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May 6, 2015

Easy Chorizo Fried Rice


The other day Mexican chorizos were on sale at Whole Foods so we decided to stack up as we love it for breakfast and it's also quite useful to flavor many other dishes whether Latin-inspired or not. Originally, I wanted to make a breakfast dish with it that can easily be done on the stove top and not baked since it's already starting to warm up and the use of the oven except on occasionally cooler days are now getting limited.
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Feb 28, 2015

Beef and Bean Enchiladas



Last week I had been craving for something a little spicy. I didn't really fancy making a curry but thought I'd make it a Mexican night in our house. Before we had kids, I used to make Chicken Enchiladas for hubby and myself but have never ever done another one ever since we had kids. Wow, that's almost like a decade ago.
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Aug 2, 2014

Chipotle Copycat Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas



This week we relocated to New Haven, Connecticut and left Holland, Michigan, our home for 10 wonderful years. It was bittersweet. While we are excited to start a new chapter in our life as a family, it is truly sad to leave behind a place that was truly our first home after we got married. There were so many memories both sweet and sad that made our stay in Holland truly memorable. For this post, I won’t dwell on this so much as I will make another one – pure reflections on the 10 years we had in Michigan.
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Jul 19, 2014

Sweet-and-Spicy Chicken and Steak Taco Bar





My husband and I love spicy food! We prefer food that has complex flavor, full of yummy spices that delight the taste buds. When we came to the USA, over ten years ago, one of the first things we looked for was a good Indian restaurant as we love Indian food. Unfortunately, at that time, there wasn't any reasonably good Indian restaurant where we resided so we were quite sad and thought we may no longer have our favorite food for a long time (unless we visited another city). Thankfully, the situation all worked out well as that motivated me to learn how to cook. If spicy food won't be readily available, then I must do something about it. I am glad that because of this I learned how to cook curry and other Indian and even Thai specialties. Necessity is indeed a good motivator!
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Jun 21, 2014

Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos


It's summer time and as you know, no one wants to use the oven during sizzling hot days. Hence, the magical slow cooker becomes the numero uno kitchen appliance that comes in handy. This summer I intend to use it for making all kinds of food from appetizers, main dishes and desserts! Love that you can just dump all the ingredients in and voila a few hours later, you have the most amazing, moist and flavorful dish! 
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Oct 30, 2013

Delectable Chocolate Chili


Fall and winter calls for comfort food that will not only keep you warm but also make you feel really good - to help battle the winter blues! And we all know that kind of food has got to be Chili! I have already made a chicken version last year so I thought it's about time I make a beef one. I have seen some recipes that use unsweetened Cocoa powder to add more flavor to their Chilis and I thought it was a wonderful idea. So here's my version of a Chocolate Chili that uses cocoa powder to add more flavor to your regular Chili recipe.
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May 2, 2013

Crunchy Taco Cups


We love Mexican food! My husband and I love spicy food in general so we are naturally inclined to love Mexican food. When we first came to the US, in particular to Grand Rapids, MI we were worried that we won't get much of our favorite Indian food....spicy curry. As you probably know, in the UK - curry is now the un-official national food!
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Jun 17, 2012

Delicious Ground Beef Tacos



That this is William's and Sophie's favorite is no exaggeration. The photo below shows their excitement whenever this is laid on the table. They love this dish so much that they were willing to sit still so I could take their photo knowing that soon they'd be munching on their favorite food. 

I often serve this during weekends. Because it is quite special for them it is something they always look forward too.



But don't get me wrong, it's not just the tots who enjoy this! Mark and I equally love it too!


Ingredients


1 Tablespoon (Tbsp) olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 large onion, chopped
3 Tbsp tomato paste
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 teaspoon (tsp) ground cumin
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp salt
Ground pepper, to taste
1 lb lean ground beef
Corn/Flour tortillas



Procedure 

Heat oil. Saute garlic briefly until aromatic, just a few seconds. Add the beef, crumble with a fork as you brown it. Add the chopped onion and cook until soft about 5 minutes.




Stir in the tomato paste, chili powder, cumin, paprika and coriander; season with salt and pepper. Adjust heat to low and simmer for about 10-15 minutes stirring occasionally to allow flavors to infuse.  Remove from the heat and transfer to a serving plate.



To serve, spoon the filling onto tortillas, top with some salsa or plain diced tomatoes, shredded lettuce, sour cream or cheese and some chopped fresh cilantro, if desired. For the adult, add a few drops of hot sauce for some added kick!

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Jun 16, 2012

Cilantro-Lime Rice



 Since we arrived in the USA, Mexican food has become one of our favorites. Mark loves spicy food and he doesn't often get his fave Indian curries in Michigan (unless I make them) so he's happy to satisfy his palate with the Mexican alternative. We often have tacos on the menu but it won't be complete without the cilantro-lime rice on the side. The citrusy, moist cilantro-flavored rice is such a wonderful side dish that you can serve it even if you're not having Mexican food. We make a big batch of this (just because we love it so much!) and use the left-over for sinangag (Pinoy fried rice) the next day so nothing is wasted.



I have searched the internet for a good cilantro lime rice and I chanced upon this one. I thought the idea was great and decided to try it. Unfortunately, since this was not on a blog post but on a comment page and the person did not wish to reveal his/her identity I don't know who to acknowledge. But am just happy he/she decided to share it. There were no exact measurements given, just mostly the ingredients so I just adjusted it to my taste and feel free to do the same. After all, what may be tart for me may still be sweet or even bland for somebody else!

A rice cooker would be handy for this but you can always use a large sauce pan and cook the rice on the stove top. For this dish, basmati is the best rice to use for it doesn't get sticky and the grains remain separated even after the oil and the citrus juice has been added but if you don't have it jasmine or any long grain rice is fine too. You may choose to use the entire rice as measured in the recipe or however much you need.

Also, I like that the recipe uses different kinds of citrus fruits (though it's popularly made only with lime). I like the combo of the juices of 1 lime and 1 orange. The sweet orange flavor balances the tartness of the lime. But you may add 1 lemon too in the mix. Just note that it will be sharper so perhaps you need to use less juice when you mix it with the rice. 



Ingredients


1 cup of uncooked jasmine/basmati rice (use measuring cup not the rice cooker cup)
1 1/2 cups water, more if needed (use the same measuring cup)
2 small bay leaves
Juice of 1 orange and 1 lime or a combo of 1 orange/1 lemon/1 lime (the latter combo is sharper) - use about 4 Tbsp or to taste (the left over juice I give to my tots who love it!) 
1 cup of fresh cilantro, chopped
2 Tbsp (neutral flavored oil like canola oil but I did try light olive oil and it was fine)
Salt, to taste


Procedure


First, place the rice and water in the rice cooker. Insert the 2 bay leaves on the rice. Cook. The rice cooker will automatically turn to warm setting when it's done. Let it rest for a few minutes.



This is what the rice should look like when it's done and after removing the bay leaves.


While the rice is resting, juice the orange and lime and lemon (if using). Set aside. Prepare the cilantro leaves. We love cilantro so we put in a lot. Add as much as you want.


When done preparing the citrus fruits and cilantro, get the oil and pour it slowly on the rice. Coat the rice with oil.  

Add the cilantro, juice and the salt and mix well with the rice. Enjoy!

If you wish to print the recipe, there's a print-friendly icon at the end of the post. Click on the "remove images box" for easy printing.

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