With the warmer weather approaching, now is the perfect time to plan your Spring/Summer Mexican menu. As I learn more and more about Mexican cuisine (I am obsessed with Rick Bayless BTW) I find myself making more and more of it at home. There are so many cultural tidbits that I didn’t know and love learning. For example, did you know that tacos are traditionally served on soft corn tortillas? In regular taquerías, each tortilla is reinforced with a second one, just in case you have leftover meat.

Your tacos can have all kinds of meat, and it seems that the simpler they are, the better they are. Recently I had lunch at Los Guachos which is a small taquería here that serves authentic al pastor. Al Pastor is rubbed pork put into a tall vertical spit, similar to gyros, and shaved off for tacos. This is typically not easy to find so the alternative, carnitas, can be just as yummy! Carnitas are pulled pork which can be quite juicy when made correctly. Authentic chicken tacos are rolled and fried and are made with pulled chicken, and not grilled. Grilled chicken is left for fajitas. One thing I recently learned that I was not aware of is there is a big difference in the vegetables you put on your taco versus fajitas. Traditional tacos are topped with chopped cilantro and white onions. Leave the peppers and onions for the fajitas and remember to cook them with the meat. Tacos are typically not topped with dairy, no cheese or sour cream are usually added, and sadly neither is guacamole.

Limes are also an important part of Mexican cuisine. Depending on how addicted you are to limes (do not accept lemons), it’s up to you if you want to squeeze a bunch or none at all. Be sure to roll them under your palm on the counter before cutting to burst open some of the individual segments and get the juices flowing. Remember to save some of the lime slices for the tequila. Studies suggest a shot of tequila before mealtime can stimulate the appetite and aid digestion. So sip away, alternating your tequila drinks with a glass of water to remain hydrated. Always choose a high-quality tequila by looking for 100 percent agave on the label. Skip the sugary margarita mixes and mix your tequila with a calorie-free club soda and a lime for added flavor. Remember, it is your party and you can create your tacos any way you want! I love avocados and put them on everything! Here is Bellisari’s version of our favorite taco.

Saigon Brisket Tacos

Servings: 12

Ingredients:
2 lbs brisket
2 avocados
1 jar Bellisari's Saigon Street Sauce
¼ cup cilantro
2 cloves garlic
1 cup onion
4 scallions
2 Tbsp. chipotle chiles canned
¼ cup fresh lime juice
1 pre-made pico de gallo
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. seasoning salt
1 Tbsp. olive oil
24 corn tortillas
1 can beer

Directions:
In a large Dutch oven, brown beef in 1 Tbsp. olive oil over medium high heat. Once all of the sides are browned, remove brisket to a plate. Add onions to pan and sauté until lightly browned. Then add beer and deglaze pan. Meanwhile, rub brisket on both sides with minced garlic and salt, then chipotles.

Remove beer and onion mixture from heat and carefully lower meat into pot and cover tightly with lid. Place in a 350°F oven for 3 hours.

Remove brisket from oven, pull it out of the pot and place brisket on a cutting board to cool. When it’s cool enough to touch, shred meat with a fork and your fingers and transfer back to remaining cooking liquid in pot. There won’t be much, maybe a cup. If there is more than one cup in the pot, pour some off.

Mix in lime juice, cilantro and scallions. Stir the meat with the Bellisari's Saigon Sauce and other ingredients until well combined. Add salt to taste. Serve the meat mixture in warm corn tortillas topped with pico de gallo and cubed avocado.

We’re holding a special giveaway for Bellisari's one year anniversary!

To enter: Submit your favorite recipe of your mom’s or motherly figure in your life (along with a picture) and the winner will get our six-pack gift box set and the recipe will be featured on the Thursday of Mother's Day week!

To submit: email us at info@bellisaris.com with the recipe and attach the picture. Or comment on our Facebook post with the recipe and attach the picture with the comment.

We look forwarding to seeing your favorite recipes from mom!

A picnic sounds like an easy event to plan. Just put some food in a basket, go to a local park, and enjoy a perfect meal outdoors. But packing for a picnic isn’t quite as easy as making lunch to eat at home, because, let’s face it, how many times have you gotten up from the table because you forgot a serving spoon, or you dropped a fork and needed a clean one? Or after one bite of the sandwich, you decided that you wanted a pickle or some chips? Or you forgot the mustard?

Unless you’re picnicking in your own backyard, once you arrive at your destination, what you have is all you’ve got. That lovely bottle of wine won’t get opened if you don’t have a corkscrew. A little planning and some key gadgets can minimize the annoyances and make a picnic seem effortless.

First - let’s pick out the right basket

A picnic basket doesn’t need to be wicker. Or basket-shaped. There are a variety of basket styles available to fit your lifestyle and your picnic needs. Are you packing for two, or four? Are you traveling by foot, bike, or car? Is this a date-night supper, or quick lunch in the park across from the office?

Many retailers sell both baskets and even backpacks specifically designed for picnics. They can come complete with dishes, wine glasses, metal utensils, napkins, a cutting board, serrated knife, corkscrew, and tiny salt and pepper shakers. An insulated storage compartment for food, detachable wine storage and a picnic blanket complete the set. Some can even be personalized or monogrammed.

The backpack basket is great if you’re doing a little hiking to your picnic space, whether that hiking is urban, back-country trails or even perhaps a short bike ride. But since space (and weight) is limited to what makes sense to carry on your back, they’re probably best for wine, cheese, and nibbles, or a few sandwiches and a few sides, rather than a huge spread.

Tips for serving

One thing to keep in mind is that your chosen picnic spot might not be close to running water, so if you drop your serving spoon in the grass, maybe you’d rather grab a clean spoon instead of trying to clean the dirty one.

In fact, I suggest bringing along plenty of extra utensils. They don’t take much space, and for serving spoons and random cutlery, you don’t need to go all-out with high-end equipment. A visit to a local thrift store will probably supply you with a big handful of unmatched and interesting flatware and serving spoons for cheap. When the picnic is over, wash them, put them in a plastic bag, and store them in the basket so you’re ready to go next time.

Speaking of cutlery, bring along a few extra knives as well. You don’t need your best equipment, but I’d suggest something better than a butter knife. A knife that comes with its own sheath is a good idea, it keeps it safe from cutting unwanted things. A few small cutting boards can come in handy, too. Remember, you might not have a good way to rinse your used boards, so it might be handier to bring a few extras. While I love small flexible cutting mats, you might be working on a bumpy surface at the picnic area, so a solid board might be a better choice.

For the wine and cheese basket, don’t forget the toothpicks! I packed cheese, olives, and some pickled items, none of which really required plates or utensils to nibble, but toothpicks are certainly more civilized than poking in the olive container with your fingers. Buy a little toothpick dispenser and keep it in the picnic basket.

While the picnic baskets I mentioned came with their own napkins, some extras in a dispenser that will keep them from blowing away is a good idea. After the picnic, leave it in the basket or use it for backyard dining.

Many of the baskets on the market come in 2-person and 4-person versions. Even if you think your picnics will only involve two people, the 4-person version might be a good choice, since you’ll get extra plates and utensils that can be used for serving, and you won’t need to pack up as many extras.

Here are some great picnic recipes from Bellisari’s. Enjoy!

Barista Grilled Chicken Wrap

Servings: 2

Ingredients:
4 cups chopped romaine lettuce
3 large fresh basil leaves, chopped
3 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
¼ cup rinsed and drained black beans
¼ cup drained sweet corn
¼ cup grated Monterey Jack or mozzarella cheese
¼ cup peeled and diced jicama
¼ - ½ cup ranch dressing
1 large tomato, diced
1 ripe avocado, sliced
1 leftover grilled chicken breast, chilled and diced
¼ - ½ cup of Bellisari’s Barista Sauce
Sundried tomato tortillas

Directions: 
In a large bowl, combine lettuce with basil, cilantro, black beans, corn, cheese and jicama. Toss with ranch dressing (as much as you’d like). Place diced tomatoes, top with avocado slices. Toss diced grilled chicken in two tablespoons of Bellisari’s Barista Sauce. Mix all together. Spread mixture on tortilla, roll and enjoy.

Chilled Orzo & Asparagus Salad

Servings: 6

Ingredients:
1 box orzo
1 jar Bellisari’s Blue Cheese, Honey & Shallot Spread
1 cup Walnut Pieces
½ lb. thin asparagus spears
1 cup dried currants

Directions: 
Place walnuts on a rimmed baking sheet and bake in preheated 350°F oven until lightly toasted, 4-5 minutes. Rinse asparagus spears and snap off and discard their tough ends. Break spears into 1½ inch-long pieces. Cook orzo as directed.

During the last 3 minutes of orzo cooking time add asparagus and cook until bright green and crisp-tender. Add Bellisari’s Blue Cheese Honey & Shallot Spread and mix well. Stir in walnuts and currants. Serve.

Saigon Deviled Eggs

Servings: 6

Ingredients: 
6 eggs 
1/2 tsp. of paprika 
3 Tbsp. of Bellisari’s Saigon Street Sauce

Directions: 
Place eggs in a pot of salted water. Bring the water to a boil, and let the eggs cook in boiling water until they are hard boiled (about 10-15 minutes). Drain eggs.

Peel eggs and cut in half, lengthwise. Remove the egg yolks and mash them together in a small mixing bowl. Mix in the paprika and Bellisari’s Saigon Street Sauce. Spoon mixture into the egg whites; cool and serve.

Inspiration and information from seriouseats.com

I kept thinking the “Gluten-free” trend would go away. I was wrong. Dead wrong. Researchers estimate gluten makes about 6 percent of Americans feel sick. On the other hand, 20 percent of Americans are out shopping for gluten-free food, spending $4.6 billion dollars. What the heck is going on? It seems I have become, at this advanced age, gluten intolerant.

My question is, what is gluten? And why suddenly are we now intolerant to it and having problems with it?

Alright. Let’s start there. What is gluten? It’s a combination of proteins found inside the wheat kernel. Inside dough, gas bubbles are forming. Gluten’s job is to keep those bubbles trapped inside the bread. It does that by giving the loaf strength and structure as it bakes. Basically, gluten makes bread fluffy.

While some people have a rare disease, called Celiac, where gluten actually damages the body, others have gluten sensitivity. Gluten sensitivity is not a disease. It is a medically accepted diagnosis with symptoms that include intestinal distress, stomach pain, gas/bloating, fatigue, mood changes, skin rashes and headaches.

Why do so many people say they’re having these problems? Now, we are able to test for it, where we were not able to do that before. A leading advocacy group called Beyond Celiac says the only way to diagnose gluten sensitivity is to eliminate it from your diet and see if that improves health. But Jen Seiler MSN CNP-BC of Vitality Natural Wellness disagrees. She recommends and utilizes newly available lab tests like Wheat Zoomer, which tests for gluten and wheat allergies as well as gluten and wheat sensitivities.

Seiler states “We are losing the good bacteria we need for digestion-- from eating processed foods, taking antibiotics and antacids as well as other medications that disrupt the normal flora of our gut. 90% of our immune system stems from our gut, 80% of our serotonin receptors lie in our gut. Our immune systems are stressed out from fighting off things like these toxins. An elimination diet can be helpful but when we can test for sensitivities, we can quickly start a protocol that not only eliminates the sensitivity but also helps repair the gut. We find mood, cognition, gut issues, energy, all improve and more.”

Here are some gluten-free recipes for you to try with our gluten-free Bellisari’s products.

Gluten-Free Pad Thai

Serves 2

Ingredients:
5 oz. pad Thai rice noodles
3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
½ cup Bellisari’s Balsamic Shallot & Black Garlic Spread
1 large egg, room temperature
2 Tbsp. sliced/cubed pressed tofu
1 cup bean sprouts
2 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. tamarind paste mixed with 2 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. water
1 ½ Tbsp. (or more) Thai fish sauce
1 ½ Tbsp. simple syrup, preferably made with palm sugar
4 garlic chives, 2 cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 tsp. ground dried Thai chilies, divided
2 Tbsp. crushed roasted, unsalted peanuts, divided
2 lime wedges

Directions:
Place noodles in a large bowl, pour hot water over to cover. Let soak until tender but not mushy, 5–10 minutes. Drain; set aside.

Heat vegetable oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add egg; stir until barely set, about 30 seconds. Cook egg until almost cooked through, 2–3 minutes. Add tofu and cook for 30 seconds. Add noodles and cook for 1 minute. Stir in sprouts. Add tamarind water, fish sauce, Bellisari’s Balsamic Shallot & Black Garlic Spread and simple syrup and stir-fry until sauce is absorbed by noodles and noodles are well coated, about 1 minute.

Stir in chopped garlic chives. Add 1/4 tsp. ground chilies and 1 tbsp. peanuts and toss well. Transfer to serving plates. Garnish with remaining 1/4 tsp. ground chilies, 1 tbsp. peanuts, and lime wedges.

Gluten-Free Lettuce Wrap Shrimp Tacos

Serves 4

Ingredients:
1 cup Bellisari’s Blistered Jalapeno & Fig Spread
2 heads Bibb lettuce
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 cup frozen organic corn, defrosted
2 lb. of shrimp deveined and tails removed
1 avocado, diced
1 bunch of cilantro
1 lime , zested

Directions:
Separate the lettuce into cups and reserve.

Heat 1 Tbsp. of the olive in a skillet and sauté the corn over medium-high heat until light golden at edges. Season with salt and pepper. To the same skillet, add the shrimp and cook until the shrimp begin to turn pink, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the Bellisari’s Blistered Jalapeno & Fig Spread and cook 1 to 2 minutes Add in the lime zest. Toss and remove to a serving plate. Dress the avocado with the lime juice and garnish with chopped cilantro. Serve in lettuce cups as the vessel for the taco. Enjoy!

Some gluten stats sourced from WCHS6