Tag: Latin Flavors
Chilean Sea Bass with Smoked Paprika with Corn Risotto and Avocado Salad
- 1½ pound Chilean sea bass, cut into 3 to 4 filets
Spice Rub
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
Mix the spices in a small bowl. Rub the fish filets all over with the spice rub. Marinate for 2 to 3 hours in the fridge.
- Olive oil
- Salt
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Place the fish filets on a lined cookie sheet. Drizzle oil and sprinkle salt on each of the filets. Bake for 9 to 12 minutes, depending on the size of the filets.
Corn Risotto with Avocado Salad
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon roasted cumin, powdered
- 1 medium shallot, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 ears of corn, off the cob
- 1 cup Arborio rice
- 3 to 4 cups chicken broth, warmed
- Salt
- 1/3 half and half
- ½ cup queso fresco, grated
Heat a wide frying pan with the olive oil. Add the cumin and sauté for a minute on medium heat. Add the shallot and garlic. Saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the corn and the rice. Saute for 3 to 4 minutes on medium low heat. Gradually add the broth one ladle at a time, stirring the rice in between. Add the liquid as it cooks out. The risotto should take about 20 minutes to cook. Add the half and half and cheese. Mix well and check for seasonings. Add salt. Serve with avocado salad on top and fish on the side.
Avocado and Tomato Salad
- 1 large Hass avocado, cut into ½ inch pieces
- ½ cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- Juice of half a lime
- Salt
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped
Mix the avocado, tomatoes, lime juice, salt and cilantro in a medium bowl. Mix well and serve on top of the risotto with the fish on the side.
Coleslaw with Apples
- 1 9 ounces pack of shredded cabbage ( I got the organic shredded green and red cabbage with orange carrots package from Trader Joes)
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup full fat yogurt
- Juice of a small lime
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ancho chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 medium pink lady apple, sliced thin
- ½ cilantro, chopped
Transfer the cabbage mixture, apple and cilantro to a mixing bowl.
Add the mayo, yogurt, lime juice, salt, ancho chili powder, ground cumin and honey to a small bowl. Mix well and add to the cabbage mixture and mix well. Add more salt if needed. Serve with the pulled pork sandwiches.
Filet Mignon with Cilantro Lime Sauce
- 4 filets
- Salt
- Pepper
- Olive oil
Drizzle the olive oil on the steaks and sprinkle the salt and pepper. Marinate for 2 to 3 hours.
Sauce
- Juice of 2 limes
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, smashed
- 1 to 2 teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon ancho chili powder
- 1 to 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 cup fresh cilantro
Transfer all the ingredients to a blender. Blend well, taste for seasonings and transfer to a bowl. Keep aside.
Cook the steak as desired and serve the sauce on top.
Serve with oven fries and mango salsa.
Greens with Avocado and Cumin Dressing
I have making this salad almost twice a week. We love avocados- well, my husband and I do. I usually make guacamole a lot and we enjoy it with fish, chicken or any other Mexican cuisine. Since we love avocados so much, I now incorporate them into a simple salad. Some mixed greens, halved cherry tomatoes and a delicious dressing.
The dressing in this salad is the star- I used fresh lemons, honey and extra virgin olive oil. The main ingredients that make this dressing amazing is roasted cumin seeds and smoked paprika. I think I need to make a big jar of it as I find myself licking the plate after the salad is done.
Definitely try this salad- it is delicious…
- 4 cups mixed greens
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- 2 ripe avocadoes, cut into 1 inch pieces
Place the greens, tomatoes and avocado pieces into a medium salad bowl.
Dressing
- 1 teaspoon roasted cumin seeds, crushed
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Juice of two lemons
- 2 to 3 teaspoons honey
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- Salt
Add the cumin seeds, lemon juice, honey, paprika and salt into a small bowl. Slowly drizzle the olive oil until the dressing emulsifies. Check for seasonings and drizzle over the salad. Toss and serve.
Pinto Beans
These are delicious, vegetarian refried beans. Usually they are available in restaurants filled with fat- don’t get me wrong.. they are delicious but not the healthiest. You can also get them pre-made in a can. Honestly, I have never tasted the ones in the can, so I can’t comment- but you can’t beat the homemade variety.
I don’t make it exactly from scratch as I use the cooked pinto beans out of a can. This allows me to cook the dish in no time at all without compromising on flavor. This particular one I spiced with roasted cumin seeds and smoked paprika. I also added garlic and cherry tomatoes.
It is a delicious, healthy side dish you can make in a matter of minutes. It was a great complement to the steak tacos. Try it with tacos or any thing grilled for the summer…
- 1 can of (15 ounces) pinto beans
- ¼ cup vegetable or chicken broth
Place the beans in a saucepan and add the broth. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes. Mash the beans in the pan with a potato masher. Leave it a bit chunky if you like. Keep aside.
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon roasted cumin seeds, crushed
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ cup halved cherry tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon extra light olive oil
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ cup cilantro, chopped
Heat the oil in a medium sized frying pan. Add the cumin seeds, tomatoes, onion and garlic and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes- till onions are soft. Add the mashed beans. Mix well and sprinkle salt and paprika. Mix well and top with cilantro and serve.
Lamb Loin Chops with Smoked Paprika and Wine Sauce
This is a very flavorful and delicious dish. I decided to mix the flavors of a typical wine sauce with smoked paprika. I marinated the lamb in a mixture of garlic, cilantro and smoked paprika. The meal was simply scrumptious. I served the chops with some creamed spinach and sweet potato fries.
- 6 to 8 lamb loin chops
- 4 to 5 garlic cloves
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Add the garlic cloves into a mortar and pestle. Add the salt, smoked paprika and cilantro and pound down to a paste. Add the oil till emulsified.
Rub the chops with the garlic mixture and marinate for 4 to 5 hours. Keep aside.
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- ½ cup red wine
- 1 cup chicken broth
- ½ cup orange juice
- Salt
Heat a large frying pan with the olive oil. Brown the chops on both sides on high heat for 2 minutes each. Take out of pan and add the tomato paste and cook for a minute on medium heat. Add the flour and cook for another minute. Deglaze with red wine and pickup the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the broth and orange juice- whisk to make smooth. Bring to a boil and lower to a simmer. Add the lamb chops and cook till desired. Add salt to taste. Serve with creamed spinach and sweet potatoes.
Avocado and Mango Guacamole
This summer I have been making guacamole at least once a week.. usually it is more like two. It is quite simple to make and usually takes the usual suspects. Lots of lime juice and salt are the key to a delicious guacamole. Cilantro and green onions help as well and so does garlic.
I wanted to mix avocado and mango together. The texture of the two fruits is exactly the same but the flavors couldn’t be different. One has a rich, creamy taste and the mango is sweet and tangy. The two went amazingly together. The guacamole was delicious and perfect with a steak!
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