Blog Posts by Lili's Latin Kitchen

By Liliana Moyano for Shine Latina

Cilantro & mango tilapia

Mi hermanita chiquita Lina just came back from a tai-chi retreat in Thailand. I was very intrigued to learn about her trip, but most of all I wanted to know about her culinary experience. She finally invited me over to talk about her travels and made something for lunch I never imagined putting together. While we talked in the kitchen, she fixed a leafless salad that to me looked very Latin. She put together cilantro, ripe mango and red onions with salt and dressed the dish with lime and olive oil. The colorful blend of ingredients was beautiful and very appetizing. The contrast between the sweetness of the ripe mango, the acidity of the lime, the aroma of the cilantro and the crunchiness of the onions was absolutely perfect.

My sister also showed me a little trick to cut down on the strong onion flavor. Before mixing it with the salad, she soaked the slices in warm water for a minute and then dumped them in an ice bath to maintain their

By Liliana Moyano for Shine Latina

Passionada I went to a small, private college with professors from all over the world. During my time there, I connected really well with two business faculty members who eventually became my mentors and friends. Once I graduated, we adopted the tradition of going out to lunch every couple of months. Hagai is from Israel, and Lloyd is an American married to a Cubana who, of course, is married to all her Cuban traditions.

Normally we visit different types of restaurants, but for the last couple of months, Hagai has been insisting on taking us to his favorite Jewish cafe where all the servers speak Hebrew to customers, whether they know the language or not. As soon as we arrive, an array of delicious dishes start coming to the table, even before we start ordering our dinner. The only thing I want right away is my drink; the rest comes at the restaurant's pleasure. I usually order their mint lemonade made with fresh mint leaves. This fragrant herb adds a

By Liliana Moyano for Shine Latina

Arechapa

Both Colombia and Venezuela's cuisine traditionally boast a type of corn cake made with cheese, eggs and sweet corn; Latinos usually eat them for breakfast or as afternoon snacks. They are the Latin version of pancakes, but with thicker texture and a nice blend of sweetness and saltiness. Venezuelans call them cachapas while Colombians call them arepas de choclo, and both countries claim theirs is better.

Well, I found a solution to the problem by making a version that combines both corn cakes into one. I call them arechapas. The best part of this recipe is that it takes half the time it would take you to make a cachapa or an arepa de choclo! I usually have them with a café con leche (or coffee with milk), and make extra mix to have some for dinner, too. This recipe is delicious, and it gives you a new alternative to usual buttermilk pancakes or bread on the side.

Let's cook!

Arechapa

Ingredients 

(2 servings)
1 cup sweet corn

By Liliana Moyano for Shine Latina

Arroz con coco

Growing up in a country with access to a variety of tropical fruit was definitely a luxury. In the small town of El Rosal where I lived, we didn't have any major supermarkets, but we had several farmers nearby who gathered on Sundays to sell their organic, fresh greens. I usually accompanied my parents to the mercado and filled up the trunk with exotic fruits and veggies, a load which usually included 15 pounds of oranges to make fresh-squeezed juice every day. My dad made sure to taste the fruit before we bought the rest to see if they were ripe and ready to eat; he'd peel a tangerine and give me half, while my embarrassed mom felt obligated to buy 25 tangerines. Sometimes they had fresh coconut, and you could have a farmer break it open for you on the spot. What a treat! Fresh coconut water is so delicious and refreshing.

Once we had finished the coconut water, my mom would take the meat or pulp of the coconut and make the most amazing

It's summer, and tropical fruits are at their peak this season. Head on to your nearest market, get a papaya and make this fun and healthy dessert- perfect for kids (and adults) of all ages.

By Liliana Moyano for Shine Latina

Papaya con crema

Papaya, mango and pineapple are always a must in my fridge. I usually cut them into small chunks, store them in individual glass containers and have them for snacks in the afternoon or after a good workout.

My nieces, ages two and four, love coming to la casa de Tia Nini (Aunt Nini's house); first thing they do is aim for the fridge to see what goodies I have. Last week my best friend bought me a box of Hawaiian sorbets that come in real fruit containers. Some of them come inside an empty coconut, a hollow orange or even a little pineapple "boat". We ate a couple of them, washed the containers and saved them in the freezer to use later. So, when my nieces came to visit, I made them a delicious and simple low calorie desert. I took fresh papaya

By Liliana Moyano for Shine Latina

Guacamole with a twistMy abuelo used to make his special guacamole during family gatherings at his finca (farm) in the small town of Melgar, Colombia. His ritual consisted of scooping the avocados and giving my cousins and I the skin to rub it in our faces creating a homemade mask. While the mask took effect, he made a guacamole that didn't last until dinner. His special secret: white tequila.

Yes, white tequila makes a perfectly smooth guacamole. I took the recipe from grandma a few years back, and she suggested I buy a molcajete. Molcajete is a Mexican bowl made out of rough stone that comes with a thick mashing tool from the same material; it smashes the avocados to perfection. Well, luckily enough, my friend happened to be in Mexico around the same time and she brought me this great kitchen gadget. I still make abuelo's guacamole at family gatherings. My mom maintained the mask tradition, and her skin looks better than ever!

A guacamolear…

Guacamole with a twist

(4 servings)

By Liliana Moyano for Shine Latina

Eggplant para toda la familiaBefore I traveled to Italy, the only way I knew how to eat eggplant was when I ordered "eggplant parmigiana" at a restaurant. While tasty, it's fried and covered with mountains of melted cheese. Even if you go organic on the ingredients, there cannot be much of a healthy aspect to this dish. Once in Italy I realized that many restaurants carried several dishes containing melanzane (eggplant). I started experimenting and found a ton of delicious eggplant recipes that are not fried and definitely have fewer calories.

The easiest of all is an eggplant a la parrilla (on the grill) to enjoy with the entire familia during a Sunday barbecue. Eggplant can be a little dry when cooked on the stove or on the grill, but if you slice it finely and add olive oil a few minutes before cooking, you will have a crunchy and flavorful side dish. And it gets better- eggplant is packed with fiber and promotes even skin tone. Asi que ladies, get to your supermarkets and

By Liliana Moyano for Shine Latina

I am all about eating healthy, but keeping it tasty. Diets are mentally exhausting, and often they don't give iStockphotoyou the results you expect. My father thought that my mom was in an eternal diet and made fun of her because she ate lots of veggies, but not as many proteins and carbs. He used to tell her that she ate como una vaca (like a cow) not because of her looks, but because of the tons of greens she'd put on her plate.

One of my mom's best dishes was a light and delicious couscous recipe that had lots of cilantro and lime. I used to think it was rice, so I always ate it without asking any questions.This recipe can be a great way to trick your kids into eating something that is healthy and delicious to eat. It also makes for a perfect summer recipe that you can prepare in the morning, and take to the beach in the afternoon. You can accompany this dish with a fish filet or grilled chicken breast for a complete meal.

Pair this recipe with