A Mexican Fiesta: Food and Recipes Galore

Black chickpea, crab and fennel verrine recipe with apple and avocado

Check out this recipe via La Tartine Gourmande that combines chickpeas, crab and fennel in a ceviche-like mixture that is perfect for lunch outdoors. 

You need:

• 200 g (1 heaped cup) cooked black chickpeas
• 200 g fresh crab meat, diced
• 1 large avocado, pitted and finely diced
• 1 medium fennel bulb, finely sliced
• 1 medium red apple, cored and finely diced
• Black sesame seeds, to taste
• 6 pink radishes, finely sliced

Dressing:

• Sea salt
• 2 limes
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger (or fresh)
• 1 garlic clove, peeled and minced
• 1 tablespoon chopped coriander
• 2 tablespoons hazelnut oil
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• Red peppercorn, ground, to taste

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine the lime juice with the sea salt, garlic, and ginger.
• Add the oils and whisk to emulsify.
• Season with ground red peppercorn to taste, and stir in the coriander. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, combine the chickpeas, crab meat, avocado and apple. Toss gently with the fennel and radishes.
• Add the dressing and toss gently. Sprinkle with black sesame seeds, and serve.

Tequila-Lime Chicken Taco Recipe

If you’re looking for ideas on how to delight friends and family at upcoming Superbowl parties, making finger-friendly food such as tacos is a great idea. Here are a few recipes that are as delicious as the tacos you know and love, but with more new, varied ingredients to switch it up. 

Tequila-lime chicken taco recipe

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 1 tablespoon tequila
• 2 tablespoons canola oil, plus extra for cooking
• 1 tablespoon diced jalapeno
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1 pound chicken breasts, cut into large chunks

Directions:

1. Whisk together first six ingredients.
2. Add chicken and marinate for three to four hours.
3. Remove chicken from marinade and discard marinade.
4. In a large pan, coat with canola oil and heat on medium-high. Add chicken to the hot pan and cook for about seven to nine minutes, stirring occasionally, until cooked through.
5. Remove chicken from pan.
6. Chop into small pieces.

Serving suggestion: Make chipotle sour cream by adding pureed chipotle in adobo to sour cream. Stir in white vinegar, cumin and salt to taste.

(Source: sheknows.com)

Sweet Corn Guacamole

The tastiest guacamole always includes a bit of fresh sweet corn. Here’s an awesome recipe that is sure to inspire your get togethers and dinners this coming Spring. 

Sweet Corn Guacamole

• 2 avocados
• 1/2 can black beans, drained
• 1 earful of corn (approximately 1 cup)
• 1/2 red onion, chopped
• 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
• 1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• juice of 1 lime
• salt, to taste

Directions:  In a medium-sized bowl, combine black beans, corn, red onion, jalapeno pepper, red bell pepper, garlic, cilantro, and salt. This corn mixture can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge up to a week. For the guacamole, slice and cube two avocados. In a large bowl, mash the avocados with a fork or the back of a spoon to desired consistency. Add lime juice and corn mixture and combine. Taste and adjust salt and lime amount as necessary. Serve with your favorite kind of tortilla chips.

(Source: morefruitplease.wordpress.com)

White Chili with Ground Turkey

Something to warm you up on a cold day and a great alternative to regular chili? White chili made with ground turkey will let you keep your New Year’s resolution while still reveling in your dinner. 

Directions

1. In a large pot over medium heat, combine the onion, garlic and ground turkey and saute for 10 minutes, or until turkey is well browned. Add the chile peppers, cumin, oregano, cinnamon, cayenne pepper to taste and white pepper to taste and saute for 5 more minutes.
2. Add two cans of the beans and the chicken broth to the pot. Take the third can of beans and puree them in a blender or food processor. Add this to the pot along with the cheese. Stir well and simmer for 10 minutes, allowing the cheese to melt.

(Source: allrecipes.com)

Dulce de Leche Blueberry Cheesecake

Check out this fabulous dulce de leche cheesecake with a blueberry twist.  The first recipe is made with a homemade crust that incorporates GOYA® Maria Cookies and a luscious caramel-flavored filling, that is then topped off with blueberries (see this recipe for how to incorporate the blueberries into the mix). 

As GOYA says, it’s as if ‘America’s favorite dessert just got better’.For a portion of 10 pieces of cake, you’ll need 15 min. of prep time and about 1:30 for baking and cooling time. 

Ingredients:

1 pkg. (7 oz.) GOYA® Maria Cookies1/2 cup butter, melted4 pkg. (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened1 can (14 oz.) GOYA® Sweetened and Condensed Milk4 eggs, room temperature1 1/2 tsp. GOYA® Vanilla Extract1 bottle (14 oz.) GOYA® Dulce de Leche, divided.

Directions:

1.  Heat oven to 325ºF. Place cookies in bowl of food processor. Pulse 30 seconds, or until finely ground. (Or, place cookies in zip-top bag and using the bottom of a heavy skillet, pound cookies until finely crushed); transfer cookie crumbs to bowl (there should be about 2 cups). Add butter, stirring until combined. Transfer cookie mixture to 9” spring form pan. Using your fingers, press cookie crumbs evenly onto bottom and sides of pan. Bake until firm and fragrant, 7 – 10 minutes; cool.

2.  In bowl of electric mixer on medium speed, beat cream cheese until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add condensed milk; beat until smooth, 1 minute. Beat in eggs, vanilla and 3 tbsp. dulce de leche until combined, 3 minutes. Pour filling into prepared crust. Bake until golden brown and set, but still wiggly in the middle, 45 – 55 minutes. Turn off oven; partially open oven door. Let cake sit in oven until room temperature, about 1 hour. Transfer cake to refrigerator; cool completely at least 4 hours.

3.  Remove cheesecake from pan. Place remaining dulce de leche in zip-top bag. Using scissors, snip small hole in corner of bag. Applying even pressure on “pastry bag,” make swirly designs on top of cake; slice and serve.

Vegan Mexican Sopes

This is a delicious option for a special dinner with friends and family or as a starter for your next Mexican fiesta menu. These Mexican sopes are a filling, nutritious way to enjoy vegan Mexican food. With a slightly thicker falafel-like base and a cute round shape, sopes are another cool option for making typical Mexican food dinner that isn’t tacos or burritos. You can also add meat if you want to spice it up even more. 

Ingredients:

3 cups of GOYA® Masarica

3 cups of hot water

GOYA® Corn Oil

1 can (16 oz.) GOYA® Traditional Refried Beans

4 oz. white cheese, shredded

1 bottle (17 oz.) Salsa GOYA® (Verde, Taquera or Pico de Gallo)

2 cups of chopped lettuce

2 avocados, cut in slices

2 tomatoes, cut in slices

Directions:

1.Place 3 cups of masarica in a large bowl. Gradually add water, kneading until smooth. Divide the dough into 6 equal parts and form dough into small balls, about 5 or 6 inches in diameter. Place the dough on a paper towel and cover.2.Pat each ball into a 3 inch sope with raised edges. In a saucepan, heat a small amount of oil over medium-high heat. Cook the sopes on each side until golden brown, adding oil as needed to prevent the dough from sticking. Remove the sopes and allow them to cool.3.

Top with heated refried beans, shredded white cheese, lettuce, the salsa of your choice and avocado.

Recipe via Goya.com

Mexico City Seafood Stew

Starting out with some super fresh ingredients like the shrimp featured above, this Mexico City Seafood stew looks (and I’m sure smells!) absolutely delicious. If you’re looking for a healthy, fresh stew, this is an awesome Mexican recipe that everyone is sure to fall in love with.