gluten-free

What to order at Guisados in Los Angeles

4 · Oct 6, 2017 · Leave a Comment

Guisados is a family-owned restaurant that serves tacos stuffed with homestyle braises such as tinga de pollo, chuleta en chile verde, and cochinita pibil, and is one of my favorite Mexican restaurants in LA.

The term “guisado” literally means “stewed” and usually follows a formula of meat (most typical are pork, beef or chicken) braised in a salsa made with chiles, tomatoes or tomatillos, spices and herbs, and sometimes vegetables. The type of chiles, spices and meat combinations used vary according to region and family recipes.

Tacos and tamales from Guisados in Los Angeles — Pictured above: Tamal de pollo, regular size chicharrón and bistek roja tacos.

You really can’t go wrong with anything on the menu at Guisados. However, if you’re indecisive and want to try several kinds, the best deal is to order the sampler that comes with six small tacos.

Most everything on the regular menu at Guisados is gluten-free. (Ask servers about the specials, though—sometimes those contain gluten.) They also have some vegetarian options. If you’re vegan, they’ll make you a taco with sauteed bell peppers and onions if you ask.

The tortillas at Guisados are made fresh, by hand, every day at every location, too. They’ll sell you a half-dozen or dozen handmade tortillas to take home if you ask. They’re not cheap, but they’re damn good. A little on the thick side, but way better than grocery store tortillas for sure.

One of the things I really like about the servers at Guisados is that they always offer to tell you which tacos are which (especially if you order the sampler) when they deliver your order to your table. Although I eat there often enough to tell them apart without any help, the first time I ate there I thought it was a nice touch.

Portion sizes:

2-3 of the standard size tacos per person, or 1 sampler is usually sufficient for a meal.

Taco Sampler and jamaica agua fresca at Guisados in Los Angeles, California — The Guisados sampler comes with your choice of 6 tacos.

My favorite taco at Guisados: Chicharrón

In fact, I like their version so much that I made tacos de chicharrón guisado at home to share the recipe here on the blog.

Taco de chicharron at Guisados in Los Angeles, California

My meat-lovers’ taco picks at Guisados

Bistek en salsa roja (flank steak simmered with red bell peppers and tomato, served over a smear of black beans and topped with chile de árbol and avocado), chorizo (served over black beans, topped with red onion and salsa verde), and steak picado (flank steak simmered with green bell peppers and bacon, served over black beans and topped with salsa verde).

The chuleta en chile verde is consistently good, but I don’t order it often because that’s something I make regularly at home. I don’t love their tinga, but that’s more of a personal flavor preference.

Vegetarian taco picks at Guisados

Hongos con cilantro (mushrooms, onions and cilantro, topped with a dollop of salsa verde and queso fresco) or calabacitas (squash, tomato, bell peppers, corn and onions, topped with a chipotle sour cream and queso fresco). The chiles toreados taco is also excellent but very spicy. Skip the frijoles con queso and get a quesadilla instead.

To drink at Guisados

Jamaica or Armando Palmero (2/3 jamaica and 1/3 agua de limón) are your best choices because they’re consistently good. Yes, they have horchata, but I don’t love the one they serve because it always has too much grit at the bottom of the cup. In my opinion, you can skip the horchata latte (iced coffee with horchata) and spend your money on another taco instead.

Other details

Also on the menu regularly (but not listed on the menu on their website), the tamales are worth exploring. My favorite is the the tamal de elote, but the chicken tamal with green chile is a close second.

There are 5 Guisados locations across Los Angeles: Boyle Heights, Echo Park, DTLA, West Hollywood and Burbank.

Strawberry hibiscus popsicles

4 · Oct 2, 2017 · 2 Comments

Strawberry hibiscus popsicles are a healthy treat with a uniquely Mexican-flavored twist.

This post is in partnership with California Strawberries. The recipe and opinions are my own.

If you love strawberries, but you’re also trying to cut back on added sugar, you’re going to love this recipe for strawberry hibiscus popsicles.
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Avocado Chocolate Pudding

3 · May 27, 2017 · 1 Comment

Avocados blended with raw cacao powder and honey make for a perfectly silky, decadent, and dairy-free chocolate pudding.

Most chocolate pudding recipes use milk, along with cornstarch and sometimes egg yolks to thicken it. This avocado chocolate pudding recipe relies on the creamy texture and stability of avocado and gelatin to create that perfect pudding texture.

If you’ve got avocados that are slightly past their prime and a little too soft for anything else, this recipe is a great way to use them up so they don’t go to waste.…

Frozen orange slices with Tajín

12 · Jul 6, 2015 · 3 Comments

Transform plain orange slices with a little lime juice and Tajín! Serve immediately, or freeze them for a refreshing, frosty treat!

The best part of summer is the peak availability of so many fruits; it means you can make a variety of sweet treats with little or no added sugar, such as street food-style mango and orange cups with coconut chips, watermelon aloe juice, and all kinds of paletas. With what seems like a surplus of juicy oranges at my local supermarkets, I’ve been using them in many different ways all summer. Whether it’s juicing them, eating them plain, or sectioning them to make a fruity pico de gallo or ensalada xec (a Mayan citrus and jicama salad), there are lots of possibilities.

This healthy snack is one I like to make in advance, freeze and serve by the pool or in the backyard on hot summer days. It’s great to serve to kids as well because even if they eat two servings, they’re eating only one whole orange. Plus, it’s an easy snack for little hands to hold.

This recipe is gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan-friendly.

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Vegan banana chia popsicles

0 · Jun 11, 2015 · 4 Comments

These banana chia popsicles are an easy homemade summer treat packed with nutrition and very little added sugar.

During the summer, I always want paletas for dessert whenever possible because, well, it’s typically REALLY HOT in the part of Los Angeles where we live. I very rarely buy popsicles in the grocery store because they have a lot of added sugar, and if I’m going to be eating them daily, I need to make healthier choices. Plus, I have a reputation to uphold as the queen of paletas!

Whenever I buy too many bananas (which is basically always) and they start to get spots and are too ripe, I have to get creative with how to use them quickly. So I came up with this frozen treat version of a refrigerated banana chia pudding that I like to make when I’m trying to eat healthier. They’re not overly sweet or too banana-y, they’re very low-fat and not many calories per serving either (for the record, one serving is one popsicle). As you probably know, bananas are packed with potassium and Vitamin C as well as fiber and some other nutrients. Most of the sweetness in this recipe comes from the natural sugar in the bananas. Of course, if you like your popsicles on the sweeter side, you can always add a little extra sugar to the recipe if you want.

RELATED RECIPE: Coconut chia pudding

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Street food style mango fruit cups

1 · May 18, 2015 · 1 Comment

These street food style fruit cups made with mango, orange, lime juice and coconut are a healthy snack.

I love a good, healthy snack, and I’m always tempted to stop whenever I see a fruit cart on the street. Throughout Mexico, you’ll find these street food vendors with all different seasonal fruits that they’ll cut up and put in a cup and top with chile powder, Tajín, chamoy or some kind of bottled salsa.

RELATED RECIPE: Ensalada Xec (Mayan citrus and jicama salad)…

Roasted jalapeño hummus

1 · Jan 12, 2015 · 1 Comment

This post is part of a compensated campaign with McCormick Spices. All opinions and the recipe here are my own.

Roasted jalapeño hummus is a quick, easy, healthy snack you can make at home in about 15 minutes.

While this might look like any old regular hummus, the roasted jalapeño, garlic and cumin give it a mellowed, spicy kick for a different flavor than traditional, plain hummus. This anything-but-typical dip is great served with pita bread, pita chips, or tortilla. chips. And in 2015, this snack — which is a fusion of Middle Eastern and Mexican flavors — is actually trendy! Middle Eastern dips and spreads are one of the global food trends in this year’s Flavor Forecast from McCormick Spices.

It’s quite easy to work most of these trends into your daily cooking routines, but I challenge you to try to incorporate at least one trend per week. Chances are, if you’re a Mexican food enthusiast, you may already be cooking according to some of these trends — in which case, congratulations for being accidentally cool!

Check out the full McCormick Flavor Forecast 2015 and get inspired to get cooking with recipe suggestions galore.

There are eight flavor trends to watch in the 15th annual McCormick Flavor Forecast, and here, I’m sharing my five favorites and how you can apply them with Mexican cuisine in your own kitchen.

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Roasted chickpeas with tajin

12 · Nov 28, 2014 · 1 Comment

Roasted chickpeas (also known in Spanish as garbanzos) with Tajín, lime juice and cumin is an easy, healthy snack that’s also naturally gluten-free and vegan-friendly.

I prefer to use safflower or grapeseed oil, which are great for cooking with high heat, but you can also substitute canola oil if that’s all you have handy. Just keep an eye on the chickpeas as they roast. Canola oil has a lower smoking point than grapeseed or safflower oil at 400 degrees Fahrenheit, so you should reduce the heat to 375 degrees Fahrenheit if using canola oil, and extend the baking time by about 5-10 minutes or until the chickpeas are sufficiently browned and crunchy.

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Chile-spiced hot apple cider brandy cocktail

1 · Nov 25, 2014 · 1 Comment

Growing up in the Midwest, I went apple picking every fall and loved to drink mulled hot apple cider. Although apple cider the way I grew up drinking it is really not consumed in Mexico, I came up with this recipe with the traditional American apple cider in mind; it’s made with apples that are easily found in Mexico along with Mexican cinnamon sticks, chile puya for a little kick, and sweetened with piloncillo — all ingredients that are muy mexicano.

Chile puya brings an earthy, fruity, moderate heat to this mulled hot apple cider that can be served with a splash of brandy on cold winter nights. It’s the perfect warm cocktail to serve during the holidays as well!

Chile puya looks just like a smaller version of chile guajillo, both in color and shape, but is spicier. If you can’t find chile puya, or want a milder spice, you can substitute a guajillo chile in this recipe. I advise that you start out with one chile and work your way up if you think it needs to be spicier. Either way, be sure to remove the seeds and veins inside the chiles….

Crema de elote

32 · Nov 24, 2014 · 4 Comments

Crema de elote, also sometimes known as crema de maíz, is a cream of corn soup commonly served in Mexico. This version is garnished with roasted corn, diced poblano chile, cotija cheese and crema Mexicana.

This post is part of a compensated campaign with Maseca, but all opinions and the recipe are my own.

Crema de elote is a hearty soup that can serve as a meal on its own, or can be divided into four portions for an appetizer or small first course. This soup is thickened with whole milk and Maseca instant corn flour.

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Atole de calabaza

19 · Nov 16, 2014 · 1 Comment

Atole de calabaza is a masa-based beverage made with milk, and served hot. This pumpkin-flavored version tastes similar to pumpkin pie and is perfect for serving around the holidays.

Although vanilla atole, chocolate (called champurrado) and strawberry atole are the most common flavors, there are many other common flavors such as pumpkin, as well as modern, non-traditional flavors. I love to serve this pumpkin atole with conchas or orejas (types of pan dulce).

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Atole de vainilla

34 · Oct 13, 2014 · 2 Comments

This post is part of a compensated campaign with Maseca, but all opinions and the recipe here are my own.

Atole de vainilla is a traditional masa-based beverage, often made with milk, and served hot. This hot beverage goes great with tamales, pastries or pan dulce and is also most popular around Day of the Dead and the holidays.

Atoles date back to pre-Columbian times in Mexico and are well-documented as a form of sustenance amongst the Aztec and Mayan cultures. Historical texts tell us the drink was often flavored with fruits, spices or chiles.

Vanilla, strawberry and chocolate are the most common flavors of atole nowadays, but you can sometimes also find mora (blackberry; one of my favorites), nuez (pecan), pineapple, elote (sweet corn), piñon (pine nut), and many other flavors. In some areas of Mexico, you can even find savory atoles—one made with with green chile is called chileatole.

RELATED RECIPE: Champurrado…

Mango cantaloupe paletas with chile powder

1 · Sep 13, 2014 · 5 Comments

Mango and cantaloupe are a great combination not only because they’re both at peak availability during the summer, but also because both fruits are sweet enough when ripe that they don’t need to be sweetened with sugar to make juices or other treats like popsicles.

These mango cantaloupe popsicles are keeping me in denial about the end of summer drawing near.

I really love these popsicles because they’re not syrupy sweet like store-bought popsicles, and the chile powder in the fruit mixture adds just the right amount of heat so that they’re still kid-friendly. Optionally, if you like, you can also sprinkle or dip the popsicles in some more chile powder before eating to add extra spicy flavor. …

Paletas de horchata

6 · May 31, 2014 · 4 Comments

These horchata popsicles are a spin on Oaxaca-style horchata, which usually includes diced cantaloupe and red prickly pears that give it it’s signature pink hue. In Oaxaca, this kind of horchata is commonly referred to as horchata con tuna. Some people even like to throw in chopped pecans and a sprinkle of ground cinnamon as a garnish. Horchata has always been one of the most popular recipes on The Other Side of The Tortilla, so I thought I’d share a popsicle version that my family loves to eat.

This recipe for horchata popsicles is gluten-free.

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Mango and peach paletas

3 · Aug 21, 2013 · 10 Comments

I’ve been absolutely obsessed with testing paleta flavors all summer, partially because of my access to such a wide variety of fresh fruits in Southern California for months on end, and partially just because I have an inner-kid who still remembers the excitement I felt from hearing the jingle of the bell on the paletero’s cart. This mango-peach paleta recipe has been a mega-hit both in my household and with my office mates who got to taste them when I brought them to work for an afternoon snack to share last week.

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Guacamole with mango and pomegranate

3 · Jul 30, 2013 · 6 Comments

You may remember from a recent post that my family goes crazy for fruity guacamole. That’s why, when I hosted an #iloveavocados live party with Avocados From Mexico, I wanted to make another version of my fruity guacamole with one of my favorite fruits: Mango. I love to experiment with lots of different sweet and savory guacamoles and this version with mango, pomegranate seeds, red onion and serrano chile is one of my absolute favorit

My guests practically licked the bowl clean and there may have been some arguing over who got the last scoop. Another sure sign that the recipe was a success: Some of the guests sent tweets or posted on Facebook the next day that they wished they could have some more!…

Guacahummus

1 · Jul 29, 2013 · 6 Comments

Guacahummus sounds a lot like what you might imagine it to be… guacamole (sort of) mixed with hummus. Actually it’s a blend of hummus, avocados and lime juice. I served this simple, healthy dish at my #iloveavocados live party with Avocados From Mexico recently and surprisingly, most of my guests were having it for the first time. The dish was definitely a hit—they scraped every last morsel out of the bowl.

The main reason why this dish is so great—aside from being very healthy—is that you can make a semi-homemade version with a store-bought hummus of your choice (I like Sabra’s classic hummus), which helps you get this dish from food processor to plate in about five minutes. I use a 3-cup Cuisinart mini prep (available in my Amazon aStore, El Mercadito), which fits the ingredients perfectly. A bonus: This recipe is both vegetarian and vegan-friendly and is also gluten-free.

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Avocado paletas

1 · Jul 12, 2013 · 1 Comment

This post is part of a compensated campaign in collaboration with Latina Bloggers Connect and Avocados from Mexico but my love for avocados from Mexico is 100 percent authentic and the opinions and recipe in this post are my own. This post includes affiliate links to my Amazon aStore, El Mercadito, recommending products that I used to make this recipe.

Summer means paleta time in my house. And though we like the traditional flavors, I also like to branch out and make flavors that are considered “normal” in Mexico, but that are not as common to see in the U.S., such as avocado. A few friends have looked at me sideways when I said I was working on a popsicle recipe with avocados, but I assure you that you’ll be won over by the creamy texture and pleasantly earthy, sweet taste.

I prefer to buy avocados from Mexico because of that distinctive, earthy taste due to the fertile volcanic soil in which they’re grown. They’re packed with nutrients and are a versatile ingredient that can be used in both savory and sweet dishes—but most people don’t think of using avocados in a sweet dish. The thing I especially love about this recipe is that the light coconut milk and sweetened condensed milk (also known as lechera) don’t overpower the natural flavor so you can still taste the earthiness of the avocado….

Natural fruit paletas with watermelon and Tajín

8 · Jun 13, 2013 · 7 Comments

Every kid I know loves paletas—and every mom I know wants to reduce the amount of sugar in their kids’ diet. With summer upon us, I’m already seeing watermelon everywhere in the farmers markets and grocery stores. I love watermelon and would eat it for three meals a day if I could, so I’ve been getting more creative with how to use it. These are especially great on a really hot day! A bonus: Because these natural paletas aren’t like traditional popsicles, they’re much less likely to drip and stain clothing if that’s an issue with your kids.

And you don’t need to have kids to enjoy these simple paletas! You can honor your inner child or summer cravings for a popsicle with a healthier twist. For those with diet restrictions, these paletas are gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan-friendly. This “recipe” isn’t really a recipe; I like to think of it more as a healthy tip I’m passing on to you. Don’t discard leftover pieces that don’t make the cut: Sprinkle Tajín and squeeze a little lime juice on it for a snack, or cut them into bite-sized pieces and freeze to use as watermelon ice cubes to flavor your water….

Ensalada Xec: Mayan Citrus and Jicama Salad

5 · May 13, 2013 · 8 Comments

Ensalada xec (xec is Mayan for “mixed,” and is sometimes spelled as “xeec,” “xek” or “xe’ek” and is pronounced “shek”) is a staple in the Yucatan region and is sometimes also made as a salsa without the jicama.

This great crunchy, spicy, juicy citrus salad from the East Coast of Mexico is the perfect healthy snack, and the best time of year to enjoy it is between January and April when both grapefruit and oranges are in season.

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Coconut milk and chia pudding

7 · May 3, 2013 · 5 Comments

Chia seeds aren’t just for aguas frescas, and today I’m sharing with you a super easy, delicious and healthy dessert recipe for coconut milk and chia pudding.

This recipe is dairy-free, gluten-free and vegan-friendly.

I love chia seeds. Not in the way that some people mean when they say they love something… I mean I really LOVE chia seeds. I consume them nearly every day of the week and they’re a great source for fiber and Omega-3 fatty acids, and even have some protein. They have been used for centuries, including by the Mayans and Aztecs. In present-day Mexico, you’re most likely to notice chia seeds floating in an agua fresca.

I know you must be thinking there can’t be that many ways to use them, but trust me when I say there are so many great things you can do! One of my favorites is to use them to make this tapioca-like pudding with coconut milk. It’s a flavorful and not-too-sweet dessert that any coconut lover will enjoy. And a few bonuses: this recipe is dairy-free, gluten-free and vegan-friendly! Once the chia seeds develop their gel and you refrigerate the jar, it will get firm and set more like a traditional pudding. If you try to eat it too soon, it won’t be the right consistency.

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