We are in the process of collecting some simple Mexican Recipes that we will post here. We will focus more on appetizers, drinks and desserts .... fun stuff. We want to post recipes with fresh ingredients and avoid processed foods when ever possible. Oh and you will not find any Tex-Mex here. We hope to continue finding recipes and adding them to this page. 
 

This is the traditional Mexican Salsa that you find at most restaurants you can adjust the spiciness to your taste by the number and type of peppers you use. See our pepper chart below.

          1 large white onion

4 large firm Roma tomatoes

2 large cloves garlic

1 Red bell pepper

1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 or 5 hot peppers; depending on your taste   

2 freshly squeezed limes

Pinch of salt

Finely chop or lightly process (blending is an option but not authentic) all ingredients (except the lime and olive oil) and mix in a bowl, add lime juice and olive oil as you mix. Enjoy with any meal as a topping, eat it with fresh homemade tortilla chips (recipe below).

There are lots of peppers to choose from but if you break it down to 3 it makes hot, hotter and hottest easy to work with.

Hot - is the Jalapeno

Hotter - is the Serrano

Hottest - is the Habanero

So if you are preparing food with peppers and want to kick it up a notch instead of using 2 Jalapenos you can use 1 Serrano and get similar results. Be careful if you start using Habaneros ... they are hot!

Make your own fresh tortilla chips, simple and easy

8 small corn tortillas (about 6-7 inch)

Cooking Spray

Topping of your choice some suggestions are:

       *Garlic Salt

       *Onion Salt

       *Seasoning Salt

       *Barbeque Seasoning

*Cinnamon

Lightly spray the tortillas on one side with cooking oil. Sprinkle with your choice of seasoning or leave plain. Stack and cut into 4 or 6 pie shaped triangles, depending on the size of tortillas and the size of desired chips. Or leave them whole and make "Tostados". Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spread chips out on a cookie sheet and cook for 10-12 minutes. Watch them closely as they can burn easy.

You will love this great recipe and you should know that guacamole made fresh is a healthy food, full of vitamins and nutrients. “The Health Benefits of Avocado”. You should also know that store bought processed guacamole often contains less actual avocado along with oil additives and other fillers that can affect the nutritional value. Fresh made is best.

3 or 4 ripe avocados (very dark green)

1 cup Mexican salsa

½ cup finely grated white mexican cheese
   The juice of 2 or 3 freshly squeezed limes

Peel and pit the avocados place the fruit pulp in a medium sized bowl and mash with a fork. Add Mexican salsa and grated cheese. Pour in the lime juice and mix with an electric mixer. Lightly salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy with fresh homemade tortilla chips. 

Mexican scrambled eggs simple and easy to make, it’s the beans and tortillas that make it a true Mexican meal.

3 Eggs
3 Tablespoons of Fresh Mexican Salsa
Grated white mexican cheese
     

Beat the eggs in a bowl and stir in the Salsa and add some grated cheese, cook like scrambled eggs, serve with rice or hash browns, hot refried beans and fresh tortillas.

This is the true original Margarita recipe; however you can substitute Margarita Mix to make them simpler and less expensive

    4 parts good quality (white 100% agave tequila)

           2 parts cointreau

           2 parts freshly squeezed lime juice
           1 part sugar syrup or powdered sugar

Shake all ingredients with ice in a large container or jar ... or lightly blend. Serve in a large margarita glass with a kosher salted (kosher is less salty than ordinary salt) rim and garnish with a lime. You can add fruit to the mix, like strawberries, mango, passion fruit or a banana, to create a more exotic drink. If you add fruit you can hold off a bit on the sugar syrup and you will need to blend it.

A traditional Mexican favourite; fresh pineapple is important and if you use tequila make sure it is good quality, you can’t go wrong with white 100% agave.

2 parts fresh crushed pineapple (canned pineapple or juice are options)

1 part coconut cream (coconut milk not recommended)

2 parts rum (white, amber, dark or a combination ... your choice)

Vodka instead of rum makes a “Chi Chi”

Quality Tequila instead of rum makes a “Mexican Pina Colada”

Pour all ingredients over ice into a blender and blend until creamy smooth. Serve in a tall frosted glass, garnish with a wedge of pineapple, and a little umbrella.

This is a great way to cool off on a hot day, again if you use tequila make sure it’s good quality.

3 scoops of vanilla ice cream

1 oz of racialla (tequila will work)

1 oz of kahlua

1 oz of baileys

½ oz of Mexican vanilla

1 banana (or other fruit of choice)

Mix all ingredients together in a milk shake mixer or blender until creamy smooth, serve in a tall frosted glass ... enjoy.

    

This is great tropical drink low on calories and big on taste. Although it originated in Cuba it is now enjoyed almost anywhere you can find a sandy beach or a palm tree.

    2 ounces of rum  

           4 ounces of soda water

           1 freshly squeezed lime

    1 teaspoon powdered or liquid sugar

    4 or 5 fresh mint leaves

    Crushed Ice

Place the  sugar and mint leaves in a tall glass, bruise them into the sugar with a spoon. (just mash them up enough to release the natural mint flavour) pour in the rum and stir. Add crushed ice, lime juice and soda water. Enjoy !! 

 

This is a great appetizer or light meal although there are many variations of Ceviche this one is tried and true.

1 pound of fresh fish, Tuna, Halibut or some other firm fleshed fish

*You can use cleaned shrimp instead of fish or mix them together

1 cup of finely chopped onion

1 finely chopped clove of garlic

Fresh lime juice from 6 large limes

1 cup of finely chopped tomato

1 cup of finely chopped cucumber

1 or 2 finely chopped hot peppers; depending on your taste   

1 large avocado (optional)

2 tablespoons of fresh finely chopped cilantro

Place the onion and garlic in a large mixing bowl and squeeze the lime juice over the onion. Cut up the fresh fish in small diced cubes. Mix the fish in with the lime juice and onion mix. Let marinade in the refrigerator for about 4 hours, the lime juice actually cooks the fish.  Strain the excess liquid off the fish and onion mix. Add in the balance of the ingredients, mix thoroughly, salt and pepper to taste. Serve with fresh homemade tostados.

This is a simple Cheese (Queso) dip that can also be used as a topping for nachos.

4 cups of diced White Mexican Cheese (mozzarella will work)

1 cup of fresh Mexican Salsa

1 cup of cream cheese

1 finely chopped red bell pepper

Combine all ingredients except the cream cheese. Cook in a double boiler, or microwave, until the cheese is melted, stir in cream cheese just before serving. Serve hot with fresh homemade tortilla chips.

This is the most "easy as pie" recipe you will ever try and with the health benefit of Avocados you can indulge without feeling guilty.

1 - 9 inch graham cracker pie crust

2 or 3 very ripe avocados depending on size

1 cup of low fat cream cheese

1 cup freshly squeezed lime juice

1 cup sweetened condensed milk

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl using a hand mixer blend until creamy smooth, pour into the pie crust and cover, place in the refrigerator overnight (or at least 4 to 6 hours) to cool. Serve with a whip cream topping.

For a special treat, we do it all the time, put it in the freezer over night ... it comes out like an icecream cake. Cool and refreshing great on a hot day.

This is a delicious Mexican dish that your guests will beg you for the recipe.

SALSA MIX

2 cups of sour cream

2 cups of cream cheese

2 cups of Mexican Salsa

BEEF FILLER

2 lbs of lean ground beef crumbled, cooked, salt and pepper to taste

1 teaspoon of cumin stirred into the cooked beef

TOPPING

2 cups of shredded cheese (your choice)

2 diced Roma tomatoes

6 chopped green onions

Combine the first 3 ingredients (salsa mix) in a large mixing bowl, mix thoroughly. Spread a layer of the salsa mix in a large cake pan. Add a layer of ground beef and then another layer of salsa mix, a layer of hamburger and so on. Sprinkle the shredded cheese, diced tomatoes and green onions on top. Serve with fresh homemade tortilla chips.

A delicious salad dressing ... that you can also use as a veggie dip.

    3 tomatillos; a Green Mexican Tomato

    1/4 cup of cilantro

    3 hot peppers; depending on your taste 
           2 large cloves of garlic      

    2 sprigs of fresh parsley
    1 small white onion
      And
    4 cups of sour cream

Chop up ingredients place in a blender (except sour cream) and blend until creamy smooth. Combine with the sour cream in a large mixing bowl. Taste and if too strong or too hot add some more sour cream.

Simple, healthy, green and hot.

    10 tomatillos; a Green Mexican Tomato

    4-6 serrano peppers; depending on your taste

    2 ripe avocados

    1 large onion

    2 cloves of garlic

    ½ cup cilantro

    1 tablespoon salt

Chop up the tomatillos, peppers, onion, garlic and cilantro and place in a sauce pan. Cover with water, sprinkle with salt and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the tomatillos start to turn to a slightly brownish in color. 20 to 30 minutes. Add more water if needed. Drain the cooked veggies and place in a blender, add the avocado pulp. Blend until smooth. Serve with fresh homemade tortilla chips or use as a “ketchup” on tacos, hot dogs, burgers or any other food you like ketchup on.

 

This is a great BBQ delight (roughly meaning “beef jerky”). In Mexico it is a main dish combined with other Mexican staples as part of a special BBQ meal.

You require a number of (15-20) strips of beef cut length ways; with the grain. Cut them about 6 inches long and by about 1 to 1½ inches in diameter; the size of a piece of sausage or a large wiener. A good way to do this is to buy a round roast and cut it up accordingly. You need about 4-5 pounds of beef. In Mexico you can buy it over the counter, you just have to trim it up a bit.

    BEEF SEASONING

    Seasoning Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper

      or Montreal Steak Spice

    Cumin

    MARINADE

    2 Parts Italian Dressing
    1 Part Teriyaki Sauce
    1 Part Worcesterhire Sauce

    ½ cup of chopped cilantro

    Juice of 3 or 4 limes

    2 tbs sugar

    5 or 6 chopped hot peppers

    3 or 4 chopped cloves of garlic

    1 chopped white onion

Season strips of beef, all sides, cover and set aside.

Chop up all marinate ingredients and blend to a liquefied state.

Place the strips of meat into a large zip-lock bag, pour the blended marinade in and seal the bag removing all air. Place this in the fridge for 24-36 hours. We often make a double batch and freeze one for a later date.

BBQ marinated strips of beef slowly over medium heat, using the excess marinade as a BBQ sauce; brush it on as the meat cooks. Mmmm…mmm.mmm !!!

Thanks to Pablo and Diki Voigt … Diki is the head cook at Tacos y Mas … for this contribution, her late Uncle Saul used to have a little restaurant in Yelapa and this great recipe was passed down from him.

Starting Ingredients

20 Roma tomatoes

 1 Diced white onion

10 Diced garlic cloves

10 Cups of water

Place all in blender and liquefy.  Strain liquid through fine strainer into a cooking pot. While straining add 10 cups of water and bring to a boil.

Secondary Ingredients

1/2 Cup Maggi seasoning

2 Tbs Worcestershire sauce

1 Tbs Powdered chicken bouillon

2/3 Cup butter

While liquid boils add Maggi seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, powdered chicken bouillon and butter.  Cook all into soup base.

Final Ingredients

40 Corn tortillas

 2 Large diced avocados

 1 Bunch of chopped cilantro

 1 Pound of shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Cut 40 tortillas into strips, fry until crispy, drain and dry.  Place fried tortilla strips into individual soup bowls with diced avocado pieces, chopped cilantro, and shredded Monterey jack cheese.  Pour boiling liquid over final ingredients and serve.

*** Makes 10 Servings ***

A tasty meal or snack for hot day on the beach … or on the back deck when you have friends over.

    1 lb of cleaned shrimp  

           1 white onion

           1 large cucumber

    1 or 2 hot peppers
           8 limes

    ½ cup of cilantro

Slice and halve the onion and the cucumber. Spread out half of each on a platter and put the other half in a blender. Chop up the peppers (chili) and cilantro and add to the blender. Squeeze in the juice of the limes. Pour in 1/2 cup of water (agua) and liquefy. Spread the shrimp out over the bed of onions and cucumbers on the platter. Pour the blended “Aguachili” mixture over the platter, let sit for 15 minutes (for the lime to cook the shrimp) and serve with Tostitos.

You will find Roasted Red Peppers in most of the larger North American super markets; but in Mexico you see them in abundance in almost every store. This is a great way to enjoy this tasty pepper in a very delectable dip.

1 chopped garlic clove

1 (8 ounce) bar cream cheese

1 cup chopped roasted red peppers

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Salt to taste

Mix all ingredients in a food processor until creamy smooth and serve with fresh Tostitos. Let it sit for awhile before serving to allow the garlic flavour to absorb throughout the dip.

Simple and easy Shrimp Kabobs that will have them coming back for more.

1 pound of fresh large cleaned shrimp, tails attached

Marinade   

1 cup olive oil

2 or 3 chopped cloves of garlic

Juice of 5 or 6 fresh limes

1 or 2 hot peppers

1/4 cup of chopped cilantro

Mix all marinade ingredients in a blender until creamy smooth. Place shrimp in a large zip-lock bag and pour blended marinade over the shrimp. Seal the bag (remove air) and place in the refrigerator for at least 2 or 3 hours prior to your guests arriving. Remove shrimp from marinade and discard marinade. If using metal skewers, lightly coat them with oil. Place shrimp on skewers about 5 or 6 on each. Rub down the hot grill with a fresh onion to prevent from sticking. Place the skewers on the grill. Cook for about 5 minutes or until shrimp starts to curl and turn pink, turning over frequently; do not overcook.

Fresh, Delicious, Barbequed Shrimp …. less than 10 minutes after your guests arrive, what a great way to start a party