Traditional Mexican Foods Recipes Food Cooking International Guide
Traditional Mexican Foods Are Easy To Cook In Your Kitchen
By Patricia Gorginas
Traditional Mexican foods are rather popular around my area.
There are so many Mexican restaurants, and Mexican foods available
in many food stores, that people are looking at ways to make their
own Mexican meals using Mexican food ingredients. Many of the
ingredients in Mexican food recipes are available in many food
stores and are often rather inexpensive.
You can use simple ingredients like tomatoes, peppers, garlic
and oregano in your Mexican dishes. Many of these ingredients
can be grown in your own garden, in order to use garden fresh
ingredients in your salads and meals. There is nothing more delicious,
than adding freshly squeezed lemon juice on almost any salad,
to make a bland salad much more exciting.
Better Variety Of Meals Prepared In Your Kitchen
You can review your options and increase the variety of meals
cooked in your kitchen, by using Mexican recipes to create delicious
meals with ingredients that are easy to find in food stores and
grow in your own garden.
Many of the ingredients can be replaced with alternatives. If
the peppers are too hot, then use mild peppers. The taste may
be a little bland, but you do not have to run to the fridge to
get some cold water for your mouth, to put the fire out.
Spicy and hot ingredients are one of the more appealing aspects
of traditional Mexican foods.
Easy To Prepare Meals With Simple Ingredients
One of the most popular of foreign cuisines hails from our neighbors
in Mexico. Americans have embraced traditional Mexican food with
unabashed enthusiasm and, with good reason. Unlike complicated
French or Middle Eastern recipes, traditional Mexican foods are
based on simple ingredients which are readily available here in
the States, easily prepared and budget friendly.
Adding Punch With Spicy Seasonings
Most traditional Mexican foods rely on spicy seasonings, which
add punch to the taste of blander staples, such as rice, beans
and cheese. At the same time, these spicy dishes help the diner
stay cool in hot weather.
Authentic Mexican dishes are often a bit spicy for the American
palate – unless you live in one of the hotter summer regions of
the U.S. - in which case, you’ll welcome that extra spice! Common
seasonings of traditional Mexican food includes cumin, garlic,
onions, cayenne pepper and oregano.
Mole Is A Savory Meat Sauce Available In Many Food Stores
Chocolate is used to make mole, a savory meat sauce, said to
have been the creation of some imaginative nuns preparing a feast
for a visiting bishop. This sauce may now be purchased in commercially
prepared jars at any large supermarket.
Beef and chicken are the meats we most commonly associate with
Mexican entrees. However, in the typical Mexican menu, relatively
small amounts of meat are mixed with more generous quantities
of other ingredients, such as rice and beans.
Adding Cinnamon To Make Delicious Mexican Coffee
Cinnamon is used in the famous Mexican coffee as well as desserts,
such as ‘wedding cookies’, a simple puff pastry, baked in a triangular
shape and sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar. For a delicious coffee
treat, try adding a ½ teaspoon of cinnamon to the coffee brewing
basket and top each cup with a bit of whipped cream.
Let’s see what you can do with just these basic staples in your
cupboard to put a nutritious meal on the table at very little
expense.
Making Chile Rellenos At Home
You can whip up a pan of chile rellenos with just four eggs,
a little milk, a cup of Grated cheddar cheese and several fresh
or canned Jalapeno peppers. Rinse and core the peppers, removing
seeds and the bitter pith. Grease a 9-inch square baking dish.
In a separate bowl, scramble the eggs, adding just a quarter
cup of milk. Pour half the egg mixture into the pan, distribute
the peppers evenly and cover with the remaining egg and all of
the cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until
the eggs are firm.
Making Enchiladas The Easy Way
Enchiladas, perhaps the most traditional Mexican food, are a
snap. Warm flour tortillas to soften. Fill with a few tablespoons
of rice, finely diced tomatoes and cooked, shredded beef or chicken.
Fold into thirds, securing each with a toothpick.
Place the enchiladas in a baking pan, cover with canned enchilada
sauce and top off with shredded Cheddar. Bake at 350 degrees for
just 30 minutes. For a restaurant style presentation, a dollop
of sour cream or guacamole makes this an even tastier meal, while
still inexpensive.
Making Refried Beans In Your Kitchen
Refried beans may be purchased in cans, but it’s cheaper to make
this traditional Mexican food from scratch. Soak the dried beans
overnight in water to cover. Salt and simmer as directed on the
package. Drain well, then partially mash with a potato masher.
Freeze in 2-cup containers for several ready home made future
meals. Refried beans make a good side for almost any Mexican dish.
When ready to serve, just fry and turn them frequently until heated.
Spanish Style Rice As A Side Dish
Spanish style rice is another good side dish on our list of traditional
Mexican foods. Add some finely diced fresh Jalapeno peppers and
diced tomatoes to a batch of rice. Add a dash of cumin if you
wish for extra spark.
Burritos make an easy and filling lunch. Fill a tortilla as you
would an enchilada, but leaving a few inches open at one end,
so you can fold this Mexican style wrap closed, once filled. Layer
the ingredients, starting with a few tablespoons of refried beans,
then shredded beef or chicken, a handful of grated cheese and
another thin layer of refried beans. Fold the open end over in
a half-moon shape and roll as you would an enchilada.
Time For The Popular Tacos
Tacos are an American favorite among the traditional Mexican
foods. Purchased taco shells are easiest and quickest to assemble.
Layer cooked ground beef or chicken, diced onion and tomatoes,
a couple of fresh cilantro sprigs, shredded lettuce and cheddar
cheese. Top it off with a tablespoon of sour cream.
Next time you’re wondering how to stretch your food budget ’til
payday, think traditional Mexican food dishes! In fact, making
large batches of enchiladas, burritos, refried beans and Spanish
style rice and freezing them can come in quite handy for a rainy
day on the family budget, or be a ready-to-warm meal for a ravenous
teenager!
Growing Your Own Herbs, Fruit And Vegetables In Your Garden
A lot of the ingredients used in Mexican recipes are available
in many food stores, but you can grow your own herbs, fruit and
vegetables in your garden, to use fresh ingredients in your meals.
The best ingredients are those you can pick from your garden and
use in your meals the same day. Depending on your local climate
and soil conditions, you should be able to grow peppers, tomatoes,
herbs, lettuce, onions and garlic to use in your traditional Mexican
foods.
A lot of these ingredients can also be grown in a greenhouse,
to grow vegetables in climates where conditions are often harsh,
like extreme weather and bad coil conditions. If you have heavy
clay soil, you can seek advice from your local garden nursery,
to improve the quality of your soil.
Your Reward For Hard Work
Keeping your own garden, can be hard work, but you are rewarded
with fresh ingredients whenever you need them. You do not have
to rush off to the store to buy some vegetables or herbs that
were picked weeks ago. You can use garden fresh ingredients picked
from your garden, on the same day.
You should also have a number of fruit trees nearby, including
lemon and orange trees. Lemons are especially useful to use in
your salads, adding that extra zing to your meals, especially
if you are on a low fat diet and you do not want to add a salad
dressing on your salad, adding freshly squeezed lemon juice to
your salad, makes for a delicious alternative to a salad dressing.
As you can see there are many ways you can use fresh ingredients
to make traditional mexican foods.
About the Author:
Patricia Gorginas has written a number of articles on food, easy dinners, cooking and recipes including
Quick Recipes,
Italian Cooking,
Dinner Party Ideas,
Chocolate Cake,
Muffin Baskets,
Cheese Recipes,
Food And Wine,
Boost Your Metabolism,
Italian Food,
French Food.
Keep a lookout for more of her articles on this website.
Did You Know?
Have you ever wondered why some athletes stock up on carbohydrates
before a game? It is because those pasta dishes are filled with
lots of calories that the athletes need in order to fuel their
performance.
Athletes are not the only ones, though, that love lasagna and
pasta. Many people find great comfort in those buttery noodles
and rich sauces. If you are not familiar with making homemade
Italian dishes then you just need the right recipe. Luckily enough
for you, there are plenty of great recipe books you can buy.
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