Watermelon – I can’t even say the word or even think it without a flood of images and memories shooting through my mind.  It’s funny because as a child I wouldn’t eat it because I hated the laborious task of having to take out the seeds.  Then came along the genius seedless watermelon.  Since then I’m all over it, and have had a mad amour with the fleshy red fruit.  I have many watermelon recipes here on my blog t0 prove it!  To tell you the truth, in my opinion,  it makes for the perfect Summer after-dinner dessert, or drink / agua, or salad, or eat while you watch t.v., or anything else you might fancy it in.  I must mention  I use to sing in a band many moons ago called “Boca De Sandía” ( which means “Watermelon Mouth” in spanish), and I only have glorious memories as the front person of a band with such a cool name.  Yes, I’m consistent with what I like.  I have always incorporated food into my art or music.  Who nows, maybe it was the influence of Frida Kahlo’s piece “Viva La Vida” (pictured below) that got me so into watermelon and in turn inspired me to name my band that.  All I know is I’m here today and I love me some sandía.

I decided as a way to welcome in Summer, I was going to make myself a nice Watermelon margarita and revisit some of the other sandía recipes I have here on my blog.  Heck, I’m even going to showcase a few ideas from my friends.  Get the recipe for my Watermelon margarita below and/or check out a handful of other wonderful watermelon recipes.  Stick around for tips on how to pick the perfect watermelon video.  We are all ready for watermelon and Walmart is the place to buy them.  That’s where I got mine and they’re super sweet, seedless, and 100% fresh guaranteed or your money back!

Ingredients for watermelon margaritas: 

• 1 – small lemon
• 1 – small lime
• 1/3 – cup sugar
• 1 – small seedless watermelon
• 1/2 – cup tequila
• 7 – cups ice
• optional: sugar, or salt, or tajin
• 2 – strawberries
• mint

Directions:

1. Cut the peeling off both the lemon and lime, and place the peelings in a glass. Pour the sugar over the peelings. Then squeeze the inner flesh of the lime over the sugar. Set to the side for 1 hour. This will make a citrus syrup.
2. Cut watermelon in half. With a large spoon, scoop out the inside of the watermelon. You will now have two watermelon shells, that can be used as cups.
3. Place all the insides of the watermelon into a blender.
4. Place a strainer on top of the blender then pour the citrus syrup through the strainer, catching all the citrus peel.
5. Now pour the tequila through the strainer on top of the citrus peel. This will remove any sugar left on the peel.
6. Remove the strainer from the top of the blender and place lid on top. Blend watermelon mixture till smooth.
7. Then add ice to blender and blend again till frosty smooth.
8. Dip watermelon shell in either sugar, salt or tajin to rim the edges. I used tajin.
9. Pour margarita into the center.
10. Garnish with strawberries, lemon slices, and mint. 
11. Enjoy!

MORE WATERMELON RECIPES:

Beet Watermelon Cucumber Salad In A Honey Lime Dressing : Presley’s Pantry

Bionico (Mexican Fruit Salad): Presley’s Pantry

Watermelon Jicama Salad: At The Fire Hydrant 

Minty Melon Salad: Nibbles and Feasts 

Paletas De Sandia Y Pepino: Sassy Mama In LA

 Strawberry Watermelon Smoothie: Mommy’s Kitchen

Watermelon Granita: MomAdvice

WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW ON HOW TO PICK A GREAT WATERMELON!!!!!

Disclosure: This is a compensated campaign in collaboration with Cacique and Latina Bloggers Connect. However, the recipe and opinions are 100% my own.

This Thursday, June 12th, be prepared to join the rest of the world in the soccer event known to be followed by millions on Earth.  It doesn’t matter if you call it “football” or “soccer” as long as you don’t miss the “GOALS!”  I will be tuning in with my fellow sport fans to cheer on my relative country of Mexico.  I enjoy watching the match on TV with the volume muted and the sound replaced with a musical soundtrack instead.  Depending on which countries are competing that day usually determines what we will listen to.  That allows me to just watch and focus as the men run back and forth kicking the ball with those legs of pure muscle.  I adore the sportsmanship of the game and the thrilling entertainment it brings into my household.  With complete concentration on every move the athletes make and where the ball will land comes the desire to distract the mind a little with a snack that will help ease the anxiety.  Something edible to celebrate with or cry with, it has to be good.   The first thing that comes to mind is the soothing taste of Cacique crema, then a hard shell crunch, a little pickled chile, some crumbled queso fresco, and it has to represent the colors of Mexico.   Food for the fans, something we could all dig into.  I decided the best thing to fit this description would have to be Mexican “Stadium” Chicken Salad served with crisp corn tortilla strips.  I will serve it as a dip in the middle of the room and me, my family and our lovely friends can all scoop into the luscious good-ness while enjoying the game.

Ingredients for Mexican Stadium Chicken Salad:

• 10 to 12 – corn tortillas (depending how big your bowl is) (sides trimmed off)
• 1/2 – cup vegetable oil
• 1.5 – pounds chicken breasts (boiled for 20 minutes, then shredded with 2 forks)
• 1/3 – cup Cacique crema Mexicana Agria
• 1/4 – cup mayo
• 1/2 – lime (squeezed)
• 1/2 – teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 – teaspoon salt
• 8 – cherry tomatoes (cut into 4’s)
• 6 – strips of bacon (cooked and crumbled)
• 1/3 – cup red onion (diced)
• 1/3 – cup peas
• 1/4 – cup pickled jalapenos (diced)
• 1/4 – cup fresh cilantro leaves (stems removed)
• 1/2 – avocado (diced)
• 1/2 – cup Cacique queso fresco

Directions:

1. Cut tortillas into strips. In a large frying pan over a medium flame add in the vegetable oil. Allow the oil to get hot, then fry the tortilla strips on each side until crisp. 
2. Remove tortilla strips from oil and allow to drain on a paper towel. Set strips to the side.
3. Place cooked shredded chicken in a bowl add in Cacique crema Mexicana Agria, mayo, and lime juice. Mix to combine. Sprinkle with garlic powder and salt. Mix again.
4. Build the stadium: In a big bowl fill the center with creamy chicken salad, then line the inside edges of the bowl with tortilla strips. 
5. Combine cherry tomatoes, bacon, and red onion together, then on one side of the chicken salad make a solid line of red ingredients.
6. Combine peas, jalapenos, cilantro, and avocado together, then on the opposite side from the red ingredients make a solid line of green ingredients. Leaving an equal amount of space open in the middle.
7. Fill the center area with queso fresco. 
8. Eat this now!

Disclosure: This is not a sponsored post. However; OXO did provide me with a few cooking tools to aid me with this recipe. The opinions and recipe are 100% my own.  I seriously love OXO.

Holy Moly. This salad puts the WOW in factor, as my fiance found out this afternoon. I watched him dip his tortilla chip into his bowl without stopping for a breather over the course of 20 minutes. When he finally took his eyes off his bowl he said to me “SWOON.” I second that emotion. Easy to make and ready to be served after 30 minutes.

Ingredients for esquites recipe:

• 2 – tablespoons mayo
• 1 – teaspoon chopped garlic
• 4 – corn on the cob
• 1/2 – cup crema (Mexican cream)
• 2 – limes (juiced)
• 1/4 – cup cilantro leaves
• 1 – jalapeno (finely chopped)
• 1/4 – green onion chopped
• 5 – ounces cotija cheese (crumbled)
• 1/2 – teaspoon chili flakes
• 1/2 – cup black beans (small can, rinsed and drained)
• Tortilla chips (I prefer nacho cheese Doritos)

Tools Needed:

• OXO 9″ whisk
• OXO Thongs
• OXO Salad Dressing Shaker
• OXO Corn Peeler
• OXO 4″ Santoku Chopping Knife

Directions:

1. In a small bowl whisk mayo and garlic together. Brush mayo on corn, and place on a hot grill. Grill for 15 minutes. Turning the corn with thongs every five minutes.    
2. While corn is grilling, add any remaining mayo/garlic to the salad dressing shaker also add in crema, and lime juice. Set to the side while you chop cilantro, green onion, and jalapeno. Add chopped greens to salad dressing shaker. Shake well and set to the side till ready to use. 
3. Remove corn from the grill, and with the corn peeler shave the kernels off the corn and allow to fall into the bowl.  
4. Add cotija cheese, chili flakes, and black beans to the corn. Mix well to combine. Then pour salad dressing over the mixture. 
5. Serve salad warm with a nice helping of tortilla chips. 

Thank you to NatureRaised Foods for sponsoring this article. Learn how NatureRaised Foods is “Doing What’s Right, Right from the Start™” in your area.

It’s as if the grill beckons me once the hotter temperatures start to set in. As you know, I love cooking but am not always up for being in the HOT kitchen during these scorching summer months. With that being said I want to spend less time inside and more time outside. I start to dream up meals that could be prepared on the grill with very little prep inside the house. Yet, I don’t want to just throw anything on the grill, I still want my meal to be wholesome and nutritious.  Majority of the time I want tasty grilled chicken, and NatureRaised Farms® brand chicken makes that part easy…..  They are accountable when needing to feed my family something that is right, right from the start.  Here’s an important side note….  They do not add antibiotics ever, in fact their chickens are fed a 100% vegetarian diet (no animal protein and no bakery by-products), with no added hormones or steroids. I like knowing that and thought you would like knowing that too. No wonder it tastes so good…. It’s 100% all-natural. Okay, I’ll stop with all the scientific part of it and get back to my grilling and chicken love.

One of my all time favorite dishes to make on the grill is chicken panzanella salad. I always start it the night before when the kitchen is nice and cool. I whip together a little marinade drop it in a bowl with my chicken and let it stand over night. Then I chop all my veggies and place then in another bowl and place them in the fridge till I’m ready to eat the next day. It’s so easy. The next day I grill my chicken (depending on my mood, I’ll either use breasts or if I want some dark meat I’ll use thighs) and couple slices of bread. Chop both the chicken and bread, then add it into the veggies. Crumble some feta on top and give it a splash of salad dressing and there you have it….. one of the best salads I know how to make in a matter of minutes. The best part is…. It’s super fresh, yet filling with the bread, and hearty with the grilled chicken. It’s almost like having a deconstructed chicken sandwich but with way more veggies in it. Plus it’s a meal in itself…. No need for anything else on the plate.

Ingredients for Grilled Chicken Panzenella Salad:

• 1 – package NatureRaised Farms® chicken (either breasts or thighs)
• 2 – tablespoons brown mustard
• ½ – cup white wine
• ½ – onion (sliced into big pieces)
• 3 – tablespoons olive oil
• 1 – tablespoon chopped garlic
• salt and pepper
• 1 – hothouse cucumber (cut into ¼ of an inch slices)
• 1 – pint cherry tomatoes (I use both yellow and red) (cut in half)
• 1 – red bell pepper (sliced into strips)
• 1 – yellow bell pepper (sliced into strips)
• 1 – red onion (sliced thinly)
• 1 – bunch of asparagus (blanched and chopped into 1 to 2 inch pieces)
• 1 – French bread loaf or mini sourdough loaf (grilled and cubed)
• 5 – leaves fresh basil (chopped)
• 5 – ounces crumbled feta cheese
• ½ – cup Italian dressing

Disclosure: This is a compensated campaign in collaboration with Latina Bloggers Connect and Avocados from Mexico. 

Summer thus far has been filled with Avocados.  I have been busy whipping up guacamole, avocado pistachio pound cake, avocado corn salad, avocado artichoke dip, avocado grapefruit salad and sliced avocado on everything imaginable.  No, I don’t tire of Avocados from Mexico.  I just keep thinking of new ways to enjoy them.  Last week I added a few chunks to a spicy pasta salad and the results were delightful.  This week I’ve been all about tomatoes and watermelon, and already both those ingredients are compatible counterparts to the creamy avocado.  The question is:  How to mix them?  I’m in constant craving of food that is fresh and light, especially during these summer months.  I want to experience a rainbow of colors in my food and at the same time knock my taste buds out with something exquisite.  I just let my imagination go wild, with no direction to start with except I was going to grill some avocados and use tomato and watermelon.  It’s always a pleasant surprise digging into my fridge and pulling out random things that I think might go well with whatever I’m preparing.  Recently was one of those days.  I pulled open the veggie drawer and found cucumber, red onion, and some fresh basil.  My cheese drawer was supplied with crumbled blue cheese, and I had just bought a french bread loaf.  I quickly started chopping and grilling bread.  Rainbow Bruschetta was on it’s way and in a matter of minutes my family and I would all be enjoying it.  I took a few pictures as I prepped (pictured above and below) and will also post my picture on the Avocados From Mexico recipe page.  It’s a great place for avocado lovers to get ideas on what to make with avocados.  So many great dishes, and lucky for us we have the entire year to be able to try them all.

If you want to upload your Avocado recipe to the Avocados From Mexico recipe page, just click here!  Go ahead…. it’ll inspire someone to make your fabulous avocado dish.

Ingredients for Grilled Avocado Blue Cheese Rainbow Bruschetta:

• 1 – Avocado from Mexico (sliced in half and grilled)
• salt to taste
• french bread loaf (sliced into 2 inch slices)
• 8 – yellow cherry tomatoes (cut into 1/4 inch chunks)
• 1 – red tomato (cut into 1/4 inch chunks)
• 1 – small cucumber (about 3 inches long) (cut into 1/4 inch chunks)
• 1/2 – red onion (sliced very thinly)
• 2 – garlic cloves (chopped super small)
• 1/4 – cup watermelon (cut into 1/4 inch chunks)
• 3 – fresh basil leaves (chopped into small strips)
• 2 1/2 – tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 – cup crumbled blue cheese

Directions:

1. Cut avocado in half, and remove the pit.
2. Sprinkle with a little salt. 
3. Place avocado on a hot grill for 5 to 10 minutes or until grill marks form on the flesh of the avocado.
4. Cut french bread loaf into slices and toast on grill until golden crisp. Set to the side. 
5. In a large bowl add yellow tomato, red tomato, cucumber, red onion, garlic, watermelon, and basil. Mix to combine.
6. Then pour in olive oil and salt. Mix well and set to the side.
7. Cut avocado into chunks, then scoop out of shell and add to the tomato/ basil mixture.
8. Mix to combine.
9. Then with a tablespoon top each of the grilled bread slices with tomato/avocado mixture. Place on a plate, and continue with the next one.
10. Then sprinkle the entire place with blue cheese crumbles. 
11. Eat! Enjoy! Love Avocados From Mexico!

Disclosure: This is a compensated campaign in collaboration with Latina Bloggers Connect and Avocados from Mexico. 

This is a sponsored post in collaboration with Latina Bloggers Connect and the California Milk Advisory Board.   All opinions are my own. 

Are you ready to rev up that Bar-B-Q pit and shish kabob for grilling? It’s officially grilling season with Memorial Day around the corner and Father’s day a stones throw away. It’s time to start planning your menus and gathering people around the pit. What do you typically like to grill? My family grills carne asada and anaheim chiles stuffed with queso quesadilla. We love to grill veggies and green onions, if my uncle is around he always wants his share of jalapenos thrown a top the fire-y hot grate. I like to make packets of aluminum foil and fill them with chopped zucchini a little bit of olive oil and cotija cheese…… I call them Bar-B-Q calabasitas. Here’s the serious truth, we can’t have an outdoor cooking session without making Grilled Corn And Queso Fresco Salad. I usually prep the corn in the house then throw it on the barbie, while the maize is grilling I chop up the other ingredients and make a dressing of crema, lime juice, and a little cotija cheese. OMG…. My mouth just watered recounting the details of this recipe back to you. Every time I make the salad (which is when we have a Bar-B-Q) my fiance tells me I need to be making this salad at least once a week. My Mom loves it cuz it’s vegetarian, and I heart it because it’s down right GOOD! I usually make it as a side dish but it could be enjoyed as a meal all on it’s own. Don’t get me wrong, it does taste lickable paired with a slice of chicken or sizzling piece of carne asada as well. But what really makes this salad pop is the queso fresco teamed up with the sweet corn and the tangy crema lime cojita cheese dressing. Delish! Make it for your next Bar-B-Q! Plus it’s so easy to get all the hispanic dairy needed for this recipe. With California being the leading producer of hispanic dairy products all you have to do is look for the Real CA Milk / cheese seals on the labels of your hispanic dairy. These cheeses will give your next meal the authentic touch of latin cuisine and make it taste better then you could have imagined. Enjoy!

Ingredients for Grilled Corn and Queso Fresco Salad:

• 1 – tablespoon of butter (room temperature)
• 4 – corn on the cob
• 5 or 6 – stalks of green onion
• 1 – tablespoon of olive oil
• salt to taste
• 2 – ripe avocados (sliced and cubed)
• 1 – cup chopped tomatoes
• 1 – cup sliced red onion
• 1/2 – cup cilantro leaves
• 5 – radishes (thinly sliced)
• 1 – package queso fresco Ranchero (crumbled in large pieces)
• (optional) 2 – grilled green chiles- diced (serrano, or jalapeno, or anaheim)

Ingredients for Crema Lime Cotija Cheese dressing:

• 3 – tablespoons crema
• 1 1/2 – large limes (juiced, about 4 tablespoons)
• 1 – tablespoon cotija cheese

1. Heat up the bar-b-q or grill.
2. Smear butter on the corn on the cob. Set to the side.
3. Trim edges of green onions off and smear with olive oil. Set to the side.
4. Sprinkle both corn and green onions with salt to your liking.
5. Place both corn and green onion on bar-b-q and grill for green onion for about 6 minutes. 
6. Grill the corn for 15 to 20 minutes or until kernels are slightly charred. 
7. Remove from grill and shave the kernels from the cob with a sharp knife. 
8. Add shaved corn to a bowl along with avocado, tomato, red onion, cilantro, radishes, queso fresco, (optional) green chiles, and grilled onion to serve on the side. (pictured above)
9. Give the ingredients a good mix, and set to the side.
10. In a small bowl mix ingredients for dressing with a whisk, then pour over salad and give a final mix.
11. Serve with grilled green onion on the side.
12. Enjoy!

“Stop acting like a hungry little monkey”, those words came spilling out of my mouth faster than I could catch them.  I didn’t say it in a mean way,  I just said it as a matter of fact.  You see my friend Karla was over and I had just come from buying a bunch of fruit to curb this Bionico craving that had been hankering at the back of my tongue for the last couple of days. When I mentioned in passing I was going to start working on a dish of bionico, she turned into a hyper, nagging, relentless little infected blister.  Saying to me every other minute “Are you going to make that bionico?”, “What time are you going to make the bionico?”, “How much bionico are you going to make?”,  “Can I take some home?”  I felt like her energy turned into a nervous twitch and if she could scratch the side of her ribcage and make ooooh and ahhhh sounds she would.  Don’t get me wrong, I understand the power of the bionico, but she was acting straight out grubby. I started to feel uneasy and wanted to protect and hover over my now sacred bionico…. thats when I just blurted it out,  “Stop acting like a hungry little monkey.” Her eyes grew wide, I don’t know if she was embarrassed or if she was just stunned by the reality of my words. It was too late, the truth was on the table.  I tried to glaze over what had just happened by abruptly shifting gears with a long,  sincere explanation of how September is National Organics Month, and Whole Foods Market is celebrating with an abundance of fresh, organic grapes in stores all month long.  This eased the blow, then I whipped up a big bowl of  bionico and forced myself to share half with her.

Ingredients for Bionico: 

1 1/2- cups organic red grapes (sliced in half)

1/2 – cup organic green grapes (sliced in half)

2 – sliced bananas

1 1/2 – cups peeled and chopped mango

1 1/2 – cups watermelon (cubed)

1 – cup green apple (cubed)

1 – cup pineapple (cubed)

1 – cup strawberries (sliced)

1/2 – cup sugar

3/4 – cup sour cream

1/2 – cup raisins

1/2 – cup chopped almonds

Mix all fruit in a big bowl.

Then in a small bowl mix sugar, and sour cream together until smooth. Then pour over mixed fruit and mix well.

Serve in a serving bowl and sprinkle with raisins and almonds. Enjoy!

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Whole Foods Market, but the recipe and opinions are my own.