The Zealous Tomato Salsa

Salsa is a Mexican table condiment that is served with almost any Mexican or Spanish meal. Salsa in Spanish literally translates to sauce. The Salsa can be served in many different ways. However, my absolute favorite is the Tomato Salsa. The zealous Tomato Salsa is made with the freshest ingredients. It is full of flavors and tastes just amazing every time you make it. If you love tomatoes then you have to try this Salsa. It is absolutely addictive!

By now, you would have known that I love tomatoes and anything I make from Tomatoes is out of passion and love for them. This Tomato salsa is our go-to snack on the weekends or family nights. I make this Salsa along with the spicy Guacamole and chips and we are sorted for the evening. This Salsa stays good for almost up to a week in the air tight container in fridge. So once I make it, I can use it for taco night, or to make Mexican rice or for evening snack time. To top it off, it is so easy to prepare with just a few ingredients. Just add tomatoes, onion, garlic, cilantro, lemon juice along with some herbs in the food processor or blender and voila the zealous Tomato Salsa is ready to dip in. 

Important Notes/ Tips

I have used Roma tomatoes for this recipe. I prefer them as they are usually firm which helps avoid salsa from becoming too watery.

I have used one Serrano pepper as we like our salsa to be on the milder side. Feel free to add 2-3 Serrano per your liking of spice level. Alternatively, you can also use Jalapeño peppers.

Try and use fresh ingredients as noted in the recipe to get the best flavor out of the salsa.

If you find the salsa to be too tangy, you can add pinch of sugar to balance the flavors.

I have used a can of diced tomato to keep thicker consistency of the Salsa. It is an optional ingredient, however, the salsa may turn out to be a little more watery if not used. It would still taste equally amazing!

I have made the Salsa using food processor. You can also use blender or electric food chopper instead. However, if you use a blender then pay special attention to the consistency of Salsa to prevent it from turning into puree.

Here is a short video followed by detailed recipe -

Ingredients

4-5 Fresh ripe medium size tomatoes 

1 can of diced tomatoes (10 oz) - optional

1/2 medium Red onion 

2 medium Garlic cloves

1/2 cup chopped Cilantro

1 Serrano pepper 

1 Medium Lemon juice 

Salt and Pepper to taste

1/3 Tsp Oregano

1/4 Tsp cumin powder

Instructions

Start with preparing the veggies. Cut the tomatoes into quarts and roughly chop the onion, garlic cloves and cilantro. Remove stem and seeds from the Serrano pepper.

Now add all the ingredients into a food processor and pulse in bursts to finely chop all the contents.

Open the lid and adjust the taste for salt, pepper or lemon juice. Enjoy right away with tortilla chips or store in an airtight container for up to a week in the refrigerator. 

Vegetarian Mexican Rice - Better than Restaurant!

Mexican rice or Spanish rice is a widely known accompaniment to Mexican dishes like Enchiladas, Fajitas or Tacos. Most Mexican restaurants that I have visited, serve this rice as a side dish of plain red rice. However, today I am going to share this amazing Spanish rice (arroz rojo) recipe with you today that can almost be eaten as an entree or can be used as a filling for Burritos. This appetizing recipe is loaded with flavors and comes together under 30 minutes!

My recipe calls for some of the basic ingredients that are easily found in most household pantries. These ingredients include tomatoes, onions, garlic, cumin powder, beans and the star of dish Rice. The best part about this Spanish/Mexican Rice is that it is very flexible with the types of vegetables that can be added to it. So this can be used as last minute recipe whenever you are running out of ideas and need something fulfilling that is easy to prepare yet tasty. We have had this tasty rice for lunch by itself with a side of chips and for dinner as a side in our tacos and my family has enjoyed them both ways.

Nutritional Value

Although there are lots of debate over rice being healthy or unhealthy, I believe that any grains eaten in moderation and cooked with just the right ingredients are always healthy. According to the sources, Rice has been consumed by people all around the globe for thousands of years! It has been part of many cultures and many cuisines due to it's ability to pick up any flavors and seasonings that it is cooked with. White rice is low in fat and has almost no cholesterol. It is a good source of energy and very easy on our stomach, i.e. it is easy to digest as compared to whole grain. Moreover, rice is naturally gluten free, so it is one of the best options for people with gluten intolerance. Rice is mostly paired with or cooked with vegetables or protein to help balance out the nutritional value. 

Important Notes/ Tips

For this recipe, I have used long grain white rice (preferred) but you can choose to use any variety of rice. Traditionally, the long grain white rice is used to prepare Spanish/Mexican rice as it is less starchy and does not stick. However, the cooking time will vary depending on the type of rice. 

To give additional flavor punch to this recipe, you can also add chopped red bell pepper and spring onions to it. 

I have used fresh made salsa for the recipe, but feel free to use store brand salsa.

So here is a quick video for the recipe followed by detailed recipe...

Ingredients

1 Cup Long grain white rice 

3/4 Cup Canned Black beans

1/2 Cup Salsa

1/3 Cup Corn kernels

1/4 Cup Tomato sauce

1 Lemon wedge

3-4 Garlic cloves

2 Tbsp Olive oil

1 Tbsp Cumin powder

1 Tsp Oregano

1 Tsp Black pepper powder

1/2 Tsp Paprika

1 Bay leaf 

Salt to Taste

1 1/2 Cup Water (to cook rice) 

Prep time - 15 minutes

Cook time - 7 minutes

Serves - 4 

Instructions

Heat up the Instant pot on saute mode and add olive oil. 

Mince garlic cloves and add to the heated oil. Saute for a minute until raw smell of garlic is gone. 

Now add corn kernels and saute for another minute. 

Next, add rinsed and washed rice to the pot. Saute the rice until it is lightly toasted. Be sure to stir the rice continuously to prevent from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Add black beans to the pot and mix well with rice. Cook for another minute.

Now add tomato sauce and all the spices to the pot. Mix everything well and saute for 1 more minute. Further add the homemade fresh salsa and mix well with the rice mixture.

Finally add water and stir everything well making sure no rice is sticking to the bottom.

Close the Instant pot lid and change the setting to Pressure Cook mode. Select low pressure and set for 7 minutes. Be sure to keep the vent on sealing while pressure cooking.

When pressure cooking is done, turn off the Instant pot and quick release the pressure. Perform this step carefully as Instant pot is very hot at this time, turn the valve to venting position safely using spoon or spatula. 

Carefully open the lid and squeeze in half a lemon on top of rice. Gently fluff rice using a fork. 

Transfer the rice to a bowl or a plate and garnish with cilantro. Our scrumptious and flavorsome Vegetarian Mexican rice is ready to relish! Eat this rice as a meal with some tortilla chips and guac or use it as filling for burritos or tacos. 

Veggie Quesadillas with quick Salsa & Guacamole

Hola foodies, hope you all are having a great weekend! Today, I will be sharing one of my favorite and easiest Mexican recipes of all time - Veggie Quesadillas with quick Salsa and Guacamole. It is one of the simplest and classic Mexican dishes that you can try to start your journey for the Mexican comidas (foods) or simply further your quest...

So what are Quesadillas? Originated from Mexico, the name Quesadillas come from Spanish word Queso means cheese and it literally translates to "cheesy little things". Traditionally the tortillas are toasted with melted cheese and sautéd vegetable or meat. I usually buy tortillas from the store as you can get many varieties that suits your need. In a quest to make this dish healthy, I try to buy whole wheat tortillas. You can also find them prepared from white flour, corn flour, or mix grains. This time I brought whole wheat tortilla with chia seeds. I love making these for my kid as I can add all sorts of veggies and sometimes beans too. These get eaten without any complains as they taste so yummm especially when I layer them with cheese! 

 

Mexican meal is incomplete without Salsa, Guacamole and tortilla chips. No matter which Mexican dish I make, I always have these sides to make a complete dish. The combination of Salsa, Guac and crunchy tortilla chips is just something that I can never get enough of. So, I will also share a quick Salsa and Guacamole recipe to make with Quesadillas. I do have a special recipe if I am making them for a party or for guests. I will keep that recipe for some other time. :) 

Most of all the health benefits come from the cheese and the type of veggies added to make the quesadillas. Cheese is healthy if eaten in moderation as it provides much needed calcium and protein to our bodies. Typically when I am preparing Mexican meal, I choose to go with four cheese Mexican blend (mix of Monterey jack, Cheddar, Asadero and Queso quesadilla cheese) which gives so much more flavor to the food. Veggies, as as you may know, have abundance of nutrients and are low in calories and fats. 

                         

Additional notes/ tips

• Any assortment of veggies can be used for stuffing. In my opinion, the vegetables that taste best in Quesadillas are corn, spinach, mushrooms, squash, zucchini, broccoli, carrots, colorful peppers, onions, etc...
• Cheese is an essential ingredient for this recipe. However, if you wish to keep this recipe vegetarian, you would want to pick some vegetarian cheese. A lot of cheese brands use enzymes from animal rennet in making cheese, so look for vegetarian rennet or microbial rennet on the ingredients label of the cheese.

Let's get started with this simple yet delicious Veggie Quesadillas with quick Salsa & Guacamole recipe...

Serves 4

Prepare time 10 minutes

Cook time 20 minutes

Ingredients 

For Quesadillas

1 Pack Tortillas (6 ct)

1 Cup cheese

1/4 Cup Vegenaise (optional)

1/2 Corn (Boiled)

1 Medium Zucchini

1/2 Green pepper

1/2 Red pepper

1 Tbsp cumin powder

1 Tsp oregano

1 Tsp black pepper powder 

2 Tbsp Oil for grilling vegetables

Oil for toasting Quesadillas 

Salt to taste

For 5 minute Salsa (Mild)

2 Medium tomatoes

1 Small red onion

1 Small bunch cilantro

1/2 Tsp Oregano (Prefer Mexican oregano)

1/4 Tsp Black pepper powder

1/2 Lemon

Salt to taste

For 2 minute Guacamole 

1 Medium Avocado

1/2 Lemon

1 Tbsp salsa 

Salt to taste

Instructions

Evenly dice all the vegetables listed above for Quesadillas, i.e. red and green bell peppers and zucchini. Remove corn kernel from the cob.  

Heat up oil in a pan and add all the diced vegetables and corn, and sauté them for about a minute. 

         

Add salt, cumin powder, black pepper powder and oregano. Mix everything well.

 

Sauté the vegetables for 4-5 minutes until they turn slightly brown. Turn off the heat and transfer the veggies to a bowl. Let the stuffing cool down. 

While the veggies are cooling down, let's quickly make the Salsa and Guacamole. 

To make Salsa, roughly chop tomatoes, onions and cilantro. Add them to the chopper along with salt, pepper, oregano and lemon juice. 

Chop everything finely and voila Salsa is ready. Transfer into a bowl and garnish with lemon slice and cilantro. 

To make Guacamole, cut the avocado to half and de-seed it. Roughly chop avocado and add to the chopper along with salt, lemon juice and one spoon of salsa you just prepared.

Since avocados are soft, when you run chopper they will turn into smooth creamy dip - Guacamole. Alternatively, you can also make Guacamole without a chopper. Just use a fork to smash the chopped avocados and mix the spices. Transfer in a bowl and garnish with avocado seed. The avocado seed also helps to keep the Guacamole from turning black. Quick 2-minute Guac is ready to serve!

Getting back to Quesadillas, once the stuffing has cooled down, spread vegenaise on the tortilla. Just spread on one half of the tortilla as shown in the picture below. This step is optional, if you don't have vegenaise, just skip to next step. However, I recommend adding vegenaise to make the Quesadillas creamy! 

Now spread the sautéd vegetables over the layer of vegenaise on the tortilla. Here you can add as thick of a layer of veggies as you desire.

Next generously spread cheese over the veggies. Again you can add as little or more cheese per your desire. 

Fold the tortilla and keep it aside. Repeat the same process on the rest of the tortillas.

Next heat up the pan on a medium flame. Drizzle about 1 tbsp of oil.

Place two of the folded tortillas on the pan as shown in the picture below. Toast them for about a minute or until the tortillas are nicely toasted with brown spots at the bottom. 

Flip them over to toast the other side. If you are comfortable, you can flip them inside the pan. Otherwise transfer them to a plate, flip them and slide back to the pan. 

                             

Again toast them for another minute to toast evenly. 

Transfer them to a plate and repeat the process with the rest of the folded tortillas. Slice them with a knife or cutter in your preferred shape.

Hot, cheesy and loaded with veggies Quesadillas are ready to eat. Serve them with tortilla chips, salsa and guacamole. 

Mexican Quinoa

Quinoa as we know is one of the super foods. But, is it a super grain or super seed? Fun fact - Widely known as whole grain, Quinoa is actually a seed from amaranth family. Nicole Spiridakis wrote in a story for NPR, "The yellowish pods are the seed of a plant called Chenopodium quinoa, native to Peru and related to beets, chard and spinach." 

This super food is high in fiber, full of antioxidants and minerals, rich in protein, yet lean. Due to such high nutritional value, Quinoa provides great health benefits and also serves as one of the popular diet foods for those trying to lose some extra pounds. :)

I have been using Quinoa for quite a few years now. I have successfully tried multiple different combinations of spices and vegetables with quinoa, making this super food a part of our meals at the house. Let me share one of these recipes that also happens to be the most favorite Quinoa recipe of my family. So without further ado, let's start with preparing what I call - the Mexican Quinoa.

Ingredients (makes lunch for 3-4 people) - 

1 cup quinoa  (thoroughly rinsed and washed)

1 tsp olive oil for cooking quinoa

1 3/4 cup water 
1 can black beans 15 oz (rinsed and washed)

1 medium tomato 
1 large slice of red bell pepper (optional)

1 small red onion (1/2 cup when chopped)

1/2 cup boiled corn kernels 
4-5 spring onions

1/2 cup fresh cilantro 

For dressing -

 

1/4 cup Extra virgin olive oil 
1.5 tsp Cumin powder 
1 Lemon
Salt to taste
1 tsp Red chili flakes (add more if like more spicy)
1/2 tsp Black pepper 

Take quinoa in a bowl and wash them well, until the water runs clean. Now add Quinoa, water, salt, olive oil to the Instant pot to cook them for 1 minutes on manual high pressure and let the pressure release naturally. Alternatively, you can cook Quinoa in a big pot on the gas stove. Boil 5-6 cups of water, add quinoa and cook them for about 10-12 minutes. 

                                                

While Quinoa is cooking, finely chop all the vegetables - tomato, onion, red bell pepper, and spring onions.

                              

To make the dressing, take a small bowl and add extra virgin olive oil to it. Add cumin powder, red chili flakes, salt and black pepper and give it a good stir. At the end, squeeze in lemon juice and whisk it all together. 

  

                    

                                         

Now, open the lid of the Instant pot, stir quinoa just a little to check if its properly done. Quinoa should be soft and fluffy just like the picture below. Drain the quinoa under cold water and transfer them to a large bowl. Let them cool completely.

                     

After that, add beans and veggies including corn and cilantro to the quinoa along with the prepared dressing. Lightly toss everything together so that the quinoa get coated well in the dressing.

Our Mexican quinoa is ready to eat. You can eat it warm or after it cools down. Take some prepared quinoa in a plate and serve them with fresh avocado slices or tostadas.

This recipe is so easy to make yet it is healthy, fulfilling and tasty. I am sure you and your family will also enjoy this one pot meal much like my family does.

Notes - 

• For this recipe you can use either multi-color or white quinoa, whichever is available. 
• I have taken canned beans, they are pre-cooked. If you are using raw beans, soak them for at least 5-6 hours and pressure cook them. You can do this step a day prior and store the beans in refrigerator if desired.
• Corn kernels can be canned or you can boil corn ahead of time.
• Simply exclude red onions and spring onions if you don't eat onions.