Fresh Pico de Gallo

June 5, 2025 Sarah

Pico de Gallo or Salsa Fresca is either done well or is horrible. There is no middle of the road. The fact is, freshness matters. You can purchase it in plastic tubs at the grocery store, but it’s worth the time to use fresh ingredients and do the chopping and dicing yourself. The taste and aroma are worth all that extra work. What you buy in a tub has been sitting in it for a long time, and the onion often gets a very harsh flavor. Some brands add preservatives, which give a harsh taste.

When you eat out and get homemade, it’s heaven on a chip.

And if you make it? You can customize it: Don’t like heat? Then use a green bell pepper. Don’t like cilantro? Leave it out. Or use flat-leaf parsley.

Allow it to sit for a few hours to allow the flavors to meld before eating, or even better, overnight.

It’s delicious to take the pico and add it to a pat of butter, saute the veggies until the moisture is worked out, then add whisked eggs and cook them. A delicious breakfast!

Pico de Gallo

Ingredients:

1 large yellow onion
4 Roma tomatoes
2 jalapeno peppers
½ bunch cilantro leaves
3 limes
1 tsp fine sea salt

Directions:

Peel and dice the onion.

Trim and dice the tomatoes.

Seed the peppers and dice.

Rip off the leaves of the cilantro, wash, and spin in a lettuce spinner till dry. Finely dice up.

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Squeeze the limes and add with the salt, tossing gently until mixed.

Put in a glass storage container and chill for a couple of hours or overnight before enjoying.

~Sarah

Recipes

Arroz Roja (Mexican Rice)

June 4, 2025 Sarah

Another recipe I found inspiration in, and it morphed into something far different than the idea it started with. Made with fresh produce, it is summer in a bowl.

Arroz Roja (Mexican Rice)

Ingredients:

4 Roma tomatoes (about 1 pound)
½ bunch cilantro leaves kept, stems tossed
3½ cups of lower-sodium chicken broth
¼ cup avocado oil, divided
1 small onion, peeled and chopped
4 cloves of garlic
2 Tbsp tomato paste
2 cups long-grain rice
1 wheel of Palela cheese or similar

Directions:

Heat a skillet over medium heat and roast the whole tomatoes, turning periodically, till they get charred on the outside, about 15 minutes. Take off the stove and let it rest to cool a bit.

Meanwhile, add ½ cup of the broth, two Tablespoons of oil, the onion, garlic, tomato paste, and the cilantro to a high-speed blender. Add the tomatoes and blend until well combined.

Add the rice to a fine mesh strainer and rinse well under cold water to remove excess starch. Shake dry.

In a large, heavy skillet, over medium heat, add the remaining two tablespoons of oil and the rice. Saute for a couple of minutes till just turning golden.

Remove the pan from the stove and add the tomato mixture and the remaining 3 cups of broth. Stir well, return to the burner.

Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Crumble the cheese and serve over the top as desired.

Serves 4 to 5.

I paired the rice with a pound of hamburger, cooked and refried beans on the side to make a full dinner.

~Sarah

Recipes

Arroz Verde con Pollo (Green Rice with Chicken)

May 31, 2025 Sarah

I came across a recipe for Arroz Verde, and it sounded delicious, so I decided to make a one-pot full meal by adding chicken breast and cheese. It was a great-tasting dish, full of vibrant flavors. It was well worth the prep time, and it used fresh ingredients.

The straining of the cooking sauce lets the dish be friendly to those who don’t like pieces of peppers and cilantro leaves: all the flavor, none of the vegetation.

Now, if you hate cilantro or are one of the unlucky ones who find it tastes like soap, I would suggest using flat-leaf parsley. A head of cilantro leaves is big enough for two meals, so plan another use for the other half.

Panela cheese is firm and easily crumbled; you can use any similar cheese, such as Queso Fresco or Cojita. Panela has a mild, almost sweet flavor.

Arroz Verde con Pollo (Green Rice with Chicken)

Ingredients:

2 cups long-grain rice
2 Tbsp avocado oil
2 medium or 3 small poblano peppers
1 medium jalapeño pepper
1 bunch fresh cilnatro
1 small onion
4 cloves of garlic
3½ cups lower-sodium chicken broth, divided
2 11-12.5-ounce cans of chicken breast, drained and flaked
1 wheel of Panela or similar Mexican cheese

Directions:

Rinse the rice in cold water, draining and repeating a couple of times, to remove the excess starch. Drain well and set aside.

Remove the ribs and seeds from the peppers, then chop them into small pieces. Peel and chop the onion.

Add to a high-speed blender.

Rip off enough cilantro leaves to make 1 cup, add to the blender along with the garlic and 1 cup of the chicken broth.

Process until blended.

Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer, pressing on the solids until you have about 1½ cups of green liquid.

Discard the solids.

In a large, heavy skillet, heat the avocado oil over medium heat. Add in the rice and saute until lightly toasted.

Add in the green liquid and stir to combine, letting it sit until most of the liquid is absorbed.

Add in the remaining 2½ cups of chicken broth and the drained chicken breast.

Bring to a boil, cover, and then reduce the heat to low. Let it cook for 20 minutes.

Crumble the cheese.

Turn off the heat. Fluff up the rice. Sprinkle the cheese on and cover, let sit off the heat for 5 minutes. Fold the cheese in and serve.

~Serves 4 to 5.

Recipes

Lemon Cream Cheese Icebox Cake (Carlota De Queso y Limón)

May 29, 2025 Sarah

I saw this idea and had to make it, knowing how much our middle son loves lemon-inspired desserts. It’s a straightforward recipe, perfect for hot days when you want something without having to bake and heat the house.

Goya Maria cookies are often sold in grocery stores, in the “ethnic” aisle with other Hispanic foods. You can use any similar digestive biscuit or cookie, or even graham crackers, in a pinch. I can find the Maria cookies in a 3-pack locally for under $5, in the Mexican food section.

In this recipe, do use fresh lemons and limes – the flavor from them is what makes the dessert pop.

Lemon Cream Cheese Icebox Cake (Carlota De Queso y Limón)

Ingredients:

8-ounce brick full-fat cream cheese, at room temperature
14-ounce can of sweetened condensed milk
1¾ cups cold heavy whipping cream, divided
¼ cup lemon juice (about two lemons)
3 Tbsp lime juice (1-2 limes, depending on size)
zest from lime
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 Tbsp granulated sugar
2 7-ounce or 4 3.5-ounce packages of Goya Maria cookies (about 44 cookies)

Directions:

Blend the cream cheese, condensed milk, ¾ cup of the heavy whipping cream, lemon juice, lime juice, lime zest, and vanilla till smooth.

Lay nine cookies across the bottom of an 8×8″ glass baking dish.

Spread 1 cup of the cream cheese mixture over the cookies.

Continue repeating this process until you have 4 layers of cookies, spreading the final cup of cream cheese over the top, and then topping with a 5th layer of cookies.

Take the remaining 1 cup of heavy whipping cream and beat it with the sugar until medium peaks form (where the whipped cream stands on its own and doesn’t flop over).

Spread over the top evenly.

Cover with plastic wrap loosely and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight. The longer it sits, the more the cream cheese sauce soaks into the cookies.

How many servings depends on how big one’s sweet tooth is.