cookbypassion

Salsa is a Spanish word for Sauce. This sauce is made of tomatoes, chilies, onion and some spices. It is used as dip along side tortilla chips or as a condiment served along with burrito or tacos. This is a very simple yet delicious dip made in just few minutes. No cooking or baking needed. Just add all the ingredients in a chopper and blend with required spices. Or chop all the veggies ahead of time and mix well with the spices. Either ways salsa tastes fresh and delicious. For best results refrigerate for fe hours before serving. Store this  fresh home made salsa  in air tight container and  refrigerate for up to 3 weeks.  This recipes goes to day 2, week  3 of BM 109 under the theme " Dips and Spreads". Ingredients: Tomatoes 4 medium sized ( finely chopped ) Jalapeno 1 ( finely chopped ) Green chilies 2  (finely chopped ) Onion 1 medium  ( finely chopped ) Chopped cilantro 1 / 4 cup Chili powder 1/2 tsp Cumin powder 1/4 tsp Dried oregano 1/2 tsp Gar...

Grilling is a form of cooking that involves dry heat applied to the surface of food from above or below. Grilling is usually done outdoor on charcoal grills or gas grills.  Grilling may also be performed using stove top grill pans which have raised metal ridges for the food to sit on. Grilling is fun during summers, specially in places like parks and beaches.  Most of the parks have grilling machines already placed, you might need to carry gas cylinder or charcoal,  grilling kit and some marinaded vegetables or meat or fish. It is so much fun...... Coming to today's recipe this week I will be posting 3 "Vegetarian grilling" recipes which is my theme for this week. Today we are starting with 76th Edition of Blogging Marathon. So my recipe for week 1, Day 1 is Grilled Vegetable Fajitas.  Last month kids had Spring break and hubby dear too took off from work. We visited couple of places during the break, where we had  Chicken Fajitas for lunch. They were  serv...

Fish Lettuce Wraps are quick and healthy weekend or weekday dinner ideas. Crunchy fish strips / fingers are my kids favorite. They can have them at any time of the day. Fish strips are great for party  starters or after school snack or can be packed in your lunch boxes too.   Wanted to make something special for this Valentines Day, as it is a week day didn't plan much, nor hubby wanted to go out for dinner.  So thought of making my kids favorite fish strips and hubby's favorite lettuce wraps.  I have tried chicken lettuce wraps before but never tried fish wraps. Fish also tastes great with fresh butter lettuce and  chopped carrots, avocado and rice vermicelli.  Light and quick  Valentines Day dinner is ready with in no time for my family.  Today we are starting with 3rd week of Blogging Marathon 73. My theme for the week is Valentines Day recipes / Holi Special. Fish Lettuce wraps goes to the Day 1..... Ingredients: Fish Fingers  1...

The Tomatillo, also known as Mexican husk tomato, is a plant of nightshade family bearing small and green fruit of the same name. A staple of Mexican Cuisine, they are eaten raw or cooked in a variety of dishes, particularly Salsa. Tomatillos have a high pectin content. They are the key ingredient in fresh and cooked Mexican and Central American Green sauces. Blogging Marathon 72 Theme: Dips, Chutney's and Spreads Week 4 day 1 Ingredients: Tomatillo  6 Green chili 5 Onion 1 medium size Garlic cloves 4 Salt to taste Cilantro 1/4 cup Preparation: Heat non stick pan and add chopped Tomatillo's, onions and green chilies. Also add peeled garlic. Cook for 10-12 minutes until Tomatillo's become soft. Now blend the cooked veggies along with cilantro. Add salt to taste. Serve as a dip with tortilla chips. Check to see what my fellow bloggers are cooking for BM 72

A salad is a dish consisting of small pieces of food which may be mixed with sauce or salad dressing. Salads are usually served cold. Salads have variety of vegetables, cheese, cooked meat eggs , grains or leafy vegetables. Salads are served as an appetizer,  main course or even dessert. Appetizer salad are very light as a first course of the meal. Main course salads are which contain of cooked chicken, eggs or any other meat. Dessert salads  are the sweeter version of salad which include fresh fruits, whipped cream or custards. Today I am here with a Mexican Chickpea salad which is quick and east to make. I have named this Mexican Chickpea salad because this dish has Avocado, chickpeas and  Jalapeno which are typically used in Mexican Cuisine. This dish goes to the first day's post for BM 62, week 4 under the Theme "Salads".  Ingredients: Chickpeas 1 cup Avocado 1 Grated Carrot 1/4 cup Onion 1 small Cherry tomatoes 15 Jalapeno 1 Chopped Cilantro 1/2 cup Pumpkin seed...

Burrito is a type of Mexican food consisting of wheat flour or  corn flour tortilla wrapped or folded completely on all the sides with filling of veggies, meat, beans and rice inside it. Burritos are commonly called as tacos de harina which means wheat flour tacos. For day 3, under tortilla based dishes am here with a healthy and delicious Burrito / Wrap filled with veggies, quinoa and cheese. Usually burrito calls for rice for the filling, to make it little healthier I have replaced rice with quinoa. Easy to make and crunchy and delicious dish for a healthy life. Here goes the recipe... Ingredients: Tortilla 3 Quinoa 1/2 cup Bell pepper chopped  1/2 cup Onion chopped 1/2 cup Broccoli chopped 1/2 cup Tomato chopped 1/2 cup Chili flakes or chili powder 1 spoon Salt to taste Grated cheese 1 cup Ranch 1/2 cup Butter Lettuce 6 Preparation: Wash and cook quinoa in 1 cup water. Boil broccoli in hot water for 3 to 4 minutes and drain water. Chop  boiled broccoli into small piece...

Mexican is one of my family favorite cuisine. The basic native foods are beans, corn and chili peppers. Other than these Avocado's, squashes  and tomatoes are also the native ingredients. Breakfast is generally heartier than in other countries and can consist of leftover meat in broth, tacos, enchiladas or meat with eggs. This is usually served with beans, white bread or tortillas and coffee or juice.  One of the best known street foods of Mexico is the taco, whose origin is based on the Pre-Hispanic custom of picking up other foods with tortillas as utensils were not used. Tacos are not eaten as the main meal, they are generally eaten before midday or late in the evening.  Just as any other food stuff can be wrapped in a tortilla, in mexico it varies from rice to meat, vegetable, cheese or with plain chile peppers or fresh salsa.  You might have understood by now that today's post is about the Mexican food. My theme for the 3rd week of BM 53, is "Tortilla Based Dish...

Quesadilla is a wheat or corn tortilla filled with a savory mixture containing cheese, vegetables or meat and then cooked on a griddle then folded in half to serve. In  central and southern region of Mexico, quesadilla is a flat circle called tortilla, warmed to soften and filled with cheese and cooked until  cheese is completely melted. They are often served with salsa and Guacamole.  Quesadillas have been adapted to many different countries, they are served as appetizers or as a snack. This delicious bean and veg quesadilla goes for the 2nd day of BM 53, under the theme Tortilla based dishes.  Ingredients: Tortilla  2 Black beans 1 can Tomato 1 cup chopped Onion 1 cup chopped Cilantro chopped 1/2 cup Sweet corn 1 cup Bell pepper 1 cup ( any color) Mexican blend cheese 1 cup Mozzarella cheese 1 cup Salt to taste Black pepper powder 1 spoon Preparation: I used canned black beans here, so remove and wash the beans thoroughly under running water. Have used frozen ...

Guacamole is an avocado-based sauce that originated with the  Aztecs in Mexico. In addition to its use in modern Mexican cuisine it has also become part of  American cuisine  as a dip, condiment and a salad ingredient. It is traditionally made by mashing ripe avocados  with a mortar and pestle with sea salt. Some recipes call for  tomato, onion, garlic lime juice lime juice, chili, yogurt and/or additional seasonings.Here goes the recipe...... We need: Ripe avocado 2  Small  tomato 1  Small  onion 1  Lime  juice 3 spoons Crushed  red chili or chili flakes 1/2spoon Salt  to taste  Chopped cilantro 2 spoons Soft taco's 5   Oil for deep frying   Method: We need only ripe avocado's for this recipe.    Cut avocado to have and remove the seed, remove skin and mash the avocado with spoon. Add chopped onion, tomato, cilantro, lime juice, chil...

We love Mexican tacos, tortilla chips and salsa. The recipes are made with simple ingredients and simple method. For the day 2, I made chicken soft taco's. Taco is a traditional Mexican dish composed of a corn or wheat tortilla folded or rolled around a filling. A taco can be made with a variety of fillings, including chicken , sea food, vegetables and cheese allowing for great versatility and variety. Today I make chicken soft taco, which is simple and delicious.   We need: Grilled chicken  1 cup Soft taco's 4  Tomato 1 small Onion 1 small Lettuce chopped 1 cup Grated Cheese of your choice 1/2 cup Ranch Method: Chop onion and tomato to small pieces and keep aside. Have used the left over chicken which I bought from store. You can even bake or grill chicken at home by simply adding some salt, pepper powder, oil  and any seasoning. Grill or bake it till done. Let it cool to make small pieces. Also used store bought soft tacos. In a serving place, ...

Spanish rice   or Mexican Rice is a side dish made from white Rice, tomatoes, garlic and onion, and other ingredients. It is traditionally made by sautening the rice in a skillet until it is golden brown. Water or chicken broth are then added along with chopped tomatoes or tomato sauce. Although called "Spanish rice", this dish is unknown in Spain . The term "Spanish rice" is not used by Mexicans or Mexican food enthusiasts, and its use probably stems from the fact that the Spanish language is spoken in Mexico . It is a popular dish in the American  Southwest, which refers to the dish as "Mexican rice". The version of the dish cooked throughout Northern Mexico tends to be a more homogeneous character, often with just enough tomato and Chili pepper to give the distinctive red-orange color and a smoky, garlic and onion-laden flavor. It is usually served as a side dish alongside other Mexican cuisine . Here goes the recipe....... We need: Long grain rice 2 c...