Carolina Gardens

World Taste with a Fiesta Fusion

Explore creamy and crunchy textures in a fiery and zesty package

If you want to take mealtime from bland and boring to new and vibrant, look no further than these home fiesta recipes. Visit freshcravings.com for more fiesta-worthy recipes.

—FamilyFeatures.com. Photos courtesy of Fresh Cravings

Red Pepper Chickpea Soup

With gazpacho relish and tortilla croutons Visit ncfarmfresh.com for fresh tomatoes to bring an elevated taste to your relish. ¼ cup finely diced seeded English cucumbers ¼ cup finely diced seeded Roma tomato 2 tablespoons finely diced red onion 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves 1 lime, juice only, divided 2 cups canned low-sodium vegetable stock, divided ½ cup salsa (mild or medium) 1 container (10 ounces) roasted red pepper hummus

Tri-colored fried tortilla strips

Salt and pepper

In small bowl, combine cucumber, tomato, onion and cilantro.

Add half of the lime juice and season with salt and pepper. Let relish sit at room temperature.

In blender or food processor, process 1 cup stock and salsa until smooth.

Pour mixture into medium saucepan. Add remaining stock and hummus. Season with salt and pepper and bring to boil over high heat.

Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until slightly thickened, about 15 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in remaining lime juice. Divide soup between two bowls and top with relish and tortilla strips.

Yield: 2 servings Mexican Style Paella

With chicken and sausage The lively flavors of this paella will set off a fiesta in your mouth. 1 container (16 ounces) chunky salsa (mild or medium) 12 ounces chicken tenders, patted dry 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided 12 ounces fully cooked chicken sausage or pork sausage links 3 cups low-sodium canned chicken stock, water or combination 2 cups long-grain rice 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus additional to taste, divided 1 cup frozen peas ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro or parsley

Lime wedges

Freshly ground black pepper

Remove ½ cup salsa. Set aside. In a blender or food processor, process remaining salsa until smooth.

Put chicken in a bowl, add ½ cup puréed salsa and toss to coat. Cover and marinate in refrigerator for 30 minutes or up to 2 hours.

In a high-sided sauté pan, heat 2 tablespoons oil over high heat until it simmers. Season chicken with salt and pepper and cook until just cooked through, about 3 minutes per side.

Remove to plate, loosely tent with foil and rest for 10 minutes. Slice into 2-inch pieces.

Add remaining oil to pan and heat until simmering. Cook sausage about 3 minutes per side.

Remove to plate, loosely tent with foil and rest for 10 minutes. Slice on bias into 2-inch pieces.

Wipe out pan with paper towels and add remaining puréed salsa and stock; bring to boil. Add rice and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring mixture to boil, cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender, about 18 minutes.

Remove from heat. Sprinkle peas on top. Cover with lid and sit for 5 minutes.

Fluff with fork then stir in chicken, sausage, peas and cilantro. Spoon remaining salsa on top.