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Refreshing Agua de Melón

This week this recipe for agua de melon has been generously provided by Douglas Cullen of the blog Mexican Food Journal. Douglas has lived in Mexico for over 20 yrs. and he brings his knowledge of Mexican food to his blog. His blog is not vegan, but you will find some very good vegan recipes on there like this Roasted Chile Poblano Soup. 

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Here are some of the vegan or easily veganized recipes you can find on Mexican Food Journal:

How to use Mole Paste 

Fresh Tomatillo Salsa Verde

Traditional Sopa de Fideo

Spearmint Lime Cucumber Water

Watermelon Agua Fresca

Habanero Salsa

Mushroom Soup

Mexican Red Rice

Tamarind Water

Spicy Pineapple Salad

Ensalada de Calabaza y Chayote

………and many more.

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When it’s scorching hot outside the best way to cool down is with an agua fresca, which is basically fruit, water, and a sweetener. The flavors are as abundant as you can imagine. My favorites are agua de tamarindo, pineapple, and watermelon. Traditionally they are sweetened with sugar, but they can also be sweetened with agave syrup or maple syrup.

Enjoy this refreshing agua de melon, which is easy to prepare, delicious and the prefect treat for a super hot day.

At home we drink water with our meals, but every once in a while as a special treat we make aguas frescas. Our 8 yr. old is going back to school next week, and all of us are looking forward to getting back into a routine and to start making some friends. Our little newborn is doing very well, growing like crazy, and keeping us up at night.

Enjoy this refreshing agua de melon, which is easy to prepare, delicious and the prefect treat for a super hot day.

I have started doing instagram stories everyday, just kind of showing what we cook everyday and sharing recipes. You can follow me at https://instagram.com/dorastable.

The Recipe: Refreshing Agua de Melón

Enjoy this agua de melon, or “melon water” prepared with ripe cantaloupe. A refreshing drink on a warm summer day. Traditionally, an agua prepared with seasonal fruit is the drink of choice to accompany the mid-day meal in Mexico. You can substitute the sugar with agave or maple syrup.

 

Enjoy this refreshing agua de melon, which is easy to prepare, delicious and the prefect treat for a super hot day.
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Agua de Melon

Total Time 10 minutes
Servings 4 people

Ingredients

  • 1/2 Caneloupe
  • 1/2 cup Sugar
  • 6 cups Water

Preparation

  1. Remove the rind and seeds from the cantaloupe.

  2. Cut the cantaloupe into 2” chunks.

  3. Add the cantaloupe, sugar and 2 cups of water to your blender. Blend for 30 seconds. 
  4. Add 1 more cup of water and blend for another 30 seconds.
  5. Pour the blended cantaloupe into a serving pitcher. Add the remaining water and stir well.
  6. Serve lightly chilled. Stir again just before serving.

Chef's Notes

Honeydew melon is a delicious substitute for the cantaloupe. If you prefer a sweeter drink, you can add an additional 1/2 cup of sugar. You can substitute the sugar with agave or maple syrup.

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Pineapple Chile Margarita on the Rocks

There’s nothing like a refreshing margarita on a blistering hot summer day. This pineapple chile margarita on the rocks is exactly that, refreshing, slightly sweet, tart, and a bit spicy. The combination of fresh pineapple, pineapple juice, tequila, triple sec, lime juice and chile powder make it hard to have just one. I am happy to be participating in margarita week hosted by holajalapeno.com with this recipe. Click on the link to discover many other margarita recipes that you can test out on your friends this 5 de Mayo.

This pineapple chile margarita on the rocks is refreshing, slightly sweet, tart, and a bit spicy. It's hard to have just one!

I first had this margarita on my honeymoon, of course I was no stranger to the combination of pineapple and chile, but to have it incorporated in one of my favorite drinks was a delightful surprise. It could have been my newlywed bliss, the amazing Four Seasons Punta Mita with its views, beach and service, or even the especially hot sun on that day that made this drink so particularly enchanting. Over the years I have made this pineapple chile margarita over and over again and I figured it’s finally time to share with you.

This pineapple chile margarita on the rocks is refreshing, slightly sweet, tart, and a bit spicy. It's hard to have just one!

I am a bit of a margarita snob. I’m pretty sure all bartenders hate me, because I always specify the quantities and ingredients I would like in my margarita. It goes something like this: ” I would like a margarita please, 2 oz of Don Julio reposado, 1 oz. of triple sec, and 1 oz of fresh lime juice, but please make sure it’s FRESH lime juice, and on the rocks with salt.” After a sure eye roll from the server, and my husband’s stare of embarrassment (or maybe it’s pride), most of the time I get the exact margarita I want. I just cannot swallow another taste of margaritas made with sour mix or fake lime juice. I told you I was a snob!

This pineapple chile margarita on the rocks is refreshing, slightly sweet, tart, and a bit spicy. It's hard to have just one!

The Recipe: Pineapple Chile Margarita on the Rocks

I prefer my margaritas with a salt rim and on the rocks, but if you would like to make this frozen, just blend the whole think up. Enjoy!

This pineapple chile margarita on the rocks is refreshing, slightly sweet, tart, and a bit spicy. It's hard to have just one!
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Pineapple Chile Margarita on the Rocks

Prep Time 15 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings 2 drinks
Author Dora S.

Ingredients

  • 1 Lime, cut into quarters
  • 1/2 cup (4 fl oz.) Tequila of your choice, ( I like Corralejo)
  • 1/4 cup (2 fl oz.) Cointreau or triple sec
  • 1/4 cup (2 fl oz.) Lime juice, fresh
  • 1/2 cup (4 fl oz.) Pineapple juice
  • 1/4 cup Chopped pinapple, fresh
  • 1 tsp. + 1/4 cup Tajín chile powder (see note)
  • 2 cups Ice cubes or crushed ice

Preparation

  1. Place the ¼ of a cup of Tajín chile powder on a small flat plate. 

  2. Take one quarter of a lime and rub it along the edges of the two glasses you will be serving your margarita in. Immediately place the rims of the glasses on the plate with the chile and twist to coat. 

  3. Combine the tequila, Cointreau, lime juice, pineapple juice, chopped pineapple, 1 tsp. of Tajín chile powder, and 1 cup of ice. Stir to blend well.

  4. Divide the remaining one cup of ice between the two glasses and pour margarita mixture over. 

  5. You can garnish with a wedge of pineapple dipped in chile powder

Chef's Notes

You can find Tajín chile powder at your local grocery store or at the nearest Mexican market.

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The Perfect Vegan Mexican Hot Chocolate

It has taken me some time to finally come up with an acceptable vegan version of Mexican hot chocolate. First we tested different types of Mexican chocolates until we found the best one.  Then we tested different types of plant milks, until finally we did it! This creamy, foamy, rich, and delicious vegan Mexican hot chocolate has a hint a cinnamon and just the right amount of sweetness.

This creamy, foamy, rich, and delicious vegan Mexican hot chocolate has a hint a cinnamon and just the right amount of sweetness.

We tried 4 different types of plant milks for this recipe: coconut, almond, macadamia, and soy. I chose not to test rice and oat milk, because I thought they would be to thin and watery. The almond milk was our least favorite, which was a surprise, because I thought it was going to be the best one. The flavor was a little bit bitter, the texture thin, but it did foam up really well. Our next least favorite was the coconut milk. The coconut flavor completely overpowered everything, and the texture was almost too fatty. You could feel the fat coating your mouth, and not in a good way. The foam was average. One of our favorites was the macadamia nut milk. The flavor of the macadamia milk was very subtle, and the texture was creamy without being overpowering. The foam was average. Our favorite out of all of them was the soy milk. This was a complete surprise to me. The soy milk really let the chocolate shine through, the texture was just the right amount of creamy, and the foam was thick and bubbly.

This creamy, foamy, rich, and delicious vegan Mexican hot chocolate has a hint a cinnamon and just the right amount of sweetness.

(Just on a side note: The beautiful napkin you see in the picture is from Kari of the site Beautiful Ingredient., a vegan blog focused on bringing in more plant- based meals into your daily life. The napkins are handmade and vegan. You can also find coasters, pot holders, and dishcloths. You can find them on her site or on her shop on Food52.)

This creamy, foamy, rich, and delicious vegan Mexican hot chocolate has a hint a cinnamon and just the right amount of sweetness.

The family and I are still enjoying time at my parents’ house and we are having a blast. Christmas and New Years was great, I didn’t realize how much I really missed them, and how far away Hawaii really is. It’s time to get back to work though, and I’ve been busy trying to find the best spot to take pictures and start developing new recipes. I didn’t make any New Years resolutions this time, instead I chose a word to keep me motivated the whole year. My word is perseverance: steadfastness in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success. No matter what this year brings, good or bad, we will persevere. With God’s help of course. How was your holiday?

The Recipe: The Perfect Vegan Mexican Hot Chocolate

To make this amazing vegan Mexican hot chocolate we used the TAZA chocolate Mexicano cinnamon tablets, soy milk, and a hand blender to get the foam just right. If you are a traditionalist you can use a molinillo or if you prefer convenience you can use a blender. Serve with these marranitos de piloncillo or these vegan conchas. 

This creamy, foamy, rich, and delicious vegan Mexican hot chocolate has a hint a cinnamon and just the right amount of sweetness.
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The Perfect Vegan Mexican Hot Chocolate

Total Time 15 minutes
Servings 2 servings
Author Dora S.

Ingredients

  • 1 pckg. (2.7 oz) Taza Chocolate Mexicano, cinnamon
  • 2 cups Soy milk

Preparation

  1. In a medium sauce pot, heat the milk over medium heat until just about to simmer.

  2. Chop chocolate, and add to pot. 

  3. Whisk until the chocolate dissolves. Be careful not to overheat the milk.

  4. Remove the pot from the heat and froth with a molinillo, hand blender, or blender. 

  5. Serve while hot and frothy. 

Chef's Notes

You can find several flavors of Taza Chocolate Mexicano, use your favorite. 

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Mangonada (Mango and Chamoy Slushie)

Hot sticky summers, clothes drenched in sweat, and the almost unbearable burn of the sun on your skin can only describe a summer in northern Mexico, ok and probably Arizona and Texas too. Those were the summers of my childhood, but summer in Mexico also means dozens of paleta flavors to explore and the perfect yuki o raspado(slushie) to cool you down. One of the most memorable raspados is the mangonada, a combination of sweet mango puree and ice, layered with spicy chamoy, lime juice and chile powder. It is a classic combination of sweet, sour, and spicy, which is a popular flavor profile of Mexican cuisine, and one of my favorites.

mangonada

This mangonada was made with homemade chamoy which means it has no added sugar! What no sugar? That’s right. (Chamoy is a sweet and spicy sauce made from dried apricots that is used as a dip for fruit or in paletas and raspados.) The only sugar in this mangonada is the natural sugar found in the mango and dried apricots. You can also buy chamoy bottled at your local hispanic market or on amazon. Just writing about this is making my mouth water.

mangonada

mangonada

We will not be spending this summer in Mexico. Instead two of my nieces are coming to visit. We will be enjoying the beautiful California weather and beaches  while they are here. There will be swim lessons, vacation bible school and possibly a road trip in July. I’m looking forward to a long summer spent with family and friends. Enjoy!

The Recipe: Mangonada (Mango and Chamoy Slushie)

mangonada
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Mangonada (Mango and Chamoy Slushie)

Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 2 servings
Author Dora Stone

Ingredients

Chamoy

  • 1 cup Apricots, dried
  • 2 cups Water
  • 2-3 tbsp. Chile ancho powder
  • 2 tbsp. Lime juice, fresh
  • 1 tbsp. Apple cider vinegar

Slushie

  • 1 cup + 2 tbsp. Mango, diced
  • 1 cup Ice
  • 6 tbsp. Chamoy
  • 1 Lime, juice of
  • Chile powder To Taste (tajín)

Preparation

  1. To make the chamoy, place the dried apricots and water in a saucepot and bring it up to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 30 min. Set aside.
  2. Reserve ¾ of a cup of the apricot cooking liquid.
  3. Take the simmered apricots, reserved cooking liquid, chile ancho powder, lime juice, and apple cider vinegar and blend until smooth. Add more or less water for a thinner or thicker consistency. (I left mine a little on the thick side.) Let cool.
  4. To make the slushie, place ½ cup of mango in the bottom of the blender container, add a layer of ice, continue to alternate the layers this way with the rest of your ice and 1 cup mango.
  5. Blend on medium speed until you are left with a slushie consistency. The pieces of ice, though small, should still be seen.
  6. To assemble, take to glasses and pour in a tbsp. of chamoy in the bottom of each one. Add a layer of mango slushie, followed by another tbsp. of chamoy. Repeat one more time.
  7. Sprinkle 1 tbsp. of diced mango on the top of each finished slushie. Squeeze half of a lime into each glass and top with as much chile powder as you desire. Serve with a spoon and a straw.

Chef's Notes

Makes 2 (8 oz.) glasses. Use 2 tbsp. of ancho chile powder for a mild chamoy, use 3 for a spicier version.

 

 

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Best Vegan Brand of Mexican Chocolate

It’s the irresistible aroma of chocolate and cinnamon that I first think of when I’m offered hot chocolate. Mexican hot chocolate is not your ordinary cacao powder and milk, oh no, and somebody needs to say this, but adding cinnamon to your hot chocolate does not make it Mexican. It is one of my culinary pet peeves. What is the best vegan brand of Mexican chocolate and what makes it so different?

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Prickly Pear Juice

Prickly pear juice is made from a fruit native to Mexico and South America, but it can be found in France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Egypt, and parts of the Middle East. It is known for its thick spiny skin and soft, sweet, & watery interior. There are many varieties, but the most well known are green, red, yellow, brown and pink. It’s the perfect summer fruit, it tastes like a weird combination of pear, cucumber, watermelon and pineapple. It has only one monstrous defect, besides the tiny spines that line its exterior, the flesh of the fruit is riddled with seeds. It is commonly used to make drinks, candy, or jelly.

You can find them at your local Mexican or Hispanic market. I found them at my favorite grocery store, Crown Valley Market Place in Mission Viejo or you can find them at El Nopal Market in San Juan Capistrano. They are in season from early spring to late fall.

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Healthy Banana Shake – Vegan

Licuado de plátano is the Mexican version of a banana smoothie. It’s more like a hybrid between a smoothie and a milk shake. I guess you could say it’s a healthy banana shake. Its main ingredient is milk, then fruit, and some people add honey and even granola, ice is optional.

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Prickly Pear Margarita

Have I mentioned I love tequila? I know some of you must be fighting back your gag reflex just thinking about tequila, but not me. Tequila and I go way back, but that’s another story, preferably one told while drinking tequila. After you try this prickly pear margarital you might reconsider your aversion to tequila, at least I hope you do.

This recipe for prickly pear margarita is so good it will change your whole perspective on tequila. The prickly pears won't disappoint.

Prickly pear fruit is native to Mexico and South America, but it can be found in France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Egypt, and parts of the Middle East. It is known for its thick spiny skin and soft, sweet, & watery interior. There are many varieties, but the most well known are green, red, yellow, brown and pink.  It’s the perfect summer fruit, it tastes like a weird combination of pear, cucumber, watermelon and pineapple. It has only one monstrous defect, besides the tiny spines that line its exterior, the flesh of the fruit is riddled with seeds. It is commonly used to make drinks, candy, or jelly.

This recipe for prickly pear margarita is so good it will change your whole perspective on tequila. The prickly pears won't disappoint.

You can find them at your local Mexican or Hispanic market. I found them at my favorite grocery store, Crown Valley Market Place in Mission Viejo or you can find them at El Nopal Market in San Juan Capistrano. They are in season from early spring to late fall. To prepare them, use a paring knife to cut off both ends of the fruit and make a 1/4 of an inch deep cut lengthwise. Please, please, please wear gloves when working with this fruit. Even though you can find them without the large spines at the store, the tiny and almost hair like spines remain and can get lodged in your flesh. They truly are tiny! Place your finger in between the flesh and the outer skin and simply pull back, the outer layer should come off easily. You can store them in your refrigerator for up to a week or at room temperature if you are going to eat them in one or two days.

This recipe for prickly pear margarita is so good it will change your whole perspective on tequila. The prickly pears won't disappoint.

One of the wonderful benefits of living in SoCal is that a wide variety of tequila is available at the grocery store, liquor store, and neighborhood bar. We usually drink Corralejo, Don Juilo, or Clase Azul, but this time we used Cazadores which is a great option for those who don’t want to spend a lot of money. As for margaritas, I’m happy to see more bars have stopped using sour mix and creating their own flavored syrups and liquors. Did you know, margaritas in Mexico are made with lime juice, tequila, and triple sec or Cointreau? That’s it! I wish I had better pictures to show you; the color of this fruit is amazing, almost neon. This is officially the most tested recipe on this blog:)

This recipe for prickly pear margarita is so good it will change your whole perspective on tequila. The prickly pears won't disappoint.

 

 

The Recipe: Prickly Pear Margarita

I usually like my margaritas on the rocks in a salt rimmed glass, but the sweetness of the prickly pear called for this to be a frozen version. The prickly pear is full of seeds, make sure strain the pureed mixture. Enjoy!

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Prickly Pear Margarita

Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Servings 2 servings
Author Dora Stone

Ingredients

  • 4 Red prickly pears, peeled
  • ¾ cup Tequila, reposado
  • ½ cup Cointreau,
  • ¼ cup + 1 tbsp. Lime juice, fresh
  • Ice As Needed

Preparation

  1. Blend prickly pears on low for 60 seconds. Then blend on high for 30 seconds. Strain. Set liquid aside.
  2. Pour tequila, Cointreau, lime juice, and prickly pear juice in blender. Add ice and blend on high.
  3. Serve in two salt rimmed glasses.

 

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The Best Sangrita Recipe

I love tequila!! I really do, and I hate the negative reputation is has in this country. I’ve been drinking tequila since I was 15 yrs old, with adult supervision of course. My parents decided it was best to teach me how to drink tequila properly, before I turned 18 and went out into the world. I never got drunk off of it, at least not until college, which I totally blame on you eager American college kids. I’ll spare you the drunk college stories for fear of embarrassing myself and others involved. Needless to say, I almost gave up tequila. Thankfully my mom started sending me bottles of sangrita to chase my tequila with, which reminded me that tequila, good tequila, is meant to be sipped and enjoyed. Sangrita is the best tequila chaser you’ll find. It is a combination of hot chiles, orange juice, onion, tomato juice, and just a touch of sugar. You can buy it pre-made, I recommend Viuda de Sanchez, or you can make it yourself.

The best sangrita recipe is spicy, sweet, and savory. It is the best chaser to any tequila. A vegan recipe.

Now, let me introduce you to the many wonderful ways in which Mexicans drink their tequila. First there’s the “bandera” or flag, it consists of 3 shots, one of lime juice, one of tequila, and one of sangrita. It is meant to be sipped but can also be shot. It’s called a flag because of the colors reflect those of the Mexican flag: green, white, and red. The shot glasses are not your regular shot glasses either. They are known as “caballitos” or little horses. If you would like to know why, you can visit the Mexican Academy of Tequila for some interesting facts. All you really need to know is that while a regular shot glass fits one fluid ounce of liquor, the “caballito” fits one and a half. Another way to drink tequila is with lime and salt, lick the space between your thumb and your forefinger, add some salt, lick salt, take shot, and suck on a lime. Please don’t call it training wheels, it drives me crazy, yes it’s supposed to lessen the harshness of the alcohol, but tequila shouldn’t be harsh. Surprised? This leads me to the final way of drinking tequila, which is, served in a snifter and sipped.

The best sangrita recipe is spicy, sweet, and savory. It is the best chaser to any tequila. A vegan recipe.

All of these ways of drinking tequila would be greatly improved if you invest in a good tequila. Try Corralejo or Don Julio Blanco for margaritas, the “bandera”, and the salt-shot-lime version, or for any other mixed drink. Don Julio (my lover), also comes in Reposado, Anejo, and 1942. Don Julio 1942 is for sipping, and while quite expensive you should definitely try it t least once. If you’re looking for a surprisingly smooth tequila try Clase Azul, plus it comes in a really unique bottle. I hope this helps and maybe persuades you to try tequila one more time before vowing never to touch it again.

The Recipe: The Best Sangrita Recipe

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Sangrita

Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings 1 quart
Author Dora Stone

Ingredients

  • 2 cups Tomato juice
  • 1 1/2 cups Orange juice, fresh
  • 1/2 cup Lime juice, fresh
  • 2 tsp, Onion white, large, minced
  • 1 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce, vegan
  • 4 tsp. Valentina, Mexican hot sauce

Preparation

  1. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients, whisk them together, and season.
  2. Refrigerate.

Chef's Notes

Serve cold. The quality of the sangrita depends on the quality of the tomato juice, so get a good one.

 

 

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