La Cocina de Leslie: Cilantro

Showing posts with label Cilantro. Show all posts

Chicken Pozole Verde is a traditional Mexican chicken and hominy soup in a tomatillo and roasted poblano pepper broth.

Chicken Pozole Verde - lacocinadeleslie.com

For our final entry in our #SoupWeek celebration I have something very special for you... Chicken Pozole Verde AND the return of She Made/Ella Hace with my good friend Heather (aka girlichef) from the blog All Roads Lead to the Kitchen. (Pausing for a 30-second happy dance!) Heather was one of my first blogging friends and she was the mastermind behind us starting She Made/Ella Hace oh so many years ago. I've enjoyed hanging out in the cocina with Heather over the years, and I'm so happy that we'll continue to cook up wonderful dishes together in 2016.

15 January 2016

She Made/Ella Hace: Chicken Pozole Verde #SoupWeek

If I left our weekly or monthly menu planning up to Jack (my 10 year old son) we'd eat nothing but Refried Beans, spaghetti, french fries, and hot dogs. Maybe even all in the same day. Because Jack is such a picky eater I try to serve different versions of his favorite foods, like this Espagueti Verde, made with roasted poblano peppers, cilantro, and Mexican crema. So far my plan seems to be working, and thank goodness, because there was that unpleasant phase where he only wanted to eat spaghetti with ketchup.

19 November 2015

Espagueti Verde #ThrowbackThursday

When cooking for my family day in and day out, sometimes the food I look forward to most are the side dishes. Who doesn't love a good side dish?! There are some side dishes that I could easily eat as my main meal, no main dish necessary. Some of my favorite side dishes include Mexican Rice, mashed potatoes, Frijoles Adobados, any kind of macaroni & cheese, Chopped Salad, and Cilantro Rice Pilaf.

This Cilantro Rice Pilaf is my go-to side dish when I want something a little fancier to serve with dinner. It just looks so pretty and elegant when served next to Chicken Pipián Rojo or Pollo a la Cacerola (Mexican Chicken Cacciatore). But the only thing really fancy about this recipe is the name. Made with just long-grain rice, fideo (or vermicelli), cilantro, and pecans, rice dishes don't get much easier than this.

03 December 2014

Cilantro Rice Pilaf

When searching for Sauce & Salsa recipes on the Rick Bayless website for last week's I Heart Cooking Clubs theme, I was torn between two recipes. After much thought and consideration, and a little input from Hubby and the kiddies, I went with the Tangy Peanut-Avocado salsa. A wise and delicious decision, if I do say so myself. One Hubby is still raving about it.

BUT...as the days passed by and the temperature outside continued to soar to the mid-90's, I couldn't stop thinking about that other recipe: a Lime-Cilantro dressing with serrano chilies. April and May are the hottest months of the year here. Perfect weather for a cool, crisp salad. The salad I had in mind - made with romaine lettuce, sliced tomato and red onion, golden kernels of corn, and ripe avocado - would taste even better with the addition of lime and cilantro.

This Lime-Cilantro Vinagreta was superb. Not the least bit overpowering, like some dressings can be. My only complaint is that it didn't have enough heat. (This from the Gringa who swears she can't handle spicy food. I guess times, they are a changin'.) Next time I make this, and believe me there will be a next time very soon, I'll either add more serrano chilies or try using jalapeño peppers instead. I would love to try a creamier version using Mexican crema.

Have you ever made your own salad dressing?

Lime-Cilantro Vinagreta
(recipe from RickBayless.com)

Ingredients:

3/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon grated lime zest
1/2 cup cilantro
2 serrano chilies (or 1 fresh jalapeño)
salt

Directions:

In a blender cup, puree the olive oil, lime juice, grated lime zest, cilantro, and serrano chilies until smooth; season with salt. Pour the vinagreta into a jar, cover tightly, and refrigerate until ready to use. Shake well before serving. Enjoy!!!