Ode to Mexico! Salsa Fresco and Tequila-spiked queso funindo

Salsa Fresco: Chop up 3 organic tomatoes (pictured here are a cup of red and orange Quebec grown cherry tomatoes), 1/2 of white mild organic onion or green onion, one green mild Arabic chili and 3 table spoons of chopped cilantro. Add 2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed organic lime juice, and chill covered for 1 hours before serving with fresh baked tortillas (made by spreading a little organic coconut oil on each one and baking in the oven on a baking tray lined with parchment paper at 350 degrees.)
In the end, I used the food processor for a few seconds to finely chop and mix the salsa which looked like the second photo (below). I served the salsa fresco and the queso funindo together with the broken up baked tortillas for a delicious light meal for two! Recommended Beverage: Frozen raspberry margarita (pictured below in the queso funindo recipe- email me for the recipe)

Tequila-spiked queso Funindo is a recipe I stumbled upon and I gave my own personal twist to by making it with sauteed organic onions, Arabic green mild chilies (pictured in photo below), pure *agave  Mexican tequila and a blend of shredded Manchego and Quebec fresh cheese instead of the traditionally used Monterrey Jack. Even though Mexico is out of the World Cup for 2010 I still love them and this meal is in salute of them and their passion and energy!

Step 1: Chop 1/4-1/3 cup of organic onion and some green chili peppers, and orange and yellow pepper if you have it, and saute in some olive oil until soft. Take off heat, add 1/4 cup agave tequila, then return to heat, and simmer over high heat until almost all of the liquid has burned off (should take 1-2 minutes only). Remove from burner and add to a 2-cup oven proof dish.

Step 2: Add shredded Manchego and fresh Quebec cheeses and heat, uncovered until cheese is melted and bubbling slightly. Remove from oven cool for a few minutes, and serve with fresh baked tortillas and the salsa fresco. Bon provecho!

Crumpet French Toast

I was inspired to make my own crumpet french toast after seeing it on a menu outside a British Pub...and this dish turned out so amazing it must be made for royalty! Serve with biological, nitrate and hormone free bacon and local farm fresh strawberries. To drink: Serve Lady Early grey tea and honey or a berry and yogurt smoothie! All hail to the queen!

To make this out-of-this-world french toast you must have on hand: 4 crumpets, 2 organic eggs, 1/2 cup of organic 2%milk, or light cream, cinnamon, fresh cut strawberries and real maple syrop.

Step 1: Heat a non-stick pan or griddle and melt a little organic butter.

Simply beat two eggs with the milk and cinnamon, then soak each crumpet one at a time and place on heated pan. Grill for a few minutes on each side and serve with fresh sliced strawberries, grilled organic bacon and Quebec maple syrop (I love the Amber personally). Enjoy this simple delicacy that you will be happy to make and eat on a whim's notice!!

Cheerio!

Baja Fish Tacos- with cilantro white sauce!

For this delicious and easy recipe all you will need is:

 2 fillets of Talapia or my fave fish Chilean Sea Base (this will make 6-8 tacos), that you marinate in a lemon or lime juice and cilantro mixture and toss to coat using a ziplock bag. Chill for 30 minutes before dipping in batter and deep frying.  

While the fish is marinating, prepare the White sauce (1/2 cup plain yogurt, 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise (Hellman's), chipotle chilies ( find them canned in the Mexican section) and some  fresh lime juice. Mix well, and cover with saran wrap. Chill until fish tacos are done and ready to serve.

Next: Prepare the fish batter by mixing: 1 cup of organic all purpose flour, one tsp of baking powder, a dash of sea salt, one organic egg and one cup of beer (I prefer Japanese). Dip the fish in the batter and fry in some organic sunflower oil in a wok (pictured below) for a few minutes on each side or until golden.  Advance note: you do not need much oil to effectively fry the fish.

Next: Blot fried fish on a paper towel. Serve immediately on warmed corn tortillas (*warm in oven ahead of time by wrapping in foil and placing in oven at 350 degrees)  and add the white cilantro sauce (pictured below) and as the traditional Baja surfers do, chopped red cabbage for crunchiness! Enjoy a great summer meal that will knock everyones' socks off! Even children will love eating fish after you prepare these mouth watering tacos! 

I recommend preparing a fresh guacamole made with organic avocado and a little tomato, green onion, chopped cilantro , fresh lime juice, and a sprinkle of good sea salt to serve on the side as well. Buen provecho!

Mexican Potato Salad

This amazing mexican potato salad which combines boiled (organic) potatoes with chopped fresh chilies, slices of crunchy yellow or orange pepper, tomato slices and a fresh avocado guacamole made with lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, green onion and chopped cilantro is a summer pleaser!

Step 1: Prepare a pot of lightly salted water, peel one potato for each person you want to serve this to (So for two, peel 2 potatoes, for 4 people, peel 4). Add them to the pot of boiling water and cook for 15 minutes. Remove and cool, then slice and set aside.

Step 2: Take an organic ripened avocado (Hint: to ripen up an avocado within 24 hours,place in a brown paper bag or a closed drawer, as darkness ripens fruit quickly!), mash and place in a bowl. Add some finely chopped green onion, one clove of pressed garlic, some fresh squeezed lemon juice and one tablespoon of olive oil. Mix well, then cover with saran wrap and place in fridge until the rest of the salad is ready.

Step 3: In a bowl, mix together the thinly sliced organic yellow or orange pepper slices, slices of organic or locally grown tomatoes, and thinly sliced chile slices (use the arabic green chilies, which are long and not too hot).

Step 4: Arrange the slices of potatoes on each plate. Add the orange pepper slices, tomatoes and chilies, and sprinkle with some fresh lemon juice. Spoon out a large scoop of the chilled guacamole mixture on top,  and serve with fresh ground pepper! I also add more chopped fresh organic cilantro on top too.

Supplementary Recommendations:
I put some fresh (non-China imported) cashews on the side for more protein and serve with baked tortillas, topped with a little cheese! This makes a nice light, zesty and flavourful meal that everyone will enjoy and is easy to prepare!

Bon appetite!