Notes about Recipes in this book

• Green chile adobo (Adobo de chile verde)

  • SheilaS on November 09, 2016

    Great stuff to have on hand. I used it in the herby green chile rice from this book but also on eggs, roasted vegetables, fish, sandwiches, quesadillas, etc. It kept its beautiful emerald green color for weeks in the fridge.

  • BethNH on February 13, 2018

    Basically a pesto made with cilantro, parsley and serrano chiles. It comes together very quickly in the blender and was great served with the skillet tacos.

  • MollyB on May 31, 2019

    This stuff is fabulous, and well worth making to keep in the fridge for quick meals. It's great in the skillet tacos recipe in the book, as well as in the creamy rice and beans recipe. I've also used it in various other ways, and it's always good - in salad dressings, on sandwiches, in creamy dips, or in scrambled eggs with creme fraiche.

  • hirsheys on February 20, 2018

    This is a lot like a pesto, but just a little more work to make (you have to roast the peppers and garlic first). I don't think it's a great idea to store this forever in the fridge, but made a half batch and froze half of it. I used some of the adobo in a fantastic quesadilla (with chihuahua cheese) and some in the herby green chile rice. I used just 2 serranos in the half batch (so the lower end of the amount recommended) and found it to be just the right level of spicy for me. I'm excited to use the frozen batch for the skillet tacos with shrimp.

  • Rutabaga on September 05, 2018

    Wow! How can something so simple taste so good? I made this for the chicken skillet tacos, which were delicious. It's a great make-ahead sauce that would be an excellent accompaniment to many Mexican (or Mexican-American) dishes.

• Greens and beans with red chile and fresh cheese (Frijoles y quelites en chile guajillo con queso fresco)

  • MelMM on January 31, 2019

    2-1-2018 I served this as tacos in corn tortillas. I made two sauces to go on top - one by stirring some roasted red pepper paste into Kite Hill yogurt, and the other by mixing yogurt with some of the green chile adobo. I also crumbled a bit of Violife blue cheese (which is only very mildly like a blue cheese) on top. Beans, greens, chiles, corn, nuts (the yogurt is made from nuts)... These are some nutrient-dense tacos! And delicious. We each ate four!

  • Rutabaga on March 07, 2018

    If you like guajillo chiles and hearty greens, this makes a great taco filling. It would also be good served alongside rice. Personally, I loved it, but my husband, who is not a big kale fan, found it to be just fine. I used a mix of baby kale for the farmer's market - a quick chop, and it all went into the pot, as there were no thick stems to remove.

• Roasted chayote with herbs and tofu (Chayote asado con hierbas y tofu)

  • MelMM on January 31, 2019

    1-31-2018 I found the choice of silken tofu here a little odd. I think a soft - but not silken - tofu would have had a better texture for this and the dressing would cling to it more. The dish is very tasty. Adding the lime and zest is essential because the "adobo" has no acid. I used extra herbs which added a lot of punch - I would do that again. I would happily make this again, with the changes to the tofu and the extra herbs.

• Weekend dish: fettuccine with butternut squash and red poblano crema (Pasta con calabaza, chile poblano rojo y crema)

  • MelMM on January 31, 2019

    1-30-2018 This was very good, if rather monochromatic. I roasted some broccoli to add more green to my meal. We both really liked the flavors, though, and I'd happily make it again. Really not too time consuming if you have a spiralizer. There is a green variation with zucchini that is also good.

• Creamy rice and beans in three classic flavors: garlicky tomato rice (Arroz cremoso y frijoles en tres sabores clásicos)

  • MelMM on January 31, 2019

    2-5-2018 This dish is basically a Mexican risotto, and my recommendation is to make it. Now. This was a delicious rice dish. If you have cooked beans on hand, it's pretty quick and easy to make, especially in a pressure cooker. More than any other dish I've made so far, this is likely to be repeated. Cooked in IP 6 minutes, 5 min natural release, then quick release.

• Creamy rice and beans in three classic flavors: herby green chile rice (Arroz y frijoles en tres sabores clásicos)

  • MelMM on January 31, 2019

    2-11-2018 Another delicious creamy rice dish. I made it in the IP. I went for 6 minutes on manual, with 5 or 6 minutes natural release, then quick release. I used the green chile adobo, and also added a bit of cilantro. If you already have the green chile adobo made, it's dead easy. And could really be a one dish meal. But in my case I served it with leftover yellow mole with fennel and portobellos. Lovely meal. The amarillo with the grilled veggies and these creamy rice dishes will be my big takeaways from this book.

  • MollyB on May 24, 2018

    I love this recipe! I've made it many times - it's a quick and easy weeknight dish if you have Green Chile Adobe made and some cooked or canned beans around. I also try to have roasted poblanos in the freezer (I roast and peel, the vacuum seal in both half and whole pepper packages), so I can make this quickly. It's prettiest with white beans, but I've also done it with black and pink beans, and they all were good. I make it in the rice cooker.

  • hirsheys on February 20, 2018

    I made this recipe in the Instant Pot and used Rick's timing of 7 minutes on high pressure, then a quick release. I used the green chile adobo and used parmesan as the cheese. It came out lovely and was definitely super easy. Next time I think I might try this with pieces of cooked chicken rather than beans - the Great Northerns I used had a bit more flavor and were less creamy than I wanted, so the portions that were beanless were my favorite. Regardless, this is definitely a winner for me.

• Plantain-bacon enfrijoladas (Enfrijoladas de plátano con tocino)

  • MelMM on January 31, 2019

    2-21-2018 I did not use Bayless' bean recipe. I made a small batch of beans in my mini IP. I used small red beans. For the bacon, I made tempeh bacon. Otherwise, I made the recipe as directed. The bean sauce is incredibly good. I let the onion get caramelized and that and the tempeh bacon made the bean sauce smokey, sweet, and savory. The plantain mix for the filling was also good, as was the final dish. I did have to wonder if I wouldn't prefer the bean sauce with another filling, and if I wouldn't prefer the filling with another sauce. Maybe something more vegetable-y with the bean sauce, and maybe a tangy tomatillo sauce would have gone better with the plantains.

• Grilled salmon in toasty peanut salsa (Salmón a la parilla con salsa de cacahuate tostada)

  • PennyG on February 03, 2018

    Oh my ... swoon ... this salsa was incredible! And it paired perfectly with the grilled salmon. Easy too. This is a definite make-again dish. Delicious!

  • TrishaCP on April 10, 2018

    We really enjoyed this salsa also, especially with the green onions.

• Chipotle rice with shrimp (Arroz al chipotle con camarones)

  • mlbatt on December 28, 2021

    This was delicious and super easy! I used brown jasmine rice (added an extra 20 minutes before adding shrimp). And only used a little less than 1 T of the optional adobo sauce and it was just the right amount of heat. Definitely a "make again," and how clever that this is cooked in a rice cooker!

• Spaghetti squash fideos with chipotle, chorizo, crema and avocado (Fideos de calabaza espagueti al chipotle con chorizo, crema y aguacate)

  • mlbatt on October 21, 2020

    Made this with what I had on hand - vegetarian chorizo (Field Roast Mexican Chipotle sausages), and a combination of Parmesan and Asiago cheeses. Cooked the spaghetti squash in the Instant Pot (7 minutes on a trivet, quick release). Used 1/2 the chipotle because the sausage was spicy. Nonfat Greek yogurt was the only one we had in the house, so I added about 1 Tbs of heavy cream. This came out great and we will add it to our favorites.

  • TrishaCP on January 20, 2017

    I'm usually not a huge fan of squash as a pasta substitute, but this preparation was delicious and probably the best spaghetti squash that I've eaten. I didn't want to deal with cutting the spaghetti squash, so roasted it in the oven for about an hour. If you have time, I would make the tomato base ahead of time- I didn't think the sauce flavor was as developed as other fideo recipes that I've tried and I'm thinking it could benefit from sitting overnight. Anyone watching their carbs should definitely think about this recipe.

  • lawrencecharcuterie on November 24, 2021

    We think this spicy sauce is a much better pairing for spaghetti squash than our usual marinara style sauces. Likely the avocado and cilantro really lent a hand and of course a fiery chorizo helps. We couldn't put our hands on queso anejo so we used cotija cheese and that worked perfectly fine.

• Skillet tacos (Tacos al sartén)

  • LaurenB on February 06, 2021

    Super good and easy. If you make the sauce ahead of time (really just takes time to clean and chop parsley and cilantro and clean the blender lol) dinner comes together in less than 15 min. Followed exactly (including tortilla prep) with shrimp and 5 serranos and was perfect. Sliced avocado, cilantro, squeeze of lime and good queso fresco really make the meal.

  • BethNH on February 13, 2018

    Awesome! We all loved these tacos made with shrimp - the only complaint was that we didn't have more. Once the shrimp are peeled and the green chile adobo is made the entire meal comes together in minutes. Definitely weeknight friendly.

  • MollyB on February 14, 2018

    One of my favorite recipes, that we make at least once every few weeks. It's hard to stop eating it once you start; with two adults plus a 6-yr-old in the house, we rarely have leftovers with this. We've tried it with all the suggested meats, and the skirt steak is our favorite, followed by chicken thighs.

  • jodies on June 18, 2021

    This one is a keeper! Made the shrimp version with green chile adobo. Delicious and fast! Did not, however, add the queso fresco. Not a fan of cheese with seafood or fish. I will add it when I try the skirt steak or chicken versions though.

  • TrishaCP on March 21, 2018

    Easy and delicious. We used chicken breasts and the green sauce (four serranos), but I can't wait to try with shrimp also.

  • Bloominanglophile on January 05, 2019

    These were good, but I think I would like the combination of the green chili adobo with shrimp more than chicken. The green chili adobo is fabulous on eggs, BTW! Looking forward to trying the beef with the red chili version of this sauce.

  • stockholm28 on March 09, 2018

    These are really simple and make a nice, quick dinner. I made the chicken with the green chili adobo sauce and the skirt steak twice, once with green and once with red chili adobo. I preferred the green sauce, but I did think the red sauce worked better with the skirt steak. I froze the remaining sauce in single sized portions for future use. I didn’t care for the queso fresco, probably because the brand that was available at whole foods was pretty tasteless.

  • Rutabaga on September 05, 2018

    This made for some excellent chicken tacos; I wish it hadn't taken me so long to get around to making them. As pictured, I'm sure shrimp would also be amazing with this sauce. The sauce can easily be made in advance, making these tacos quick to prepare on the fly. We ate them with salsa and queso fresco.

• Chipotle meatballs (Albondigas al chipotle)

  • BethNH on February 13, 2018

    Both the sauce and the meatballs were very simple to pull together on a weeknight. We really enjoyed the meatballs themselves which were light and moist. The sauce was quite spicy, which I normally enjoy, but seemed to be missing something. Everyone ate them but no one seemed to be anxious for me to make them again anytime soon.

  • clcorbi on February 12, 2018

    These are really delicious! Next time, I'd double the sauce--we wanted to eat these over rice but they weren't exactly saucy enough.

• Open-face squash blossom omelet with charred tomato, chile and goat cheese (Omelet abierto de flores, jitomate tatemado, chile y queso de cabra)

  • MollyB on September 17, 2019

    A lovely, savory dish. Two of us easily ate the whole thing, with a small salad on the side. Quite easy (apart from cleaning the squash blossoms) and quick to come together once you've got things ready. I used a poblano for the chile; it was pretty mild and I would have liked it better with a hotter pepper.

• Red chile roast chicken (Pollo adobado y rostizado)

  • TrishaCP on April 02, 2016

    This was a solid chicken dish, but I probably won't make it again. It is a little too lengthy a project for a weeknight meal due to the brining step. And while not bad, the rub is based on only ground ancho chiles, and isn't as complex as other red chile mixtures I would take the time to make on a weekend when I have more time to roast and grind chiles myself. Not bad by any means, but not as good as I wanted it to be. Again, this is by no means a failed recipe or anything that dire-many people will like this a lot- it simply doesn't fit with me and the way I need and like to cook. (I didn't make the potatoes.)

• Chicken with roasted tomatillos, poblanos and potatoes (Lomo de pollo en salsa verde con papas

  • TrishaCP on May 10, 2019

    In contrast to twoyolks, I really liked the potatoes in this dish. Once the tomatillo sauce and chile are ready (I had both already prepared from my freezer)- this comes together quickly.

  • twoyolks on July 08, 2017

    I made this with boneless, skinless chicken thighs. The tomatillo and poblano sauces was nice and complimented the chicken well. The potatoes were a bit odd and didn't really fit. I"d consider omitting them and serving it over rice in the future.

• Herby, spicy fried corn (Esquites fritos)

  • TrishaCP on February 02, 2018

    This was a flavorful and easy version of esquites. I did use the epazote, and plenty of lime juice.

  • Rutabaga on October 18, 2017

    I made an herb-free version of this corn, and it was still very flavorful. The lime and cheese are such a good topping, and we also like to use Mexican Tajin chile-lime seasoning.

• Pickled tomatillo salad with little gem lettuce and pumpkin seeds (Tomates verdes encurtidos con lechuguita orejona y pepitas)

  • TrishaCP on August 30, 2018

    At some point I will get around to making this salad, but I haven't been able to because we keep eating the pickled tomatillos before I get around to making the salad. And they are just wonderful, and really easy to make.

  • Rutabaga on October 09, 2016

    This is a great salad! The pickled tomatillos and pumpkin seed dressing give it an unusual edge, without making it unapproachable. Since the dressing and tomatillos can be prepared in advance, it's easy to put the salad together quickly right before serving.

  • Rutabaga on September 12, 2017

    I made the salad dressing with whole almonds when I didn't have pepitas. Almonds were a good substitute, but I do prefer the pepita version.

  • lawrencecharcuterie on November 24, 2021

    We liked how bright and fresh this salad tastes. We paired it with another recipe from the same boo, this one called spaghetti squash fideos with chipotle choriza crema and avocado.

• Salsa-braised fish (Pescado horneado con salsa de molcajete)

  • TrishaCP on August 25, 2016

    This was more of a guide for us than a strict instruction. We had a snakehead fillet and just cooked it the way we wanted, topping with the book's roasted salsa. If you make the salsa in advance, this is a quick and easy weeknight meal. We served it with corn tortillas and beans.

  • twoyolks on August 09, 2016

    I used cod for this recipe. The best parts of the fish were the parts that got crispy. Unfortunately, it didn't pan fry for long enough for much to get crispy. The salsa was a fine addition but was simply a sauce on the fish; the flavor didn't penetrate.

• Roasted tomatillo sauce base (Salsa de tomate verde asado)

  • TrishaCP on September 17, 2017

    Thanks to Rutabaga for flagging this. I agree it is "spoonable." I made a double batch for future use this winter and am eager to try the enchilada recipe that uses this. I only used one serrano (with seeds) and it was plenty.

  • crandall57 on September 08, 2021

    Easy to throw together and great flavor. Will add cilantro before using. Didn't have Serrano peppers so I used two jalapeño peppers.

  • Rutabaga on September 14, 2017

    This sauce has great flavor; I could practically eat it with a spoon. Although I doubled the recipe, I ended up with only three cups of sauce, which I used to make a large batch of enchiladas. This would be a great sauce to stock in the freezer. For the peppers, I used just two jalapenos, which made for a nice mild sauce.

  • wittwoman on October 22, 2015

    This sauce is phenomenally tasty. We typically make a double batch. Only use half the serrano pepper called for (and possibly remove seeds and ribs), or otherwise it's too hot for us. Excellent with pulled pork enchiladas; with fried/hard boiled eggs, black beans and corn tortillas; as a baked potato topping.

• Roasted tomatillo enchiladas (Enchiladas verdes)

  • TrishaCP on January 28, 2018

    The flavor of these enchiladas is great! But I had a similar problem as Rutabaga related to the timing of the bake. I used corn tortillas, which were heated for rolling, but my filling was cold (a combination of rotisserie chicken and pupusa cheese). As a result, I needed about eight minutes for them to be thoroughly heated, and by that point they were mushy (as warned). Didn't stop us eating them, because they are so tasty, but I'd like to come up with a solution to the baking problem. Maybe room temperature filling would work, or baking the enchiladas briefly before pouring over the sauce would be better? I served them with crema as my topping.

  • twoyolks on July 17, 2018

    These were some of the best enchiladas I've made. The sauce is tasty and works well with leftover chicken. I really liked the technique of microwaving the tortillas as it was easier, better, and faster than frying them. I did find that I needed to reduce the sauce down after adding the chicken stock as otherwise it would've been way too soupy. I also baked the enchiladas for 10 minutes.

  • Rutabaga on September 14, 2017

    In my version, I used chopped rotisserie chicken and pepper Jack cheese in the filling, and homemade whole wheat tortillas in place of corn. It was a good combination, but I should have baked them longer than the four minutes maximum that Bayless lists in the recipe. Since you don't have to heat wheat tortillas to make them pliable, I prepared my enchiladas using room temperature tortillas, and after four minutes in the oven they were barely warm. 10-15 minutes would be better in this case, or longer if the filling was cold instead of room temperature. I also skimped on the sauce because I was afraid of adding too much, but in retrospect you shouldn't be afraid to really pour it on. The enchiladas can soak up a lot of sauce, and they need it! We topped them with sliced sweet onion, cilantro, a little sour cream, and an additional sprinkle of pepper Jack (although I would really recommend queso anejo or cotija instead of Jack if you have it).

  • myriaderf on August 23, 2020

    THE BEST ENCHILADAS. Easy to leave out the chicken (and possibly add goat cheese) for fantastic vegetarian version. They also make fabulous leftovers, just pop in the microwave to reheat.

• Tomatillo-sauced chilaquiles (Chilaquiles verdes)

  • TrishaCP on January 30, 2018

    We made this for a Mexican brunch last weekend. I would definitely make this again, though I have to admit that my true love is chilaquiles with red chile sauce. Since I already had the tomatillo sauce base made (previously frozen), this came together quickly. I used homemade tortilla chips, and we added queso especial for the extra richness, as suggested. Topped with a fried egg.

  • hirsheys on January 15, 2023

    This was quite easy to throw together this morning (since I made the tomatillo base last night) and tasted great, though I found the sauce a touch more sour than I personally prefer. I made a 1/4 of a recipe (just for me), which also meant that the timing of the recipe was a bit off, so my chips were a bit more soggy than I would have preferred. Next time, I’d let them sit in the sauce no longer than about 2 mins, rather than the 4 mins he calls for with the full 8 oz of chips. Still, this was a nice breakfast with a fried egg, crema, and cilantro on top!

• Roasted tomato salsa (Salsa de molcajete)

  • TrishaCP on August 25, 2016

    No surprises here- just a straightforward salsa with complexity from the charred vegetables that tastes like you want a salsa to taste. (We grilled them in a grill pan rather than charring on the stove.) I only used one jalapeño with seeds and that was plenty hot- since I used a red one my salsa was more reddish in color than the picture.

  • shoffmann on September 08, 2017

    Nice flavor from charring the vegetables, but overall we weren't all that impressed.

  • emstovall on August 15, 2021

    Make sure onion is small. Half a large was onion forward

• Mexican red rice (Arroz rojo Mexicano)

  • TrishaCP on May 06, 2018

    I made this using the rice setting on my Instant Pot and it came out very well. I started by sautéing the rice with some oil until lightly toasted. I then added the other ingredients (including my own addition of about 1/2 cup tomato sauce languishing in my fridge). The rice cooked until done (I think the cooking time the Instant Pot set was 12 minutes) and then I let it come to natural pressure, which took a while. (Maybe 30-40 minutes more?) The rice was fluffy and didn't stick together. I made the full batch because I wanted to make some of the other recipes using it, but there is no need to make the full amount if you just want it as a side dish.

• Crispy rice cakes with white beans, roasted garlic, aged cheese and smoky chile (Tortitas doradas de arroz con alubias, ajo asado, queso añejo y chile ahumado)

  • TrishaCP on May 24, 2018

    This was a good way to use up leftover red rice, but it would definitely not be worth the effort to make these from scratch. The flavor was a bit blander than I expected, and you need to serve these with salsa because they were a bit dry without it. I froze these per the suggestion in the recipe, and I would have also appreciated some instructions for cooking them from frozen. (I ended up letting them thaw a bit, and then cooked until hot and browned- I think I needed about 30 minutes for 8 cakes.)

• Butternut-pecan muffins with brown sugar crumble (Muffins de calabaza y nuez)

  • TrishaCP on November 24, 2019

    These are delicious. Quite a few steps for simple muffins, but you can save time by cooking the squash in advance. I was skeptical that a 300 degree oven would do the trick, but they were cooked through in 25 minutes. They were a bit flat, but I realized too late that my baking powder was old, and I’m thinking that may have caused the issue.

• Mexican chocolate-pumpkin seed cake (Pastel de chocolate y pepitas)

  • TrishaCP on August 02, 2015

    So this is one of the cover recipes of this book, and it is delicious. I used a canela-flavored Mexican chocolate, and with the crunchy pepitas, and the tequila (normally I don't like it but it adds a nice depth of flavor here), it really tasted like Mexico. RB gives really detailed instructions on greasing the pan and lining it with parchment paper, which I followed but I still had problems with releasing the cake around the edges and the parchment sticking to the pan (maybe I wasn't thorough enough)? I also had problems with getting the cake evenly baked (the center was too soft long after the edges were finished) but my oven has been causing me trouble so I would be surprised if that was the recipe. (Mentioning anyway.)

• Roasted garlic chicken with mushrooms, potatoes and spinach (Pollo al mojo de ajo con hongos, papas y espinacas)

  • L.Nightshade on February 04, 2018

    Mr. Nightshade made this! He pretty much followed the recipe but omitted the Worcestershire (just because it has ingredients I’m not consuming), and used a full cup of the garlic mojo instead of the 2/3 cup called for. The timing was a bit off, as he started it on “warm” instead of “high” (due to illogical and nearly invisible markings on the slow cooker), but once turned to high it cooked for 3 1/2 hours. Ultimately, he thought the chicken was a bit overcooked, and it probably was, but to me it was just very tender and juicy. The mushrooms, garlic, and chiles create a broth with a lot of depth and complexity, and no one ingredient outshines the others. The chicken fat and oil from the mojo create quite a slick on the top; I would have preferred it be chilled and reheated after the fat was scraped off, but Mr. NS didn’t mind it at all. He’d like to do it again, with a few tweaks.

  • julesamomof2 on January 09, 2017

    More work than your average slow cooker recipe but so very worth it!

  • Rutabaga on October 13, 2018

    This is lovely, warming one pot meal. I served it with rustic white bread to sop up the broth. The chicken was so tender it fell right off the bone. But, as noted in the previous comment, a lot of fat is rendered into the broth from the chicken thighs. Since I made mine a day in advance and let it cool, I skimmed off much of the fat, roughly a half cup of chicken fat and a quarter cup of oil from the garlic mojo. I plan to use to for roasting potatoes. Fortunately, the broth was still quite flavorful without tasting overly oily. And while the broth tasted well salted, I would add a little more next time, as the potatoes were a little under salted compared with the rest of the dish.

• Herb green chicken and rice (Arroz verde con pollo)

  • twoyolks on October 24, 2016

    A pretty simple chicken and rice dish. The cilantro and poblano add a nice flavor to the rice. It did feel like it could use some additional richness and umami.

• Spicy bacon-and-egg fried rice with pickled jalapeños and cilantro (Arroz frito picante con huevo, tocino, jalapeños en escabeche y cilantro)

  • twoyolks on June 25, 2020

    This was pretty good but the vinegar from the hot sauce was just a bit too much acid.

• Charred cucumber salad with red chile and lime (Ensalada de pepino carbonizado con chile seco y limón)

  • twoyolks on October 24, 2016

    I did not care for this at all. The texture of the cucumber was unpleasant. There wasn't a lot of flavor.

• Creamy rice and beans in three classic flavors: smoky red chile rice (Arroz cremoso y frijoles en tres sabores clásicos)

  • twoyolks on September 28, 2017

    The flavor of the rice and beans was pretty good but it was very spicy.

• Stone fruit licuado (Licuado de drupas)

  • twoyolks on August 09, 2016

    I used peaches for this recipe. An interesting drink. The lime flavor was stronger than the peach flavor. My two-year old daughter loved this and kept asking for more. She ended up drinking the rest of my glass.

• Chicken barbacoa (Barbacoa de pollo)

  • twoyolks on May 15, 2017

    A pretty decent chicken topping for tacos. There's a good amount of chile flavor in the chicken. I did have to reduce the sauce at the end before adding the chicken but I think that helped the flavor.

• Weekend dish: queso fundido burger (Hamburguesa de queso fundido)

  • twoyolks on September 07, 2020

    I don't tend to really care for "fancy" burger variations. This is an exception. The chorizo and chipotle compliment the beef without overpowering it. And this is actually a rather easy and fast recipe so I don't think there's any need to hold this until a weekend.

  • runoutofshelves on September 15, 2020

    These hamburgers were a hit last night. After comparing a group of similar recipes from a variety of sources I ended up not cooking the chorizo first. I used green pepper instead of poblano, and havarti instead of monterey jack. I agree with previous notes that the flavour is subtle and rich, a really clever and easy adaptation. I wondered where the idea came from and I tried to search it up. Were they Rick Bayless's invention?

  • ellencooks on January 23, 2018

    These were fantastic! I opted to cook them as smashed burgers in cast iron rather than on the grill. Very excellent!

• Coconut-lime ice pops (Paletas de coco con limón)

  • twoyolks on April 24, 2018

    I found these to not have enough coconut or lime flavor. However, kids loved them.

  • Yildiz100 on February 02, 2018

    Very good but the coconut fat separates into layers. I wonder if this could be corrected by using a brand of coconut milk that has guar gum.

• Roasted poblano cream soup (Crema poblana)

  • twoyolks on March 16, 2017

    This was a tasty but delicate and restrained soup. I expected the poblanos to dominate the flavor but they were more subdued. It wasn't at all spicy. I opted for corn (instead of potatoes) and enjoyed the slight sweetness they brought. I also used chicken stock which worked well. I added roast chicken to the soup but in the future I'd want to also add vegetables of some sort too.

  • ecarlin on November 04, 2018

    A simple and delicious soup. It's fairly spicy, so add queso fresco or extra crema as a garnish to your personal preference.

• Creamy zucchini, corn and roasted poblanos (Calabacitas y elote con rajas y crema)

  • twoyolks on August 28, 2016

    These make really nice vegetarian tacos. The cream is balanced by the sweetness of the corn well. I used heavy cream but I think the tang from crema mexicana would go even better.

  • hirsheys on February 16, 2018

    I used a slight variation on the method in the book (rather than start with the rajas, I sauteed the zucchini/corn first) - mostly because I was trying to save myself dishes. I first roasted the poblanos over my gas burners (and appreciated Bayless' discussion about the importance of not overcooking the peppers, which I think was something I'd done in the past...) I then sauteed/browned the zucchini and corn in my le creuset saute pan (which was perfect for this dish because it's so heavy), then dumped them out onto a plate. I then made the rajas in the same pan, adding the zucchini and corn in at the end. Everything got nicely browned - I have no question that this improved the taste. I served these as tacos with cilantro (and without cheese) in flour tortillas - which worked really well.

  • myriaderf on August 23, 2020

    DELICIOUS. I was initially skeptical of the oregano, but it adds a lovely flavor. Easy to substitute heavy cream for mexican crema. Frozen or fresh corn works great. I sometimes make this with zucchini/squash sometimes without. Fabulous filling for vegetarian tacos or mixed with scrambled eggs for brunch!

• Butternut soup with ancho and apple (Crema de calabaza con chile ancho y manzana)

  • twoyolks on October 28, 2016

    This sounds really good but the chile overpowered all the other flavors. It tasted like eating chile soup. I tried adding a bit more sugar and some apple cider vinegar which helped a small amount.

• Pork and black bean dinner (Frijol con puerco)

  • twoyolks on January 15, 2021

    Pretty simple, but with a lot of great flavor. I made it on the stove top instead of a slow cooker. I ended up with a good amount of liquid left so I reduced it until it was thick. The avocado, cilantro, and radish are all for topping and could be omitted. There's probably a lot of room for improvisation by adding ingredients.

• Sweet-sour dark chipotle seasoning (Salsa negra)

  • hirsheys on February 28, 2018

    I made this for the eggplant recipe - it's super tasty, though I was not as in love with it on cooked shrimp as I wanted to be. (The eggplant dish, on the other hand... ) One quick note: when making this, I misread the recipe (as I have multiple times with this book) and accidentally added the soy sauce in with the rest of the ingredients, then reduced the whole mess until the "runny ketchup" stage. I had to wing things a bit because of this mistake, but again, as usual with this book, the sauce came out no worse for wear.

• Spicy chipotle eggplant with black beans (Berengena al chipotle con frijoles negros)

  • hirsheys on February 28, 2018

    I made the seasoning earlier in the week, so this was a snap to put together tonight. I used a big eggplant because the smaller ones at the store didn't look great. I added a lot more of the seasoning to the black bean puree because it's just so tasty and I wanted even more of its flavor. If I make this again, I think I'll use just one full can of black beans pureed with some extra water - I'm not entirely clear about why two cans were needed. (I served this with some rice, which wasn't totally necessary, and some shrimp that I tossed with the seasoning, but I was less excited by that combo - the seasoning works much better on the eggplant.) My only other note is that the queso fresco, crema, and cilantro really added a lot to the whole mix and should not be missed.

  • ellencooks on March 19, 2021

    We LOVED this!

• Green chile adobo

  • hirsheys on April 27, 2019

    I made a half recipe of this in anticipation of using it in the herby green chile rice. I put half of the adobo I made (so a quarter of the recipe) in the freezer and left the rest in the fridge, but then I got SO curious and just needed to try it. So I made a small quesadilla with the chihuahua cheese I'd picked up at the market (so yummy) and several dollops of this sauce. What a delicious combination! I really enjoyed the herbaceous, spicy adobo with the slightly sweet and salty cheese. So good! I used just 2 serranos (so the lower end of the amount recommended) and found it to be just the right level of spicy for me (but I don't love tons of spice). I've had this small amount of adobo in my freezer ever since, and my favorite thing to do with it is to chisel little spoonfuls of it out to sprinkle over the cheese in a quesadilla to make it interesting. Almost a year later, the flavor is still herbaceous and very spicy. This is definitely one of my favorite finds from this book.

• Black bean rice with plantains and smoky pork (Arroz de frijol negro con plátanos y puerco ahumado)

  • hirsheys on February 18, 2018

    This is delicious - homey and full of umami flavor. Not worth making with canned beans - the whole point is the taste from the bean broth. I didn't have green onions and replaced successfully with white onion (sauteed first in IP a little). Very happy with this!

• A good-size pot of beans (Una olla grande de frijoles)

  • hirsheys on May 06, 2018

    This works fine, though I think it's undersalted.

  • hilarie on June 24, 2019

    Allow extra time for the beans to cook. Mine were nowhere near done after the specified time, so I dumped everything into an Instant Pot to finish faster.

• Weekend dish: red peanut mole with chicken (Mole de cacahuate con pollo)

  • stockholm28 on March 09, 2018

    I made the savory version. I liked this, but it was not as complex as moles that I’ve had in the past. The peanut flavor really came through. I think this sauce would freeze well and I wished that I had cooked only half the chicken in half the sauce and frozen the other half of the sauce for a future meal.

• Cilantro-poached halibut (Pescado al cilantro)

  • julesamomof2 on June 10, 2020

    This has alot of potential but the sauce was very thin and my finished dish looked nothing like the picture. That said, it was quick flavorful and healthy so I might play around with how to improve.

  • NJChicaa on February 19, 2018

    Sauce was very thin. I would definitely reduce it next time to thicken it up.

• Pan-roasted summer squash with garlic mojo and güero chile (Calabacitas rostizadas al mojo de ajo con chile güero)

  • Rutabaga on September 25, 2018

    If you already have the garlic mojo sauce on hand, this is a great easy dish to make with zucchini or other summer squash. I used a mix of green zucchini and yellow summer squash. The flavor is terrific, and a similar preparation would work well with a variety of other veggies.

• Fresh corn in spicy-herby broth (Esquites caldosos)

  • Rutabaga on September 12, 2017

    In retrospect, I think I made too much corn stock. After covering the cobs and husks with water and simmering them, I was left with more than three quarts of stock. I set two quarts aside, and still felt like I was using more stock than was really needed for cooking the corn. Ultimately, I'm not sure that the effort of making and cooking the corn in stock contributed hugely to the dish, although it is tastier than corn simply cooked in water. The best part is adding the toppings - we used mayonnaise, pepper Jack cheese (although I would prefer queso fresco had I had it), tajin (a Mexican chile lime seasoning), lime, and cilantro. It's good, but I enjoy Mexican street-style corn on the cob even more.

• Grilled asparagus with creamy pasilla chile (Esparragos a la parilla, chile pasilla cremoso)

  • shoffmann on May 06, 2018

    This was good. Though, if I were to make it again, I would probably cut back the number of chiles. The sauce was tasty and had a nice kick to it, but I wasn't fond of the texture of the dried/toasted chiles that were used as a topping without blending.

• Tangy sorrel salsa verde with stir-fried shrimp (Salsa verde de vinagrera con camarones salteados)

  • kitchen_chick on November 02, 2022

    Super easy and fast dinner! I grow sorrel, and love finding new recipes to use it in.

• Coconut bread pudding (Budin de pan y coco)

  • hilarie on February 10, 2020

    Made with a dozen or so leftover Hawaiian rolls from a party. I halved the sugar, and with the sweet bread that was enough. Great flavor, almost like cheesecake at times.

• Pork with roasted tomatillos, poblanos and potatoes (Lomo de puerco en salsa verde con papas)

  • hilarie on April 18, 2020

    Made the chicken version. Good flavors! My Blendtec struggled with the tomatillo sauce, even though my tomatillos were thawed from frozen and basically little water balloons. So I'll do that part in the food processor next time.

• Quick red chile adobo (Adobo rápido de chiles secos)

  • ajvinande on November 29, 2018

    So yummy! Ancho makes it more smoky than spicy

• Weekend dish: red chile pozole with pork (Pozole rojo de puerco)

  • eswensk on March 04, 2019

    Nixtamal should be labeled nixtamal or pozole corn - it is the dried product cooked into hominy. Meaty pork neck bones can be substituted for the pigs feet.

• Salsa-braised tofu

  • emstovall on August 15, 2021

    Make sure the onion is small, half a large was onion forward