The best way to navigate through these unprecedented times is to take advantage of the free time at home that we have and not succumb to boredom. But what can we do? How about learning something new, improve a skill, or even start a new project? We can continue to have fun and improve our day to day lives at home by incorporating new things into our lives.
If you are at home tired of always cooking the same thing or just feeling a bit nostalgic from the magical Mexican food that fills you with warmth at Sandos Hotels, we have something in store for you. If you stay tuned not only will you be receiving some of the easy recipes that are common in restaurants like La Laguna at Sandos Caracol or the variety of local foods boasted during our Mexican nights, these recipes can be easily prepared from the comfort of your home, so you will not spend a second more missing those flavors that bring you so much joy.
Guacamole
Everyone’s favorite; It’s not a Mexican party if there is no guacamole. Though there are many ways to prepare it, here we leave you one of our favorites.
2 avocados
1 large tomato
½ onion
2 squeezed lemons
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 serrano pepper
1 bunch of coriander
Salt to taste
Chop the tomato, onion, coriander, and serrano pepper into very small pieces (you can use a fork to hold the chili). Add the juice of one of the lemons, mix well, and put it to the side.
Puree the avocados; It is very easy to take out the inside, simply cut the avocado in half vertically, taking care of the seed, then take each side and rotate; halves should come off easily. You can scoop out the seed and the inside of the avocado with a spoon and mash it by pressing the pulp with a fork. Add the lemon juice immediately to prevent rotting and darkening the avocado.
Add salt to taste and a tablespoon of olive oil; this will make the mixture creamier. Mix the avocado with the rest of the ingredients, and you are ready!
You can serve it as a simple and healthy snack with a few tortilla chips or use it as a side during one of your meals.
Salsas
Whether it be a delicious taco, mouth-watering enchilada, or any Mexican Dish ever, the salsa is the most important. Here we are going to show you how to prepare three different salsas:
Salsa Verde Taquera
The faithful companion of taquitos; is perfect for tacos al pastor and also super easy to prepare.
6 tomatillos
2 serrano peppers
2 cloves of garlic
1 small bunch of coriander
¼ of an onion
½ tablespoon of sugar
Salt to taste
Chop the onion into small pieces and put to the side. Roast the tomatillos, garlic cloves, and serrano peppers in a griddle or skillet turning them frequently. While they are still hot, blend these (it is not necessary to use water since the tomatillos already have enough) along with the coriander, salt, and sugar. Mix with the chopped onion, and there you have it. Serve on your tacos and get ready to be very, very happy.
Salsa Roja
This sauce is wonderful to make for most Mexican dishes, especially for chilaquiles and enchiladas, or to accompany other meals. Choose how spicy you would like the salsa to be, by varying the number of chilies you use.
4 tomatoes
2 serrano peppers
2 cloves of garlic
Pinch of oregano
½ tablespoon of sugar
Salt to taste
Roast the tomatoes, chilies and garlic cloves in a frying pan until they are browned; While they are still hot, blend these with the rest of the ingredients, and there you have it. To change the consistency, you can blend with a mixer to your satisfaction.
Salsa Macha
This sauce lasts a long time in the pantry and goes very well with endless meals; In addition, peanuts can be replaced with other nuts, fruits, and seeds.
1 cup dried chile de árbol
1 cup of vegetable oil
2 cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon of vinegar
½ cup unsalted peanuts
Heat half a cup of oil over low heat, add the tree chilies and the garlic cloves; You can cut the stem of the chilies with scissors and remove the seeds if you do not want the salsa to be too hot (because this sauce is for the brave) if you are up to the challenge just pluck the stem carefully and leave the seeds. Let them brown a little and remove from heat. Blend these ingredients until they form a paste and reserve.
Brown the peanuts in the same skillet where you browned the chilies. Add the paste and the rest of the oil to the pan. Simmer for five to seven minutes, or until you smell the toast.
Remove from the heat and store the sauce in a glass container. Now enjoy.
Flautas
In addition to being vegan, this recipe for crispy tacos is also super healthy and the perfect dish to eat the vegetables that our body needs so much.
This particular recipe is for 4 people.
12 corn tortillas
2 medium potatoes
Vegetable oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Big sticks
To accompany:
Romaine lettuce
1 radish
1 small bunch of coriander
Guacamole
To make the mashed potatoes, boil the potatoes until they are very soft, and mash with salt and pepper; add one or two tablespoons of oil and mix until smooth. You can add nutritional yeast.
Finely chop the lettuce and coriander and cut the radish into thin slices.
Heat the tortillas, so they are soft and do not break when rolled up; In this recipe, we suggest corn tortillas, but you can use wheat flour tortillas as well.
Serve a tablespoon of puree and spread it over a tortilla. Roll it up and go put a toothpick in the middle; repeat the process until you have 3 or four flautas on the stick and so on until you finish with the 12 tortillas.
Over high heat, heat a skillet with a tablespoon of oil; brown the flautas for about 3 or 4 minutes on each side. The toothpick will help them not unroll. Repeat until you finish with all the flautas. You can put them on a plate layered with a paper napkin to absorb excess oil.
Serve 3 or 4 flautas on each plate, then top with the lettuce, radish, and cilantro. You can accompany it with guacamole and any of the salsas that we suggested in the previous recipes. We highly recommend the red salsa roja for this one.
Not only will practicing these recipes help perfect your culinary skills, but it will also change up your daily routine a little bit, giving you a literal taste of something new. Indulge in your creations and dream of better days at Sandos, where you will be able to continue enjoying more traditional Mexican dishes.
Don’t forget to tag us if you decide to tackle any of these creations so you can show off your masterpiece and inspire others to try these delicious and healthy recipes. Together we can do it!