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Cotija and chile-spiced palomitas

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You can’t have a family movie night without a great snack! I love making up my own popcorn flavors, so this cheesy chile-spiced palomitas recipe is just what I want for a night in with the family and my Netflix account.

popcorn with lime, chile powder and cotija cheese

When I got an air popper several years ago, I stopped buying microwave popcorn. The beauty of freshly popped popcorn made with an air popper is that you can make as little (or as much) as you want, and you can dress it up differently each time you make popcorn! And you’re not getting any chemical additives either, so you won’t feel unhealthy eating it. If you don’t have an air popper, you can also easily make the popcorn on the stovetop without any oil.

RELATED: Mexican snacks for a crowd

I love to mix and match flavors all the time, but one of my favorite combinations is melted butter, chile powder, queso cotija and a little squeeze of fresh lime juice. Sometimes, I substitute the chile powder for a liquid hot sauce such as salsa Búfalo or Tapatío. If I’m feeling like something really spicy, I might even use a habanero salsa!

RELATED: Roasted chickpeas with Tajín

Ingredients to make Mexican-style cotija and chile-spiced popcorn

The wonderful thing about this recipe is that since the queso cotija is already salty, you really don’t need to add any extra salt. If you do like your popcorn pretty salty, though, I recommend swapping the unsalted butter for salted before you go sprinkling any more salt on the popcorn.

RELATED: How to prepare chicharrones de harina

squeezing lime juice over popcorn

I love to munch on these spicy and tangy palomitas while watching all kinds of different movies, from classic cine mexicano to 80s movies to animated flicks with the younger members of my family. 

RELATED: A guide to Mexican limes

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Ingredients for making spicy Mexican-style street popcorn

Cotija and chile-spiced palomitas

  • Author: Maura Wall Hernandez
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 20 minutes
  • Yield: 2–4 servings 1x
  • Category: snacks
  • Cuisine: Mexican
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Description

Turn a street food favorite into a family movie night snack! Make your popcorn spicy and tangy with grated queso cotija, chile powder, melted butter and a little squeeze of lime juice!

Scale

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup popcorn kernels, popped
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 1/4 cup Cacique queso cotija, grated
  • Chile quebrado, Tajín or your choice of chile powder, to taste
  • Optional: A squeeze of fresh key lime juice

Instructions

  1. In an air popper, pop 1/2 cup of popcorn kernels into a large bowl and set aside. (See notes below if you do not have an air popper.)
  2. Grate 1/4 cup queso cotija with a medium-grain cheese grater.
  3. Combine queso cotija and chile quebrado or chile powder in a small dish.
  4. Melt butter in a microwave-safe dish at 15-second intervals, then pour over popcorn in the large bowl.
  5. Sprinkle the mixture of queso cotija and chile powder over the buttered popcorn and toss well, using a large spoon.
  6. Optional: To add a bright, citrusy flavor, squeeze 1-2 key limes over the top of the dressed popcorn and toss to incorporate.

Notes

If you can’t find key limes (the tiny kind), you can substitute with the juice of 1/4 of a large lime.

If you don’t have an air popper, you can make the popcorn on the stovetop without any oil. You’ll need a deep pot with a lid. Pour the popcorn kernels in the bottom of the pot and heat over medium heat, gently shaking the pot every 30 seconds until the popcorn begins to pop. It will take around 4-5 minutes before the popcorn starts popping. Once it does, gently shake at 10 second intervals until the popping slows down. Remove from heat, shake a little bit more, then allow to sit for about 1 minute before you remove the lid. Most of the popcorn should be popped, with very few kernels left.

Baked panela cheese and membrillo ‘pan de muerto’ for Day of the Dead

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Baked panela and membrillo in puff pastry to look like pan de muerto for a fun Day of the Dead appetizer. Recipe via @MauraHernandez on The Other Side of The Tortilla.

This post is part of a compensated campaign in collaboration with Cacique and Latina Bloggers Connect. All opinions and the recipe are my own.

This recipe is a fun spin on pan de muerto, a sweet bread typically served during Day of the Dead celebrations.

Traditionally, pan de muerto is perfumed with orange blossom water, has dough adornments on top that represent bones, and then is baked and dusted in sugar. Similar to a baked brie, this dish envelopes panela cheese and something sweet into a flaky puff pastry crust that, when finished, resembles pan de muerto but has a tasty, sweet and savory surprise inside!

I’ve used quince paste in this recipe, known as membrillo in Spanish; you can also substitute guava paste if you prefer….

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Gluten-free Brazilian cheese bread with Mexican cotija

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Brazilian cheese bread is a staple at most Brazilian restaurants—especially a Brazilian steakhouse. These addictive, light and fluffy cheese rolls are called pão de queijo in Portuguese, which simply means cheese bread. They’re a popular breakfast item (similar to how Mexicans love pan dulce) or a snack.

I loved these Brazilian cheese rolls so much after having them for the first time about a decade ago that I went on a quest to try to reproduce them in my own kitchen almost immediately. I’ve been making them for years now, and what better time to share this version with you when we’re about to embark upon a summer filled with soccer matches in Brazil!

This traditional Brazilian recipe is most commonly made with Minas cheese or parmesan cheese, but I’ve given my recipe a bit of a Mexican spin by substituting cotija cheese.

Brazilian cheese bread recipe (pão de queijo) using Mexican cotija cheese | Get the recipe at theothersideofthetortilla.com…

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