Strawberry Lemonade

Cool off with my refreshing strawberry lemonade. Yummy!

INGREDIENTS:
2 cps water
1 cp sugar
1 tbls grated lemon peel
1 cp fresh lemon juice
1 pt fresh strawberries, hulled and halved
2 cps cold sparkling water or club soda
Ice
Mint sprigs, garnish
Whole strawberries, garnish

DIRECTIONS:
In a medium saucepan, bring the water and sugar to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves. Add the lemon peel and lemon juice, stir, and remove from the heat. Let cool completely, then strain into a clean pitcher.

In a blender, puree the pint of strawberries and add to the pitcher with the lemon juice. Stir well to combine and refrigerate until well chilled.

Add the sparkling water and stir well. Pour over glasses filled with ice and serve, garnished with mint and strawberries.

Summer Ceviche

This is an exciting alternative to regular salsa and guacamole!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb halibut fillet, sea bass fillet or red snapper fillet (or use a mixture of fish and shrimp)
• 5-6 limes or lime juice to cover fish
• 1 cup diced fresh tomato
• 1 sweet green pepper, chopped
• 4 tbls fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1 or 2 jalapeno peppers, chopped
• 2 tbls white vinegar
• 1 med. onion, finely chopped
• 1 dash Tabasco sauce
• Lettuce leaf
• Avocado

DIRECTIONS:
Dice the fish. Place fish in bowl with lime juice. Marinate in refrigerator overnight to cook the fish. Stir often. Pour off most of the lime juice. Add remaining ingredients except lettuce and avocado a few hours before serving and refrigerate. Toss well and arrange in individual serving bowls that are lined with the lettuce leaves. Garnish with sliced avocados.

Chipotle BBQ Sauce

A lil' sweet and spicy sauce for your favorite Papi on Father's Day! Slather this on top of Chicken or Ribs (Before or after grilling however you do it! I don't even want to touch that subject) for a great twist on a traditional BBQ sauce.

INGREDIENTS
1 7-oz. can chipotle in adobo
1 cup boiling water
1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup water
1 12-oz. can tomato paste
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons thyme
1 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard
1 teaspoon Tobasco sauce

DIRECTIONS
Melt butter in a saucepan and add onion, garlic, cumin and thyme. Sauté until the onion is soft and translucent. Add finely chop chipotle chilies and remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

Jicama, Shrimp & Apricot Salad

There's always a lot going on in June between graduations, weddings and Father's Day. It's a great time to invite family and friends over for a BBQ and try out our Chipotle BBQ sauce and jicama salad recipes.

INGREDIENTS
• 1 lb large cooked shrimp
• 1/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon minced peeled fresh ginger
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 lb jicama, peeled and cut into 1/8-inch-thick matchsticks
• 3/4 lb firm-ripe apricots (4 large), cut into 1/4-inch-thick wedges
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds



DIRECTIONS
Whisk together vinegar, garlic, ginger, and oil, then add shrimp and remaining ingredients and toss to combine well. Season salad with salt and pepper.

Mango Sangria

As the days warm up Sangria is always a crowd pleaser for every get together. Try this mango version for a new twist.

Ingredients:
• 1/4 cp Honey OR 1/2 cp Brown Sugar
• 1 cp Mango Juice
• 1 cp Orange Juice
• 1 Bottle Savignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio or white wine
• 2 cps Seasonal Fruit cubed or sliced (such as Mango, Peaches, Melons, Strawberries)
• Ice
• Mint for Garnish

Mix all ingredients in a large pitcher and chill. Add fruit shortly before serving. To serve, place some ice in a large wine glass or tumbler, pour in Sangria and some of the pieces of fruit. Garnish with mint.

Mushroom Manchego Crepes

(Recipe courtesy of Cacique USA)

INGREDIENTS
2 cps Cacique® Manchego Cheese - shredded
2 Eggs
3/4 cp Milk
2 tblsp Olive Oil
1 Medium Onion - sliced
1 cp Bisquit Mix
Salt & Pepper
Fresh Cilantro

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish and set aside. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook until lightly golden, about 10 minutes. Add mushrooms and continue cooking for an additional 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and set aside. Whisk together biscuit mix, milk and eggs. Heat a 7-or-8-inch over medium-low heat. Pour a scant quarter cup of batter into pan and swirl pan so bottom is evenly coated. Cook until the edges of the crépe are bubbly and look dry and the bottom is golden. Loosen edges with a spatula, then flip over and cook for an additional 20-30 seconds. Slide crépe out of pan onto a clean counter or cutting board.

Place about 2 tablespoons of mushroom onion mixture into center of each crépe, sprinkle with cheese, and roll up. Place in prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and bake for 10 minutes, until cheese on top is melted. Garnish with cilantro before serving.

Servings: 6-8

Tortilla Española

When I lived in Madrid my roommate Encarni taught me how to make a Tortilla Española or Tortilla de Potata which is a common dish found in every bar, restaurant and home in Spain. It's nothing like the flour or corn version from Mexico that I learned how to make growing up but it's now a favorite at 
our home.


INGREDIENTS
4-5 White Medium Potatoes, peeled
5 Eggs
1/2 cup Onion, finely chopped (optional)
1/2 cup Olive Oil, divided
Salt & Pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS
Slice potatoes into scallop size pieces and set aside. Place a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1/4 cup olive oil to pan. When the oil is hot (not smoking, but very hot), add potatoes, onions, salt and pepper. Cook potatoes (and onions if used) for 15-20 minutes until potatoes are very soft and can cut in half easily with a spatula. Set potatoes aside. In a medium sized bowl, beat eggs. Mix together cooked and drained potatoes to egg mixture and add more salt and pepper.

Clean non-stick skillet thoroughly and add remaining olive oil and heat. Pour the egg/potato mixture in the hot pan to cook like an open omelet. Reduce the heat slightly after a minute or so to allow the eggs to set in the middle, but not burn on the bottom. Use a spatula to run around the sides and bottom of the omelet to make sure it's not sticking.

When the majority of the egg mixture has cooked on the bottom, get ready to do the "flip". Using potholders to protect both hands place a dinner plate over the tortilla and get a firm grip on the handle of the pan. In one quick move flip the pan over so that the tortilla is released onto the plate. Place the pan back on the heat and quickly slide the flipped tortilla back in the hot pan to cook on the bottom. The tortilla is done when the egg is not runny inside when poked and slightly browned like the picture above.

Cut in thick pie shaped pieces when serving a portion for dinner or in cubes with toothpicks as an appetizer.
Can be served warm or at room tempurature.

¡Buen Provecho!