When school finishes, I can’t wait to hop on the plane home to the Lone Star State to finally eat the foods I have been craving all year (the foods that just aren’t part of the common cuisine at SUNY Oswego): enchiladas, tacos de barbacoa, frijoles, tres leches cake … Sorry, but Taco Bell just doesn’t cut it.
This year, however, I am cooking for myself a lot more and have found that I still am able to make authentic Mexican meals, using a few substitutions. And best of all, I’m not breaking my budget! Here are five easy Mexican meals you can make yourself for those moments when you are sick of the dining hall.
Huevo con Chorizo
Chorizo is a type of Mexican pork sausage and is made with seasonings that give it a bit of a kick, which I love. Unfortunately, it’s hard to find in upstate New York. I absolutely love eating this dish for breakfast on the weekends and I figured out how to make a similar substitute.
Ingredients:
-
One pack of mild or spicy ground Italian sausage
-
Two eggs
-
One package of flour tortillas (Guerro or La Banderita brand is preferred, but optional)
Cooking utensils:
-
A nonstick frying pan
-
Spatula
Directions:
Heat the pan to a medium temperature. Fry the ground sausage for 15 minutes. Turn the sausage over often to cook evenly. Add the eggs to the pan and mix them with the sausage until fully cooked. You can serve them alone or heat up flour tortillas to make burritos.
Quesadillas
Quesadillas are a part of the Mexican diet that are fast and easy to make. These delights are perfect for when you want a quick bite to eat!
Ingredients:
-
One package of corn or flour tortillas (Guerro or La Banderita brand)
-
One package of Monterey Jack cheese
Cooking utensils:
-
Nonstick frying pan
- Knife
Directions:
Heat the pan to a low medium heat. Depending on how large your pan is, place one or two tortillas on the pan. Allow them to heat up 30 seconds, flipping them so that they heat for one minute on each side. In the meantime, cut four slices of cheese. Place two of the slice alongside each other, each on half of the tortilla. Fold the tortilla in half—you may need to trim the excess cheese away from the edges. Flip over the quesadillas periodically until the cheese has melted completely and then serve.
I love salsa and chips but I can’t stand store-bought salsa—it’s so watery and nothing like the salsa my mom makes. Homemade salsa involves a little more time and cooking materials so I like to make pico de gallo instead. The best part about that is, it’s easy! There’s even a Mexican saying when something is hard: “It’s no pico de gallo.”
Ingredients:
-
One medium onion
-
One medium tomato
-
One lime
-
Half of a bunch of cilantro
-
One-eighths tablespoon of salt
-
One or two jalapenos
-
Tortilla chips.
Cooking utensils:
-
Bowl
-
Knife
-
Spoon
-
Cutting board
Directions:
Dice the tomato, onions and jalapeños. Chop the cilantro. Combine ingredients in the bowl. Cut the lime and squeeze the juice over the ingredients. Add salt. Combine ingredients and mix well. Serve with tortilla chips. Optional: refrigerate for 30 minutes before eating.
Huevo Con Tortilla
Here’s yet another breakfast treat for you to try! We never eat just scrambled eggs in my house. We are always have our eggs revuelto (scrambled) with something—ham, hot dogs, but my absolute favorite is with fried tortilla.
Ingredients:
-
Vegetable oil
-
Three eggs
-
One package of corn tortillas
-
One teaspoon of salt
-
One teaspoon of pepper.
Cooking utensils:
-
Frying pan
-
Spatula
Directions:
Heat pan to medium heat. Add enough vegetable oil so it coats the pan evenly. Take four tortillas and rip them up into one inch pieces. Place them in the pan—they should start to fry instantly. If not, wait a little longer for the pan to heat up. Fry them until crispy brown on both sides. Add eggs to the pan over the tortillas. Continue to cook until eggs done. Add salt and pepper and then serve.
Okay, I lied about the fact that these are all super easy. This one involves a little more work than the ones above but if you feel like really cooking, chicken tacos are a great meal. Besides, they’re not too hard. If I could make them when I was 12, then so can you!
Ingredients:
-
One boneless, skinless chicken breast
-
One package of tortillas
-
One tablespoon of salt
-
One tablespoon of pepper
-
Vegetable oil
Cooking utensils:
-
A pot
-
A frying pan
-
Spatula
-
A bowl
-
A microwave
-
Paper towels
-
A plate
Directions:
Boil chicken breast in a potful of water for 15 to 20 minutes, or until chicken is fully cooked. Next, pour out the water and allow chicken to cool. Finely shred chicken in the bowl and season with salt and pepper. Microwave the amount of tortillas you want to eat on paper towels—be sure to pull them apart once before stacking them on top of each other. Otherwise, they will stick to each other when heated. Heat in microwave for two minutes. Next, heat up the pan to medium heat and add vegetable oil until it coats the pan evenly. Make a taco with the tortilla and place the shredded chicken inside. Place onto frying pan and heat up until taco is evenly golden brown on both sides. Place on plate when ready to serve. Wipe off excess oil with paper towels. Serve with sour cream.
And there you have it! There are five delicious, authentic Mexican meals for you to try. Enjoy!