Summer is just around the corner and it's not Summer in Texas without ceviche! I was introduced to this dish a few years ago by a colleague who was from Monterrey Mexico. She gave me some helpful tips on how to prepare it!

There are a few things to know about ceviche. This dish is made from fresh raw fish cured in citrus juices, such as lemon or lime. Since this dish is not cooked with heat, it must be prepared fresh to minimize the risk of food poisoning. I like to let my fish marinade for hours rather than the usual 20 minute time frame. This dish can be served as the main course or as an appetizer with chips. An awesome Summer crowd-pleaser either way! 

My fridge is always fully stocked fridge with a variety of beers thanks to my boyfriend. If your looking for a drink to pair this tropical dish with, The Bikini Blonde Lager was very refreshing! This beer is from Hawaii and is only sold in 10 states, can be purchased through some online retailers. Cheers!
Using fresh lemons, squeeze out juice until you have enough for 1 1/2 cups. Add extra pulp by scrapping out the lemon excess from inside the peel. Remove any seeds. Set to the side. Prepare your fish- cut tilapia into finely diced pieces, 1/2 inch or less. Combine fish and lemon juice to a large round or rectangular container preferably something  that has a lid. If this is not accessible, plastic wrap will do.

  Let marinade in the fridge overnight, 8+ hours. *If your running low on time, let the tilapia chill in the fridge for 20 minutes to an 1 hour until the fish is white throughout.

Dice tomatoes and avocado. Finely chop jalapenos and mince cilantro.

Mix in veggies, V8, and salt into the container of marinated tilapia. NOTE: A key ingredient to the "KICK" in my recipe is using the V8 spicy hot. I decided to use this rather than Clamato juice because it comes in comes in the perfect size and in a pack of 6. The unused cans would perfect for making Bloody Mary's the next morning!


You can serve this dish either by spreading the ceviche onto tostadas for a meal or in a chips n' dip style as an appetizer. I used H‑E‑B Baked Tostadas Horneadas as a healthy substitute. I usually serve with Mission Red Tostada Nortena or fry up my own tostadas and/or tortilla chips! 




Tilapia Ceviche with a KICK
Ingredients:
6 Fillets of Tilapia
1 1/2 Cups of Lemon Juice (7-9 Lemons)
1 1/2 cup of Tomatoes (1-2 tomatoes)
2 Small Avocados
1 Jalapeno 
1 Cup of Cilantro
1 Can (5.5 oz) of V8, Spicy Hot or Regular
6-8 corn tostadas or a bag of tortilla chips
Salt to taste 

Directions:
  1. Using fresh lemons, squeeze out juice until you have enough for 1 1/2 cups. Add extra pulp by scrapping out the lemon excess from inside the peel. Remove any seeds. Set to the side. 
  2. Prepare your fish- cut tilapia into finely diced pieces, 1/2 inch or less,
  3. Combine fish and lemon juice to a large round or rectangular container preferably something  that has a lid. If this is not accessible, plastic wrap will do. Let marinade in the fridge overnight, 8+ hours.   **If your running low on time, let the tilapia chill in the fridge for 20 minutes to an 1 hour until the fish is white throughout. 
  4. Dice tomatoes and avocado. Finely chop jalapenos and mince cilantro. 
  5. Mix in veggies, V8, and salt into the container of marinated tilapia.
  6. Serve either by spreading the ceviche onto tostadas for a meal or in a chips n' dip style as an appetizer. For an extra extra KICK, top with Valentina hot sauce! 








 My boyfriend's mom is an amazing cook! I get a lot of cooking ideas from her. She made this spicy chicken soup dish for us a few months ago. It was so delicious and spicy!! She went over how she prepared it and what ingredients she used. That following week I came up with my own recipe for it. I used chicken legs in my version.  <Side note>- I always have chicken legs stored in my freezer. They are always on sale and perfect to use when cooking for two.

Since then, I have learned to whip up this chicken recipe when I want to make a fast meal during the week. For the soup base, I literally just just throw everything in one pot.  It only takes about 45 minutes (including prep!). 





 Fill a 5 quart pot halfway. Add oil, salt, and chicken. Boil for 10 minutes
Cut a small slit at the top of each arbol chile pepper. 

Add chili, tomato sauce, and seasoning to the pot. 

It should start looking like this. 

 Cook on medium high heat for 30 minutes.

On to your side..
Chop Onions and squash into small slices 1-2 inch slices.
Add butter and onions to a large skillet. 
Cook on medium heat until onions are caramelized. About 10-15 minutes.

This is what a Calabaza Squash looks like. Very similar to a zucchini. 

Add water and zucchini to the skillet. Stir around until onions and zucchini is evenly dispersed.

Cover and cook on a low heat setting for 15 minutes.

Serve on top of your soup!!





 Spicy Arbol Chicken Soup
Ingredients:
7-8 Arbol Chiles (If you want a mild versions, use 4 as these chiles are HOT)
8 Chicken Legs
1 cup of Tomato Sauce
1 tablespoon of Kerr Caldo de Tomate Seasoning
1 tablespoon of Olive Oil
2.5 quarts of Water
1/2 teaspoon of salt

Directions:
1. Fill a 5 quart pot halfway. Add oil, salt, and chicken. Boil for 10 minutes.
*As your chicken is cooking, now would be a good time to work on your Calabaza Squash and Onion Side*
2. Cut a small slit at the top of each arbol chile pepper. 
3. Add chili, tomato sauce, and seasoning to the pot. Cook on medium high heat for 30 minutes.

Calabaza Squash and Onion Side
Ingredients:
4 Calabaza Squash
1/2 Yellow Onion
2 tablespoons of butter
1/2 cup of water
Dash of salt

Directions:
1. Chop Onions and squash into small slices 1-2 inch slices.
2. Add butter and onions to a large skillet. Cook on medium heat until onions are caramelized. About 10-15 minutes.
3. Add water and zucchini to the skillet. Stir around until onions and zucchini is evenly dispersed.
4. Cover and cook on a low heat setting for 15 minutes.

*Serve on top of your soup!!


To avoid an annoying trip to the grocery store, I always keep my kitchen stocked with basic essentials. Migas is definitely my go to breakfast when I have little to work with. 

I was introduced to migas from a friend's mom here in Texas. Migas is a traditional Tex-Mex dish commonly confused with Chilaquiles. Migas are simply fried pieces of corn tortillas with scrambled eggs. What I love about this dish is once you have the main ingredients for the base, you can literally add anything to it- onion, avocado, tomatoes, cilantro, chorizo, bacon... endless mixing options!! This recipe is super simple and just enough for two. 





Begin prepping with dicing the serrano pepper. 
Cut tortillas into small 1-1 1/2 inch squares. 

Heat oil in a medium skillet. Once the oil is warm enough, add the tortilla pieces and stir until the oil is evenly distributed. *I like cooking with a "Spoonula" because it doesn't rip the tortillas. 

Cook on medium heat until the tortilla pieces are golden and really crunchy (like tortilla chips). This step is very important because if your pieces are still soft you will have soggy migas. 

Add eggs on top of your tortilla chips and stir well. 

 Add your serrano pepper and salt/pepper. Stir well.

Add cheese, stir well. 

Ready to serve, add picante sauce to top things off!

Quick n' Easy Migas 
Ingredients:
3 eggs
6 corn tortillas
1/4 cup of cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons of vegetable or olive oil. 
salt and pepper to taste
1 serrano pepper (Optional- I used it for an extra kick)
Picante Sauce to top

Directions:
  1. Begin prepping with dicing the serrano pepper. Cut tortillas into small 1-1 1/2 inch squares. 
  2. Heat oil in a medium skillet. Once the oil is warm enough, add the tortilla pieces and stir until the oil is evenly distributed. Cook on medium heat until the tortilla pieces are golden and really crunchy (like tortilla chips). *This step is very important because if your pieces are still soft you will have soggy migas. 
  3. Add eggs on top of your tortilla chips and stir well. 
  4. Add your serrano pep
  5. per and salt/pepper. Stir well.
  6. Add cheese, stir well. 
  7. Ready to serve, add picante sauce to top things off!


*Updated 12/31/16

Happy New Year!! I decided to take a break from the usual NYE festivities and stay in. To celebrate I made a hearty batch of pozolé to go with the left over tamales I made during Christmas. 

 Pozolé is a traditional Mexican dish typically made on special occasions like Christmas or New Years.  Since it's not a dish you would often make, it is assumed that one will make enough to share! I indeed made plenty to share; my recipe should feed anywhere from 10-12 people. It is definitely a great authentic dish that will wow you friends and family. I hope you all enjoy! 




. 

It's helpful to prep your indigents before you begin.

Fill a large stock pot half way with water (about 15 cups). Add salt, oil, and chicken thighs. Boil for 15 minutes and lower the heat to medium. 

Set oven to broil. Place poblano peppers on a baking sheet and roast until skin blackens (do not remove the stems). Be sure to turn frequently. Remove peppers from the oven and place in a plastic bag. Let them sweat for a few minutes, this will allow the skin to peel off easily. When ready to peel the skin, be careful not to tear the flesh of the chile. With a knife, cut the length of each chile and then gently remove and discard all of the seeds. Chop into small 1 inch pieces. 




Start prepping your peppers. Rinse off Ancho, Guajillo, and Arbol peppers. Remove the stems.  Place in a small pot and add enough water until all peppers are covered. Boil for 10-15 minutes or until the peppers are really soft. 


For the sauce- Place garlic and the boiled Ancho, Guajillo, and Arbol peppers in a blender. Include 3 tablespoons of the boiled water from the pot you used to boil the peppers in (this will help liquefy your peppers a little more to help with straining). Blend for 2 minutes.


Get a small mixing bowl and place a mesh strainer on top of it. Add your sauce to the mesh strainer and press down until all you have left is the residue from the peppers (the sauce should be thick and paste-like). Set aside. 



Remove chicken from the broth and let it cool down before shredding with a fork. You will need to remove the skin and bones. Reduce heat to low. 

Add/stir in shredded chicken, chopped onion, hominy, oregano, New Mexico chile powder, sauce, Caldo de Tomate seasoning, and poblano peppers to the pot. Cover and cook at a low heat setting for 30-45 minutes.


When your soup is close to done cooking. Carefully remove the excess oil at the top. You may take out 1/2 to 3/4 cup of oil from the chicken. 


Pozolé can have a variety of toppings. most commonly it is served with shredded cabbage. For less stress, I buy a bag of pre-shredded cabbage or coleslaw. Sliced avocado, lime, cilantro can also pair nicely as well.
Traditional Mexican Chicken Pozolé Recipe 

 Ingredients
16 cups of water 
10-12 chicken thighs, bone in 
1/2 chopped onion
3 poblano peppers
2 Ancho chile peppers
4 Guajillo chile peppers

2 Arbol chile peppers (FYI will make your Pozolé extra spicy! Can be left out)
5-6 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
1 tablespoon of salt
1 tablespoon of Knorr Caldo de Tomate seasoning
1 teaspoon of cumin
1 tablespoon of New Mexico chile powder
2 teaspoons of Mexican oregano
6 Cans of hominy (15.5 OZ, use more or less depending of preference)
*Optional: Cabbage or bag of coleslaw, limes, cilantro, or more chopped onions for toppings

Directions

  1.  Fill a large stock pot half way with water (about 15 cups). Add salt, oil, and chicken thighs. Boil for 15 minutes and lower the heat to medium. 
  2.  Start prepping your peppers. Rinse off Ancho, Guajillo, and Arbol peppers. Remove the stems.  Place in a small pot and add enough water until all peppers are covered. Boil for 10-15 minutes or until the peppers are really soft. 
  3.  Set oven to broil. Place poblano peppers on a baking sheet and roast until skin blackens (do not remove the stems). Be sure to turn frequently. 
  4. Remove peppers from the oven and place in a plastic bag. Let them sweat for a few minutes, this will allow the skin to peel off easily. When ready to peel the skin, be careful not to tear the flesh of the chile. With a knife, cut the length of each chile and then gently remove and discard all of the seeds. Chop into small 1 inch pieces.   
  5. For the sauce- Place garlic and the boiled Ancho, Guajillo, and Arbol peppers in a blender. Include 3 tablespoons of the boiled water from the pot you used to boil the peppers in (this will help liquefy your peppers a little more to help with straining). Blend for 2 minutes.
  6. Get a small mixing bowl and place a mesh strainer on top of it. Add your sauce to the mesh strainer and press down until all you have left is the residue from the peppers (the sauce should be thick and paste-like). Set aside. 
  7. Remove chicken from the broth and let it cool down before shredding with a fork. You will need to remove the skin and bones. Reduce heat to low. 
  8. Add/stir in shredded chicken, chopped onion, hominy, oregano, New Mexico chile powder, sauce, chopped poblano peppers, and Caldo de Tomate seasoning to the pot.
  9. Cover and cook at low heat setting for 30-45 minutes. 
  10. Add additional salt or Caldo de Tomate seasoning as needed
  11. When your soup is close to done cooking. Carefully remove the excess oil at the top. You may take out up to 1/2 to 3/4 cup of oil from the chicken.
*Pozolé can have a variety of toppings. most commonly it is served with shredded cabbage. For less stress, I buy a bag of pre-shredded cabbage or coleslaw. Sliced avocado, lime, cilantro can also pair nicely as well.