Mexican black bean and quinoa salad: Ensalada de quinoa con frijoles negros Karen Hursh Graber

Quinoa, the subsistence grain of the ancient Incas, is a good source of dietary fiber and high quality protein. When combined with black beans, it is a nutritional powerhouse. This Mexican black bean a... read more

vegetables vegetarian salads beans-and-legumes

Mexican lentil salad: Ensalada de lentejas Karen Hursh Graber

When using lentils in a salad, it is important not to overcook them. The brown lentils typically available in Mexico retain their shape better than other varieties. Ingredients 1 cup lentils ... read more

vegetarian salads beans-and-legumes

Guacamole, simple and fresh Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack and Veronica Gonzalez-Smith

Avocados are the main ingredient for a Mexican favorite -- guacamole.
© Jeanine Thurston, 2011

This guacamole recipe is super simple and fresh. Beware — it’s also addictive. The best part about guacamole is experimenting and making it uniquely yours. Here is our version, but you can add more or less of each ingredient to satisfy your personal palate. read more

vegetables salads

Oaxaca salad by Pilar Cabrera: Ensalada Oaxaca por Pilar Cabrera Karen Hursh Graber

Pilar Cabrera, chef, cooking instructor and, most recently, participant in Iron Chef Canada, shares this recipe with Mexconnect readers. Ingredients 250 grams (about ½ pound) of organic lettuc... read more

vegetables vegetarian salads salad-dressings Oaxaca

Baby new potatoes with garlic and cumin: Papitas al ajillo Karen Hursh Graber

Choose the very smallest white or red potatoes you can find. Sometimes in Cholula, I find potatoes as small as marbles. This recipe is adapted from Larousse de la Cocina Mexicana by Alicia Gironella D'... read more

vegetables vegetarian salads

Jicama and mandarin orange salad: Ensalada xec Karen Hursh Graber

This refreshing Yucatecan-style salad uses winter fruit in season. It comes to us courtesy of Chef David Sterling of Merida's Los Dos cooking school. Ingredients 1 ½ pounds jicama,... read more

fruit salads Yucatán

Baby greens with pumpkin seeds and Mexican lime vinaigrette: Ensalada verde con pepitas y vinagreta de limon Karen Hursh Graber

Green salads in Mexico often come with just a wedge of lime, but this dressed up version uses olive oil and jalapeños to make a lime vinaigrette. The contrasting textures of the avocado and pepitas ar... read more

vegetables vegetarian salads salad-dressings

Guacamole, step by step Daniel Wheeler

Tired of eating burritos and chimichangas… or even Taco Bell? If your idea of Mexican food is a tortilla shell with marinara sauce, or you eat your hot dogs with chili beans, you'll find guacamole a good complement. And people who know real Mexican food consider it one of the best side dishes that Mexico can offer. As a dip while watching Monday night football or alongside a great plate of carne asada with warm tortillas and spicy arroz rojo in a typical family reunion in México, guacamole always hits the spot. read more

vegetarian salads

Chicken salad with chipotle vinaigrette: Salpicon de pollo Karen Hursh Graber

Flavored with smoky chipotles, this recipe is adapted from one by Vicki Cowal, who had adapted it herself, from Margaret Poore's 1,000 Mexican Recipes. Here in Cholula, the regional specialty called�... read more

poultry main-dishes salads salad-dressings

Avocado and orange salad: Ensalada de aguacate con naranja Karen Hursh Graber

This salad was inspired by the nearly football-size avocados we bought in the market in San Blas Atempa, a small town right outside Tehuantepec. We had seen some similar ones from Chiapas, but were tol... read more

vegetables vegetarian salads salad-dressings

Marinated Mixed Vegetable Salad: Chileajo Karen Hursh Graber

When we lived in Oaxaca, I liked to go the food stands that were right outside the university faculties downtown, especially the school of architecture, which was right next to a small park, with plent... read more

vegetables vegetarian salads salad-dressings Oaxaca

Cholula Style Vegetable Salad: Ensalada Cholulterranea Karen Hursh Graber

Both types of squash used in this dish, along with pumpkin seeds and squash blossoms, are characteristic ingredients in Central Mexican cooking. If chilacayote is unavailable in your area, substitute c... read more

vegetables vegetarian salads salad-dressings Puebla

The Comrad's Russian Salad: Ensalada Rusa de la Comadre Karen Hursh Graber

The original Russian salad was made with smetana, a thick, slightly sour cream used in Russian and Finnish cooking. Variations may include shredded beef and a variety of vegetables, but potatoes and... read more

vegetables poultry salads salad-dressings

Mango and Avocado Salad: Ensalada de Mango y Aguacate Karen Hursh Graber

The combination of mangos and avocados gets a colorful and tasty lift from the addition of red bell peppers. Fresh bell pepper ( pimiento morrón) once meant green bell pepper, and red ones were avai... read more

vegetables vegetarian salads salad-dressings

Grilled Nopales Salad: Ensalada de Nopales Asados Karen Hursh Graber

In a previous column, I gave a recipe for the standard nopales salad that the market ladies all over the country seem to sell, but when my husband overdid it on the grilled nopales (his favorite ... read more

vegetables vegetarian salads salad-dressings

Spinach and Watercress Salad: Ensalada de Espinacas y Berros Karen Hursh Graber

Two of the most common greens in central Mexico are combined here with corn, radishes and scallions for a very Mexican take on a tossed green salad. Ingredients may be prepared in advance, stored separ... read more

vegetables vegetarian salads salad-dressings

Mixed Green Salad With Passion Fruit Dressing: Ensalada Mixta Con Aderezo De Maracuya Karen Hursh Graber

Passion fruit pulp is now more readily available north of the border than it is in Mexico. Here we have to wait for maracuya to come into season, whereas in the north, it is available year round in ... read more

vegetarian salads salad-dressings

Avocado Mousse: Mousse De Aguacate Karen Hursh Graber

Ingredients: 2 envelopes unflavored gelatin 1 ½ cups chicken or shrimp broth 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice 1/3 cup finely chopped green onion or scallion 1 fre... read more

vegetables side-dishes salads

Nopal Salad: Ensalada de Nopalitos Karen Hursh Graber

The market ladies in Puebla sell this salad ready-made, ladling it into plastic bags to "take-out." The basic recipe consists of nopales, green onions and cilantro; other ingredients, such as tomatoes,... read more

vegetables vegetarian salads salad-dressings

Cold Beef Salad: Salpicon de Res Karen Hursh Graber

There are many versions of salpicón, which varies from region to region and can contain meat, fish or seafood, but the beef version seems to be the most common. This is a great buffet dish because ... read more

vegetables meat salads salad-dressings

Vegetable Salad: Ensalada de Verduras Ana María Flores Sánchez

Serves 6 Ingredients: 11 oz. potatoes 7 oz. carrots 7 oz. canned peas 1 cup cream 1 cup mayonnaise 1 stalk celery, chopped 1/4 cup canned pimento, chopped 1 t... read more

vegetables vegetarian salads salad-dressings

Shrimp, Avocado & Papaya Salad Lorraine Russo

(Serves 4) Ingedientes: 4 ripe avocados cubed 1/4 med. sized ripe papaya cubed 1 lb. shelled, deveined & cooked small shrimp 1 large red bell pepper thinly sliced julienne style ... read more

fruit seafood salads

Mexican Style Watercress and Spinach Salad: Ensalada de Berros con Espinacas Karen Hursh Graber

In this recipe, two of central Mexico's favorite greens are combined with corn, radishes and green onions and dressed with a chile vinaigrette. This makes a good accompaniment to almost any barbequed m... read more

vegetables vegetarian salads salad-dressings

Avocado Mousse: Mousse De Aguacate Karen Hursh Graber

The mousse may be made in a six-cup ring mold or individual molds. It is frequently served in Mexico with camarón pacotillo - small cooked cocktail shrimp - in the center of the ring or as a garnis... read more

vegetables side-dishes salads

Shredded venison salad: Salpicon de venado Karen Hursh Graber

This dish is found on restaurant menus throughout Mexico, but particularly in the western part of the country and in the Yucatan, where it is called zic de venado. This recipe is a good buffet dish,... read more

meat main-dishes salads Yucatán Peninsula