Mexican Christmas Traditions

Spicy mango gummies

185 · Aug 14, 2020 · 1 Comment

These spicy mango gummies are an easy recipe to rival any Mexican street vendor, mercado or candy shop with a sweet, sour and spicy treat made in your own kitchen!

Mexicans LOVE candy that's a combo of sweet, sour and spicy. If you need evidence, look no further than candies such as Pica fresas or ositos enchilados (spicy gummy bears). While living in LA, I came across a lot of vendors and Mexican treat shops that sold their own spicy gummies, so I quickly figured out how to make my own at home.

orange mango gummmies arranged on a white marble surface around a plastic container filled with spicy mango gummies dressed with Tajín and chamoy

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Spanish tinto de verano

109 · Jul 12, 2020 · Leave a Comment

Tinto de verano is a popular wine drink originally from Spain. This modernized version includes fruit-forward red wine, sweet vermouth, and orange and lemon or lime soda.

Originally made with equal parts red wine and sour lime soda, this wine spritzer cocktail made its way to Mexico thanks to well-traveled Mexicans during the 1960s and today is available on many restaurant and bar menus, especially in trendy neighborhoods of Mexico City such as La Condesa and La Roma.

Tinto de verano red wine spritzer cocktail in blue rimmed Mexican glasses with orange slices floating on top

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Instant Pot pinto beans

23 · Mar 29, 2020 · Leave a Comment

This easy, no-soak recipe for Mexican-style Instant Pot pinto beans will have your beans on the table in less than an hour, tasting just as good as the slow-cooked version you grew up with.

You're probably used to cooking frijoles de la olla for hours on the stove-top, or even using a slow-cooker for making Crock-Pot frijoles de la olla (one of the all-time most popular recipes on this blog). With just a handful of simple ingredients and the no-soak method, these Mexican-style Instant Pot pinto beans will be on the table in no time.

While the slow-cooked beans are great, most of us don't always have the time to wait to feed our families. Enter the glorious invention known as the Instant Pot.

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Steak and chorizo tacos de alambre

27 · Mar 7, 2020 · Leave a Comment

An alambre is a popular staple taquería dish in Mexico that contains meat, vegetables and melted cheese to hold it all together.

There's a taquería in Mexico City called Las Brasas that's famous, in part, for their large alambre selection. Located in the Plateros neighborhood since 1977, there's more than a dozen types of alambre combinations on their menu.

My family has been obsessed with this place since we discovered it. So, I decided to make a copycat recipe at home! It's an awesome, easy and quick weeknight dinner. You can get it together even quicker if you prep the veggies beforehand.

We also make a pork alambre at home as a red meat-free alternative to this version. That recipe is made with thinly sliced pork chops or pork tenderloin and bacon. Both versions are very filling and I sometimes double the recipe so I can take leftovers to work for lunch.

Watch this video to see how easy it is to make!

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How to peel and eat cactus fruit

27 · Dec 29, 2019 · 6 Comments

Cactus fruit, also know as cactus pear or prickly pear, comes from the nopal cactus.

Native to Mexico, the nopal cactus is sometimes called prickly pear cactus, but the plant’s Latin name is Opuntia. In Spanish, cactus fruit are called tunas. The fruit grows on the rounded edges of cactus paddles and has a thick skin covered in small spines. Once cut open, you'll see they have a soft, juicy meat inside with lots of dark, round seeds.

How to cut and peel cactus fruit

Using a sharp knife, cut the two ends of the fruit, making sure to cut all the way through to the flesh. Stand the fruit on one side and make a vertical cut through the skin (it's OK if you cut into the flesh a bit). With your finger or the tip of the knife, lift a corner of the skin where you made the vertical cut and use your fingers to peel the skin away from the fruit. Discard the skin.

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