A Mexican Fiesta: Food and Recipes Galore

Black chickpea, crab and fennel verrine recipe with apple and avocado

Check out this recipe via La Tartine Gourmande that combines chickpeas, crab and fennel in a ceviche-like mixture that is perfect for lunch outdoors. 

You need:

• 200 g (1 heaped cup) cooked black chickpeas
• 200 g fresh crab meat, diced
• 1 large avocado, pitted and finely diced
• 1 medium fennel bulb, finely sliced
• 1 medium red apple, cored and finely diced
• Black sesame seeds, to taste
• 6 pink radishes, finely sliced

Dressing:

• Sea salt
• 2 limes
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger (or fresh)
• 1 garlic clove, peeled and minced
• 1 tablespoon chopped coriander
• 2 tablespoons hazelnut oil
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• Red peppercorn, ground, to taste

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine the lime juice with the sea salt, garlic, and ginger.
• Add the oils and whisk to emulsify.
• Season with ground red peppercorn to taste, and stir in the coriander. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, combine the chickpeas, crab meat, avocado and apple. Toss gently with the fennel and radishes.
• Add the dressing and toss gently. Sprinkle with black sesame seeds, and serve.

Roasted Chickpea Fajita Recipe

directions:

(Source: twopeasandtheirpod.com)

Wahaca-Sustainable Mexican Food in London

Several restaurateurs have made it their mission to bring authentic Mexican food to the U.K. For example, Thomasina Miers, the founder of Wahaca, was a pioneer in this arena. 

Miers sated, “I started Wahaca because I genuinely thought Mexican food was the biggest global culinary secret and I wanted people to know that Tex-Mex wasn’t real Mexican.” 

(Source: instagr.am)

Mexican Pancakes from Strawberries in Paris

This Mexican pancake recipe is perfect for adding strawberries, rasberries, or blueberries for a delicious touch. 

Ingredients:

 6 eggs
1 cup flour
1 cup milk
1/2 cup sugar
a couple tbsp of butter, room temp
more sugar for dusting

Directions:

Heat up nonstick pan to medium. Spray with a bit of vegetable oil. Pour enough batter to coat the pan and cook for about 1 minute. When almost done cooking, spread 1/2 tbsp of butter and 1/2 tbsp of sugar along the length of the pancake! Roll up and serve!

(Source: strawberriesinparis.com)

Mexican Spaghetti Squash Casserole Recipe

Try out this Mexican meal that is sure to please at a family dinner or a Mexican celebration. I love this beautiful picture and recipe via GlutonFree Goddess of the peppered spaghetti squash. Delish!

Mayan Lime Chicken Soup

A classic recipe and perfect comfort food for the fall, here is a great Mayan recipe that is sure to please all that try it! The recipe below is an Americanized version, to make it easier for those in the U.S. to locate the ingredients and replicate the soup.

Here is the recipe for a traditional Mayan “Sopa de Lima”:

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 medium Onions — finely chopped 
3 medium Tomatoes (or 1 14-oz. Can Tomatoes) — peeled and chopped 
1 Poblano Pepper — seeded and chopped 
2 Serrano Chilies — chopped 
6 cups Chicken Stock 
1/2 Lime 
1 Skinless Boneless Chicken Breast salt and pepper — to taste 
6 Corn Tortillas — cut into thin strips 
1 Lime — 1/2 for garnish 
Salt and Pepper to taste
Oil For Sauteing Tortilla Strips 
Avocado

Directions: In a large saucepan, heat the oil, then saute the onion until soft. Add the green pepper and stir for one minute, then add the tomato. Cook down for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the serrano chilies and the stock. Squeeze the lime juice into the broth and add the lime shell—bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 2 minutes.

Halve the chicken breast, pound down, and put into the soup to simmer, covered, for 10 minutes, until tender. While the soup is simmering, pour oil in a skillet to a depth of about 1/4 inch. When hot, saute the tortilla strips in batches, flipping until they are crisp, then draining on paper towels. Also, cut 6 little decorative slices of lime from 1/2 lime. When the chicken is done, remove it and slice into fine strips. Return to the soup and season with salt and pepper to taste. When ready to serve, ladle into flat soup bowls., Squeeze fresh lime into each bowl, top with crispy tortillas, and chunks of Avocado and put the little reserved lime slices on the flat rims of the bowls. Serve hot immediately.

(Source: mayanbeachgarden.com)

**Red Pepper Mayonnaise**

This recipe is a delicious accompaniment to fried oysters, like the ones pictured above but can also be a great hamburger, hot dog, breaded chicken or meat sauce. All you’ll need are the ingredients below and a strong arm for whisking  (or a held electric beater, a food processor, or a stick blender) to make this easy mayonnaise. This is much tastier than anything you’ll find and infinitely better than the jarred factory kind. All you need are good eggs, a combination of olive and sunflower oils. Besides the pepper, you can flavor it as you like, adding garlic or lemon juice; parsley and tarragon for an herb version. The red peppers are a lightly spicy touch that is sure to be a tasty change from your usual mayo.

Ingredients

• 1 egg yolk
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup sunflower oil or other vegetable oil
• 1 garlic clove
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons sweet Spanish pimentón
• 1/2 teaspoon hot Spanish pimentón
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

Click here for the recipe’s instructions.

A Very Hot Quesadilla

It’s true that quesadillas are great for any occasion— whether it be lunch or dinner, aten as an appetizer, or even as a filling breakfast. Although there is a traditional style and flavor to quesadillas, they’re also great for creating more creative dishes, such as this one mixed with spinach and cheese.  For this recipe, simple spinach, anherb mixture and feta was used but you could easily use mozzarella, monterrey jack or a queso fresco cheese.

Spinach and Feta Quesadillas

(makes 1 quesadilla)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1/2 cup spinach (steamed and squeezed to drain)
1 tablespoon herbs (chopped, I used mint, dill and parsley)
1 green onion (sliced)
1 handful feta (crumbled)
salt and pepper to taste
2 (8 inch) tortillas
2 handfuls kasseri or mozzarella or jack (grated)

Directions:
1. Mix the spinach, herbs, green onions, feta, salt and pepper in a bowl.
2. Melt a touch of butter in a pan.
3. Place a tortilla into the pan, swirl it around in the butter and repeat with the second tortilla.
4. Sprinkle some cheese on the tortilla followed by the filling and then more cheese and finally the other tortilla.
5. Cook until the quesadilla is golden brown on both sides and the cheese is melted. (I placed a plate onto the quesadilla and flipped it from the pan to the plate and then slid it back into the pan.)

(Source: closetcooking.com)