# Favorite Mexican meals



## rickell (Apr 10, 2006)

We love Mexican food and I am looking for new ideas.

We make tacos, enchiladas mostly but again I love
trying new things.

Thanks


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## BreezyCooking (Apr 10, 2006)

I, too, love them all, & cook Mexican food frequently.  Sometimes authentic; sometimes more TexMex; sometimes more commercial.

This week I picked up some blue cornmeal crisp taco shells & am thinking of trying a crockpot chicken taco filling I recently got a recipe for.  Please note that I have NOT tried this recipe before, so I'm not providing it as a tried & true recipe.

Crockpot Sour Cream Salsa Chicken 
4 skinless boneless chicken breast halves 
1 package regular or reduced-sodium taco seasoning mix 
1 cup + commercial salsa - you may need more salsa to keep chicken moist
2 tablespoons cornstarch 
1/4 cup light sour cream **
Spray the crockpot with cooking spray. Add the chicken 
breasts. Sprinkle with taco seasoning. Top with salsa. 
Cook on low for 6-8 hours. 
When ready to serve, remove the chicken from the pot. 
Place about 2 T cornstarch in a small amount of water. 
Stir well. Stir the cornstarch mixture into salsa 
sauce. Stir in 1/4 cup of sour cream. 
 
**Note: I don't use "light or non-fat" dairy products - feel they have more damaging things added into them than the fat & have lousy taste to boot, so I'll be using regular sour cream.
 
I'm thinking the above recipe may end up being too salty, so I am already planning to have a carton of low-sodium chicken broth at the ready to thin things out if necessary.


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## texasgirl (Apr 10, 2006)

You want me to pick a favorite???????? Not possible!!!
I love them all!! LOL


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## auntdot (Apr 10, 2006)

One of my favorites is mole, chicken, turkey, or pork.

Now there are a lot of mole recipes out there, and they vary from very complex to relatively simple.

Would try the stuff in a restaurant first.

And then hit the web to find one you are happy with.


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## velochic (Apr 11, 2006)

I'm a big fan of the side dishes.  We tend to eat a lot of the same main dishes, but I like to serve different bean, rice, veggie, and cornmeal-based sides.  Maybe you can do a search for different sides to switch it up a bit, too.


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## BreezyCooking (Apr 11, 2006)

Yes - I like the sides too.  I particularly like tweaking Mexican-style beans - either regular or refried - with raw or sauteed onion, chopped cilantro, garlic, tomatoes, etc., etc.

In fact, even tho I'm not a big fan of chain restaurants, Chili's makes wonderful side-dish beans.  They apparently add some of their freshly-made salsa to the beans, & it really adds a nice tang.


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## Sugar N' Spice (Apr 11, 2006)

I usually make enchiladas and quesadillas.  I love tamales but don't know how to make them so I usually just buy them from someone.


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## RosCoe (Apr 11, 2006)

Mexican meat markets are multiplying around here. They all sell marinated fajitas, chicken and beef ribs,  very thinly sliced. They are awesome cooked over hot coals and they only take a few minutes. We eat them with the usual suspects, pico de gall, salsa verde, flour tortillas, etc


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## Claire (Apr 15, 2006)

My husband likes me to put out the basics  

-- refried beans OR chili OR meat cooked with Mexican spices or fish/shellfish
-- corrn or flour tortillas
-- lots of chopped fresh veggies
-- a variety of salsas
-- if we're feeling decadent, some grated cheese and/or sour cream

I just put them on the table and we make our own tostadas, tacos, burritos.  This can be anything from decadent to totally healthy.  The leftovers go into a "taco salad" a couple of days later.


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## BreezyCooking (Apr 15, 2006)

Another favorite that I order out or make at home a lot is Chicken Enchiladas Suizas (sp?).  Basically, it's a chicken enchilada (flour tortilla), where the chicken filling is mixed with a green chili/sour cream sauce & grated cheese, & the enchiladas are topped with the same sauce before baking.

There are a number of versions of it around.  In fact, Martha Stewart makes one that has a little cooked spinach added to the filling as well that comes out quite good.


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## buckytom (Apr 15, 2006)

my favourite mexican dish, besides salma hayek, is a version of carne asada.

sorry, i don't have a recipe, but it is a ny strip steak that is marinated in a dry rub, grilled, then topped with salsa and served with a cheese enchiladas.


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## Angie (Apr 15, 2006)

Here is one of our faves that I concocted....

10-12 flour tortillas...the amount you need depends on how full you fill them
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 T + 1 C. milk, divided
Salsa..I blend mine cuz I don't like the chunks
2 small cans chicken breasts
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
Shredded cheese, as much as your heart desires

Filling:
In a large bowl combine cream cheese, 1 T milk and salsa till smooth. Add chicken. Add as much salsa as you want, to taste. Add some shredded cheese.

In another bowl combine soup, sour cream, salsa to taste, and 1 C. milk.

Stir 2 T soup mixture into chicken mixture.

Heat tortillas to soften..according to pkg directions.

Place 1/3 C. chicken mixture down center of each tortilla; roll up.

Place seam side down in a 9 x 13 pan that has been coated with non-stick cooking spray. Top with remaining soup mixture. Cover and bake at 350* for 30 minutes or until heated through. Uncover; sprinkle with shredded cheese. Bake 5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.


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## college_cook (Apr 15, 2006)

buckytom said:
			
		

> my favourite mexican dish, besides salma hayek, is a version of carne asada.




AMEN!


As far as experiencing new mexican dishes, I would say the best way would be to make friends with a Mexican family and get yourself invoted to dinner   Or just express your interest in mexican cuisine if you want to be polite about it.


While mexican restaurants are a great way to get familiarized with mexican dishes, they are nothing at all ike home-cooked mexican food.  I know mole was mentioned before, and that is probably one of my all-time favorite dishes, but it's no good if it's not done right.  Not to mention that there are as many ways to make mole as there are fish in the sea.

If you want to cook these things yourself, I would start with simpler things like salsas or pico de gallo, and really try to get a feel for the various ingredients used in mexican cooking.  One of my favorite part about mexican cooking is the cheese they use.  They can be absolutely mouth-watering when added to the correct dish.

If there are mexican restaurants near you that you know are near-authentic then I would recommend you try them, and try lots of different things.  The best way to get inspiration for any type of ethnic cooking is to eat alot of it first, and really try to learn about the predominant ingredients and flavors you find.


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## BreezyCooking (Apr 15, 2006)

It really is sad that so many people seem to be leery to try something new.

Last year a really nice little Mexican restaurant opened up in our town, & I was delighted to find all sorts of dishes I had never heard of or tried before.  Had a lovely dish of sliced beef tongue in a spicy green sauce that was fabulous.

Of course, a few scant months later the place changed hands & is now back to the usual tacos, enchiladas, fajitas, etc.  I was SO disappointed.


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## jpmcgrew (Apr 17, 2006)

The thing with Mexican dishes is that they are so regional that you cant lump them in one category I mean Mexico is different from New mexico in fact southern New Mexico and Northern New Mexico are different from each other then you have California,Arizona and Texas all together different.
One that dish that has not been mentioned is Chili Rellenos in other parts of the country they use the Poblano chili here in New Mexico we use the Green Chili.Basicaly it a chili stuffed with cheese or meat or both breaded and deep fried.Really good stuff.


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## jkath (Apr 17, 2006)

I'm with texasgirl - I have too many favorites!

Here's a really easy, but tasty idea:
When you can get a good roast on sale, you can slow roast the meat in the crock pot along with some green chiles & onions, fork shred it, add more onions (diced sauteed with garlic) and make a ton of beef flautas. To make one, just barely fry both sides of a flour tortilla, fill with the meat filling, roll it up, close with a toothpick and bake till golden. Serve 2-3 on a plate, topped with a dollop of guacamole**a dab of sour cream, and a black olive perched on top.
(**1 large haas avocado, mashed, but still with some chunks, 1/4 tsp salt, 1-2 tsp. fresh lemon juice, a couple of shakes of hot sauce & pepper if you'd like)


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## BreezyCooking (Apr 17, 2006)

While I have made traditional fried Chili Rellenos, I'm not a big fan of fried food so have developed a way of making them baked.  I roast & peel the Poblanos, slit them down one side & seed them, stuff them with cheese, & bake them with seasoned tomato sauce until the cheese is melted.  Served on top of Spanish or yellow rice with a green salad & a cold beer, it makes a terrific & relatively healthy vegetarian Mexican meal.


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## discreet creole (Apr 21, 2006)

jpmcgrew is absolutely right, there are far too many regons to pop in one square, whether it's the chocolate based dishes of Oaxaca (mole, chinita, posco) or the more lush varieties of the Yucatan (sopa de lima, ticul, tikin xic), it's all a matter of taste....

But there's one very important thing I haven't heard mention of, one of the few universals of Mexican food: Lime. Lime, lime, lime, lime, lime. No matter what you are cooking, add lime. Then add two more. Trust me, it will always be the one missing ingredient in almost every gringo's kitchen.


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## SizzlininIN (Apr 21, 2006)

BreezyCooking said:
			
		

> I, too, love them all, & cook Mexican food frequently. Sometimes authentic; sometimes more TexMex; sometimes more commercial.
> 
> This week I picked up some blue cornmeal crisp taco shells & am thinking of trying a crockpot chicken taco filling I recently got a recipe for. Please note that I have NOT tried this recipe before, so I'm not providing it as a tried & true recipe.
> 
> ...


 
Thanks for the recipe......I'll have to give this one a try.


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## SizzlininIN (Apr 21, 2006)

My favorites.....tacos, quesadillas, fajitas, fresh salsa, tamales.  When we go to our favorite mexican resturant I tend to eat the same thing because I absolutely love it and enjoy it (Fiesta Fajitas with beef, chicken and shrimp).


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## Shunka (Apr 21, 2006)

jpmcgrew, I grew up in the very southeastern corner of AZ and we always made rellenos with good chiles from Hatch. It wasn't until I moved to northern AZ that I saw Pablanos used.


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## rickell (Apr 24, 2006)

Shunka said:
			
		

> jpmcgrew, I grew up in the very southeastern corner of AZ and we always made rellenos with good chiles from Hatch. It wasn't until I moved to northern AZ that I saw Pablanos used.


 
Love rellenos too, how did you make them?

How about chicken mole?   I tried if the the first time
it was good, but I know it couldn't be authentic, I tried it
at La mesa big chain grill.


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## Ripliancum (Apr 24, 2006)

My personal favoret is Mole, made with Chili pepper pods, and onions, and garlic and chocolate! mmmm


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## Ripliancum (Apr 24, 2006)

rickell said:
			
		

> Love rellenos too, how did you make them?
> 
> How about chicken mole?   I tried if the the first time
> it was good, but I know it couldn't be authentic, I tried it
> at La mesa big chain grill.



I've tried to make rellenos before, and anyone who can do them well has my props.  You take the Green Chili pods, i can't remember the name of them, and you slice them open down one side and put whatever you want in them, cheese, meat.  Then you beat up some egg whites until they are all fluffy.  You then dip the stuffed chillis into the fluffed egg whites and then fry them.  If done right they are really good. I've never had much luck at all with them though.


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