Mom's Taco Pizza

In the spring this year, I decided to do a 10-day green smoothie cleanse. I felt great . . . until my parents came to visit over the weekend and my mom made this pizza. I was on day 8 all I wanted to do was eat it! [Note to self: no cleanses when company comes to visit.] I've been wanting to make it ever since I watched everyone else eat it...my mouth is watering just thinking about it. And this week, I finally did it. It's a great weeknight meal that comes together very quickly and is very filling and satisfying. 

The measurements below are estimations. You can't really go wrong with this. After the crust, add as much as you'd like of each ingredient and enjoy. 

Ingredients

1 pre-prepared Pizza Crust

1 15 oz can refried black beans (or refried beans of your preference)

**chunks of rotisserie chicken (I didn't add this to mine, but my mom put it on hers)

2 cups shredded cheese (Monterray Jack and Cheddar)

1 small package mixed spring greens

3/4 cup fresh pico de gallo

1 avocado, sliced

1/3 cup shredded queso seco

fresh spicy salsa (to your liking)

Preheat the oven to 450. Spread black beans to cover the crust leaving a thin edge along the outside of the crust. Sprinkle shredded cheese to cover beans. 

Reduce oven temperature to 425 and bake crust with beans and cheese for 8-10 minutes or until cheese is melted. 

Remove the crust from the oven. Let cool slightly and add greens, pico, queso seco (Mexican dry cheese), and sliced avocados.

Cut into pizza slices and serve with your choice of spicy salsa . . . we like this one.

Grilled Corn Tacos with Zucchini Radish Pico

If I had to choose one type of food that I had to eat for the rest of my life, I'm pretty sure it would be Mexican food. You just can't go wrong with tortillas and the countless ways to fill or fry them. My girls and I spent a week with summer with my mom and my sister at her house in Oregon. While we were there, we tried some new delicious recipes . . . ones that wouldn't necessarily fly as "dinner" at my house since my husband doesn't prefer dinner dishes that don't have any beef, chicken, or fish in them. Now, I know this isn't necessarily an "authentic" Mexican dish, but I'd still classify it as Mexican-inspired dinner. And a quick and healthy one at that!

Pico Ingredients:

1 bunch red radishes

1 small zucchini

2 limes

salt and pepper

cumin

Filler Ingredients:

4 ears corn on the cob

2 Tbsp butter

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 bunch cilantro (or more if you like)

1/2 cup queso cotija (crumbled)

1/4 tsp chipotle powder

12 small corn tortillas

Begin by preparing the pico. Slice the zucchini and radishes into small pieces. Salt, pepper, and cumin to taste. Add juice from one lime and mix. Set aside and let flavors soak.

For the filling: Grill 4 ears corn on the cob. When ears cool enough to handle, slice corn from the cob and set aside. Salute onion in butter and olive oil until translucent. Add garlic and let onions caramelize. Add corn on the cob and heat through. Remove from heat and add the juice of one lime, chipotle powder and cilantro. 

Heat tortillas in frying pan until they bubble. Keep in aluminum foil or tortilla warmer wrapped in a towel until ready to serve tacos. 

Fill each tortilla with a couple of small spoonfuls of the filling and pico. Top with crumbled cheese and more cilantro, if desired. Garnish with anything you like (i.e. sour cream, avocado, spicy salsa). Eat and repeat until satisfied. 

Quinoa Enchilada Bake

This year, I've been trying to eat healthier and find healthy things that my family will eat. This is a recipe that I came across that I thought everyone would fall in love with  . . . I fell in love with it . . . as did my friend Lisa and her family, so it was a success. The next time I make it for my family, I'll leave out the jalapeño--or at least put less in. 

Ingredients

1 cup uncooked quinoa

2 cups water

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 small onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2-1 jalapeño, seeds removed, diced

1 red pepper, seeds removed, diced

1 yellow or orange pepper, seeds removed, diced

1 cup frozen corn kernels

Juice of 1 lime

1 tsp ground cumin

1 Tbsp chili powder

1/3 cup cilantro, chopped

Salt and Pepper to taste

2 (15 oz) cans black beans, drained and rinsed

2 cups enchilada sauce (red or red/green mix)

2 cups Colby Jack cheese, shredded

For serving and garnishing:

Corn chips or tostadas

chopped cilantro

green onions

sliced avocados

1) Cook Quinoa

Cook quinoa according to package directions - which are usually to bring water to boil with quinoa. Cover and let simmer for about 15 minutes or until  water is absorbed. Remove from heat and fluff with fork. Set aside.

2) Saute Veggies

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and jalapeño. Saute until onions are clear. Add garlic and peppers and saute until fragrant - make sure not to let garlic blacken. Add corn and cook for about 3 minutes. Add lime juice, cumin, chili powder and cilantro. Stir to combine and season with salt and pepper.

3) Mix Ingredients

In a large bowl, add the quinoa, rinsed black beans and sauteed veggies. Stir to combine. Pour in enchilada sauce and stir. Add 1/2 cup of cheese and stir to combine.

4) Bake

Pour ingredients into a 9 x 13 casserole dish and top with remaining cheese. Cover pan with foil and bake at 350 for for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake until the cheese is melted and the edges are bubbling. Remove from the oven. Let casserole stand for about 10 minutes.

5) Serve

Serve casserole warm with fresh garnishings. I enjoyed it both with tostadas / chips and with avocado and cilantro on top. 

Original recipe found at Two Peas and their Pod.

Fresh Mex Quinoa Salad

I'm finding quinoa popping up more and more on restaurant menus and recipe posts in the blogosphere, which just gets me more excited about using it. (Want to know what quinoa is? See this post.) This summer I came up with a salad that I really have enjoyed because it's filling and fresh. And it keeps for a few days in the refrigerator which makes it nice to make ahead of time and put in portions to take to work for lunch or on a picnic.

I must say I've never measured exact quantities . . . it's a little different each time, but delicious the same.

Ahead of time cook your quinoa and black beans and cool. (I usually do this the day before and then let them cool completely and store in the refrigerator overnight). For quinoa: rinse and add 2 times amount of water to quinoa. Reduce heat and cover for 15 minutes).
Prepare the following:
roma tomatoes
green pepper
cilantro
fresh corn from the cob (or frozen corn)

Mix the chopped ingredients with the quinoa and drained and rinsed black beans.

Then squeeze generous amounts of lime juice along wtih plenty of salt, pepper, and cumin to desired taste. I do quite a bit of cumin and salt and a little black pepper. Mix thoroughly and serve with avocado and cilantro on top.

Does anyone else out there use quinoa? I'd be excited to hear how you use it. I've tried it as a side at restaurants with a bit of mint in place of rice and it was absolutely delicious. Share your ideas in the comments section!

Crispy and Tangy Fish Tacos

I'm the kind of person that goes to a restaurant, has a dish I like and I order the same thing again and again and again on subsequent visits. Well, awhile back something strange happened. It wasn't premeditated. I just listed to what my taste buds really wanted and I ordered some shrimp tacos at one of our favorite local restaurants. I couldn't believe how delicious they were. And why hadn't I thought of ordering something different before? So, the very next week I had to try and figure out what the recipe was and this is what I came up with (with fish instead). It was close and VERY DELICIOUS. From here on out shrimp tacos are going to be my regularly ordered dish there . . . at least until I have an urge to try something new.


Ingredients:
Corn Tortillas (2 per taco)
Tilapia or Salmon filets (1/2 filet per taco)
/2 cup flour
salt to taste
1/2 tsp paprika (for color)


Salad:
1/2 head Cabbage
1 carrot
2 tomatoes
15 sprigs, cilantro
2 limes
salt
cumin

Tangy Sauce:
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/8 cup onion, minced
1/4 teaspoon black ground pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 jalapeno, finely chopped and seeded

Prepare sauce by mixing all ingredients and set aside.

Prepare salad. Finely shred cabbage. Shred carrot. Dice tomatoes. Chop cilantro. Dash a bit of cumin, salt, and pepper over salad. Mix well. Add the juice of 1-2 limes and mix well again, adding salt to taste.

For filets: Divide them in half and dip them in mixture of flour, salt, and paprika. Drop in hot oil and fry until gold brown and cooked through.

Serve on two warm corn tortillas garnished with cabbage salad and topped off with the tangy sauce. Serve with fresh squeezed lemonade or fruit drink of your choice. I recommend this one.

Mexican Chicken Salad (Cafe Rio Style)

I've posted this recipe before, but my food photography has gotten slightly better over the years and I thought I'd re-post with a little more appetizing photo this time. ;) And I've made a couple more notes in the recipe since I've made it a few times since then. This recipe is a favorite in our house. I like to prepare the bulk of it a day ahead and then assemble everything right before I serve it. Armando and I could eat this every day for a week and not get bored of it. So many fresh flavors and textures.

For those of you who don't know what a Cafe Rio Salad is - #1 you're missing out and #2 you probably won't appreciate the value of this recipe until you've tried one #3 try it, you'll love it.

I've decided that the only instructions in this recipe that you really need to follow with exactness (almost) is the dressing. If you have the dressing, you have it all! So experiment, build the salad to your liking and top it off with the creamy tomatillo / cilantro ranch dressing and you'll be in heaven!

Creamy Tomatillo / Cilantro Ranch Dressing
1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix (or 3 Tbsp dry mix)
1 cup mayonnaise
1/3 to ½ cup buttermilk
3-4 tomatillos
1 cup fresh cilantro lightly chopped
½ tsp pepper
2 cloves garlic
1 jalapeno (or less if you don't like spice, but this pepper is what gives the dressing just the right kick)

Take the papery layer off the tomatillos, wash, and chop. Chop the garlic. Wash and cut the cilantro into 1-2” segments. Put all ingredients in the blender and mix thoroughly. Refrigerate. Best made the day before. Keeps covered for several days. Makes 2 cups.

Shredded Lime Chicken
4-5 boneless chicken breasts (about 2.5 to 3 lbs of chicken)
1 ½ cups of 7-up or Sprite (12 oz. can)
½ to 1 tsp. cumin
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
2 limes

Cook in crock pot on medium heat for 8 hours or 6 hours on high heat until chicken falls apart and shreds with a fork. Stir in the juice of 2 limes before serving. Serves 10 with ½ cup servings.
**I've been known to skip the whole chicken portion and just pick up a rotisserie chicken. I prefer grilled chicken on my salad.

Cilantro Rice
2 cups uncooked rice
2 cups chopped cilantro
1 tsp salt
1 cup Salsa Verde (Green salsa found in Mexican food aisle of grocery store)
2 Tbsp dried minced onion

Wash and chop cilantro. Blend cilantro with 2 cups of water and pour in the pan for cooking the rice. Add two more cups of water, the salt, Salsa Verde and onion. Bring to a boil. Stir in the rice in the boiling water. Cover and turn down heat to very low and steam for 30 minutes. Makes about 10 servings. *I personally just used some rice I had cooked for my salad, but looking at the recipe, I think it might need just a little chicken broth to balance out all the other flavors.

Black Beans
Warm canned black beans in a pan on the stove, including all the liquid from the can, until beans are simmering hot. Plan on 1/3 to ½ cup of beans per serving. Serve with a slotted spoon to drain out the liquid from the beans. *I usually make my own black beans in the crock pot with a few cloves a garlic, plenty of cumin and a tablespoon of salt to two cups of dried beans.

To Assemble the Salad
Final Ingredients:
Fresh Flour Tortillas
Chopped romaine lettuce
Fresh Cilantro sprigs
Queso Cotija (Mexican cheese), finely shredded
Corn tortilla strips
Pico de gallo
Guacamole
Lime wedges

For each serving warm a flour tortilla in a microwave or on a griddle. (I prefer the griddle!) Melt shredded chees on the tortilla while warming on the grill. Layer on rice, beans, chicken, and about 1 ½ cups chopped romaine lettuce, fresh cilantro sprigs, parmesean cheese (I prefer queso cotija from the Mexican food dairy section of the grocery store), a few fried corn tortilla strips, and creamy tomatillo dressing. Add pico de gallo, guacamole and juice from a lime wedge to taste.I found that I made a much smaller salad than the one from Cafe Rio which made it so that I could actually finish it!

Turkey Taquitos

Our turkey leftovers are now gone and I'm left with a watering mouth for these delicious turkey taquitos that we made. I look forward to these every year almost as much as I look forward to the whole traditional Thanksgiving meal.

So, if you still have some turkey leftover, I highly recommend giving this a try or keeping this recipe in your Thanksgiving idea list for next year.

Here's what you do:

1. Shred or slice leftover turkey into small pieces.
2. Heat corn tortillas in the microwave in a plastic bag for approximately one minute. (I like to sprinkle a bit of water in so they are nice and moist and don't fall apart.) You will know they are ready when you can roll them and they don't break.
3. Place turkey on one side of a tortilla on a plate. Roll it up and place a toothpick in the middle to keep it rolled together.

4. Heat a pan of oil to medium heat.
5. Place taquitos in oil and fry until golden brown and crisp on both sides.


6. Finely shred green-leaf lettuce.
7. Top taquitos with a bed of lettuce and my favorite spicy tomato-avocado salsa and a generous sprinkly of "queso seco" - basically a mexican dry cheese - I use "queso cotijo" from my local grocer. Any Parmesan-type cheese will work.

Now, try not to eat the whole plate. And refrain from cooking an entire other turkey just to make taquitos. These things aren't light on the calories. :)

Orange Avocado Salsa

I stumbled across this recipes a few years ago, made it in the same day and it has remained among our favorite to garnish fish tacos. The mix of flavors and the exploding citrus makes it perfect for fish.

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1 Tsp honey
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 large navel oranges
1 firm, ripe avocado, pitted and diced
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion

In a medium bowl, whisk lime juice and honey until combined. Season with salt and pepper; set aside. Slice off both ends of each orange. Following the curve of the fruit, slice away peel and white pith. Cut oranges into quarters lengthwise; slice sections crosswise into 1/4-inch thick pieces. Transfer to bowl along with onion and avocado; toss gently to coat with dressing. (Make sure not to stir this up too much or the avocados will fall apart. The mix of the honey and lime with the pepper on the oranges is absolutely divine!) Set aside to serve.

Taco Soup

Apologies up front for no specific measurements. It's a recipe that's changed over the years from Mom's chili to Daisy's version of Taco Soup.

Brown a pound of hamburger with diced onion, garlic, plenty of cumin, salt, pepper, and chili powder.

Add beef broth (enough to make it like a soup, beans (I use black-canned or homemade are great), a can of diced or stewed tomatoes, corn (I like to use frozen), sliced olives, green chiles and let it simmer to blend flavors. Taste to see if it has enough seasoning.

Oh, if you have a ranch dressing packet on hand, its delish in this dish. Shhhh. That's supposed to be the "secret." (wink. wink.)

Garnish with any combination of shredded cheese, sour cream, avocado, fresh cilantro, and lots of corn chips. It tastes even better when you share it with friends.

Taquitos Salad Dinner

I think this has to be one of my favorite dinners. Chances are if you know me, you've had this while dining at my house. I learned it a few years ago from a dear friend who, two years ago today, passed on. So in honor of Caro, her famous taquitos, Honduran-style!

Ingredients:

Frozen Taquitos (small, large, chicken, or beef - anything works) *I prefer the smaller ones cause they are crispier.


Salad
1/2 head cabbage, very finely shredded (this is a latin art that takes a lot of practice - the closer to paper-thin it is, the better)
3-4 roma tomatoes
1 cucumber
1/2 to 1 bunch of cilantro, chopped
juice from 1 lime
salt & pepper to taste

Sauce
1 tbsp butter or olive oil
1/4-1/2 onion, finely chopped
2-3 cloves garlic
1 can tomato sauce
chicken boullion, dissolved in a little water
cumin, to taste
brown sugar, to taste
Queso Seco (Dry Cheese in Mexican Cheese Section or you can use Parmesan)

Prepare salad - finely chop cabbage and add diced tomatoes, cucumbers, cilantro. Mix well and add salt, pepper and lime juice to taste. Set aside and prepare sauce while taquitos are cooking in the oven.

Sauce Prep - Finely chop onion and garlic. Saute in butter. Add tomato sauce and boullion mixture and bring to a boil. Add cumin, salt, and pepper to taste. Add a little brown sugar and dissolve.

Assemble Taquito Salad and sprinkle with Queso Seco (Dry Cheese). Serve warm.

P.S. Sorry to all of you who must have exact measurements. The sauce for this is a little different every time. If you live close, I'd be happy to demonstrate it for you some day.

Tortilla Soup - Warm Up - South of the Border Style

After reviewing my last several blog entries, I realized why I can't seem to kick those last few pregnancy pounds - too many sweets! So, finally, here's a recipe for a refreshing dish - one that will warm you up in the winter, but isn't so wintry you couldn't make it in the summer with all the fresh ingredients you throw on top. A friend of mine shared this with me - she's been learning some authentic latin food recipes from a woman named Olga. A shout out to Olga for sharing such a delicious dish and for letting me pass it on!

Ingredients:

Whole Chicken
1 Celery Stalk
2 Cans Garbanzo Beans
1/4-1/2 Cup Oil
12 Corn Tortillas
1 White Onion
Cilantro Bunch
1 Avocado
1 Can Chipotle Chilies (in Adobo Sauce)
Mexican Oregano
3 1/2 tsp. Salt
6 Cloves Garlic

Instructions:

1. Prepare Chicken:
In LARGE pan, bring 12-14 cups water to boil (Depending on how big your pan is). Add 1/4 whole white onion and 6 garlic cloves (Peeled and Smashed)-Leave big so you can remove later. Rinse whole chicken (Must have bones in it-That's how it gets it's flavor) and place in pan. Boil covered for about 40 minutes. Add 2 tsp. salt. Smash Mexican Oregano in hand (for more flavor), and then add to pan. Continue cooking and drain fat with spoon (You can always tell where the fat is, because it won't be boiling in that place and it just looks dirty and not clear). Add 1 1/2 tsp. more salt. Cook chicken for a minimum of 1 1/2 hours total time or until the chicken doesn't come back at you when you poke it with a fork. When the chicken is fully cooked, remove chicken, onions, and garlic. Discard Onions and Garlic. De bone, skin, and shred chicken.

2. Chop Celery and place in pan with chicken broth from the chicken. Add Garbanzo beans-bring to a boil. While they are cooking, prepare corn tortillas by heating oil in pan (cook on "7"). Cut tortillas in short very thin strips. Fry tortillas until crunchy. Cut in small pieces-onion, cilantro and avocado.

3. Assemble in bowls in this order; First broth, then tortilla chips, onion & cilantro, avocado, and last a spoonful of chipotle sauce.

Lindy's Chicken Enchiladas

These are the best enchiladas I've ever tried and I must give credit to my old neighbor and dear friend, Lindy. She taught me how to make them and I am so grateful.

Ingredients:

1 small onion, chopped

vegetable oil

garlic salt

2 cups cooked chicken, shredded

2-3 small cans enchilada sauce (I use 1 (or 2) red and 1 green)

1 lb. grated cheese (Monterey Jack and/or cheddar)

12-18 corn tortillas

Instructions:

Turn oven to 350 degrees. Chop onion and cook in an oiled frying pan until translucent.

Mix enchilada sauce in a shallow bowl and stir. Set aside.

Add shredded chicken to onions and heat through (sprinkle with a little garlic salt and add 1/2 cup or so of enchilada sauce.) Transfer chicken mixture to a plate or bowl and wash frying pan (or leave it and use a second one). Heat pan on medium high and coat with oil. Fry corn tortillas one at a time, just a few seconds on each side - softening them. You may have to add more oil after every 3 tortillas. Once the tortillas are done, assemble the enchiladas as follows:

First, dip the softened tortillas in the sauce.

Then fill with a little chicken and shredded cheese.

Roll and place seam side down in greased baking pan.

Drizzle remaining sauce over enchiladas.

Sprinkle with plenty of cheese and bake at 350 for about 20 minutes or until heated through.

Serve with refried [black] beans, rice, and a side salad.

Garden Fresh Chicken Tacos

My dear friend Emily had Marcela and I over for lunch last week. She's been working in her garden all summer and our lunch was filled with the delicious fruits (and veggies) of her harvest. She sent us home with the most delicious bunch of tomatoes and Italian Cucumbers (which are GIGANTIC). We had chicken tacos with fresh veggies and fresh peaches with vanilla-bean ice cream on top. Unfortunately we ate that so fast, I didn't get a picture, but I'm sure you can envision it. Here's how she did the Tacos:

Place 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast in a crockpot with taco seasoning and a little bit of water. Cook and shred.

Heat both sides of corn tortillas on skillet with a tiny bit of olive oil.

Dice the following: (most delicious if the ingredients come fresh from someone's garden!)
Tomatoes
Cucumbers
Green Peppers
Spinach Leaves
(I might add fresh cilantro if I had some on hand)

Top with shredded cheese and a dollop of sour cream and ENJOY!

Thanks Emily! I'm still enjoying all the fruits and veggies you shared with us!

I love Harvest Season!

Mango Salsa

Just in case you're looking for a good compliment to any fish dish - try this mango salsa.

2 mangos, cut into small cubes

½ can pineapple chunks chopped *(I prefer fresh pineapple)

½ bunch of cilantro leaves chopped

½ red onion, chopped

juice of 1 lime

olive oil to taste

salt and freshly ground pepper

A little honey to drizzle on top.

Combine all ingredients and serve with fish or chicken and a side of rice.

Mexican Chicken Salad (Cafe Rio Style)

Serves 10

For those of you who don't know what a Cafe Rio Salad is - #1 you're missing out and #2 you probably won't appreciate the value of this recipe until you've tried one #3 try it, you'll love it.

I've decided that the only instructions in this recipe that you really need to follow with exactness (almost) is the dressing. If you have the dressing, you have it all! So experiment, build the salad to your liking and top it off with the creamy tomatillo / cilantro ranch dressing and you'll be in heaven!

Creamy Tomatillo / Cilantro Ranch Dressing
1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix (or 3 Tbsp dry mix)
1 cup mayonnaise
1/3 to ½ cup buttermilk
3-4 tomatillos
1 cup fresh cilantro lightly chopped
½ tsp pepper
2 cloves garlic

Take the papery layer off the tomatillos, wash, and chop. Chop the garlic. Wash and cut the cilantro into 1-2” segments. Put all ingredients in the blender and mix thoroughly. Refrigerate. Best made the day before. Keeps covered for several days. Makes 2 cups.

Shredded Lime Chicken
4-5 boneless chicken breasts (about 2.5 to 3 lbs of chicken)
1 ½ cups of 7-up or Sprite (12 oz. can)
½ to 1 tsp. cumin
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
2 limes

Cook in crock pot on medium heat for 8 hours or 6 hours on high heat until chicken falls apart and shreds with a fork. Stir in the juice of 2 limes before serving. Serves 10 with ½ cup servings.

Cilantro Rice
2 cups uncooked rice
2 cups chopped cilantro
1 tsp salt
1 cup Salsa Verde (Green salsa found in Mexican food aisle of grocery store)
2 Tbsp dried minced onion

Wash and chop cilantro. Blend cilantro with 2 cups of water and pour in the pan for cooking the rice. Add two more cups of water, the salt, Salsa Verde and onion. Bring to a boil. Stir in the rice in the boiling water. Cover and turn down heat to very low and steam for 30 minutes. Makes about 10 servings. *I personally just used some rice I had cooked for my salad, but looking at the recipe, I think it might need just a little chicken boullion to balance out all the other flavors.

Black Beans
Warm canned black beans in a pan on the stove, including all the liquid from the can, until beans are simmering hot. Plan on 1/3 to ½ cup of beans per serving. Serve with a slotted spoon to drain out the liquid from the beans.

Assemble the Salad
For each serving warm a flour tortilla in a microwave or on a griddle. (I prefer the griddle!) Melt shredded chees on the tortilla while warming on the grill. Layer on rice, beans, chicken, and about 1 ½ cups chopped romaine lettuce, fresh cilantro sprigs, parmesean cheese, a few fried corn tortilla strips, and creamy tomatillo dressing. Add salsa, guacamole and juice from a lime wedge to taste.I found that I made a much smaller salad than the one from Cafe Rio which made it so that I could actually finish it!

Pico de Gallo (Fresh Salsa)

6-8 roma tomatoes, diced
1 small onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
½ bunch fresh cilantro, finely chopped
Salt & Pepper
Juice from 1 Lime

Combine tomatoes, onion, green pepper and fresh cilantro, and lime juice, salt and pepper to taste. (This mixture lasts covered a couple of days in the refrigerator). And really this recipe is very versatile. You can add more or take away as much of any ingredient you'd like for your taste-preferences. Some like to add jalepeño. I rarely do.

Guacamole

This is the perfect time of year to put avocados in just about anything. Although they might not look great at the store, I find that by the time I bring them home and wait about 24 hours they are perfect! And they're only 50 cents a pop. They're tasty on salads, sandwiches, in homemade ice cream (if you live in latin-america) and as guacamole!

4 ripe avacados
½ bunch fresh cilantro, finely chopped
½ small onion, diced
Juice from 1 lime
Salt

Mash fresh avocados. Add fresh cilantro, onion, and lime juice. Salt to taste.
*Depending on your texture-likings, you may want to blend the cilantro and onion or food process them so that the guacamole is smooth. I don't mind the contrast, but some people do.

*Secret to keeping guacamole green instead of brown (1 the lime helps) but also, if you save the pit from an avocado and place it in the guacamole when you store it, the avocado will preserve longer.

Fish Tacos with Orange-Avocado Salsa

This recipe comes with very high recommendations. I've made it twice in the last month and Armando has given it a 10 both times. And it's not an easy task to get a 10 out of him. This to me is the perfect summer dinner recipe.

Fish Preparation:
8 Tilapia Filets (or other white fish. I think salmon would be good with this as well)
2 or 3 garlic cloves finely minced
1 fresh lime
Coarse salt and ground pepper

Wash and slice filets into 16 strips. Place fish in a dish they can marinate in for awhile. Mince garlic and spread across both sides of fish strips. Salt and pepper filets and squeeze the juice from one lemon across all filets. Set aside to marinate in the juices and garlic while preparing the rest of the dish.

Cabbage Filler:
1 Tbsp sour cream
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1/4 small red cabbage, very finely shredded (about 2 1/2 cups)
4 scallions, thinly sliced (about 1/2 cup)

Finely shred 1/4 small red cabbage. (You can also use a regular green cabbage if you'd like. I've found that the red cabbage is much more dense and easier to shred into very paper-fine slices.) Slice scallions and add to the cabbage. Salt and Pepper to taste. Add sour cream and lime juice. Stir all ingredients together.

Orange Avocado Salsa:

1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1 Tsp honey
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 large navel oranges
1 firm, ripe avocado, pitted and diced
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion

In a medium bowl, whisk lime juice and honey until combined. Season with salt and pepper; set aside. Slice off both ends of each orange. Following the curve of the fruit, slice away peel and white pith. Cut oranges into quarters lengthwise; slice sections crosswise into 1/4-inch thick pieces. Transfer to bowl along with onion and avocado; toss gently to coat with dressing. (Make sure not to stir this up too much or the avocados will fall apart. The mix of the honey and lime with the pepper on the oranges is absolutely divine!) Set aside to serve.

Also, chop 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves and sets aside to serve.

Cooking the Fish:

In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat; swirl to coat bottom of pan. In two batches (starting with larger pieces), cook fish until golden brown on all sides, 5 to 6 minutes.

Tortillas:

8 uncooked flour tortillas (6-inch) (My husband prefers corn tortillas - either are great). While the fish is cooking, warm tortillas according to package instructions.

To make tacos, fill tortillas with slaw, fish, and fresh cilantro leaves. Serve immediately and ENJOY!

**I must give credit to the blog I found this recipe on - Cuisine Nie - perhaps one of the best recipe blogs I've ever seen. Visit it. You'll love what you find! And here's the link to the original recipe as I have changed it up a bit to meet our family's needs and likes. Some of you who like a little more sour cream and the picante jalepeño should trie Nie's recipe.