Being stuck in quarantine working from home due to COVID-19 since March here in Los Angeles, we’ve had a lot of time to experiment in the kitchen using our Instant Pot, Air Fryer and toaster oven. Thanks to the Mesa de Vida team and Chef Kirsten Helle Sandoval, the founder and C(hef)EO of Mesa de Vida, we were able to try delicious sauces on a variety of dishes and without a doubt, our lunch and dinner transformed into a much more flavorful plate every single time. It helps that Mesa de Vida recipe starters and seasoning sauces are Whole30 approved, vegetarian and vegan friendly, extremely low in sodium, contain little to no fat, sugar, and is 100% Natural, non-GMO. Below are some recipe ideas along with where to purchase the products online, which make for perfect quarantine gifts that you can easily ship to friends or family.

About Chef Kirsten Helle Sandoval

Chef Kirsten is a performance and recovery chef to pro athletes, nutrition consultant, and a busy mom. As a living kidney donor with two children who have a rare genetic condition, she’s committed to the health of both her and her family.

I knew there was a way we could have it all: exciting flavors, convenience, ingredients that boost flavor AND nutrition, versatility, and above all GREAT taste.

I just had to create it for us. And thus, Mesa de Vida was born!

Flavors Available:

• Caribbean
• Creole
• Mediterranean
• North African
• Smoky Latin

Below are some dishes that we cooked up using the three different sauces (Caribbean, Creole and Smoky Latin):

Caribbean Baked Salmon

Ingredients:

• 1 lb Atlantic Skin On Salmon Fillet
• 2-3 Tbls of Mesa de Vida Caribbean Cooking & Seasoning Sauce
• Cooking spray

This dish was so tasty and gave our salmon a sweet and spicy topping. My husband was impressed as we simply sprayed the bottom of an oven safe baking dish with cooking spray, placed the salmon in the dish skin side down, then topped it with a few tablespoons of Caribbean Mesa de Vida sauce. We baked it in our toaster oven for 25-35 minutes at 400 degrees until the salmon reached an internal temp of 145 degrees. What we got was a delicious flaky, moist salmon, which we paired with garlic herbed rice.

Air Fryer Creole Chicken Thighs (Boneless and Skinless)

Ingredients:

• 2 Boneless skinless chicken thighs (can be frozen)
• 2-3 Tbls of Mesa de Vida Creole Cooking & Seasoning Sauce

We simply cooked our frozen chicken wings in our Air Fryer at 400 degrees for 20 minutes (flipping half way) until golden brown. Then, we brushed the thighs with 2-3 tablespoons of Creole sauce and put it back in the Air Fryer to cook for another 5 minutes. We made sure the chicken thighs reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees. What we got were robust tasty chicken thighs with a Creole glaze, which we’ll definitely make again!

Instant Pot Latin Mac & Cheese

We stole the recipe from the Mesa de Vida site and it definitely kicked up our Mac and cheese giving it a gourmet taste. This dish works great as a side and can easily be paired with chicken or BBQ.

Ingredients:

• 8 oz dry pasta
• 2 cups water
• 2 Tbls of Mesa de Vida Smoky Latin Cooking & Seasoning Sauce
• 2 Tbls of Sour Cream
• 2 cups shredded cheese
• 1/4 cup milk

We love Instant Pot dump and go recipes around here. You simply dump the pasta and water into the Instant Pot and set the valve to “Sealing.” Then, use the Manual or Pressure Cook button and set it to 5 minutes. After the pasta has cooked for 5 minutes, do a quick release to get rid of all the steam. Then, simply dump and mix all the ingredients (Mesa de Vida sauce, sour cream, shredded cheese, and milk) and let it sit for 5 minutes. (We used the Keep Warm function, which combined everything nicely). Reminder, it takes about 10 minutes for the Instant Pot to come to pressure.

For the full recipe, visit https://www.mesadevida.com/instant-pot-latin-gourmet-mac-and-cheese-recipe/

Where to Buy:

Mesa de Vida is available online at https://www.mesadevida.com and at Whole Foods nationwide. You can purchase a jar for $8.99 on their site.