Up for Grabs: Nueva Cocina gift basket of Latin inspired mixes

My husband and I consider ourselves adventurous eaters and often turn towards ethnic recipes when we want something a little more exciting than plain chicken or pasta. The problem I have with many ethnic recipes is that they tend to be a little bit more time consuming than I can really handle on a busy weeknight! I was recently sent a selection of Latin inspired mixes from Nueva Cocina and think this line of products offers a great balance between quick and natural and the complexity of flavors that I love about ethnic foods. If you are not familiar with Nueva Cocina, here is some information about them from their website:

Nueva Cocina® is the nation’s first line of all-natural, authentic and contemporary, Latin rice dishes, seasonings and soups. We are two Latina entrepreneurs who met in college and shared a passion for Latin cuisine. Our idea for a product line of all natural, authentic and convenient Latin foods had been brewing in our minds for years. It wasn’t until 2003 that we partnered to form Nueva Cocina® Foods – introducing the idea that exceptional tastes in Latin food can be easily achieved at home.

 

Nueva Cocina offers a number of different mixes including things like rice mixes, soup mixes, seasoning, and more. They use 100% natural ingredients. There is nothing artificial in these mixes and they contain no MSG or preservatives!. Almost all of them are gluten free and vegetarian. You can find these mixes in a number of major grocery store chains like Whole Foods, Publix and Krogers. Check out their store locator if you would like to find them near you.

 

 Nueva Cocina Latin Mixes

 

For my review, I received the products shown above which include  a sweet corn soup, a seafood rice mix, coconut raisin rice, and  a beef and taco seasoning. I was really pleased to see how absolutely quick and easy these mixes are to use. For the corn soup, you just have to add a little milk and/or water and simmer gently for  a short time. The beef and taco seasoning is different than other taco seasoning packets I have used in that it isn’t just a powdered seasoning mix…there are bits and pieces of actual dehydrated veggies in this packet as well. All of the packages have very easy to understand ingredient lists and directions on the back.

 

 

My favorite was probably the Paella de Mariscos (AKA Rice Mix  for Seafood). As a New England native, I love seafood and Paella is a classic seafood dish of Spain. This is a simple one pot meal and the seafood you choose to include is flexible. I went with scallops but you could easily do shrimp or cubes of a firm white fish. I also added a little extra onion and bell pepper, only because I had a ton from the garden that I had to use up! Of course, I realized after my family and I inhaled the entire pot that I had neglected to take a picture of the final product! Let me assure you that it was absolutely delicious! Flavorful with lots of bits of vegetables and not at all salty which is sometimes a problem with other mixes. If you love bold flavors and seafood I think  you will really enjoy this one!

 

Buy Nueva Cucina on Amazon:

Win a Nueva Cocina gift basket:

Nueva Cocina has given me permission to give one of my readers a gift basket of their assorted mixes. This is a Rafflecopter giveaway. If you don’t see the form, just click the READ MORE text below to enter the contest. This contest ends at midnight EST on July 23rd, 2012.

 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer:  In accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials.”: I received product samples  in exchange for my honest review. I received no monetary compensation. All opinions expressed here are mine and mine alone. Some of the links in this post may be “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers.