pumpkin soup

Lets welcome the fall with a great tasting deliciously spicy soup. You can make this for a cold rainy day or for your fancy Thanksgiving dinner. There are variations to this recipe, you can add more spices or top it off with caramelized pumpkin seed or even serve it in a small pumpkin, but whatever you do it will still make an amazing velvety soup!

4 T olive oil
2 onions, finely chopped
2 lbs. pumpkin peeled, deseeded and chopped into small cubes
3 c. vegetable or chicken stock
2 stems of fresh sage ( or dried 2 tsp)
1 c. heavy cream
3 T SALSA MAYA

1. In a large sauce pan add olive oil and cook onions for about 5 min.
2. Add in the pumpkin cubes and continue to cook for 10 min. until it is very soft
3. Put in stock and season with salt, pepper and sage and bring it to a high simmer
4. Pour in the heavy cream and SALSA MAYA and stir until well incorporated
5. Bring back to a boil then remove and puree the soup until completely smooth
            - tip: pass it through a fine colander for a more velvety texture

spicy hummus

Everyone loves hummus, and this recipe is so easy and a lot better than store bought. You can even use it as a spread on a sandwich or just as a dip!

2 cans of garbanzo beans
4 cloves of garlic
1/3 c. tahini paste
4 T SALSA MAYA
6 T fresh squeezed lemon juice
4 T of water from the garbanzo beans
olive oil, drizzle once finished

1. Drop the garlic in food processor until finely minced
2. Add the remaining ingredients and season with salt
3. Once it is finely chopped and smooth put into serving dish and drizzle olive oil
4. Serve with your favorite pita chips, vegetables and enjoy

simple & delicous toston

Ever wondered what to do with that odd looking banana at the store? Well that banana is actually a plantain and it is delicious but can only be eaten after being cooked. This is a super simple dish and a delicious one as well.  Serve it as an appetizer or add some meat and serve it as a dish! The toston or patacon comes from South America and is eaten differently in each country and loved by all. 

• 2 green plantains, use about 1 plantain per person for an appetizer and 1 plantain per 2 people for a side dish – you can get about 4-5 patacones per plantain
• Oil for frying
• Salt & Pepper

Peel the plantain and cut into large peices
Place between plastic wrap and press down with a small bowl or wooden pestle
Heat the oil at a temperature of 350 and fry
Sprinkle salt and pepper

Spread Salsa Maya & Avocado and enjoy!

*Add some shredded meat or chicken for a full meal

arugula & cremini quiche with almond flour crust

This recipe is a great vegetarian dish. I use an almond flour crust, just because of the taste and balance of the dish [you can easily make the crust with all purpose flour]. This dish is very simple and can be great for breakfast or lunch. If you make it in a rectangular pan it can be cut into small squares as a passed appetizer. This is another way you can incorporate Salsa Maya into your dishes. 

serves 6 portions

Gluten-free almond meal crust

• 2 cups almond flour
• 3 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• ⅓ cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon water

Arugula, Cremini mushroom and goat cheese filling

• 3 cups baby arugula, roughly chopped (you can use spinach) 
• 1½ cups cleaned and sliced Cremini mushrooms
• Drizzle olive oil
• 6 large eggs
• ⅓ cup milk
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons of Salsa Maya
• 5 ounces goat cheese, crumbled (use as much or as little. Can substitute for any cheese)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a large tart pan with cooking spray. In a mixing bowl, stir together the almond flour, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper. Pour in the olive oil and water and combine all ingredients with your hands until evenly dispersed.
2. Press the dough into your prepared skillet/pan until it is evenly dispersed across the bottom and up the sides. Bake until the crust is lightly golden, about 18 to 20 minutes.
3. In a large skillet over medium heat, warm enough olive oil. Cook the mushrooms with a dash of salt, stirring often, until tender. Toss in the arugula and let it wilt, while stirring, about 30 seconds. Take the pan of the heat.
4. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, salt and Salsa Maya. Stir in the mushroom and arugula mixture. 
5. Once the crust is done baking, pour in the egg mixture and sprinkle the goat cheese. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the center is firm to the touch and cooked through. Let the quiche cool for 5 to 10 minutes before slicing with a sharp knife. 

deliciously spicy papillote

This is a deliciously spicy recipe for a modern papillote. "Papillote" is the french term for parchment. It is a method of cooking in which food is put into a folded pouch and then baked. The pouch can be made from parchment paper, aluminum foil or even a paper bag. The pouch creates steam and it cooks everything inside. It is a very healthy and delicious way to eat! 

Makes 5 portions

Ingredients:

5 ea squares of foil, or parchment paper

5 ea  fish fillets (use your favorite ex: cod, tilapia, halibut)
2 ea  zucchini sliced 
1/2     yellow onion, thinly sliced
20 ea cherry tomatoes 
2 ea carrots, thinly sliced
2 ea lemons, thinly sliced
Fresh thyme springs
olive oil
Salsa Maya
salt/pepper

Directions

1. Cut foil, or parchement paper into medium sized rectangles [ big enough for the fillets and ingredients to fit inside ]
2. Season fish and place in the center of paper
3. Spread desired Salsa Maya on the fish [ 1 tbsp recommended ]
4. Evenly spread out zucchini, onion, carrots and tomatoes to all of the fillets
5. Add 2 slices of lemon to each fish fillet pouch and a small spring of thyme
6. Drizzle with olive oil
7. Fold foil or parchment paper and remember to seal the sides
8. Put on a sheet tray and bake on a 400 F oven for 20 minutes 

bbq brisket sandwich

It might sound different when adding Salsa Maya to BBQ but trust me it is perfect! The sweet tangy bbq sauce goes great with Salsa Maya and it adds an extra kick to the traditional summer sandwich. The following recipe can be as easy as you want it to be.. you can purchase already smoked brisket from your favorite BBQ place or go to your local meat store and purchase a small brisket.

[ It is quite hard to find a "small brisket" so if you have left overs you can freeze it and use it on baked potatoes, tacos and many more delicious things with Salsa Maya!] 

For the Brisket: (if you are making it yourself)

2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons dry mustard
1 bay leaf, crushed
4 pounds beef brisket, trimmed
1 1/2 cups beef stock
 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
1.Make a dry rub by combining salt, garlic and onion powders, black pepper, sugar, dry mustard, and bay leaf. 2.Season the raw brisket on both sides with the rub. Place in a roasting pan and roast, uncovered, for 1 hour.
3.Add beef stock and enough water to yield about 1/2 inch of liquid in the roasting pan. Lower oven to 300 degrees F, cover pan tightly and continue cooking for 3 hours, or until fork-tender.
4. Trim the fat and chop . Top with juice from the pan.

 For the sandwich

1 bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce
4 lb chopped brisket 
1 Lg red onion
1 jar of pickles
8 hamburger buns
1 Jar of Salsa Maya

1. Mix 1/2 of the BBQ sauce in with the chopped brisket until its completely coated
2. Thinly slice the red onion
3. Assemble the sandwich and top it all off with Salsa Maya!! 
Enjoy