NewsTaco

Not only is watermelon a refreshing summer dessert but also a sweet addition to salsa.

When I found a salsa recipe that called for watermelon and feta cheese, I was a little weary about the combination of the two flavors. But I shrugged and said ‘what the heck’. I was pleasantly surprised with the fresh, delicious results.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups watermelon
• ½ red onion, chopped
• 3 tablespoons fresh mint
• ¼ cup reduced-fat feta cheese
• 1 tablespoon seasoned rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon olive oil

Directions:

• In a small bowl, mix together watermelon, onion, mint, cheese, vinegar and olive oil.

Source: Adapted from a recipe from Tyson

Follow Jenny on Twitter @jgurl82.

[Photo By moreno0101]

Call me crazy but I don’t like to eat ice cream when it’s hot outside. The only desert that I can even think about when it’s a 100 degrees is a cup of cold, chopped fruit drizzled with lime juice, salt and chile powder. I know this may sound a little odd to those of you who haven’t tried this. But trust me. It’s delicious and refreshing!

Ingredients:

• Fruit of choice, chopped and chilled
• Lime juice
• Salt
• Dried ancho chile powder

Directions:

• Place fruit – pineapple, honey dew melon, jicama, cantaloupe or watermelon – in bowl.
• Drizzle with lime juice.
• Sprinkle with salt and chile powder.

Enjoy!

Follow Jenny on Twitter @jgurl82

[Photo By Luz A. Villa]

I’ll admit it. I love beans! I am a Mexican after all. In elementary school, a friend and I would ask for beans when they were served at the cafeteria. But we were so ashamed of liking beans that we would cover them up with a paper napkin so no one else would see.

I am obviously more confident about my love of beans now than I was then. I guess this bean confidence comes with age. Luckily, I didn’t have to be ashamed of the beans my father would cook at home because no one was there to see.

Every so often — usually on a Sunday and usually when the Dallas Cowboys were playing- he would set a pot of beans a la charra to cook on the stove. It took a couple of hours but I could tell it was getting closer to serving time the more fragrant the air was. He has decided to share that recipe with me so I can share with my readers! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 pound pinto beans
• 1 pound salt pork cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 medium onions
• 10 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1/2 pound bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 medium tomato, dice
• 1 small batch cilantro, chopped

Directions:

• Put the beans in a medium strainer and rinse until the water runs clear.
• Add 5 quarts of water to an 8-quart pot.
• Add the rinsed beans and salt pork.
• Peel and slice an onion into 6 thick pieces.
• Place the onions and garlic in a lingerie bag and tie a knot.
• Add the bag to the pot.
• Bring the pot to a boil.
• Reduce heat and cover.
• Cook beans until done, about 2 hours and 10 minutes.
• Once the beans are cooked, remove them from the heat.
• Remove the lingerie bag and discard. (My father uses a lingerie bag but any fine mesh bag will do.)
• Peel and dice the remaining onion.
• In a medium frying pan, fry the bacon to your liking and then remove from pan.
• Leave the bacon fat in the pan and add the tomato and onion and fry for about 2 minutes.
• Pour the tomato and onion mixture into bean pot and add the bacon.
• Add the cilantro to the pot and mix everything together.

Source: Roberto Martinez

Follow Jenny on Twitter @jgurl82

[Photo By adactio]

Nothing could have prepared my mother for the culture shock she experienced when she moved to South Texas from Ohio more than 30 years ago. The people were different and the language was different. Even the weather was different!

One of the most pleasant differences was the food, according to her. My mother had never tasted any Mexican food before she moved to South Texas — not even salsa! But it was the first Mexican dish she learned how to make — from a lady standing in front of her at the supermarket — and she still makes it to this day. How does this compare to your salsa recipe?

Makes about 1 cup.

Ingredients:

• 5 tomatoes, chopped
• 3 Serrano peppers, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• ½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 2 teaspoons lime juice
• Salt, to taste

Directions:

• Place tomatoes, peppers, garlic, cilantro, lime juice and salt in a blender or food processor and mix together.

Source: Sue F. Martinez

[Photo By OakleyOriginals]

My sister and I spent many afternoons at my Tía Lupita’s house when we were kids. We were always welcomed by a hot Mexican meal that was usually accompanied by a side of hot, aromatic, slightly spicy Spanish rice. Last year, I shared an apartment with my first roommate ever who happens to be a wonderful cook and — to my pleasant surprise — makes a mean pot of Spanish rice.

Stephanie’s rice is delicious and has just the right hint of spice. Her rice bears a close resemblance and taste to my tia’s rice — but retains its own unique characteristics and flavor — that I came home to so many times after a long day of school. Thanks to Stephanie, I got to come home to a wonderful, traditional Mexican dish after a long day at my university.

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 cup long grain rice
• Onion, chopped, to taste
• 2 cups water
• 1/2 bell pepper, chopped
• Cilantro, chopped, to taste
• 1 – 1 1/2 tablespoons Knorr Caldo de Tomate soup dry base

Directions:

• Heat oil in a large sauce pan.
• Add rice and brown.
• Add the onion and sauté with the browned rice.
• Once the onions have sweated, add water, bell pepper and cilantro.
• Next, add Knorr Caldo de Tomatoe soup dry base.
• Mix everything together and bring to a boil.
• Reduce the mixture to a simmer, cover and cook for 15 minutes.
• Check the rice before the fifteen minutes are up to see if it needs more water. If the rice is still a little hard then add a little more water and simmer for a couple more minutes until all the liquid has evaporated.

When the rice is nice and tender it is done. Enjoy!

 Here’s a hint:
 For every one cup of rice, add 2 cups of water.
I usually add about a tablespoon and a half of Knorr Caldo de Tomate but you can taste your rice before add the extra half tablespoon. If it is too bland then feel free to add the remaining half.

Source: Stephanie Nicole Resendez

[Photo By VirtualErn]

When I was in high school, I was frequently invited to my Colombian friend’s house after soccer practice. After a few visits, I began to discover some interesting culinary treats her family would make. One day she pulled a few slices of white cheese and a brick of rust colored fruit paste out of her fridge. Having never seen anything of the sort, I exclaimed, “What is that?!”

“Guyaba,” she said.

“Y-what-A?” I asked.

I had never seen a guayaba anything before and that was the first time I enjoyed that delicious snack. A few years ago, I was in a restaurant in San Antonio that specialized in empanadas and to my pleasant surprise there was a guayaba and cream cheese empanada on the menu! The empanadas were delicious and brought back many fond memories. I couldn’t get enough of them! Obviously, it wouldn’t be fiscally responsible to spend all of my disposable income on empanadas from this restaurant, so I decided to improvise. I found a recipe online and made my own.

Ingredientes for Pasteles de Guayaba:

• 1 pound cream cheese
• 1 pound butter
• 1 pound flour
• 1½ pounds guava paste
• Sugar, for sprinkling

Directions:

• Blend together the cheese, butter and flour until well mixed. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Roll the dough out into a ¼-inch thick square. Cut the rolled dough into 16-20 squares.
• Place 1 tablespoon of the guava mix in the center of each square.
• Fold the dough over the guava paste to form a triangle. Press the edges shut.
• Place the pasteles on a cookie sheet and sprinkle with a thin layer of sugar.
• Bake until the pasteles are evenly brown, about 25 minutes.

Source: Adapted from a recipe from food.com

[Photo By Keetr]

When I was a kid, my father would frequently visit Reynosa and Progreso, México for his haircuts and shoe shines. When he came home he usually brought us some gifts from the Mexican border towns which included bricks of chocolate.

The first time I saw that package of Mexican chocolate sitting in our refrigerator I ripped it open and broke off a piece to eat. That chocolate was definitely not like any chocolate I had even tasted before. It was rich, intense and spicy. It tasted a bit like coffee grounds and cinnamon.

My father told me that the chocolate wasn’t used for eating. The chocolate he bought in México was for drinking and he proved it. He made a pot of Mexican hot chocolate and it was delicious, fragrant and creamy. It didn’t even need any marshmallows!

• ½ Bar Abuelita chocolate
• 4 Cups hot milk
• Sugar, to taste
• 4 Cinnamon sticks, for garnish, optional

Simply mix chocolate with hot milk and sugar, to taste. Add one cinnamon stick per cup if using. Serve hot!

[Source: Recipe adapted from Nestlé; Photo By Hapa Jess]

According to the weatherman, winter isn’t over just yet. That means that I can still enjoy a few more hot bowls of fideo (my winter comfort dish). I’ve tried many in restaurants and many other people’s versions, but to this day I still prefer my father’s recipe. This probably has more to do with the nostalgic value than my father’s culinary skills.

Everytime I saw that little, yellow vermicelli box sitting on the kitchen counter I knew it could only mean one thing: FIDEO! Regardless of the reason, I think my dad makes a damn good bowl of fideo and he has given me his permission to share it with the NewsTaco community. Enjoy!

• 2 Tablespoons cooking oil
• 1 Pound round steak, cut into cubes
• 5 Ounces Vermicelli noodles
• 2 Cups water
• 3 Tablespoons Fiesta Fideo Ole seasoning

Heat oil in large pan and cook steak cubes until well done. Remove the steak from the pan. Add the Vermicelli noodles to the pan and lightly brown. Add two cups of water, the meat and the seasoning and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and allow the mixture to simmer, covered, for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

[Photo By Daquella manera]