Cooking with Juanita

I recently tried Juanita’s Kitchen food products, including their Vegan Chorizo, Pocket Piccante, Tomatillo Salsa and Spicy Noccas. I whipped up some of my own interesting recipes and gave each jar a try. The verdict? DAMN DELICIOUS. The best part is, Juanita’s Kitchen is naturally vegan, gluten and dairy free with no added nasties. Have a read of my recipes – not all of them are vegan or vegetarian but with sauces and meat substitutes this tasty, it’s pretty easy to convert.

Vegan chorizo risotto (serves 2)

You’ll be gobsmacked (and drooling) when you try this chorizo risotto made with Juanita’s Kitchen vegan chorizo and peas. I also like to add cheese but it’s not essential.

Ingredients:

• 60gm Juanita’s Kitchen vegan chorizo

• 100 gm butter (use olive oil if vegan)

• 1 clove of garlic - crushed

• 2tbs finely chopped parsley

• 1 cup Arborio rice

• 500ml of hot vegetable stock

• 1/2 cup of frozen peas

• 100gm of shredded mozzarella cheese (or vegan cheese)

• salt and freshly ground black pepper

• a dash of Pocket Piccante (optional)

Method:

1. Pre-heat oven to 200C. Melt butter in a saucepan and sauté garlic. Add parsley and rice. Stir rice until well coated with butter and fry for 5 mins

2. Stir in 1 cup of stock. Simmer, stirring occasionally for 10 mins or until stock is almost absorbed. Continue cooking gently adding stock a cupful at a time and stirring occasionally until all stock is nearly absorbed (about 15 mins).

3. Pour rice mixture into oven dish and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and stir in cheese, a pinch of salt and pepper and Juanita’s Kitchen Vegan Chorizo.

4. Put dish in the oven for another 5 minutes so the flavours melt together. Add a touch of Pocket Piccante for an extra kick of spiciness.

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Vegan tomatillo and avocado spaghetti (serves 2)

An insanely easy recipe that tastes like a naughty treat even though it’s actually light and healthy – that’s the beauty of using avocados instead of cream!

Ingredients:

• 150gm spaghetti

• 2 ripe avocados

• 1 tbs of garlic-infused olive oil

• juice of half a lemon

• 4 tbs of Juanita’s Kitchen Tomatillo Salsa

• salt and freshly ground black pepper

• parsley sprigs to garnish

Method:

1. Add spaghetti to salted boiling water and cook for 10 minutes or until al dente.

2. Scoop out flesh of the avocados and mash in a bowl. Add Juanita’s Kitchen Tomatillo Salsa, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper and combine well.

3. Drain the spaghetti and mix in the creamy avocado sauce while still hot. Garnish with sprigs of parsley

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Spicy barramundi and roast veggies (serves 2)

I’m a big fan of seafood, especially when it’s spicy too. Juanita’s Kitchen Spicy Noccas takes this fishy to another level with chili and capsicum that both enhance the flavour and punch you in the mouth. Careful not to put too much! You’ve been warned.

Ingredients:

• 2 fillets of fresh barramundi

• 1 bunch of asparagus

• 4 Desiree potatoes

• 60gm butter

• 1 handful of rosemary, finely chopped

• 5 tbs of garlic infused olive oil

• salt and pepper

Method:

1. Wash and peel potatoes and place them in boiling water. Boil for 10 minutes. Cut potatoes in half and place in a oven-proof dish.

2. Melt butter and mix in chopped rosemary. Pour butter mixture over potatoes and season with salt and pepper. Cover dish with foil and roast for 45 minutes (don’t cover with foil if you prefer crispy potatoes).

3. Meanwhile, wash and trim the bottoms of the asparagus. Grease a small with 1 tbs of garlic olive oil, place asparagus and drizzle another 1 tbs of oil on top. Season with salt and pepper, cover with foil and roast in the oven in the last 15 minutes of the potatoes’ baking time.

4. Grease another oven-proof dish with 2 tbs of oil. Place fillets of barramundi skin-side down in the dish, then rub Juanita’s Spicy Noccas over the flesh. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle another 2 tbs of oil. Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes (rotating the dish around half-way through to cook evenly).

5. Serve hot barramundi and roasted veggies together – season with more salt and pepper as necessary.