"Mexican" news and stories

Who says vegetarian can't be sexy? The colors alone on this burrito are absolutely mouth-watering. Traditional Mexican ingredients (black beans, chiles, rice) are combined with Caribbean flavors (allspice, mango salsa, plantain) and a few all-American touches (carrot and bell pepper) for a meal that's just as hearty and satisfying as any meat-based version.

Want to make it for dinner? Check out the recipe on our Flickr pool.

Become a member of the Slashfood Flickr pool to get a shot of having your photos featured in Feast Your Eyes.

'Fresh Mexico: 100 Simple Recipes for True Mexican Flavor'
By Marcela Valladolid
Photos by Amy Kalyn Sims
Clarkson Potter -- 2009
Buy it on Amazon

Marcela Valladolid may seem familiar to fans of the short-lived "The Apprentice: Martha Stewart." She made it through 11 weeks of the show before Martha bid her "goodbye."

A former recipe tester for Bon Appétit, Valladolid landed on her feet, hosting a Discovery Familia TV show "Relatos con Sabor," and penning her first cookbook, "Fresh Mexico."

It is here that Valladolid shares family recipes from her childhood in Tijuana and San Diego, Calif., and does her best to debunk the notion that Mexican food is heaps of yellow cheese melted on tortilla chips. There is a taco recipe in "Fresh Mexico," but overall this is Mexican fare way outside the box.

Photo: Pink Sherbet Photography, Flickr

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• Alluring Italian white wines are giving their red counterparts a run for their money.
• The Temporary Vegetarian goes fungal with Mushrooms in Lettuce Wraps.
• Brooklyn's Creative Cooks Culinary Center teaches tykes the art of culinary creations.
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• I scream, you scream, parents scream about ice cream.
• How to go retro with a 1951 recipe for Brandied Peaches.

I love working in a kitchen. One of the fringe benefits is that I get to work with people from all different backgrounds. One of my co-workers from Mexico one day made chilaquiles, and I've been a fan ever since.

Chilaquiles is a breakfast dish made from stale tortillas, Mexican-style tomato sauce, and chiles that sometimes also includes cheese and eggs. My co-worker sprinkled on diced onions and Monterey jack cheese and placed a poached eg on top. It was heaven. I tend to prefer foods with softer textures, and the softened tortillas just melted in my mouth. The combination of chiles, onions, cheese, spicy tomato, and egg were just so wonderful and very filling, it's no wonder that this is such a popular breakfast dish.

Gourmet Sleuth.com has this page with a great recipe for chilequiles, as well as some history and background on the dish. It's popular throughout Mexico, and that means there are plenty of variations. A few of the variations are freatured here, along with links to recipes. I haven't made chilequiles at home yet, but now that I have some recipes to work with (my co-worker refused to tell me how to make it) it is definitely on the menu.