2 medium oranges, peeled and chopped
1 small jicama, peeled and chopped
1/2 small red onion, chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons honey
salt

1. Combine orange, jicama, onion and jalapeno in a bowl.
2. Stir together lime juice and honey and mix into other ingredients.
3. Season with salt to taste and refrigerate before serving.

Makes 4 servings

1 cup white rice
2 cups chicken stock
4 cloves garlic
1/2 small onion, chopped
1 jalapeno, stemmed and chopped
3 tablespoons corn oil

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
2. Add rice and stir often until browned, then add the garlic, onion and jalapeno.
3. Add the chicken stock and reduce heat to a simmer. Continue cooking until all of the liquid has been absorbed.

Makes 6 servings

2 large green plantains
2 tablespoons corn oil
1 tablespoon butter
salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cut off the tip end of each plantain and slice a few slits through the peel on one side of each as well.
3. Rub plantains generously with oil and transfer to a baking dish.
4. Bake until tender when pierced with a fork, about half an hour.
5. Allow to cool slightly, then slice through and peel the plantain.
6. Rub with butter and season with salt to serve.

Makes 4 servings

28 ounces crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup water
1 large white onion, chopped
2 jalapenos, stemmed and minced
1/4 cup white vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder

1. Simmer all of the ingredients in a large pot until the onion is soft and the sauce has reduced to a thick paste.
2. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

Makes 8 servings

2 medium avocados, peeled and pitted
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons lime juice
salt

1. Mix avocado with lime juice and mash with the remaining ingredients to taste.
2. Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.

Makes 4 servings

1 cup water
1/2 cup butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup all purpose flour
3 eggs, well beaten
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
deep fryer

1. Heat oil in a deep fryer to 360 degrees.
2. Meanwhile, bring water, butter and salt to a boil in a medium sauce pan.
3. Remove from heat and quickly stir the flour into the water to form a stiff dough.
4. Add the eggs to the dough and spoon mixture into a cake decorator tube with the large star tip setting.
5. Squeeze 4" strips into the hot oil and fry until golden brown, turning once, about 2-3 minutes per side.
6. Combine sugar and cinnamon and roll hot churros in it to coat.

Makes 12 servings

10 large flour tortillas
1 cup Picante
1 cup Guacamole
1 cup cheddar, grated

4 chicken breasts, halved
3/4 cup lime juice
1 tablespoon coarse sea salt
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 jalapenos, sliced

1/2 small white onion, sliced
2 tablespoons lime juice

1. Place onion in lime juice overnight with salt and pepper.
2. Marinade chicken for at least an hour in lime juice, salt, pepper, cumin, oregano and jalapenos.
3. Grill or fry chicken until cooked through to center, then chop into 1/2" pieces.
4. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
5. Spoon 1/10 of the picante, guacamole and chicken to the center of a tortilla.
6. Top with approximately a tablespoon of cheese and a slice or two of white onion.
7. Fold the sides of the tortilla to the center, then fold over the top and bottom to form a rectangle. Secure with a toothpick.
8. Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling and line them on a greased baking sheet.
9. Spray with non-stick spray or brush with oil and place in the oven.
10. Bake for approximately 8 minutes, then turn them over and bake for another 5 minutes.
11. Remove from the oven and top with additional picante, salsa, guacamole or whatever suits your fancy.

Makes 10 servings

38 ounces canned romano beans
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon corn oil
1 cup chicken stock
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
salt and pepper

1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute until tender.
2. Add a quarter of the beans and a quarter of the chicken stock and gently mash the beans as you stir.
3. Combine the rest of the beans with the bean paste and season with cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper.
4. Reduce heat to a simmer and allow to cook until thickened, stirring every so often to prevent sticking.

Makes 6 servings

I tend to do this thing where if I know I'm cooking for company I end up making far more food than anyone can possibly eat. Usually it's not because I can't scale quantities in my head or determine how much people will actually have, but it seems as though the more people are coming, the more dishes I want to prepare to accommodate various needs. That or as an excuse to prepare a lot of food. There's nothing I love more than slaving over a hot stove on a Saturday afternoon. That's probably untrue, but it's safe to say that I do enjoy cooking, even after 3 months of doing this project. I'm kind of regretting making so many dishes because I have to write about them and post the recipes now, though!

When I made the Enchiladas I couldn't find corn tortillas anywhere! Turns out that there are 3 different places to disperse tortillas throughout the supermarket; the deli, the import aisle and the bakery. After finally figuring out where the corn tortillas are in the supermarkets I was so excited that I bought a package of them without realizing that they were too small for my purpose and also not necessary. I made homemade tortilla chips with sea salt and lime just to use them up.

A lot of preparation went into making the Chicken Chimichangas since I made the Picante and Guacamole from scratch, as well as grilling the chicken separately. I already made another Guacamole, but this recipe is different, more of an avocado spread, so I included it. A chimichanga is just a fried burrito or, in this case, a baked one. In my opinion pretty much anything sandwich or burrito-like is that much better grilled, toasted or baked to give it that much more pizazz. I think the little bit of extra effort in the preparation shows, but, like the enchiladas, I'm not sure it's really necessary to make your own since the store bought is so much faster and does a good enough job.

I wanted to give plantains another try, but with so many dishes on the go, I wasn't about to do anything fancy. I made simple Baked Plantains just rubbed with oil and then with salt and butter. I think the oil is supposed to prevent them from burning, but they still turned pretty black. They were pretty much inedible and I dismissed them as a garnish.

Something I've been meaning to eat more of, far before my trip to Mexico (where I first actually tried it) and back to my days of low-carbing, is jicama. I think it's pronounced hih-cama (that whole "J" in "jalapeno" thing), it's sort of like a lightly sweet turnip. It's supposed to make a suitable substitute for apples in low-carb apple pie, as well as another potato type starch. I much prefer it to turnip because it doesn't have a lingering bitter taste. We had it in an
Orange Jicama Salsa, which is recommended for dipping with tortilla chips or with grilled meat or whatever like a typical salsa, but I just served it like a salad because it seemed more suitable. The dressing is lime and honey and the whole dish is actually quite tasty if you're looking to try something different. Lime juice and some form of sweetener is a very good low-calorie, high flavor dressing for pretty much any greens.

If I haven't already mentioned my fondness for cumin, now's a good time. I love cumin. Apparently it's the second most used spice in the entire world next to black pepper, so it's safe to say that a lot of other people love cumin, too. It doesn't seem like it's very popular here in the North, but anyone that likes chili powder likely harbors a hidden fondness for it. It's that wonderful smoky flavor that isn't paprika. Sure, it sort of smells like foot, but it makes things taste incredibly good. I prepared Stewed Romano Beans to try and sedate my craving for refried beans without having to refry beans. Of course, the texture isn't the same, and without the added fat the flavor isn't quite there, but it's a very good, much healthier substitute. Just to round things out a bit (you know, in case there wasn't enough food) I made a pan full of Jalapeno Fried Rice. The jalapeno heat is basically lost in the steam, but a light flavor remains. I like it, but it's hardly a focal point dish and just a great side to help sop up tequila.

Finally, for dessert I made an attempt at Churros. Churros are actually Spanish, but when it comes to food Mexico and Spain seem to favor similar fare and it stands to reason. Spanish churros don't have cinnamon, but in my opinion they just wouldn't be as good without it. The dough is remarkably easy to prepare, but the process of frying all those little sticks can take a while with a little pan. Definitely worth trying out if you have any desire for cinnamon pastries though (and who doesn't?)