Sometimes recipes develop out of necessity. This dip, for example, happened because I was out of chickpeas. (Not sure if there’s been a massive chickpea crop failure or Metro Detroit is in a chickpea feeding frenzy right now, but lately I’ve had a heckuva time finding my favorite brand of canned chickpeas!) I was out [...]
Who says you can’t have a fiesta in the wintertime? (Especially when it’s 48F outside. It’s like spring in the winter!) Unlike mexicanized restaurant food in the U.S., actual food in Mexico is fresh, vibrant, and light in a satisfying and hearty kind of way. Case in point: a crisp, refreshing version of pozole, served [...]
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American cuisine has some instant-hit classics — corn bread, macaroni and cheese, bison burgers — but compared to other cuisines, we really don’t do much with tubers. Potatoes are pretty much the extent of our tuber dabbling. And who doesn’t like potatoes? Stands to reason other tubers would be tasty, too. If you hang around [...]
Sometimes you might be in the mood for a crunchy taco, sometimes you might want a soft taco. The only problem with the latter is that it’s hard to find Qualitarian soft taco shells — the majority of the store-bought ones have all kinds of chemicals in them to keep them soft and supple. And [...]
Continue reading about Alternative Soft Tacos (in a French Kind of Way)
Although we’ve become accustomed to the taste and style of European-made chocolates (most American chocolatiers stick to Continental methods when it comes to cocoa), the great chocolate traditions originally came from Mexico — specifically, the Aztec civilization. They drank their chocolate unsweetened, accenting their frothing cups with chilies, cinnamon, and vanilla rather than sugar. Not [...]
Continue reading about How to Apply Aztec Traditions to a Pot of Stew
Limes have a certain pizazz that lemons just don’t. Grapefruit doesn’t, either…in fact, not even tangerines can match up to a lime’s potential to play a sweet/sour role as a keynote flavor or background blend. A squirt of lime juice also lends a dish a Mexican or Caribbean flavor that an orange simply can’t provide. [...]
What do you get when you cross a French cheese with a corn tortilla? A crispy, creamy lunch or snack. How do you make it even better? Add a freshly-sliced pear! The only trick to making this quick-but-classy meal is not scorching the tortillas, an easy feat as long as you keep the heat at [...]
I love corn. Real corn, that is, not high-fructose corn syrup, caramel color, dextrose, maltodextrin, and all the other hundreds of processed corn products in our food today. Real corn is corn on the cob and corn chips and cornmeal…and things made with those, like roasted corn and chips and salsa and Indian pudding. And, [...]
It may not be the typical “Mexican flag” dish (one primarily consisting of tomatoes, white onions, jalapeños), but this sprout salad has a distinctly Mexican flair. I stumbled upon the idea when I realized that my windowsill sunflower sprouts were the perfect size for lunch…and that I just happened to have some extra black beans [...]
