Blog Posts by Lili's Latin Kitchen

By Liliana Moyano for Shine Latina

Mimosa three ways The best way to kick-off a "Sunday Funday" is a nice brunch accompanied by the bubbles of a refreshing mimosa and good company. Traditionally, mid-morning menus offer bellinis (champagne topped with peach puree) and traditional mimosas (champagne topped with orange juice), but early cocktails at my house take on a fun, Latin twist that all guests will love.

You can give your mimosa bar an upgrade beginning with my mojito-style cocktail, infused with refreshing mint and lime. Then, inspired by my Nana's traditional, passion fruit drink, I've shaken up a version with a hint of the tropical concentrate. Finally, I turned the beloved Piña Colada into a mimosa colada. Check out the recipes below for these fun recipes. You can't go wrong with a little bubbly, after all. ¡Salud!

Try this with my chorizo hash browns for a complete breakfast

MOJITO MIMOSA
Mojito MimosaIngredients
1 lime, quartered
1 tbsp. sugar
5 mint leaves
5 oz. champagne
(Serves 1)

Directions

By Liliana Moyano for Shine Latina

Arroz blanco

Growing up, abuelita was known for making the best arroz blanco. Her white rice was delicious by itself; it didn't need any beans or protein to go with it. You could tell the rice was ready by the aroma traveling from the kitchen to every room of the house. My father and I would sneak into the kitchen for a bowl before lunchtime, but my grandma quickly caught on and started hiding her coveted grains.

Her secret to the perfect rice was very simple- she's add a couple of drops of lime juice before cooking. The lime coaxed the grain to open perfectly and absorb the flavor of garlic, onion and condiments. Another great tip? Adding seasoned water beforehand. This step adds flavor to every grain. Enjoy!

Garlic, olive oil and an onion to cook the rice

Ingredients
7 tbsp. olive oil
4 garlic cloves, whole
½ white onion, chopped
2 cups white rice
2 ¼ cups water
3 drops of lime juice
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp all purpose seasoning

Try this dish with my quick and easy tuna ceviche

By Liliana Moyano for Shine Latina

Guava-glazed chicken wingsBest kept chicken secret: When you bake and glaze chicken wings, they turn out just as delicious as the fried ones but with a fraction of the calories. They cook in their natural oils, getting the benefits of a crunchy skin minus the grease factor. Even better- they're super easy to make! It's a perfect dish for parties, as you'll have no mess to clean up. Let your oven do all the work.

I made this delicious dish glazed with guava and tamarind sauce for my family last weekend. The topping is as simple as boiling guava and tamarind juice in a small pot for 20 minutes. The cooking process turns the juices into a nice, thick sauce. Once done, top the wings with sesame seeds for added crunch and a lovely presentation.

Enjoy!

Glaze ingredientsIngredients
1 ½ cups guava nectar
½ cup tamarind nectar
10 chicken wings, skin on and cleaned
All purpose seasoning
Salt to taste
1 tbsp. sesame seeds

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Mix the guava and tamarind

By Liliana Moyano for Shine Latina

Chicharrón served with green chile salsa to dip.My papito was a professional eater and a cooking aficionado, and I take after his genes. When we lived in Colombia, we enjoyed great, cooking parties regularly, but my favorite feasts had little to do with the actual meals. It would start when my mom asked my Dad to get more ice or beer. My father, then, would immediately call my name and ask me to come along; I knew exactly why. On the way to the store, we'd stop at the fritangueria (a place to get fried treats like pork, meat and sausages) and order chicharrón with sausage and green chile salsa. It was all about the fun of having to eat our goodies quickly and get back before my mom got suspicious.

To this day, I am the biggest chicharrón fan, to the point that I learned how to make them and created the best, homemade chile verde dipping sauce to go along with them. It's a super simple recipe with few ingredients, and it makes for the perfect snack or party appetizer.

Enjoy!

Sizzling pork belly.

By Liliana Moyano for Shine Latina

Fruit ParfaitAnywhere you look in Colombia, you find someone selling mango, papaya, pineapple or a full fruit salad with table cream and queso. I am a fruit lover, so I generally stop at every corner tasting the different concoctions. In addition to the naturally sweet parfaits, I enjoy the experience of meeting the amazing people who sell these eats on the street, many of whom remember me from my annual visits to their stands.

With Valentine's Day coming up, I wanted to take this creamy, street delicacy, and turn it into a sensual Valentine's morning dish to enjoy in bed with your honey. I chopped pineapple and strawberries into very fine pieces and served them in a champagne glass for some added glamour. It's a creamy, playful dessert topped with rich condensed milk and crunchy almonds. Perfect for sharing in bed while wearing that lingerie you have picked out!

strawberries and pineappleIngredients
(2 servings)
3 tbsp. table cream (can be substituted for heavy cream or vanilla

By Liliana Moyano for Shine Latina

Torta de maizTeatime has always been a must in many Latin families. We usually gather around the table in the afternoon to enjoy a cup of coffee with a snack in a ritual called onces. I always thought our version of teatime was meant for adults only, but in my family, while my parents worked, my sisters and I stayed home doing our homework under the care of our nana. At around 4:30, nana would ask us to take a break and come to the living room for onces. At the time, my four sisters and I (ranging in ages five to eleven) pretended to be adults sitting around the coffee table, talking like grownups while enjoying some of nana's torta de mazorca (or corn cake) with a glass of milk

Every time I travel to Colombia, I call nana and ask her to make me onces. She already knows that what I'm really asking for is her delicious torta de mazorca. I finally wrote down her recipe to duplicate on my own. Here it is!

Enjoy!

Corn kernelsIngredients
(6 servings)
2 cups corn kernels
½ cup

By Liliana Moyano for Shine Latina

Arroz con lecheAbuela used to sing a children's song called Arroz con Leche as she cooked desserts, pastries and her famous rice pudding. The smell of the sweet treat invaded the entire house making it almost impossible not to ask for a sample. And once the pudding was fully cooked, we still had to wait a few hours until it cooled down in the fridge. Finally, we were allowed to try the anticipated dessert after dinner…and it never lasted through the night.

I always thought it was very difficult to make arroz con leche, until I conquered it with my sister Marcela a few weeks ago. There's no way of messing this one up!

Enjoy!

Pouring the milkIngredients
(6 servings)
1 cup rice
¾ cup water
1 cup milk
½ cup condensed milk
1 cinnamon stick
½ cup half & half
½ cup raisins



Indulge in this dish after succulent pork chops with cilantro tzatziki

Creamy and sweetDirections
Place the rice in a pot set at low heat. Add the water, and let the rice cook for about 30 minutes or until the water has

By Liliana Moyano for Shine Latina

Avocado saladIn Latin America, it is very common to add lime and salt to fruits and vegetables. Mango and radishes are two of my favorite lime-salted treats. My mom found this to be the only way I ate my veggies, so she began to add limón y sal to everything.

My mom is a weekday-vegetarian by choice. She has a unique passion for vegetables, and through the years she's found delicious ways to satisfy her semi-vegetarianism. My all time favorite recipe is her avocado-lime, leafless salad filled with color and crunch. This is the same concept of fruits and vegetables with limón y sal, but she adds olive oil to make the salad less tangy. I make it at nighttime when I come back from work and want to eat something light, yet filling.

Prepping the veggiesIngredients
(4 servings)
½ red pepper, julienned
½ red onion, julienned
3 celery stalks, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
¼ cup carrots, shredded
2 Hass avocados
2 1/2 tbsp. olive oil
¼ tsp. sea salt
11/2 tbsp. rosemary leaves
Pepper