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 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 and cooking including Italian Cooking, Jalapeno Stuffed Olives, Cheese Recipes, Dinner Party Ideas, Boost your metabolism, Easy and Quick Dinners, Chocolate Covered Strawberries, Chocolate Covered Potato Chips.
Keep a lookout for more of her articles on this website.

Did You Know?

What are the kitchen basics I need?
Kitchen basics that every kitchen should have are pots and pans (in a variety of sizes), measuring cups, measuring spoons, mixing bowls and an assortment of kitchen gadgets that make life easier.

One of these gadgets is a can opener. Being forced to saw off the bottom of a can could take a little of the fervor away from cooking. Also consider keeping whisks, spatulas and tongs as part of your cooking basics.

Another item basic that is used often is a drainer/strainer. These can come in the form of bowls or be part of a boiling pan set. It is used to drain spaghetti water from the pasta or can be used for anything similar.