Mexican Dishes and Recipes for Gringos in Mexico

Tasty Mexican Holiday Recipes!

Here are some tasty, exciting and colorful recipes. Each honors the Mexican flag by using the country's three colors: green, white and red. Combine these recipes together with grilled steak, chicken or fish and have yourself an authentic Mexican Revolutionary Fiesta for a Mexican Holiday or any day you want to add some spice to your life! They all taste great accompanied by my Favorite Drink - Cadillac Margarita!

¡Viva Mexico! ¡Viva la Revolución!

MEXICAN SALSA FRESCA

This salsa is pure Mexico. It's fresh. It's delicious. It's easy to make and it's thoroughly patriotic! Preparation time is about 45 minutes and this will make about a quart.

1 large white onion, finely diced
6 large tomatoes, finely diced
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 to 6 chile peppers (jalapeño or serrano)
(remove seeds if you want to lower the heat level!)
juice of 2 limes
1 tbsp Orange juice
1 tbsp salt

Mix all ingredients together in bowl. Cover and refrigerate for up to three days. Use with chips, on tacos, tostadas or as a condiment to any Mexican dish.

MEXICAN CEVICHE

Ceviche originated in remote parts of coastal Mexico where seafood was plentiful but refrigeration rare. Local fishermen (or probably their wives) discovered a recipe for this appetizer that is light, low in calories and has become popular all over California, the Baja peninsula and mainland Mexico because of its subtle but spicy taste. Serves approximately 6 to 8 people, depending on their appetites and takes only about 20 minutes to prepare after the fish has "cooked" (one to three hours). The colors here are also 100% red, white and green. This is one dish you can really get creative with!

2 pounds cubed white fish or bay scallops, raw
5 - 10 fresh diced chiles (serrano or jalapeño)
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 onion, diced
3 ripe tomatoes, diced
1 - 2 cloves garlic, minced garlic
1 avocado, diced
1 bunch cilantro, with stems removed and diced
1 tsp brown sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups limejuice
1/2 cup lemon juice
Tortilla chips, taco / tostada shells or saltine crackers

In a large bowl combine fish with limejuice. Cover and refrigerate for one to three hours, stirring occasionally. Fish should become quite white and scallops will lose translucent appearance. (Once this happens, you will know that the lime and lemon juice has "cooked" them and they are quite okay to eat.) Toss gently but thoroughly, making sure all fish is coated with lemon-lime mixture.

Add all other ingredients, and gently toss. Serve in a bowl surrounded with chips, tortillas or saltine crackers. If time allows and you enjoy the modern convenience of a refrigerator, consider preparing a larger serving and store for a bit later in the day. It will take on an even zestier flavor once allowed to chill for an hour or two!

TEAQUE SLAW

A typical and tasty salad from Mexicali that tastes better the next day. This slaw (pronounced Tay-AH-kay) is so very good and it's simple to make too. Serves six and takes 20 minutes to prepare. Like other suggested holiday dishes, it's also red, white and green! Your biggest challenge with this dish is keeping hands out of the bowl until it has a chance to sit overnight!

1 large head cabbage, shredded
1 lb Chihuahua or Jack cheese, grated
2 large tomatoes, chopped
1 large white onion, chopped
2 - 3 fresh jalapeños, chopped
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

Dressing:
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tsp oregano Oregano
Salt and freshly ground pepper ground pepper to taste.

Combine all ingredients and chill overnight (if you're lucky) in the refrigerator.

Baja Fried Rice Recipe by the BajaGringo

BAJA FRIED RICE
BajaGringo's Own Secret Recipe

Okay, here goes. I am finally going to give up one of my BIG SECRETS! After you see the recipe you won't believe how simple yet delicious this really is.

Always on the lookout for a different spin on the ordinary, an alternative to Spanish Rice occurred to me one day in my kitchen. The result is this zesty recipe that has become one of my most requested dishes. Chinese Fried Rice has always been a personal favorite and I thought why not try it with a Mexican Flair? My friends and family love it and have tried unsuccessfully to get the recipe out of me for years.

It was one of my best kept secrets – until now! The great thing about this recipe is that I never make it exactly the same way twice. The following is the BASIC RECIPE and you can get creative once you get it down. Here’s what you will need to get started:

Equipment

wok or deep frying pan
large bamboo or teflon spatula

Main Ingredients

½ lb. Spanish Chorizo (Chorizo Español), diced
1 large white onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
½ cup green peas
2 cups cooked rice (allow to chill)

BajaGringo’s Fried Rice Seasoning

1 tsp. chili powder
¼ tsp. cumin
¼ tsp. garlic salt
¼ tsp. oregano
¼ tsp. cornstarch
1 tsp. Dehydrated Onion Flakes

Instructions

Mix the seasoning ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside. Dice the chorizo into one quarter inch cubes and fire up the wok. On medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of cooking oil and once the oil simmers add the diced onions and chorizo. Lightly brown the onions and chorizo and then add an additional 2 to 3 tablespoons of cooking oil to the wok. Turn the heat up to medium-high and slowly work the cooked rice into the wok, turning it over to ensure all of the rice is lightly coated. Heat for about 10 minutes on medium-high heat and turn the rice a few times, until the rice begins to brown. Add the BajaGringo Fried Rice Seasoning you prepared and work the seasoning into the rice with your spatula.

Turn the heat down to medium, add the diced red, green and yellow bell peppers in addition to the green peas to the rice and blend in with your spatula. Heat for 3 to 5 minutes, turning the rice occasionally and then turn the heat down to medium low. Add salt to taste, cover the wok for another 2 to 3 minutes and then remove from the heat. Sometimes I like to add some thinly sliced red onions to the top of the rice before serving, which makes a very attractive and colorful dish on your table.

You can experiment by substituting your favorite stir fry vegetables as well as adding chicken, beef, shrimp, pork and even diced fried egg. If you don’t want to go to the trouble of having to pre-cook the rice, or if you are on a tight schedule you can just buy some cooked rice in the frozen section (which probably comes with vegetables).

Baja Fried Rice goes great with any Mexican dish and to top it off I suggest you accompany your meal with one of my Classic Cadillac Margaritas!

Treat your friends and family to my "Baja Fried Rice".

Enjoy - Provecho!

MEXICAN FLAG COOKIES

For dessert, what could be more perfect than red, white and green Mexican flag cookies?! Why, nothing, of course! This recipe makes about three-dozen cookies and takes about two and a half hours to prepare altogether.

2 pkg. active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water
2 cups butter (4 sticks), softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
4 1/2 cups sifted flour
Red and green colored sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Dissolve yeast in warm (not hot) water. Cream butter and sugar together, beating until light and fluffy. Add in a lightly beaten egg. Blend in dissolved yeast, then gradually stir in flour. Chill dough for about 2 hours. Shape into 3/4" balls. Dip one side in red sugar, the other in green sugar, leaving a clear stripe down the center. Place on buttered cookie sheets. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove from immediately to wire racks to cool.