Sponsored by Lunchbox.  Opinions are my own.

Earlier this week I had a chance to visit Northgate Market in West Covina for a cooking class with Chef Martin Guerrero.  Since the store was an hour away from me, I decided to take mi amiga, Mayra for the ride, company and well… we just love food!   We were excited about learning new things, but most importantly about eating!  Peeling a Chile Relleno by scraping the skin with a plastic spoon was a real “Aha!” moment for us.  We also learned how to make a quick “Capirotada.”  At the end of our class, we received a certificate naming us “Chiles Rellenos and Capirotada Experts”!  Ya nos podremos casar!  So if you want to learn how to make Chiles Rellenos, receive a free apron and a cookbook, visit a Northgate store near you! Sign up online and join in on the fun! Northgatemarkets.com/Cuaresma.  We had such a great time hanging out, tasting food and meeting new people.  All the employees were super nice and friendly.

We were so pumped that we decided we would cook something up!  Well, I would cook, Mayra would eat. LOL  Since we were already at the market, we grabbed a few items and were on our way.  Many of you have been asking for Lent dishes so I will be making a delicious dish with one of my favorite ingredients, Knorr bouillon cubes.  Knorr adds that authentic Latin flavor to our Lent dishes.  There are so many flavors to chose from.  If you have never used Knorr bouillon cubes, you should give them a try!

The next day, I hit the kitchen to make Pescado Primavera.  Below is the recipe.  Make sure you tag me and hashtag #KnorrCelebrations if you make this delicious recipe.

INGREDIENTS

·       1 1/3 cups whole almonds, peeled
·       2 tablespoons Spread Country Crock®
·       4 fillets of cod (about 2 lbs.)
·       1 tablespoon onion, finely chopped
·       3 cloves garlic, minced
·       2 tablespoons of tomato broth Knorr Chicken flavor
·       4 cups water
·       3/4 cup Hellmann’s Real Mayonnaise or Best Foods®
·       2 tablespoons lemon juice
·       2 tablespoons roasted red peppers, sliced ​​(optional)
·       1 tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped (optional) 

PREPARATION

1. Finely grind the almonds in a blender or food processor.

2.  Season fish with salt and ground black pepper to taste.

3.  Melt Country Crock® Spread in a nonstick 12-inch skillet over high medium heat and cold fish, turning once, until almost cooked through, about 4 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.

4.  Fry onion and garlic in the same skillet over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, for two minutes.

5.  Mix water and Knorr Chicken flavor in a bowl or sauce pan.

5.  Add the tomato broth Knorr Chicken flavored water, mayonnaise, lemon juice and ground almonds to the onion and garlic. Lower the fire to medium heat and cook for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.

6.  Return the fish to the pan and cook until fish flakes with a fork, about 5 minutes. If desired, serve with rice. Garnish with red pepper and parsley.

 Serves: 4

Preparation Time: 30 min

Cooking Time: 15 min

Prueba el sabor de Knorr at Northgate this Lent!

Little side note for you guys: Buy one Northgate private label cooking oil and get a free package of Knorr bouillon cubes (one 3.1 oz package, 8 cubes total)!  Can’t beat that!

Picutres Credit: Mayra Ariza  https://www.facebook.com/mayrarizaphoto/?fref=ts 

…I headed to the back in hopes to see the familiar.  I was looking for the tree that always brought back so many wonderful memories. There it was (Mi Arbol) …dead.  It had fallen all by it’s self.  What once was full of life with stories and secrets of family past… was gone. It’s almost like it had given up and died of sadness.  No more kids to climb it, no more people to use it as shade, no more laughs, and no more tears.  It was left to itself and the memories of all who used it.  I was saddened to see it there laying on the land with vines growing all over it.  I had been looking forward to sitting under that tree like the generations before me and write until I could no longer think.  Now I have to find a new place to write.  I’ll tackle that problem tomorrow.

(Taken from part 5 of my trip to Purepero.  Video below)

My favorite salsa to make is in the molcajete my mother-in-law gave me.  This last time I went to Michoacan, I witnessed how  chile for the Carne Con Chile was made.  They actually mixed tomatillo and regular tomato.  So when I made my first batch of salsa after my trip, I decided to make my own version of chile de molcajete based on different things I have seen Abuela and my mom do.  So here is my version as many of you have requested.

Ingredients for one molcajete
3 Tomatillos
1 Red Tomato
1-2 Serrano Chiles
1/2 Garlic Clove
Pinch of Sea Salt
Lemon or Lime
Cilantro
Onion

Instructions
1.  Roast tomatillo, red tomato and chile on a comal or pan until tender (low to medium heat to get a good roast).
2.  While everything roasts, sprinkle Sea Salt (as desired) on your molcajete.
3.  Add 1/2-1 garlic clove.
4.  Mash garlic and salt together until it turns into a paste (Add a sprinkle of water if needed.)
5.  Add serrano chile to the molcajete and mash as much as you can.
6.  Add one tomatillo and tomato at a time, mashing each one.
7.  Add chopped cilantro and slices of onion to the mix.
(For added flavor, mash some of the onion in the molcajete.)
8.  Mix and taste.
9.  Add salt or lemon if it needs more.

Enjoy!