Lent is definitely one of my favorite food seasons, for many reasons. 

1. Most meals are meatless and that is a vegetarian dream. 

2. Almost everything has cheese or crema in it, even the desserts. I look for the Real California Milk seal when selecting my hispanic-style cheeses and cremas for aunthentic quality ingredients sustainably sourced from milk families for my recipes. 

3. I’m drawn to the social aspect of connecting with my community and sharing recipes and meals together in a non formal setting. It’s the ultimate time to bond, reflect, and show kindness. 

The Real California Milk website has a whole section dedicated to lent season recipes, including my enmoladas de queso recipe. Scroll through for inspiration and find your favorite recipe to make for loved ones. 

La #Cuaresma es definitivamente una de mis estaciones de comida favoritas, por muchas razones.

1. La mayoría de las comidas son sin carne y ese es un sueño vegetariano.

2. Casi todo tiene queso o crema, incluso los postres. Busco el sello Real California Milk cuando selecciono mis quesos y cremas de estilo hispano para obtener ingredientes de calidad auténtica obtenidos de manera sustentable de familias de leche para mis recetas.

3. Me atrae el aspecto social de conectarme con mi comunidad y compartir recetas y comidas juntos en un entorno no formal. Es el mejor momento para vincularse, reflexionar y mostrar amabilidad.

El sitio web de Real California Milk tiene una sección completa dedicada a las recetas de la temporada de cuaresma, incluida mi receta de enmoladas. Desplácese en busca de inspiración y encuentre su receta favorita para preparar para sus seres queridos.

Enchiladas Rojas de Queso make me really happy because I know I’m about to bite into the most heavenly dish. I think it’s fair to say enchiladas are my most favorite thing to eat of all time. They hold such a heavy anchor to my childhood, and my grandfather making them for our family. He would make his own enchilada sauce, and my little eyes would watch worried they might be too hot. They never were…. they were perfect.

As I got older I realized enchiladas were a source of comfort for me, wanting them for birthdays or anytime I needed a little extra pop of pizazz in my life. I learned many ways of making them over the years from canned enchilada sauce to various types of fillings and cheeses. Gotta be honest, it’s only been on a very rare occasion I’ve met one I didn’t like, but nothing quite hits like the ones my grandfather used to make.

I have taken his enchiladas rojas de queso recipe and made it more times than I can count, and have the homemade enchilada sauce down. At this point I believe mine taste just like his and am grateful that I still have that little piece of him here on earth… even if only through an enchilada.

Ingredients for Enchiladas Rojas de Queso:

• 1 white onion
• 2.5 oz New Mexico Chile
• 6 garlic cloves
• 2.5 oz California Chile
• 2 Pasilla-Ancho Chiles
• Salt (to taste)
• corn tortilla 
• vegetable oil
• queso fresco 
• 1/4 of red onion, sliced in rings
• cilantro
• crema

Directions:

Enchilada sauce:

1. Let’s make enchilada sauce! Boil onion, New Mexico chile, garlic, California chile, pasilla-ancho chiles, and salt until chiles soften about 35 minutes. 
2. Remove chiles from water and discard stem and (optional seeds). 
3. Place all chile skins, onion, garlic, and 3 cups of boiled chile water to blender. Blend until smooth. 
4. Pour chile sauce mixture through a sieve and into a bowl. Press chile flesh against sieve to squeeze out all the liquid. Discard any seeds and skin collected in sieve. Place to the side until ready to use. 

Enchilada time:

1. Fill a frying pans with 1 cup vegetable oil over a med-high flame.  Allow to get hot.
2. In a seperate frying pan, fill with 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil over a medium flame and allow it to heat. Pour in 3 to 4 cups of your enchilada sauce. Let the oil and chile combine then lower your flame very low to simmer the chile.
3. Dip your corn tortilla into the frying pan filled with oil, and let it fry on each side for 30 seconds. What you’re looking for is a tortilla that is slightly hard but still bends.
4. Dip the fried tortilla into the enchilada sauce with tongs.
5. Remove the dipped tortilla from pan and place on a clean surface.
6. Fill the center of the tortilla with 2 tablespoons of cheese.
7. Gently roll into a tube shape.
8. Place in a 9×13 baking dish. Then start the frying process all over again until you fill your baking dish with as many enchiladas as you can.
9. Once the baking dish is filled take remaining enchilada sauce from hot pan and spoon over top. 
10. Drizzle crema over the enchiladas, then sprinkle a couple tablespoons of queso fresco and chopped cilantro over the top. Lastly adorn with red onion slices.
11. Enjoy!

Looking for a delicious bowl of lentils? Click here.

That’s pretty. I always have a desire to make or eat a trifle, but until recently I did not own a trifle bowl. I needed to correct that fast……

My fiance took it upon himself to start looking up places for me to buy a trifle bowl.  Every place was either online with shipping or out of the way, then he checked Walmart, not only is it close by but it was priced so nicely ($6. 97) I went out and bought it straight away.

As my grubby hands placed my new trifle bowl in the cart, I said to my son “We can’t leave here with out buying ingredients to fill this beautiful vessel to the rim.” I then asked “Do you want to make an Easter Trifle? We can decorate it with the new blue raspberry peeps, and a chocolate bunny.” My son looked at me and said excitedly “Can we get jellybeans too?” Me, being a pleased new owner of a trifle bowl, I said “Of course we can!” Then we ran like little kids do across Walmart to the Easter candy section and picked out our prized treats. The blue raspberry peeps didn’t make it all the way home, my son had to have them in the car, luckily I bought an extra pack of regular blue peeps.

Ingredients for Easter lemon cake trifle:

• 1 – 6 ounce box of strawberry jello mix
• 1 1/2 – cups boiling hot water
• 1 – 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 – box Duncan Hines Lemon Supreme Cake mix (bake according to box instructions. Use egg, water, and vegetable oil)
• 1 – box pink bunny peeps
• 1 – large container cool whip
• 1 – box of blue raspberry peeps / or blue peeps
• 1 – bag Starburst jellybeans
• 1 – Lindt chocolate bunny

Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl add in jello mix and hot boiling water. Mix with a fork or whisk until all jello is dissolved.
2. Pour sweetened condensed milk into jello mixture. Mix to combine.
3. Pour creamy jello mixture into the bottom on the trifle bowl. 
4. Place in fridge.
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit.
6. Mix cake batter according to box (add in egg, water and oil) and bake. 
7. Allow cake to cool. Remove from pan and cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes. 
8. Remove trifle bowl from fridge and start building your trifle. By alternating between the cubed cake and a bunny peep. 
9. Then fill the entire center with cake cubes. 
10. Spread a nice thick layer of cool whip on top of cake.
11. Then place another layer of cake on top of the cool whip. 
12. Top with another layer of cool whip filling the trifle to the rim.
13. Then decorate the top with blue raspberry peeps, jellybeans, and a chocolate bunny.
14. Place back in the fridge till ready to eat.
15. Enjoy!

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!!!