My Roasted Corn and Avocado Dip is a crowd favorite that I have been making for over 20 years and it gets requested for a party time and time again.  It’s fresh, crisp, and oh-so-tasty!  Of course the best time of year to make Roasted Corn and Avocado Dip is summertime, when fresh corn is abundant in the markets, but don’t let that hold you back from making this dish during the off-season.  I have been known to grab a bag of frozen corn, toss it with a touch of olive oil, and roast it in the oven when you just can’t get your hands on a fresh ear of corn – not quite as crispy but still delicious. The added crunch from our Glory Kitchen San Miguel nut & spice mix gives it an extra kick of flavor and crunchy goodness.

This is a perfect dip to serve to a crowd paired with tostada chips but it is also wonderful spooned over lettuce greens to make a fresh salad or tucked into tacos as a fresh topping.

Once you know the main ingredients, it is easy to throw together from memory, but don’t skip the roasting of the corn because although it’s an extra step that takes a bit of time, it adds such an intense and smoky flavor to the dish.

You can make this dip and serve it immediately or make it a few hours before your guests arrive, the flavors only intensify as it melds together.  I hope you make this Roasted Corn and Avocado Dip before the summer gets away from you.

Homemade pimento cheese is a staple for me when I throw a party. I love a good pimento cheese dip, especially at a gathering or a picnic.  However, I’ve always struggled to find one that is not loaded with artificial ingredients.  If you’ve ever taken a close look at the packaging of most prepared pimento cheeses available at the grocery store you’ll notice a litany of ingredients; the majority include chemicals, preservatives, and very few “real food” ingredients.  Making your own homemade pimento cheese allows you to use better, fresher ingredients like organic cheese, organic yogurt, and crunchy peppers.

Most pimento cheeses are loaded with mayonnaise and although I add it to my recipe, I use very little because I’ve never been a big fan.  Instead I use Greek yogurt which still gives you the creaminess but doesn’t overpower the dish.  I think a pimento cheese dip should taste like cheese – not cream and mayo.  Another tip when making my homemade pimento cheese is I typically use a combination of monterrey jack and white cheddar cheese.  We often think of cheddar cheese as orange in color, however, many people don’t realize the traditional orange is often added artificial coloring so I typically stick to a white cheddar.

I was able to find a natural, organic cheddar which was colored with paprika, a natural spice which gave it that orange hue.  Even if you use white cheddar and white jack cheeses, the recipe calls for smoked paprika which will give your cheese dip a slight orange color.

Another part of this recipe I love is the crunchy addition of fresh red bell pepper and fresh jalapeno.  I often add more jalapeno because I love a bit of heat with the creamy cheese.  You may want to begin with 1/2 jalapeno and after mixing, give it a taste and, if it is a mild pepper, add more until you get a bit of heat with each bite.

And one more tip… when shredding large amounts of cheese, try using the shredding attachment on your food processor.  It makes the process so snappy – it literally took 30 seconds to shred 4 cups.

I like to serve this dip at room temperature with corn chips, crackers or tostada chips and right before it goes out to your guests, sprinkle it with plenty of San Miguel nut & spice mix to give it a bit of crunchy pizazz.

I hope you make this homemade pimento cheese your go-to recipe.  Once you’ve made it a few times, it’s easy to whip up – even without a recipe. Enjoy!

I just could not resist the “cheesy” title of this recipe but the name “Easy Peasy Mac & Cheesy” truly describes this terrific mac & cheese hack. No noodles to boil.  No butter & flour roux to prepare.  Just blend up a few ingredients, add in the dry noodles and bake.  Truly, it’s that easy – who knew?  I’m amazed I never before knew of this quick method.  It works beautifully and tastes delicious.  And who doesn’t love a hot macaroni & cheese with a crispy topping of panko bread crumbs and our San Miguel Mexican nut & spices?

I can’t remember the last time I made homemade macaroni & cheese.  True confessions, I used to make the infamous Kraft Mac & cheese out of the box for my kids when they were young – often.  Knowing now what goes in to that powdered orange “cheese” I cringe at the thought, yikes.

Now that my boys are grown, my husband and I don’t typically eat foods like mac & cheese but every so often there is an occasion that calls for a delicious casserole of hot cheesy goodness.  It is a great side to serve to a crowd and because it is a well loved favorite, it is typically the first dish to empty out.

The next time you need a large casserole to serve a crowd, try this simple mac & cheese.  This recipe can serve 10-14 persons so you can always half the portions to make a smaller casserole.  Or make one and freeze the other.  Enjoy!

It’s time to celebrate citrus before it moves out of season.  This Baked Fish with Cara Cara Orange Salsa Recipe is a keeper for sure – you feel so good after having a meal which is light and tasty but bursting with flavor.  I chose Cara Cara Oranges for this salsa because the color has a beautiful deep orange hue.  Of course this salsa can be made with any variety of sweet and tangy orange.  As a matter of fact, it would be equally delicious using grapefruit.

Winter is definitely the season to make this dish because of the abundance of citrus but don’t let this hold you back – try it again this spring using local strawberries or in the summer with cantaloupe or honeydew melon.  Just thinking about the many seasonal fruit possibilities makes me anxious to make it all over again.

Learning to supreme cut a piece of citrus can be somewhat tricky but once you have the basics down, it is not difficult at all, it just takes a bit of patience.  You can actually google “how to supreme an orange” and get a quick tutorial on youtube.

My biggest advice is to use a very sharp knife and work carefully.  I’ve also supremed a citrus fruit using a small serrated knife (one you would use for slicing tomatoes) and this too works, maybe even better than a large chef’s knife because it is small, easy to manipulate, and cuts through the membranes easily.

Once you’re salsa is made, the fish only takes a few minutes and you have a light and tasty meal with a stunner presentation.  In this recipe I used our Mexican blend, San Miguel, however, others that would add great flavor as well are the Cairo, Mumbai, Provence or Penang blends.

This 3-ingredient Chicken Slaw with Pomegranate is a salad that gives you crunchy, healthy and filling satisfaction.  If you like crisp and cool coleslaw, you’ll love this quick and easy salad that includes chicken as your protein and a sweet, tangy surprise with pomegranate seeds.  The Glory Kitchen Mexican flavors of San Miguel nut & spice mix add a little bit of smoky chili spice as well as additional crunch from the chopped pumpkin seeds in the  nut blend.  I love the combination of the crisp cabbage with sweet and juicy pomegranate seeds.

If you really want to throw this tasty meal together in no time at all, you can buy a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken, a pre-shredded bag of cabbage, and a pomegranate which has already been seeded – talk about a quick meal!  The dressing is made up of ingredients most likely sitting in your refrigerator right now.  I hope you’ll give this delicious and crunchy salad a try – it was a great meal made in a matter of minutes.

I think this salad would be equally delicious using the Provence,  Mumbai, Cairo, or Penang nut mixes.  A little extra flavor and crunch is always a good thing.

Broccoli is a favorite vegetable for many but this Broccolini With Chipotle Drizzle is almost like eating junk food – you just can’t get enough.  The good news?  It is good for you, it is quick and it is simple to prepare.

All you need is plenty of baby broccoli, a few basic ingredients, and of course, our Glory Kitchen San Miguel nut & spice mix.  I have to admit I had this Broccolini with Chipotle Drizzle as my entire meal because it was just so delicious I did not want to bother with anything else.  If only I had added some shredded chicken on top it could have sufficed as a complete meal.

I’ve heard this called both broccolini and baby broccoli.  It is a relatively new natural hybrid of the old standby of basic broccoli.  Hybrid, as opposed to genetically modified, and created by a Japanese company in California in the early 1990’s.  Broccolini has smaller, looser florets and longer, thinner stalks than typical broccoli.  Overall, the stalks are more tender and I believe, tastier when cooked.  I always cook broccolini in its entirety – florets, stalks, leaves and all.  The only thing I do to prepare it after washing and drying, is to slice off the ends to expose the fresh stalk. Once you do this, you are ready to cook.

This has become one of my very favorite vegetables as of late and I enjoy interchanging the recipe with a variety of our Glory Kitchen nut mixes.  After trying it with the San Miguel, try making it again and altering the nut blend – the Cairo, Mumbai, Penang, Umbria or Provence blends would all be wonderful used in a similar way (just remove the chipotle and paprika from the recipe).

And as a side note, if you are not one to handle spicy sauces, you may want to reduce the amount of ground chipotle added to the sauce, or you could always leave it out altogether.  Don’t leave out the paprika, however, it adds nice color to your drizzle.  Hope you enjoy as much as I did.