Easy, Traditional Mexican Bliss! Eva Longoria’s Recipes From New Cookbook ‘My Mexican Kitchen’

Despite growing up in south Texas, it wasn’t until filming CNN’s Searching for Mexico that Eva Longoria really discovered the variety and wonder of Mexican food — and that inspired her to write her new cookbook, My Mexican Kitchen. “It’s the food I grew up eating, the recipes and stories shared by all the people I met on my travels, and the dishes I was inspired to create
when I got home,” she shares. Taste the goodness tonight!

Shrimp Aguachile

(Serves 8)

1 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. kosher salt
3⁄4 lb. large shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 mini cucumbers
1⁄2 cup lime juice
1 serrano chile, roughly chopped
1⁄2 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
1 garlic clove, peeled but whole
1⁄4 small red onion, thinly sliced
Tostadas, for serving

Directions:

1. Prepare a large bowl of ice water. Fill a Dutch oven with 4 cups water. Add 1 tbsp. salt and shrimp, set over medium-high; cook 6 to 8 min. Drain shrimp and transfer to ice bath. Drain again, remove tails, and halve lengthwise. Place in a bowl and refrigerate.
2. Cut 1 mini cucumber into large chunks and transfer to a blender. Add lime juice, serrano, cilantro, garlic and remaining salt. Blend 1 to 2 min.
3. Put shrimp in a bowl and pour chile water over. Cover; chill 15 min. to 1 hr.
4. Cut other cucumber into thin rounds. To serve, transfer shrimp and chile water to a shallow bowl. Garnish with sliced cucumber and red onion. Serve with tostadas.

PER SERVING: 22 cal, 3g protein, 3g carbs, 1g fiber, 1g sugar, 0g fat.

Chicken Enchiladas With Salsa Verde

(Serves 6)

2 poblano chiles
1 lb. tomatillos, husked and rinsed
2 serrano chiles, stemmed
1⁄2 white onion
3 garlic cloves, peeled but whole
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1⁄2 cup olive oil
12 corn tortillas
3 cups shredded cooked chicken
3⁄4 cup queso fresco

Directions:

1. Line a baking sheet with foil. Heat broiler. Place poblanos on baking sheet; broil until all charred, 15 min. Place in a bowl, cover; steam 5 min.
2. In a pan, combine next 4 ingredients and water to cover. Boil, then simmer 7 min.
3. Peel poblanos; remove stems. Add to a blender. Add tomatillo mixture, ½ cup cooking liquid and cilantro; blend 1 min. Add to a pan over medium-high; cook 5 min.
4. In a skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Fry tortillas, 1 at a time, 10 sec. Place on a paper towel-lined baking sheet.
5. Dip tortillas in salsa verde. Place 3 tbsp. chicken across bottom and roll. Place seam-side down on a dish.
6. To serve, top with salsa verde, queso fresco and crema.

PER SERVING: 391 cal, 18g protein, 25g carbs, 4g fiber, 1g sugar, 26g fat.

Pastel de Elote

(Serves 12)

3⁄4 cup cake flour
1⁄4 cup masa harina
1 1⁄2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. kosher salt
4 large eggs
1 (14-oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
3 cups fresh corn kernels (from about 3 ears of corn)
1 stick (4-oz.) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Line a 9″ round cake pan with a round of parchment paper and grease with butter. In a bowl, whisk flour, masa harina, baking powder and salt.
2. In a blender, blend eggs, sweetened condensed milk and corn 15 to 20 sec.
3. Pour corn mixture into dry ingredients; whisk till just smooth. Use a spatula to fold in melted butter. Pour batter into pan, using the spatula to smooth out the top. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean, 40 to 50 min.
4. Let pastel cool in pan on a wire rack 15 min. Turn out onto rack, peel off parchment, then invert it onto a serving plate with the top facing up. Serve with a scoop of ice cream if you like.

PER SERVING: 298 cal, 8g protein, 38g carbs, 1g fiber, 26g sugar, 14g fat.