The lighter side of Mexican cooking

Suffering from post-holiday belly bulge? Thinking about trading in the guacamole and chips for cottage cheese and celery sticks? Before you do, consider the many healthy, diet-friendly ways of preparing Mexican dishes. Many people, especially those associating Mexican with Tex-Mex, think of it as heavy fare, laden with cream and cheese, consisting of fried food […]

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Named for the state of Puebla, poblano peppers are tasty, attractive and widely used ©Carol Wheeler 2017

The chiles of summer: Pick a peck of poblanos

In the enormously diversified world of chiles, the poblano has long been considered one of the tastiest, most attractive and widely used of the capsicum family. A staple of Mexican home and restaurant cooking, the poblano has, in recent years, been fondly adopted into the family of favorite vegetables north of the border. Although poblano chiles are […]

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From Masa To Mesa: The Many Faces Of Tortillas Part 2

Last month, the nixtamalization of corn dough – or masa – was discussed, along with a description of the process itself and detailed instructions for making masa at home, either from scratch with dried corn, or using masa harina mix. Now comes the fun part: the many different regional treats that can be made with this basic […]

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The Mexican Kitchen, A Taste For All Seasons

Step into the Mexican Kitchen with Karen Hursh Graber, MexConnect’s monthly food columnist, for a look at the methods, materials, and ingredients that have characterized Mexico’s rich and varied dishes for hundreds of years. From pre-Hispanic times, through the Spanish colonial period, and up to the current, exciting era of nouvelle Mexican culinary innovations, this […]

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The Mexican kitchen: a taste for all seasons

One of the most fascinating aspects of exploring the cuisine of another country is the process of becoming acquianted with the history, customs and traditions that are an intrinsic part of the cultural landscape of cooking and eating. In Mexico, festivals, rituals and personal commemorations are all important events in terms of celebrating with food […]

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Pollo Empapelado Chicken in Parchment © Karen Hursh Graber, 2015

Grow Your Own Salsa: A Mexican Windowsill Garden and More

Throughout most of the Northern Hemisphere, spring means warmer weather and, for many, the gardening bug is biting. In Mexico, we have lived in everything from a small apartment with a diminutive balcony, to a large house with a sizeable yard, and have grown some basic kitchen ingredients in each of them. Now that we […]

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Cooking in the Yucatan: bright flavors and unique ingredients

One of the regions of Mexico most indelibly fixed in my mind is the Yucatan, probably because the sights, sounds, flavors and aromas are so sensual that they create truly visceral memories. When my husband and I reminisce about our journeys throughout Mexico, especially the long road trips taken in our trusty old Ford pickup, […]

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