Tequila-Lime Cheesecake Bars

Ingredients

• ¼ cup butter
• 1¼ cup graham cracker crumbs
• 16-oz cream cheese
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons lime zest
• 4 tablespoons lime juice
• 2-4 tablespoons tequila
• 2 tablespoons cointreau
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 2 eggs

Instructions

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 F.
2. Line a 9 X 9 inch pan with aluminum foil and spray with oil.
3. To make crust: melt butter in a medium bowl. Stir in graham cracker crumbs until combined. Press gently in the bottom of the foil-lined pan.
4. Beat together cream cheese and sugar until smooth and fluffy. Add lime juice & zest, tequila, cointreau and cream. Mix until completely combined *make sure to scrape the sides of the bowl. Beat in eggs, one at a time.
5. Pour cream cheese mixture over graham cracker crust, spread into corners. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the center sets up.
6. Allow to cool completely in pan, then refrigerate for at least 3 hours. Cut into squares.

MEXICAN BREAKFAST TOSTADAS WITH CHORIZO RE-FRIED BEANS, AVOCADO AND POACHED EGGS

INGREDIENTS

• 1 -13.5 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
• ½ cup water
• One tablespoon lime juice
• ½ teaspoons salt, divided
• Cilantro
• 8 eggs
• 8 flour or corn tortillas
• 3 ounces Mexican chorizo
• One garlic clove, grated
• ½ teaspoon cumin, divided
• 2 avocados
• One cup greek yogurt or sour cream
• ½ cup salsa or hot sauce

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat a large non-stick skillet to medium high heat. Add chorizo. Sauté for two minutes.. Add beans, fry in chorizo and start to use the back of a wooden spoon to mash beans. You still want there to be some texture, so don’t smash all of the beans, only ¾ of them.
2. Add in some water, ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon cumin. Stir to combine. Continue to cook until all the water has evaporated and the beans are creamy. Season with salt and pepper.
3. In a small bowl, combine sour cream or greek yogurt, garlic, remaining salt, cumin and lime juice. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Poach eggs.
5. Spread a little bit of the black bean and chorizo mixture on tortillas, top with sliced avocado and the egg. Dress with lime sour cream, salsa and cilantro.

Dry-Rubbed Flank Steak With Grilled Corn Salsa

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon ancho chile powder
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
• 1 teaspoon English mustard powder
• ½ teaspoon ground coriander
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin

Steak And Salsa

• 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for grill
• 3 ears of corn, shucked
• ¼ red onion, finely chopped
• 1 jalapeño, seeds removed, finely chopped
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 cup fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped
• ⅓ cup fresh lime juice
• Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
• 1½ pounds flank steak

Preparation

Dry Rub

1. Combine brown sugar, chile powder, paprika, salt, pepper, cayenne, granulated garlic, mustard powder, coriander, and cumin in a small bowl.

Steak And Salsa

1. Prepare a grill for medium-high heat; oil grate. Grill corn, turning occasionally, until lightly browned all over, 8–10 minutes; let cool. Cut kernels from cobs and place in a medium bowl. Add onion, jalapeño, tomatoes, cilantro, and lime juice to 
corn and toss to combine; season with salt and pepper. Set salsa aside.
2. Meanwhile, coat steak with all of dry rub, packing on more than once if needed, and drizzle with 2 Tbsp. oil to help rub adhere. Grill steak, turning occasionally and moving to a cooler spot on grill as needed to control flare-ups, until nicely browned and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 130°, about 4 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest 10 minutes. 

3. Return steak to grill just to recrisp exterior, about 1 minute per side. Transfer back to cutting board and slice against the grain. Serve topped with salsa.


Lime White Chocolate Mousse

Ingredients

• 8 ounces high-quality white chocolate, broken into small pieces
• 1⅓ cups heavy cream
• 2 eggs, separated
• 1 teaspoon grated lime zest, plus a bit more for garnish
• 1 teaspoon fresh-squeezed lime juice
• fresh blackberries, for garnish

Instructions

1. Microwave chocolate in 15-second intervals until chocolate is almost melted. Stir to fully melt and set aside. In a small saucepan, heat ⅓ cup of heavy cream until just about boiling, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat, pour hot cream over chocolate and stir to blend well. Using the electric mixer, beat the chocolate mixture for several seconds. Let cool slightly.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk egg yolks until pale in color. Fold egg yolks, lime juice and zest into the chocolate mixture. Let cool in the fridge, or over an ice water bath.
3. In another bowl, whip remaining 1 cup of the heavy cream to nearly stiff peaks. Using a spatula, gently fold half the cream into the chocolate mixture. Then fold in the remaining heavy cream.
4. Use an electric mixer to whip the egg whites in a clean dry bowl until stiff peaks form. Stir some of the whites into the chocolate mixture, then fold in the rest.
5. Divide mousse among 6 dessert cups or glasses and cover each one with plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight, until set. Garnish each serving with blackberries and grated lime zest.

Salmon, Guacamole, and Bacon Wraps

Ingredients

• 1 pound salmon fillet
• 2 tablespoons white or red onion, minced
• 1 tablespoon jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
• 1 small clove garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
• 1 large ripe avocado
• 1 - 1½ tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt or more to taste
• 4 slices thick cut bacon, cooked and drained
• Baby spinach leaves, optional
• 4 fajita size flour tortillas

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Season salmon fillet with salt and pepper and place on a foil lined baking sheet. Roast salmon in oven for 15-20 minutes or until salmon is cooked through. Let cool slightly.
2. Meanwhile, prepare the guacamole. In a medium bowl, stir together onion, jalapeño, garlic, and cilantro. Cut the avocado in half lengthwise around the pit. Twist the avocado halves in opposite directions and pull the halves apart. Scoop out the avocado pulp with a spoon and add to the onion mixture. Add lime juice and salt. With a spoon or fork, roughly mash the avocado while mixing in the onion mixture until evenly combined. Taste and season with additional lime juice or salt as needed. Set aside.
3. To assemble the wraps, warm tortillas in microwave for 60-90 seconds so they are soft enough to roll. Spread guacamole down the center of each tortilla. Then top with large chunks of the cooked salmon, one slice of bacon and some spinach leaves. Roll up each tortilla and serve.

SKINNY TACO SALAD

INGREDIENTS

SKINNY TACO SALAD INGREDIENTS

• 1 head Romaine lettuce, washed and roughly chopped
• 1 avocado, peeled, pitted and diced
• 2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
• 2 cups fresh cilantro leaves, loosely packed
• 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 cup tortilla strips
• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can whole kernel corn, drained
• 1 can black olives, drained
• half of a small red onion, halved and thinly sliced
• skinny cilantro lime dressing

SKINNY CILANTRO LIME DRESSING INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup fresh cilantro, loosely packed
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 3 Tbsp. lime juice
• 1 Tbsp. honey
• 1/4 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. freshly-ground black pepper
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil

DIRECTIONS

THE SALAD

1. Toss all salad ingredients together until combined, or serve "rainbow-style" lined up on top of the lettuce. Drizzle and toss with honey lime vinaigrette and serve.

THE DRESSING

1. Add cilantro, orange juice, lime juice, honey, cumin, salt and pepper to a food processor or blender and pulse until combined. Gradually stream in the olive oil while pulsing until combined.