Category:  Fun Foods

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Babaganoush is a popular Middle Eastern eggplant starter. Its main ingredients are roasted eggplant, olive oil, tahini and lemon juice.

Inactive prep time: 45 minutes (to roast & drain eggplant)
Prep time: 5 to 8 minutes (mixing ingredients in food processor)
Makes: 2-2-1/2 cups

Ingredients:

2 medium eggplants
2 garlic cloves, crushed
Juice of 1 lemon or lime
3 tablespoons tahini (sesame seed paste)
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3/4 teaspoon salt
Dash dried, crushed chili peppers (optional)
2 fresh mint or parsley sprigs (for garnish)

Directions for Roasting Eggplant:

1. Wash and dry the eggplants.

8. Remove baking sheet with eggplant from oven and set aside to cool to warm or room temperature.

Directions for Babaganoush:

1. When eggplant is cool enough to touch, carefully peel skin off each eggplant; cut and discard stem at top.

8. Refrigerate babaganoush or serve immediately with mint or parsley garnish, cucumber and/or carrot sticks, pita bread and/or tortilla chips.
Text & Photograph ©2026 Nancy DeLucia Real

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Active prep time: 20 minutes
Bake time: 30 minutes
Serves: 6 to 8

Every year, I look forward to the month of May – it’s cherry season! While I enjoy all fruit cobblers, this recipe uses fresh cherries. You can also use frozen cherries. Either way, this Cherry Cobbler is delicious (and vegan)!

Ingredients for Cherry Filling:
2 cups fresh or frozen red cherries, pitted and chopped
1/2 cup white raisins
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon agave nectar
1 tablespoon cornstarch

Ingredients for Oatmeal Mixture:
1-1/2 cups raw, rolled oats (not instant)
1/2 cup all-purpose, unbleached white flour
1/2 cup light brown sugar (not packed)
3 tablespoons chopped pistachio meats (optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil (sunflower or safflower)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. Line an 8-inch round or square pan with parchment paper (bottom only); oil the sides of pan and set aside.

3. In a small bowl, combine the cherries, raisins, lemon juice, agave nectar and cornstarch. Stir well and set aside.

4. In a large bowl, combine the rolled oats, flour, brown sugar, pistachios, salt, ground cinnamon, vanilla extract and the vegetable oil.

5. Next, in a large bowl, combine all oatmeal mixture ingredients. With a spoon or hand, stir the oatmeal mixture until just combined.

6. Measure 1 cup of the oatmeal mixture and set it aside in a small bowl.

7. Meanwhile, using your hands, spread the remaining oatmeal mixture evenly across bottom of pan, up to its edges.

8. Pour the cherry filling over the oatmeal mixture and spread it evenly up to the edges.

9. Evenly crumble the reserved oatmeal mixture across top of cherry filling.

10. Bake the cobbler for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, set the cobbler on a wood board or trivet on counter to cool.

11. Serve this Cherry Cobbler warm or at room temperature with vanilla gelato or ice cream.

Text & Photograph ©2026 Nancy DeLucia Real

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Prep time: 15 to 20 minutes
Serves: 4

These tostadas are easy to make – just combine leftover chicken or meat, lettuce and your favorite salsa. Add the mixture to corn tostadas and you’ve made a simple meal. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
3 cups pre-shredded lettuce (optional – mix in red onion & shredded carrots)
1-1/2 to 2 cups shredded leftover chicken or beef
3 tablespoons olive oil
Juice from 1 to 2 limes
salt, to taste
Pre-made salsa (red or green)
4 to 8 tostadas

Directions:
1. In a 6-cup bowl, combine shredded lettuce with chicken or meat, olive oil, lime juice and salt. Taste and adjust seasonings.

2. Add about 1/2 cup of the lettuce/meat mixture to each tostada, gently spreading it evenly over tostadas’ surface.

3. Top the tostadas with some salsa.

4. Serve immediately.
Text & Photograph ©2026 Nancy DeLucia Real

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Active prep time: 15 to 20 minutes
Serves: 4

Ceviche is very popular in Mexico and now globally. It’s made with fresh white fish (cod, halibut or sea bass) and usually served with tostadas. You can also enjoy ceviche as an added protein to a green salad at lunch or dinner. Buen provecho!

Ingredients:
1 pound (16 ounces) fresh cod, halibut or sea bass, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
Juice from 10 to 12 limes
1/2 of a medium red or yellow onion, finely-chopped
3 Roma tomatoes, cut in half, inner pulp discarded and cut into 1/4-inch pieces
6 sprigs fresh cilantro, stems discarded and leaves finely-chopped
1 Serrano chile, finely-chopped
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt and ground black pepper, to taste
8 to 12 corn tostadas

Directions:
1. Place the cutup fish in a 4–quart glass or porcelain bowl.

2. Pour the lime juice onto the fish and mix with a spoon.

3. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours.

4. After 2 to 3 hours, using cooks’ plastic gloves, grab enough fish to fit in your palm and drain and squeeze the excess lime juice out, discarding it.

5. Place the drained fish in another glass or porcelain bowl; continue this process with remaining fish.

6. When all the fish has been drained and placed in bowl, mix in all ingredients except for tostadas. Taste and adjust chile, salt and black pepper levels.

7. Serve immediately by spooning a thin layer onto one tostada per person. If guests would like more, then serve the ceviche tostadas as you go along. This will keep the tostadas crispy and not soggy with the weight of the ceviche.

8. Alternatively, do not serve immediately, but cover the bowl of ceviche with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for up to 6 hours if serving the same day. If not, ceviche makes good leftovers for up to one day after it has been prepared.
Text & Photograph ©2026 Nancy DeLucia Real

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Active prep time: 15 to 20 minutes (total time for both salsas)
Serves: 4 to 6, as a side condiment

Salsa verde is a creamy mixture of mainly avocado and tomatillos. The tomatillo is tart – almost lemony – so it keeps the bright color in this salsa.

Pico de gallo is a salsa consisting of tomatoes, onions, cilantro and Serrano chiles.

Both salsas make for great condiments to chicken, meat, seafood dishes, eggs or other savory foods.

Ingredients for Salsa Verde:
3 medium tomatillos, husks removed and each cut into fourths
3 tablespoons chopped white or yellow onion
1 Serrano chile, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons water
5 sprigs fresh cilantro – use leaves only
1 medium ripe avocado, halved and pitted
salt, to taste (start with 1/2 teaspoon and adjust)

Directions for Salsa Verde:
1. Place the tomatillos, onion and chile pieces with water in a blender.

2. Add the cilantro and avocado; purée the mixture on pulse-blend until it’s smooth. If it looks too thick/lumpy, add 1 tablespoon water and pulse-blend again.

3. Stir in the salt, slightly purée the mixture and taste. Adjust salt level, if needed.

4. Pour the salsa verde in a glass bowl or jar, cover with plastic wrap and, if serving the same day, serve it within 1 hour.

5. Alternatively, cover and refrigerate for 1 to 2 days.

Ingredients for Pico de Gallo:
3 to 4 Roma tomatoes, cut in half and seeds and pulp discarded
1/3 cup chopped white or yellow onion
1/2 of a Serrano chile, finely-chopped
4 to 5 sprigs fresh cilantro, use leaves only – finely-chopped
dash ground cumin
salt, to taste
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (optional)

Directions for Pico de Gallo:
1. Cut each half tomato into 1/2-inch thick slices; then, cut into 1/2-inch cubes.

2. In a 4-cup mixing bowl, combine the cubed tomatoes, onion, chile, cilantro, cumin and salt. Stir in the olive oil, if desired (it adds great taste to the salsa).

3. Serve Pico de Gallo immediately.

NOTE: You can refrigerate Pico de Gallo, covered and sealed in a bowl and use it the next day, mixed in and cooked with scrambled eggs, for breakfast.
Text & Photograph ©2026 Nancy DeLucia Real