Huevos Rancheros

Spicy, flavorful, and hearty, this traditional Mexican dish is ideal for breakfast, brunch, or dinner

The name translates as “Eggs Rancher’s Style.” It probably originated as a rib-sticking breakfast for ranch hands who needed to fuel up for a day of heavy labor.

We’re not cowboys, so we tend to serve Huevos Rancheros for brunch or dinner.

But anytime you eat this, you’ll want to say yippee-ki-yay.

Mexican-Spiced Braised Short Ribs

Hearty and flavorful, this dish will warm up autumn

Chillier weather is headed our way. So we’re pulling out the braising pot – which is dusty after not being used all summer.

Braised beef short ribs are a fave around here. And we love Mexican-style dishes, so adding chilies is a natural.

We think you’ll love these short ribs. Serve them to guests, and they’ll love you too.

Pasilla Negro Chile and Tomato Sauce

Great for meat, seafood, tacos, enchiladas – or pretty much anything

Pasilla negro chilies – also called pasilla chilies or sometimes chile negro – have deep, haunting flavor. But they’re not too hot for comfort.

Here, we pair them with fire-roasted tomatoes for a tangy sauce. One that’s great on almost any meat (try it with steak), rich seafoods (swordfish, anyone?), or Mexican-style dishes like tacos, enchiladas, and burritos.

You might even be tempted to dip a tortilla chip into it. Go ahead – we won’t tell.

Chicken and Black Bean Nacho Dip

All the flavor of regular nachos, but easier to make (and eat)

Nachos! What could be better?

Well, how about easier-to-make nachos that don’t fall apart on the way to your mouth?

Enter this nacho dip. All the traditional nacho yum in a dip that stays put on tortilla chips.

Your washing machine will thank you.

Taco Soup with Chicken

Traditional flavor in a quick dish = easy Taco Tuesday

Tacos. What’s not to like? Well, they can be messy to eat, OK. But we have a fix for that.

Taco Soup gives you all the flavor with none of the greasy lap blobs. It’s an easy one-pot dish that’s perfect for weeknight dinner. But it’s still jazzy enough for weekends.

Of course, this dish is a natural for your Cinco de Mayo celebration next week. And May 5th just happens to fall on a Tuesday this year.

We think that’s a sign.

Mexican-Spiced Green Bean Salad

A tasty and tongue-tingling starter (or side)

When you think of Mexican-style food, you may not picture salad. Let’s change that, shall we?

This green-bean salad works with any Mexican-themed meal. But its mild spicing plays well with other cuisines, too.

Healthy, tasty, versatile. That’s our kind of Mexican hat trick.

Deconstructed Fajitas with Grits

Fajita flavor taken to the next level

Don’t you hate it when your taco falls apart? Just as you’re ready to take a juicy bite, fajita strips and onions land on your lap.

Fortunately, we’ve found a better way. We disassembled this dish and substituted a bed of cheesy, spicy grits for tortilla wraps. Our version of fajitas is easier to make — and even tastier than the original. Not to mention better looking than a lap full of grease.

Take that, gravity.

Slow-Cooker Mexican Shredded Chicken

Easy and tasty, great for tacos, burritos, and enchiladas

Yearning for some spicy Mexican, but don’t want to heat up the kitchen during those long summer months? Just plug in the slow cooker – it’s a cool way to make hot Mexican dishes.

This recipe for shredded chicken is easy, tasty, and versatile. You might call it Mexcellent.

Carnitas in Adobo Sauce

A richly flavored Mexican favorite

Most of us know about adobo sauce, right? It’s the stuff that canned chipotle chilies are packed in. But have you ever made homemade adobo? It’s a great sauce or marinade for meat, especially pork.

Our method for making adobo sauce is quick and easy. And in this post, we serve the sauce with its best friend, carnitas.

So get ready to pig out for Cinco de Mayo.

Mexican-Style Pork Carnitas

Use this succulent meat in tacos or as a main course

Carnitas means “little meats.” In Mexico, you often find these served as “street food,” usually in freshly made corn tortillas. But you can also use the meat in tamales, burritos, sandwiches — or just piled up on a plate.

Carnitas are perfect for festive occasions (think Cinco de Mayo). So grab that party sombrero and get your Mexican on.

Salsa Verde with Roast Tomatillos

Wonderful as a dip or sauce for grilled meat or fish

Ready for some bright, tangy flavor? Just dish up the Salsa Verde.

This dish, which is made with tomatillos, takes just minutes to whip up. It’s equally good at room temperature or chilled, so you can prepare a batch at the last minute while you’re grilling meat or fish.

Best of all, it will turn your next ordinary meal into a fiesta.

Deconstructed Fish Tacos with Grits

Just in time for Cinco de Mayo, a new twist on a classic dish

Tacos are the ultimate fast food.

So let’s slow them down a bit, shall we? Because sometimes we need to savor. This dish keeps all the flavor of the original, but makes things more knife-and-fork friendly.

We replace corn tortillas with grits (also made from corn, so lots of savor there). Then we mound the other ingredients on top, for an open-faced taco.

The result is fancy (and good) enough for a dinner party. But easy enough for a quick meal. Nothing fishy about that.

Strawberry-Chipotle Salsa with Jalapeño

Terrific as a dip, even better as a sauce

Fresh, ripe strawberries? We can’t resist. But what to do with all those cartons of luscious berries?

Sweets and desserts are a natural, of course. But strawberries like to go savory once in a while. Especially when they can flaunt a bit of heat, as they do here.

Serve this salsa with tortilla chips as an appetizer. Better yet, pair it with roasted or grilled meat, fish, or fowl. We particularly like to serve it with pork or duck, but it also works well with chicken or salmon.

We always knew strawberries could be saucy. But now they’re really hot.

Cinco de Mayo Recipe Roundup

Hard-Shell Taco

Loads of tasty ideas for a Mexican-style feast

No new recipe this week. We have spring fever, and are playing hooky.

But we can’t let our readers go hungry. So we’ve collected some past recipes that are appropriate for Cinco de Mayo.

Get ready to fiesta like there’s no mañana.

Tex-Mex Shredded-Beef Enchiladas

Red chile sauce and melted cheese liven up this classic dish

Enchiladas are a favorite with us. And their variety is endless.

We’re especially partial to Tex-Mex enchiladas: Corn tortillas wrapped around a savory filling, then covered in chile sauce and baked (usually with a thick coating of melted cheese). Yummo!

And when the filling is shredded beef, they’re pretty much irresistible.

Shredded-Beef Soft Tacos

Chilies spice up this easy-to-make Mexican dish

We can’t say no to tacos. Who can resist their luscious combination of corn tortillas, spicy chilies, savory meat, and cheese?

In the US, most people seem to favor ground beef for taco filling. But we prefer to use Mexican-style braised beef that’s been shredded. The flavor is deeper, plus the shredded meat has a more interesting texture.

And what about the tortillas? Well, we love the crispy Hard-Shelled Tacos that are a tradition in many Tex-Mex restaurants. But given a choice, we’ll take soft tacos any day of the week.

With soft tortillas, you don’t have to worry about the taco shell shattering when you take your first bite (there’s nothing messier than a taco that disintegrates in your hands). More important, when making soft tacos, you can use your own Homemade Tortillas. Freshly baked tortillas are amazing, and we grab any opportunity to use them.

So soft tacos give you wonderful flavor and loads of zip in an easy-to-eat package. Don’t you love the taste of Mexico?

Easy Homemade Corn Tortillas

Mexican comfort food—and it’s gluten free

It’s hard to imagine a Mexican meal without corn tortillas. Having tacos or enchiladas? Corn tortillas are integral to both dishes. Want to start with salsa and chips? Crispy thin tortillas play a starring role. Serving a spicy mole or seafood dish? Warm tortillas slathered with butter make a great accompaniment.

You can buy ready-made tortillas in the grocery store, and they’re serviceable in a pinch. But they can be bit bland. In fact, when it comes to taste and texture, packaged tortillas can’t compete with freshly made.

Fortunately, it takes only minutes to make corn tortillas in your own kitchen. So why not? It’s loads cheaper and tons healthier. Not to mention perfect for your big Cinco de Mayo blowout.

Mexican Charro Beans

Use black or pinto beans for a zippy dish of Frijoles Charros

Who doesn’t like a side of beans when you’re eating Mexican? They’re the perfect accompaniment to tacos, enchiladas, or just about anything else.

You could have refried beans, of course. But we prefer something with a bit more zing. So we turn to Frijoles Charros—brothy Mexican-style beans enhanced with succulent pork (we vote for bacon), spicy chilies, and tangy tomato.

They’re easy to make, and actually taste better if prepared a day ahead. Convenient! And they’re perfect for Cinco de Mayo. Which just happens to be coming up in a few weeks (funny how that works in the blogging world).

Chipotle Cherry Salsa

Spicy and a bit sweet . . . great with chips or as a sauce on meat or fish

Fresh cherries? Yum! Their sweet flavor makes for such wonderful pies, tarts, and other dessert goodies.

But, hey, cherries can do savory too. As this recipe shows.

Just combine cherries with spicy chipotle and jalapeño chilies in a rich salsa. The result? A tasty and versatile dish that fits in anywhere. Serve it as a first course with chips. Or use it as a sauce to accompany pork, fish, or chicken.

Best of all, Chipotle Cherry Salsa is simple to prepare. And with peak cherry season upon us in much of the US, now is the perfect time to try it.

Shrimp in Chipotle Sauce

Spicy tomato zips up this traditional Mexican dish

When Americans think of Mexican food, we picture tacos, enchiladas, and refried beans. But seafood? Not so much.

Which is odd, because Mexico has a long coastline with some extremely productive fishing grounds. Mexicans eat lots of seafood, and many famous seafood dishes are well known throughout the country. It’s just that many of us gringos aren’t familiar with them.

With Cinco de Mayo on the horizon, you may be planning a festive menu. So how about a traditional shrimp dish from Veracruz? It has all the zesty flavor you expect from Mexican food, but it’s lighter and healthier than many of the dishes you may know.

Sounds like a winner. Olé!