FRESH TOMATO AND CILANTRO SALSA (SALSA FRESCA)

There is nothing wrong with jarred salsa but wouldn't you love fresh salsa instead? It's easy, refreshing, healthier and fresh.

Salsa Fresca also called pico de gallo is what i call a versatile dish. It is served as a relish or mixed into dishes. It complements all kinds of foods, from shellfish or grilled, fried meat to tortillas, fajitas and enchiladas.

Y: 6 as an accompaniment

Ingredients:

WASH EVERYTHING FIRST BEFORE CHOPPING.

1 1/2 pounds tomatoes - finely chopped ( i prefer roma tomatoes)
1 medium sized jalapeno - finely chopped***
1 medium sized sweet onions - finely chopped (i prefer vidalla)
juice of 2 big limes
bunch of fresh cilantro- finely chopped
salt to taste

**Go easy with the jalapeno if you don't like hot/spicy salsa.

Mix all ingredients. Taste and adjust.

EGGS WITH CHORIZO (MEXICAN LETTUCE WRAP)

There are 2 types of Mexican chorizo (sausage). One is packed in sausage skins and air-dried similar to the Spanish chorizo. The other type is freshly made and sold loose. This recipe calls for the fresh chorizo which can be bought at grocery stores.

Recipe adapted from the "The Complete Mexican, South American and Carribean Cookbook"

Y: 4

Ingredients:
Fresh Chorizo: (I used store bought)
2 T lard or oil
1 1/4 pounds ground pork
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 t dried oregano
1 t ground cinnamon
1/2 t ground cloves
1/2 t ground black pepper
2 T dry sherry
1 t sugar
1 t salt
Other ingredients:
6 eggs
2 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and finely diced
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
1/4 C milk or light cream
fresh oregano sprigs, to garnish
Serve with warm corn or flour tortillas or fresh lettuce heads.

SKIP STEPS 1 AND 2 IF YOU'LL BE USING STORE BOUGHT CHORIZO.

1. Melt the lard or oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the pork mince and cook until browned, stirring frequently. Stir in the garlic, dried oregano, cinnamon, cloves and black pepper. Cook for 3-4 more minutes.

2. Add the sherry, sugar, and salt to the pork, stir well and cook for 3-4 minutes, until the flavors are blended. Remove from heat.

COOK STORE BOUGHT CHORIZO UNTIL BROWNED STIRRING FREQUENTLY.

3. Put the eggs in a bowl. Beat lightly to mix, then sitr in the finely diced tomatoes and chopped onion.

4. Return the chorizo mixture to the heat. Heat it through and pour in the egg mixture. Cook, stirring constantly, until the egg is almost firm.

5. Stir in the milk or cream and check the seasoning. Garnish with fresh oregano or cilantro and serve with warm corn or flour tortilla or fresh lettuce heads.

Add guacamole, salsa with the egg chorizo on a lettuce head and turn it into a Mexican Lettuce Wrap.

Add a dollop of sour cream or creme fraiche' to your Mexican lettuce wrap.

MAKE YOUR OWN TORTILLA BOWL FOR YOUR SALAD

This is so easy to make at home. All you need is a bowl to serve as the mold for the tortilla bowl/shell.

Spray or brush oil to the bowl.

Spray your tortilla with oil on both sides then put on top of the oiled bowl.

Bake in a preheated oven at 375 degrees F for few minutes or until the tortilla starts to turn golden brown. I would recommend to babysit them, the tortilla cooks fast.

Let the tortilla shells/bowl cool down.

Serve with your favorite Mexican salad or any kind of salad.

GUACAMOLE

Recipe from "THE COMPLETE MEXICAN, SOUTH AMERICAN & CARIBBEAN COOKBOOK"

Y: 8
Ingredients:
4 medium tomatoes (concasse')
4 ripe avocados,  preferably fuerte/Florida avocado (Green)
juice of 1 medium lime
1/2 small sweet onion
2 garlic cloves
small bunch of fresh cilantro, chopped
3 fres red chiles
salt
tortilla chips, to serve

1. How to make tomato concasse'-
  - Cut a cross in the base of each tomato. Place the tomatoes in a heatproof bowl and pour over boiling water to cover.
  -Leave the tomatoes in the water for 3 min. then lift them out using a slotted spoon and plunge them into a bowl of cold water. Drain. The skins will have begun to peel back from the crosses. Remove the skins completely. Cut the tomatoes in half, remove the seeds w/ a teaspoon, then chop the flesh rougly and set it aside.

2. Cut the avocados in half, then remove the pits. Scoop the flesh out of the shells and place it in a food processor or blender. Process until almost smooth, then scrape into a bowl and stir in the lime juice.

3. Chop the onion finely, then crush the garlic, Add both to the avocado and mix well. Stir in the cilantro.

4. Remove stalks from the chiles, slit them, and scrape out the seeds with a small sharp knife. Chop the ciles finely and add them to the avocado mixture with the chopped tomatoes. Mix well.

5. Check the seasoning and add salt to taste. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for an hour before serving as a dip with tortilla chips.

**If it is well covered, guacamole will keep in the ref for 2-3 days.

I love these new scoop shaped chips..perfect for this kind of dips!

No more double dipping!!! I serve it this way, the guest will have a choice of plain guacamole or a combination of the queso dip check recipe HERE

RENE'S FAMOUS QUESO DIP

Talk about potluck, tailgate party...this is the best! Easy and delicious, packed with flavor! Easy because you'll be cooking this in your slow cooker, packed w/ flavor ofcourse, it's my sister's recipe! Thank you Nang, this is always a score! ha!ha!ha!

**IF YOU DON'T HAVE A SLOW COOKER OR YOU WANT TO COOK THIS STOVE TOP JUST FOLLOW THE COOKING INSTRUCTIONS ON THE CAN LABEL

It's funny but true, i had no idea that Rotel is a brand. She calls this dip, Rotel, all the while i thought it's the name of the recipe until i found cans of Rotel by the salsa aisle at the grocery store and to top it all i saw the recipe at the back of the label. So, i tried and followed the recipe from the label, but it didn't taste like my sisters'. My sister's version is way better, she actually added some ingredients to kick the original recipe another notch, no wonder!

Aside from the basic ingredients which are a can of Rotel Diced Tomatoes, Velveeta Cheese, she adds a 1/2 lb. of  cooked/sauteed ground beef or more depending on how much you'll be making and a packet of taco seasoning. Her version made a whole lot of difference. A flavorful Queso dip!!! This sure is a TOUCHDOWN!!!

Stir and mix all the ingredients when the cheese starts to melt and this is ready.

Serve warm with corn chips