Chicano Eats

Ensalada de Fruta (Tropical Ambrosia Salad)

For as long as I can remember, my mom has been making her ensalada de fruta (or ambrosia) for Christmas. It’s become one of her signature dishes for the season, and if she brings some over, she will not leave me with any leftovers because she takes them all home–She loves it that much! I always enjoyed how every bite was different. You’d get the tartness from the pineapple, the crunch from the walnuts, and the sweetness from the peaches. I originally shared the recipe on Instagram for a sponsored post with Dole, but because I love the recipe so much and many of my Instagram followers also said this was also a staple during the Holidays I figured I’d share it on the blog as well! I have a few other recipes I’ve shared on Instagram, like the sopa de caracól and the cinnamon pineapple mezcal mule so I’ll be adding those to the site soon!

Have a great Holiday season!

How to Make Traditional Buñuelos de Viento

We’re less than a week away from Christmas, and I’m just about ready to finalize our menu!

For appetizers, I’m going to be serving: Sambal Chicken Skewers, Honey Mole Glazed Wings, Crema Mexicana Pickled Jalapeño Deviled Eggs, and pico de gallo. For dinner, I’m going to be making tamales (recipe coming soon!), my moms’ favorite beer braised ribs and some rice pilaf. For dessert, I’m going to make the Horchata Tiramisu, Ensalada de Fruta, and the buñuelos I’m sharing today!

Buñuelos de viento are these crispy, airy, fritters covered in sugar that are very popular during Christmas time in Mexico. There are two popular variations of buñuelos found in Mexico, buñuelos de rodilla which use a a dough, are flat and circular in shape and are typically drenched in a piloncillo syrup and then there are buñuelos de viento which use a batter and an iron rosette mold. (Be sure to head over to my instagram page for a chance to win a rosette mold!)

These fritters are pretty easy to make, you just have to remember to dip your mold into the batter about half way, so when it starts to fry, the buñuelo slips right off the mold. You also need to be aware of the temperature of your oil while you’re frying. If the oil is too hot, you run the risk of them browning on the outside very quickly and being raw in the center.

My mouth is watering just thinking about these fritters, so I’m going to fix myself a warm cup of chocolate abuelita and eat the rest of these buñuelos. Have a great Holiday season!

Find the recipe in my new cookbook Chicano Bakes!

Potaje de Garbanzo

This post is sponsored by USA Pulses and Pulse Canada, thoughts and opinions are my own.

When I was in High School, I was introduced to this cute little cafe in Old Towne Orange called Felix’s Continental Cafe. If you happened to watch American Horror Story: Cult, they actually used the empty building across the street from this cafe for the set of Ivy’s restaurant, which I thought was super cool! Felix’s Cafe has been a staple in the City of Orange, specializing in food from Cuba and Spain, dubbed as the “La Casa de Paella” and it is here where I fell in love with the flavors of Cuba and Spain!

Potaje de Garbanzo-Chicano Eats

When USA Pulses & Pulse Canada reached out to me to see how I added pulses into my diet, I had just the recipe in mind. I wanted to share something inspired by my many trips to Felix’s. If you’re not familiar with pulses, they are the delicious, protein-packed, sustainable foods known as dry peas, chickpeas, lentils and beans. If you’re looking to find ways to incorporate more pulses into your diets, sign up for the Half-Cup Habit, and see how easy it can be to add 1⁄2 cup serving of pulses to your diet just 3x per week for added nutrients.

Potaje de Garbanzo-Chicano Eats

Today we’re making my version of potaje de garbanzo (or garbanzo stew), which is one of my favorite soups from Felix’s–which is always served with every meal. Potaje de Garbanzo, is a traditional Cuban garbanzo stew that has roots in Spain. The stew we’re making today starts with an aromatic sofrito to which we add pureed tomatoes, longanisa, garbanzo beans and potatoes. Some of the ingredients Felix’s uses were not available/a little hard to find so I adjusted the recipe to be more budget friendly. This is the kind of soup you want to have on a cold winter night, because it’s a hearty feel-good soup. It fills your house with the sweet smell of onions caramelizing, sizzling garlic, and spicy longanisa as everything cooks. Although it takes some time for it to come together, the end result is so worth it! If you live in areas where you get snow, definitely save this recipe for days when you get caught inside with a snowstorm, you won’t regret it!

For more recipes using pulses, be sure to check out USA Pulses.

Potaje de Garbanzo-Chicano Eats

Horchata Tiramisu

Horchata Tiramisu #BestTiramisu #Tiramisu #Horchata

T-1 day to Thankgiving!

Today, I’m sharing a recipe for an Horchata Tiramisu, but before we get to that, here are some last minute apps/desserts/drinks incase you’re like me and still haven’t finalized your Turkey Day menu.

If this is your first time cooking the turkey, spatchcock it. Billy gives you a good rundown on how to do it, and not only does it cut down cooking time, it also yields a really juicy bird.

He also has a really good recipe for a grapefruit custard, double chocolate mousse triffle, and a deep dish toffee nut chocolate chip cookie you should probably take a look at. I got to try all three and they were all delicious!

If you happen to love cheese as much as I do, Adrianna recently shared a recipe for a crispy jalapeño popper dip that looks like a total crowd pleaser and she also has a really good how-to for fluffly mashed potatoes that look like a work of art.

My spicy matador cocktail makes for a really good batch cocktail, and if you really want to feel extra/impress your guests, pull out the mezcal sour, the egg white foam makes it look extra fancy!

Horchata Tiramisu #BestTiramisu #Tiramisu #Horchata The recipe for the horchata tiramisu came about because Adrianna had shared her chai tiramisu on Instagram and later that day, a Bon Apetit video for Del Posto’s tiramisu was suggested to me, so I took that as a sign from el niñito Jesús, that I should probably make one, with a twist of course. In this recipe, we add horchata to the cake batter, the marscapone cream, and then we bathe the cake in it. The result is this moist sponge cake with layers of silky smooth horchata marscapone cream that’ll make you forget for a second that cheeto puff is still in office.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

PS. Before you start making the recipe, go out and grab your favorite horchata. It needs to be sweet and milky, not watered down (remove any ice too) or the recipe won’t taste the same and be as flavorful!

Horchata Tiramisu #BestTiramisu #Tiramisu #Horchata

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