Tostopos: Mexican Chips Recipe For Making Your Own Fried Tortilla Chips Snack

Tostopos are a very easy Mexican recipe to whip up for a quick snack when you're about to sit down for your fav. TV show.  This Mexican chips recipe is perfect for those who like nachos and chips, but don't like the idea of devouring chemically-laden food and polluting their body with all the presevatives: totopos are just like those, but they're natural and lack the preservatives!

Hope you like enjoy these! They're a cinch to whip up, so try them out!

-Carlos

Authentic Tacos al Pastor recipe

If you travel to Mexico and explore the cuisine, you'll notice just how big Mexican pork recipes are to the Chilangos. Whether they're hanging out a the local cantina and munching down some tacos for lunch, or back at home cooking up some pozole at home on the weekend, pork plays an integral role in authentic Mexican recipes.

One of my favorite recipes from Mexico is this authentic Tacos al Pastor recipe from the street vendors of Mexico city, that I've adapted so you can make them at home without a vertical rotisserie or any of the other fancy equipment they use.  Try it out when you have some time on the weekend and let me know what you think.  I think you'll love this one!

-Carlos

Salsa Taquera Recipe for Tacos

When you live in Mexico, you end up eating a lot of tacos.  Be it the street corner at the vendor, your friend's house, or your neighbor who's showing you some love by making you a plate of food along with the rest of the guests he's serving (happens quite often in Mexican culture!) ,what doesn't change is that these tacos are nearly always served with salsa taquera.

This salsa is perhaps the most common salsa served with tacos in this country, and it is legendary among Mexicans for quickly infusing your dish with a punch of delicious flavor.  I've tried a lot of spicy salsas in this country, but few can compare with the quality of a good salsa taquera recipe. Try it out and see how well your tongue interprets Mexican!

-Carlos Lima

Chilaquiles for a Mexican Breakfast

Having lived in Mexico for over three years now, I've been a fan of chilaquiles for a about as long, now.  

I've been browsing around for a good recipe for them and I finally found one here: http://shaheentv.com/view/44z8n383j/chilaquiles-green-chilaquiles-mexican-breakfast/

I just made these and they turned out delicious!

-Carlos

Tacos al Pastor on the mind...

I've been craving tacos al pastor lately and I think I'm finally going to have to figure out a way of making my own at home...

http://www.detroitdrinks.com/gallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=569&g2_serialNumber=1

It's not exactly going to be easy because the pork is usually cooked on a spit with a HUGE mass of pork meat, but my body is asking for these delicious tacos and I cannot wait any longer...

Tonight, I'm making tacos al pator and I'm going to share the recipe with you tomorrow if it turns out well...  I'll let you know!

-Carlos

Authentic Mexican Salad Recipes: Northern Mexican Salad

It's not often you hear of authentic Mexican salad recipes, and that's because Mexico is known for its meat dishes like tacos de pastor, cane asada, and pescado frito.  Even just writing about authentic Mexican salads makes me feel like I'm wandering through a dream in the twilight zone or something, but I really shouldn't be surprised because the world of authentic Mexican recipes is incredibly varied.  

This Mexican salad comes from northern Mexico and makes for a perfect Sunday afternoon snack or a precursor Mexican appetizer to serve your guests to tide them over until the main course.  It's easy to make, it's delicious, and it's a healthy fresh salad from real Mexico:

The full recipe is here:  http://eauthenticmexicanrecipes.com/authentic-mexican-recipes/authentic-mexican-salad-recipes-fresh-northern-mexico-salad

Keep experimenting in that kitchen of yours, and I'll speak to you again soon!

-Carlos Lima

Drug Violence In Mexico?--Yes. Dangerous For Tourists?--No.

This is out of the way of what I normally talk about here, but I was just reading this article by Reuters and I want to tell you what I see down here, as someone who has been traveling through Mexico for the past three years, seeing the sights and exploring the vast, delicious authentic Mexican foodscape, and who's tired of hearing about all the fear mongering that goes on in American news media:  the only violence I have witnessed down here in Mexico, in all of the different places I have lived and visited in the past three years of traveling around has been between drunk, angry, poorly behaving tourists on vacation.  That's it.

I have yet to witness or come into contact with anybody who has witnessed any drug related violence.  We hear there's a lot of it, but we don't get to see any of it because it's happening between those involved in the drug trade.  These drug cartels aren't going to roll up on you, Ms. Jane Innocent Bystander, and gun you down while you're enjoying your tacos at the corner stand on the street.  It just isn't happening.  

The above article states:

the drug violence is occurring far from the most popular resorts such as Cancun, Huatulco, Ixtapa, Puerto Vallarta and Los Cabos, the Mexican official said, urging U.S. authorities to be more specific in their alerts.
In March, the Texas Department of Public Safety warned college revellers not to travel to Mexico for spring break with the message: "Stay alive."

Having personally lived in Los Cabos, Cancun, and currently to Puerto Vallarta area, I can tell you this is consistent with my experience.  There is no drug violence in the tourist places, outside a few very, very rare exceptions.  It's happening mostly along the border between the cartels. 

So if you're thinking of flying down to Mexico for a vacation and enjoying the sun and the beautiful beaches down here, you can be 99.999% certain that you're not going to have a single problem with violence down here.  Of course I can't guarantee it, but I'd be willing to bet a great deal with you!  The bad press this country gets in the US almost astounds me when I forget about how entertainment-centric the media is up there.  Don't listen to the stupid, fear-injecting news reports you hear when you tune into CNN or MSNBC.

The violence exists, but it's irrelevant.  This from the mouth of someone who actually lives here.  

-Carlos Lima