Guacamole Dip

There was an offer at the supermarket for avocados and that's exactly what I came home with. I was craving some mid-day snack that day and since avocados are supposedly healthy, having a guacamole dip would be considered totally guilt free! Another plus factor to this recipe is its incredibly easy steps: mash and mix and Tadah! a nice serving of healthy, fresh dip, all ready for you to enjoy!

Just a note to remember to always use avocados that are ripe and that means when the skin has turned all black. Don't be put off by its colour, what you will get is some nice creamy butter underneath that skin.

Ingredients:
1                    ripe avocado, peeled and pitted
1                    small red onion, chopped
1                    tomato, chopped
1 bunch         cilantro, chopped
1 clove          garlic, minced
1                    lime, juiced  
                      cayenne pepper
                      salt

Method:

Mash avocado with a pinch of salt, cayenne pepper, and lime juice. Mix in the rest of the ingredients, keep it in the fridge for a hour for the flavours to blend together, and serve with your favourite tortilla chips.

SoCal Chorizo Potatoes

I had a great summer at Southern California last year and one of my favourite moments was visiting the Venice Beach at Los Angeles. I remember having their famous 'Venice Potatoes' at the sidewalk cafe. They were crispy on the exterior, soft inside with an intense smoked paprika taste. It wasn't until I visited an American brunch restaurant in Hong Kong that I realised the original name of the dish: Chorizo Potatoes. Needless to say, it was an absolute favourite in SoCal.

Serves 2
Ingredients:

2          medium potatoes, sliced thinly
1          chorizo sausage, sliced thinly
1          small onion, sliced thinly
1 tsp    paprika
            salt and pepper
4          eggs

Method:

Heat a pan and add in the sliced chorizo. Fry the chorizo till it releases its paprika flavoured orange oil. Add in the onions, potatoes and seasonings.

Arrange the chorizo on top of the potatoes and onions and press down hard with the spatula. Cook till all the potatoes have soften and crisp up.

Serve with two fried sunny side-ups per person.

Beef Fajitas

Alright, this has got to be one of the toughest recipe that I have undertaken so far. It's not THAT difficult, it's just SUPER time consuming and tedious as everything was made from scratch. You can easily take a short cut by opting for a store-bought guacamole and salsa. I thought that since I'm gonna take the time, I might as well go the extra mile (Well, I did buy ready made tortilla from the supermarket though). The trick is to prepare the beef first whilst you get on with the condiments. So, Halo everyone to Mexicano food!

Serves 2
Ingredients (Beef):

400g               flank or skirt steak
3 tablespoon   lemon juice
1 teaspoon      ground cumin
2 cloves          garlic, minced
1 small            onion, minced
2 tablespoon   vegetable oil
1 bunch          cilantro or commonly known as coriander, chopped
pinch              cayenne pepper
                       salt and pepper

Method:

Marinate all ingredients with steak and chill in fridge for a minimum of 2 hours. Grill on high heat till your required doneness.

Ingredients (Guacamole):

1                      avocado, stoned and mashed
1/2                   lime, juiced
1/4 teaspoon    salt
1/4 teaspoon    cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon    ground cumin
1/2 small          onion, diced
1 small             tomato, diced
1/2 tablespoon cilantro, finely chopped
1/2 clove          garlic, minced

Method:

Mix all ingredients together. Sit for 1 hour before serving.

Ingredients (Salsa):

2                       tomatoes
1/4 cup             cilantro, finely chopped
1/2 clove          garlic, minced
1.5 tablespoon  extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon     lime juice or orange juice
1/4 teaspoon     red pepper flakes
                         salt and pepper

Method:

Mix all ingredients together.

Ingredients (Peppers):

1/2                   red pepper, sliced
1/2                   yellow pepper, sliced
1/2                   onion, sliced
1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil

Method:

Stir fry all ingredients on a hot pan until the peppers and onions are soft.

Serve all ingredients together with warmed tortilla, sour cream and shredded cheddar cheese if preferred.