Is there a dish that your Grandma use to make you when you were little?  Something special that your Momma has learned from her Mom and will now pass it down to you?  For me it’s Avocado Tacos.  The simplicity of these tacos is the beauty of it.  You can taste the creamy-ness of the avocado, the tang of the cheese and the tasty salsa all wrapped in a crispy corn tortilla shell…. and that’s all you need.

Avocados from Mexico is sending me to Blogher in New York City in less then a week to find out what other bloggers think when they hear the words Avocados and Abuelita (Grandma) together?  What a fun trip.  I can’t wait to hear what people have to say.  In the meantime I will savor what comes to mind when I hear the words Avocados and Abuelita together ….. Avocado Tacos with a Red Salsa!

 All photos taken by: Nicole Presley

Ingredients for Avocado Tacos:

10 – corn tortillas

2 – ripe Avocados from Mexico (sliced 1 inch thick)

1 – round of jalapeno queso quesadilla (sliced 1/2 inch thick)

toothpicks

1 – cup vegetable oil

Ingredients for simple red salsa:

water

4 – tomatoes

7 – chile de arbol

3 – garlic cloves

1 – tablespoon salt

Let’s start with the simple red salsa.  Fill a medium pot halfway with water and place over a medium high flame. Bring to a boil and add tomatoes and chile de arbol. Boil for 30 minutes. Remove from flame. With a slotted spoon, remove tomatoes and chile de arbol (remove stem from chiles) and place in a blender. Add 1 cup of the water the chiles boiled in to blender as well. Then add garlic and salt. Cover and blend till smooth. Pour into a bowl and set to the side until tacos are ready. This portion can be made the day before if desired.

Taco time! Over an open flame heat corn tortillas till warm and pliable. Remove from flame and stuff with a piece of Avocado and cheese. Fold in half and close with a toothpick. Repeat until done with all tortillas.

Pour vegetable oil in a frying pan over a medium high flame and allow to get hot.  Then add tacos and fry on each side for 3 to 5 minutes or until crisp.

Then remove tacos from oil and let drain on a paper towel lined plate.

Remove toothpicks. Dress your tacos with red salsa, and eat one of the most incredible tacos of all time.

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post on behalf of Avocados from Mexico . The recipe and opinions are completely my own!  Yes, and without a doubt #ILoveAvocados #AmoLosAguacates

There’s something very reassuring about eating kale salad.  Number 1, you know you made the right choice for your body that day.  Number 2, this leafy green is high in fiber and has zero fat.  Number 3, Kale is high in Calcium, Vitamin A, C and K, and has more Iron than beef.  Number 4, Kale is an anti-inflammatory packed with powerful antioxidents!  These are reasons enough for me to want to eat this salad again and again.

I always shake up my Kale salad by making different dressings.  Remember to make your kale salad a few hours in advance and allow it to sit in the dressing just to soften the roughage up a bit.

Kale Salad in Tahini Dressing:

1- bundle Kale

2 – large lemons (juiced) 

1/2 – cup Joyva sesame tahini puree

2 – garlic cloves (minced)

3- tablespoons of lime flavored soy sauce

1/4 – cup water

1/2 – cup pine nuts ( I like to toast mine)

Start by rinsing your Kale well.

Then place on a cutting board and cut into bit size shreds.  Place in a big bowl.

In a mixing bowl add lemon juice, tahini sesame puree, minced garlic, soy sauce and water.  Mix well.  At first the mixture will curdle then as you continue mixing it will go smooth.

Pour over chopped Kale and mix well to combine.

Next add pine nuts and cover bowl with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for a few hours or over night. Enjoy!

 All photos taken by: Nicole Presley

I’m such a sucker for a nice cream sauce, especially when it’s drizzled over shrimp…. OH YEAH!  Tie my hair up, give me a napkin and listen as silence overpowers the room.  Only chewing noises will reach your ears and you will see the face of a happy gal as I relish every last morsel of my plate….. Here’s a recipe you can do the same with.

Ingredients for broccoli cream sauce:

1 –  stick butter

2 – cups red onion (diced)  

3 – cups broccoli head (chopped small)

1 – tablespoon minced garlic

1/4 – cup sauvignon blanc

2 – cups vegetable broth

1 1/2 – cups 1/2 & 1/2

Chop red onion into small cubes, and trim the heads off the broccoli. Then take the broccoli heads and dice really small.  Place to the side.

In a large frying pan over a medium high flame…. Melt your butter, then add onion, broccoli bits, and garlic. Mix well until all butter is absorbed  and continue sauteing for about 10 minutes.

Then add in sauvignon blanc, and let that reduce for about 10 to 15 minutes.

Next pour in the vegetable broth, and continue to reduce for about 20 to 25 minutes or until most liquid is evaporated.

Once it starts to look a bit murky… then add in the 1/2 & 1/2, and lower the flame a little…. let it simmer for about 20 to 25 minutes. That’s it the broccoli sauce is done.

Ingredients for shrimp skewers:

1 – pound shrimp (cleaned and deveined)

1 – tablespoon olive oil

1- teaspoon garlic

1/2 – teaspoon Lawry’s

1/2 – teaspoon black pepper

1/2 – teaspoon basil

1/2 – teaspoon chili flakes

6 to 7 wooden skewers

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Let marinate for a 20 to 30 minutes. Then string shrimp on skewer…. 5 per skewer.

On a hot grill add shrimp skewers and cook on each side for 5 minutes or until perfectly pinkish.

Then serve on a plate with steamed rice, a wedge of lemon, and a nice serving of broccoli sauce. Your tastebuds will thank you.

Today marks the beginning of Lent…. Ash Wednesday…. Religious or not, for some reason if you are Latino you usually practice the rituals of Lent. Which basically boils down to no meat on Friday’s (with the exception of seafood) from now till Easter and you give up a luxury as a form of penitence. The people I know usually give up candy or alcohol or some type of food.  Last year I gave up sweets…. I’ll never do that again. 🙂 Either way…. Lent also brings out a parade of amazing recipes that make their appearance during this Cuaresma. I cherish this time of year and all the deliciousness it brings.

All photos taken by: Mando Lopez

Ingredients for Shrimp Tater Tacos:

1 – pound raw shrimp (peeled and deveined) (chopped into 1/2 inch bites)

4 – tablespoons salsa for the ages (Click here for recipe)

1 – teaspoon Lawry’s

1/2 – teaspoon black pepper

1/2 – potato (peeled, chopped into 1/2 inch bites, and boiled for 9 minutes)

1 1/2 – cups grated jack cheese

1 – cup grated cheddar cheese

16 – corn tortillas

1/2 – cup chopped onion

16 – cilantro sprigs

In a bowl combine shrimp and salsa. Mix well. Then season with Lawry’s and black pepper. Set to the side.

Warm your tortilla on an open flame just enough to heat. Then get your work station ready.

Start with a corn tortilla, take a small handful of jack cheese and sprinkle on half of tortilla, then add a tablespoon of raw shrimp salsa mixture and spread it out evenly. Top shrimp mixture with a heaping tablespoon of boiled potatoes and a teaspoon of onion. End with a small handful of cheddar cheese and cilantro leaves, then fold to finish. Start working on the next one.

Ready to cook. Get a comal or large non stick pan and place over a medium flame until hot. Then place taco on comal and cook on each side for 5 minutes or until shell of tortilla is crisp and shrimp inside of taco is white with a tint of pink.

Serve hot, and garnish with sour cream and additional salsa.

This recipe makes 16 tacos

Please let me introduce “The Lent Club”,  a group of spectacular food bloggers. Find their recipes for Lent below, and expect to see more of us as the season unfolds!!!