Chiles en Nogada

Today we commemorate the independence of Mexico. This is a perfect way to celebrate it. The “Chiles en Nogada” are a Poblano chile stuffed with a special ground beef stew covered with a pecan cream sauce and sprinkled with pomegranate. It is a delicious typical mexican dish that has a very interesting story behind. Tells the story, that the Agustin Nuns from the Santa Monica Convent in Puebla, Mexico, invented this recipe to honor Agustin de Iturbide who just had signed the independence of Mexico in Cordoba, Veracruz. The Chiles are very colorful resembling the Mexican Flag, green, white and red. Hope you enjoy such a delicious traditional Mexican dish.

CHILES EN NOGADA

Serves 8

Ingredients

Lime-Berry Corn Meal Muffins

I was looking for a gluten-free muffin to bake, these came out more than I was expecting. The lime zest make them so refreshing and the baked blueberries just pop in your mouth like a little balloon of flavor! So good! I like to bake muffins because they are the perfect portion. Don’t have to worry if one slice is thicker than the other. They freeze perfectly, so you always have a quick breakfast ready or a perfect munch with your coffee for a snack.

LIME-BERRY CORN MEAL MUFFINS

Ingredients

2/3 Cup Corn meal

2   Cups Almond Flour

2/3 Cup Sugar

3   Eggs

1   Cup mixed berries (I used blueberries and raspberries)

2   Limes, zest and juice

Directions

• Place butter and sugar in a medium bowl and mix until it becomes light and fluffy
• Add rest of the ingredients and stir carefully until well combined

 

• Divide the mixture into 12-16 muffin liners
• Bake for 20-25 minutes until a tooth pick comes out clean
• Simply delicious!

 

 

Toast topped with Greek Yogurt and Blueberries

This is barely a recipe, more, is just an idea for a healthy delicious breakfast on a busy schedule. Just  toast a slice of bread spread greek thick yogurt and top it with your choice of fruit. This time I used blueberries, they add the perfect amount of sweetness to the toast. If you want more. you could add a drizzle of honey. Enjoy!!

Zucchini Stuffed with Mint Rice

I love this kind of zucchini because you can stuff it with many kind of ingredients. This time I chose mint rice, because of the fresh taste of mint. Great for a summer hot day! Very easy to prepare.

These I harvested from my garden. I am thrilled that I was able to harvest them, knowing they are organic, and somehow it feels great to eat vegetables that you were able to grow taking care of them.

ZUCCHINI STUFFED WITH MINT RICE

Ingredients

Pistachio lime cheesecake

The combination of lime and pistachio is so delicious in this cheesecake. It has just the right amount of sweetness, for the ones who prefer the lemony sour flavor dessert.

PISTACHIO LIME CHEESECAKE

Makes 6 individual cheesecakes

Ingredients

Greek Yogurt Sauces

Get the most out of greek plain yogurt! It is versatile because of it is unflavored, it easily absorbs different flavors. It is packed with powerful protein, 23 grs of protein per serving, that makes you feel fuller for longer periods of time. It provides probiotics, wich contributes in a healthy digestive system. It is a low-calorie food, if you choose the plain non-fat kind, because it doesn’t have any artificially added sugars.

This is the easiest way to add flavor to your food! Combine thick greek plain yogurt and a spice of your choice and you can pour it over eggs, tacos, quesadillas, stake, poultry, fish. Greek yogurt is the perfect substitution to sour cream or mayo. Here are some great examples:

A Twister went through my garden!

Well a few weeks ago a twister came into my garden. My fig tree broke and went down, my artichoke bush was completely destroyed, Tomato and zucchini flowers flew. Very sad and scary to deal with force of nature. The good news is that I lifted and put a “bandage” around my fig tree trunk. Looks like it worked, it is still green and alive. The artichoke bush has reborn, It is a little little bush now, I might not have any artichokes until next summer, but it is alive too. Few cherry tomatoes and zucchini are growing. And today I harvested TWO beets! One purple and one white. I made a nice salad with them and feels so good that after all the trouble, I was able to eat something from my garden, that I harvested with my own hands and I am certain it is completely organic!

SIMPLE SALAD WITH ROASTED BEETS AND GORGONZOLA CRUMBS

Ingredients

Quinoa Stir Fry

This is a delicious vegetarian stir fry packed with vegetable protein. I used sun-dried tomatoes that gave it a very nice flavor, and from there, be creative! You can add the vegetables of your choice. This time, I prepared it with mushrooms and spinach.

QUINOA STIR FRY

Ingredients

Hamburguers with a surprise inside

I am a big fan of hamburgers and of blue cheese, so why not put them together?! I prepared this amazing patties and stuffed them with blue cheese, the result was delicious!! They were juicy and with the flavour of the blue cheese they didn’t need anything else (ketchup, I don’t like ketchup).

They are compatible with a low-carb and/or keto diet, gluten-free (no bread crumbs), healthy. Serve them with a simple salad or steamed vegetables.

BLUE CHEESE STUFFED HAMBURGERS 

Ingredients

Creel, Sierra Tarahumara

Creel is a little town in the Sierra Tarahumara, which is located in the state of Chihuahua in Mexico. It is home of the Copper Canyon, one of the deepest canyons in Mexico. It is 7 times deeper than the Grand Canyon. The Tarahumara indians live here. They are admirable strong people. Because some of them still live in caves in the mountains, they walk a large amount of miles to travel from one place to the next.

This weekend my husband and I went to visit Creel. I’ve been there many times, and it never looses its charm. Where cultures collide, Tarahumara indians, american and european truism and people from the town. I walked all around town, visit the plaza, where there is a monument to Enrique Creel, whom the town is named after. He built the railroad Chihuahua-Pacifico, was an economist, business man, banker and politician. Governor of the State, Foreign Secretary, and Mexican Embassador in Washington. I saw the indians selling their handmade crafts to make their living. But what I enjoy the most is admiring the wonderful views of the mountains and the beautiful blue skys. So big that I wasn’t able to fit them in my camera.

Here are some pictures that I captured fo the mountains and some beautiful Tarahumara indians, one kneading some shawls to sell.