Dinner Recipe 4: Mexican Feast

Mexican food lends itself very well to detox living. I love this food and find it a true treat to have - whether or not I am on detox. Preparation time for this 'feast' is a an hour and a quarter to an hour and half, which is the time it takes to make the fish ceviche (you can make all the other components while the fish 'cooks'). It can definitely be made faster by substituting the ceviche with grilled chicken strips and the ginger and onion rice with either plain brown rice or quinoa.

¡Buen provecho

I categorized the recipe as 'Dinner' instead of my normal 'Lunch/Dinner' primarily because it takes longer to make and thus I doubt many would want to cook it for lunch only. I also don't think it is the most ideal thing to bring for lunch the next day unlike all the other recipes I have put on so far. You can of course bring some tortilla chips with you to work and have that with a bit of cold beans, rice and guacamole but overall I feel this is definitely more of a dinner recipe.

Shopping list (serving 4):
350g salmon fillet
6-7 limes
Large bunch of coriander
1 medium sized red onion
A bunch of spring onion
1 medium sized white onion
2 cloves of garlic
2 ripe avocados
Fresh ginger
Iceberg lettuce
300g brown rice
1 liter vegetable stock
1 can of black or refried beans
A small tub of half fat creme fraiche
Corn tortillas or tacos (make sure they are made with 100% corn)
Salt, pepper, vegetable oil and olive oil

Start with the ceviche. Make sure the fish is super fresh as it will only be cooking in the lime juice. I tend to use salmon fillet but yellowtail would also work well. As soon as that is 'cooking' get going with the rice as that also takes a bit of time to cook. While these two components are cooking you can make the guacamole, warm up the beans and chop your lettuce. Lastly, as you are putting everything into serving bowls you warm up the corn tortillas (while the tacos can be served cold)

Ceviche
350g salmon fillet (skinned and boned) rinsed under cold water and cut into 4-5mm thick slices
Juice and zest from 4 limes
1 small red onion, finely sliced
2 tblsp coriander, chopped
Salt

Mix the salmon with the juice and zest of 3 limes and sprinkle with a teaspoon of salt. Cover and leave at room temperature for an hour (or set in the fridge for 2-3 hours) stirring the fish gently every now and then to allow it all to come into contact with the marinade. Put the sliced onion to soak in a little lightly salted water to soften it and reduce its pungency. Once the fish has turned opaque, drain it and toss with remaining lime juice and zest, coriander and drained onion.

The cooked fish ready to be drained and dressed with the rest of the ingredients

Ginger and Onion Rice
300g long-grained brown rice
2 tblsp vegetable oil
1 tblsp crushed garlic (3-4 cloves)
1 tblsp grated/finely chopped ginger
1 medium white onion, finely chopped
3/4 liter vegetable stock
Salt and pepper for additional seasoning (if needed)

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over low heat and add garlic, ginger and onion. Cook for app. 15 minutes until the onion is soft. Add the rice to the pan and stir-fry for 3 minutes until the grains are well-coated with oil. Increase the heat to medium-high and add 3/4 liter of vegetable stock. Bring to the boil and reduce heat to a simmer and cook, covered, for app. 50 minutes (until the rice is al dente and the liquid has soaked into the rice). If there is no more liquid and the rice is still not al dente then add a little extra vegetable bouillon or water. Taste and if needed season with salt and pepper before serving.
NB: Please note that this is a fairly large portion and probably more than you need for this meal. However, it goes very well with other dishes (in fact, one of the next dishes I will be posting is ideal to have it with) and since it takes a bit of time to make, regardless of whether you make a full or half portion, you might as well make a full portion.

Guacamole
2 ripe avocados
A large handful of coriander
Juice from 1-2 limes depending on how tangy you like it
3-4 spring onions - I primarily use the white part of it
1 tblsp olive oil
Salt for seasoning
Optional: Tabasco sauce (which is strictly not detox but you may want to add that extra 'zing')

Put all ingredients into a blender or food processor and whizz until it has a smooth texture. Add lime juice, salt and pepper/tabasco as per your preference. If you like your guacamole a bit more chunky leave out half an avocado and mix that in at last so that it doesn't get 'whizzed' as much as the rest of the mixture.

Black or Refried Beans
I tend to use the ones from a can so simply follow the instructions on the back of the can for warming up before serving.

Serve all of the above with warm corn tortillas or tacos, creme fraiche and finely chopped iceberg lettuce.