Click here and read how a can of store-bought black beans reminds me of the beans I was served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the highlands of Western Honduras. Just open, heat, and serve these beans with your favorite Central American recipe!
My Thai Chicken with Basil has a distinctive, unami like flavor, as it sautés onion, garlic, basil, jalapeños, and chicken in a savory fish, soy, and coconut sauce. Naturally low in carbs and packed with protein, this recipe is chock-full of flavor and will satisfy (more).
My grandma Elsa’s Swedish meatballs are a well-kept, secret family recipe that’s been handed down each generation. One of the keys to this recipe is using three types of ground meat, moistened by heavy cream and bound by egg, breadcrumbs, and a touch of onion. (more).
This hearty black bean stew was inspired by Feijoada, a stew made of bean, beef, and pork, the national dish of Brazil. But here I’ve added my own touch, like sautéing veggies in bacon drippings and seasoning beans with adobo, saffron, and red pepper flakes. (more).
My puchero is a fall casserole that I’ve adapted from my Mexican host mom’s signature recipe. My version calls for butternut squash, plantain bananas, carrots, yellow crookneck squash, and Yukon potatoes. It takes its name from squishing the veggies between your fingers, puch, puch, puchero. (more).
These Honduran baleadas or soft bean tacos are the ultimate comfort food with a generous filling of creamy refried beans sandwiched between a homemade flour tortilla. Made in just 7 minutes and with only 2 ingredients, this no-fuss meal is fast and easy but will (more).
These Creamy and Dreamy Refried Beans are enhanced by the flavorful drippings of hickory-smoked bacon and key spices like red pepper flakes and earthy cumin. Serve with my Naturally Sweet Banana Smoothies and my Honduran Baleadas or Bean Tacos for an authentic Central American dish! (more).
With my Freshest Ever Greek Salad, every bite is a burst of flavors—with either a crisp crunch of cucumbers, mixed with a nutty note of black olives and an earthy hint of oregano, or a salty touch of feta cheese, coupled by juicy, sweet tomatoes. (more).
This Heavenly Caprese with Pesto Panini is so blissful that it transports you out of this world. Truly, nothing can beat the perfect flavor equation of Genovese pesto, heirloom tomatoes, fresh mozzarella cheese, and sourdough bread. With only 4 ingredients and 10 minutes to make, (more).
My Genovese Pesto with Bowtie Pasta is the perfect marriage of homemade pesto, made with a mortar and pestle, served with bowtie (farfalle) pasta, pine nuts, olive oil, and topped off with a sprinkle of Pecorino Romano cheese. It’s truly a match made in heaven! (more).
My Classic Chicken Caesar Salad is a medley to savor on the palate as each ingredient contributes its own keynote but doesn’t distract from the overall symphony of flavors. On one hand, you have the mild trio of crisp romaine lettuce, crunchy croutons, and breaded (more).
This unconventional Bolognese ranks in my top ten favorite recipes with its infusion of hickory-smoked bacon that permeates the garlic, onion, tomatoes, and freshly shredded Parmesan cheese. Another key to this recipe rests in the sun-dried tomatoes, which are rehydrated, but not preserved in oil. (more).
Instead of settling for bland supermarket tortillas, now you can enjoy the best homemade corn tortillas. Here I recount my tips of decades of experience, which I learned from my own trial and error and from Honduran women I met in the Peace Corps.
This out-of-this-world pasta is a delight with its overtones of savory prosciutto, caramelized shallots, and fresh English peas, all deglazed with a splash of dry white wine and thickened with heavy whipping cream. Rich in a complexity of flavors, this pasta hadn’t sparked my taste (more).
This mouth-watering dish is one of my favorites to date with the winning combination of fire-roasted green chiles, mildly sweet corn tortillas, and melted cheddar cheese. Yet the secret ingredients are the creamy chive cream cheese, tempered by sour cream, and the earthy black olives. (more).
I find that salsa verde can be unpleasantly acidic, but here, I temper the typical sour note by omitting the lime juice and pairing it with ripe, charred tomatillos and a dash of salt instead of sugar. Use this as a dip on chips or (more).
I was first introduced to this luscious banana smoothie while in the Peace Corps in Honduras. Ever since, it’s been a longtime favorite and is easy to make, taking only 3 minutes to prep and using only 3 ingredients. Plus, it’s naturally sweet, consisting solely (more).
Sometimes I feel that I have the best hobby in the world. What can beat taste tasting margaritas until I hone the perfect combination of sweet limeade, sour lime juice, and briny sea salt? This recipe took various iterations to perfect, but my family was (more).
This nutrient-rich Mexican cobb salad is packed with protein and fiber with over 65 and 27 grams, respectively. Plus, it’s delicious with buttermilk dressing offsetting the smoky achiote chicken, sweet corn, seasoned black beans, hard-boiled eggs, avocado, and mozzarella cheese. What a slice of heaven! (more).
These Mexican soy tostadas are fast and easy to make, requiring only 18 minutes and using just 6 ingredients, one of which is water. The crumbled Mexican soy is a good source of protein and makes this dish vegan if paired with vegan sour cream. (more).
This homemade red enchilada sauce is so addictive that you’ll be topping it on a plethora of recipes, like my Mexican Soy Tostadas. It’s also a nice accompaniment to eggs, like the traditional dish of Mexican huevos rancheros. Try it for yourself and tell me (more).