Carne Asada Tacos

Carne Asada Tacos for lunch today was a fresh change to my usual chicken or pork. i marinaded over night with vinegar, lime, garlic, cumin, salt, pepper, chili powder, and paprika. Although i like to make my own corn tortillas, this i bought them from a market. They're a mix of corn and flour. The garnish i used for the Carne Asada Tacos was a cilantro, onion, lime relish. Tapatio hot sauce. So good.

Chorizo and Spinach Salad

This is a great salad I learned (from Rick Bayless) that can be made in a matter of minutes. Simply brown some Chorizo with thick sliced onions. Then add olive oil/vinegar/salt/pepper/sugar right into the pan. This will create a warm vinaigrette in which you will toss with baby spinach and jicama.

Batter Fried Chicken 101

Brining the chicken for 1 hour in water, salt, and sugar ensures a flavorful moist chicken. The batter includes 1 cup each cornstarch and flour, 2 tbsp baking powder. Seasoned with lots of salt, paprika, cayenne, and black pepper. Add 1 3/4 cup cold water and whisk smooth. Remove chicken from brine, pat dry, and dip in batter. Fry @ 350 for 12 minutes in peanut oil. I like to drizzle honey over the fried chicken to give it that sweet and spicy kick!

Chiles Rillenos

This version of chiles rillenos was stuffed with pork carnitas and jack cheese, but I gotta admit the plain jack cheese version was alot better. The pork was overpowering the mild cheese and chiles flavors. Its a good thing I made one with pork and one without. Recipe to make chiles rillenos is pretty simple. First roast peppers and peal them clean. Slit the pepper enough to scrape out the seeds. Stuff with cheese, secure with toothpicks, and set aside. The sauce is tomato, onion, garlic, cinnamon, cumin, oregano, and s/p. When sauce is ready, heat up oil to fry the rilleno. Making the batter takes 2 eggs, salt, 2 teaspoons flour. First beat egg whites until stiff peaks. Slowly incorporate salt, flour, and egg yolks. Dip the stuffed peppers into the batter and fry in oil at 350. Medium heat is best to make sure the batter doesn't burn before the cheese melts. Also it will help cook the pepper a little more. Serve the tomato sauce on plate with chiles rillenos.

Pork Carnitas with Spanish Quinoa

Pork is King. It's that simple. One of my favorite ways to enjoy this glorious meat is simply roasting it. Get your self a roasting pan, fill with about 1/2 cup of water and place evenly cut pork pieces, seasoned with nothing more then salt. Cover with foil and bake @ 375 for 90 minutes. At this point you have 2 choices...The traditional Mexican Carnitas is done by removing the pork from oven and deep frying it in pork fat. This gives it an extra crisp exterior while keeping the meat moist inside. The other choice is finishing it in the oven, simply remove the foil and turn the heat up to 475. Roast another 60 minutes or until all the water is evaporated and the pork fat renders crisp. This I learned from the great Rick Bayless who always inspires me to cook traditional Mexican food.

Cheese Tortellinis in Diablo

I keep cheese tortellinis (made by a local Italian deli) in my freezer for making quick meals on the fly. The Tortellinis are whole wheat and stuffed with Parmesan and Ricotta cheeses. I try to keep wheat based foods to a minimum. Maybe ounce a week I'll have something made with wheat, such as these Tortellinis. The Diablo Sauce or spicy tomato sauce is made from San Marzano tomatos, along with some garlic, basil, honey, crushed red pepper flakes, olive oil, and salt/pepper. The sauce was simmered for over 2 hours on low heat to develop rich flavor. Plate and shave Parmesan cheese over.

Shrimp and Vegetable Tempura

Tempura batter...Mix 1 part cornstarch, 3 parts flour (rice flour), salt, sugar, and cold club soda. Make a thin batter to coat shrimp and vegetables. Dipping sauce; light soy sauce, rice vinegar, Vietnamese chili garlic paste, sesame oil, scallions, and ginger. Make the dipping sauce at least an hour advance.