Title:

Isabel's Cantina
(Clarkson Potter, 2007) ISBN 978-0-307-35274-3 0-307-35274-9

Theme:

Isabel's Latin comfort food is a fusion of fresh flavors spanning Puerto Rican, Cuban, Mexican, Japanese and Thai cooking styles. Recipes use healthy ingredients that are common to Latin and Asian cooking — chile peppers, cilantro, coconut, garlic, ginger, limes, mangoes and mint.

Sample Recipes:

Seared tuna wontons with avocado salsa cruda. Easy turkey empanadas. Chicken and lettuce wraps with cilantro lime sauce. Blue cheese and walnut salad with cumin vinaigrette. Mahimahi with jalapeno ponzu sauce. Ropa vieja. Grilled tofu with avocado salsa cruda. Arroz con gandules. Coconut rice. Roasted chile verde sauce. Cilantro garlic mojo. Cilantro lime sauce. Flourless chocolate ginger cake. Tropical fruit with tequila honey sauce. Pomegranate martini. Cucumber margarita. Mexican hot chocolate.

Notable Elements:

The appendix to Isabel's Cantina features phone numbers, addresses and websites for sources of Latin American foods and spices like guava paste, yucca and chiles.

Tone / Style:

Isabel introduces recipes with friendly, chatty stories from her Latino background and experiences.

Recipes include serving sizes and tips such as how to tell when salmon is cooked and identifying the differences between plantains and bananas.

Visuals:

Full-page color images illustrate many dishes.

Contents:

• Introduction
• Starters
• Salads
• Soups
• Main Courses
• Rice, Beans and Other Sides
• Salsas, Sauces and Marinades
• Desserts
• Drinks
• Breakfasts
• Sources
• Index

Author:

Isabel Cruz

Claim to fame:

Isabel's Cantina is the first book by Isabel Cruz. The recipes come from her five west coast U.S. restaurants located in La Jolla, San Diego, Ashland, California and Portland, Oregon.

Return to Food & Drink Index

---