroz con Gandules is another recipe worth trying, as well as sancocho.
To start, especially if you are Puerto Rican. Take a look at my list of foods available to eat in a Ketogenic Diet from my downloadable pdf. My cauliflower yellow rice is also sure to hit the spot. As well as my Keto polvorones for the sweet tooth 😋
Ironically, when I first started the website, most of my side dishes were vegan or vegetarian. White rice, sofrito, adobo, frijoles negros, and red beans are great examples of these.
Some of my favorite recipes
These recipes are either Puerto Rican or Ketogenic. I am currently focusing on a ketogenic lifestyle to control my weight, but I struggle when I am missing a particular Puerto Rican dish. My hope is to create recipes that hit the spot, but not all of the recipes can be interchanged.
Feel like we can collaborate? Hit me up, and we could meet up! [email protected]