New Mexican Flavours

In Mexico, meal times are always a cause for celebration and seen as important occasions in the day that bring family and friends together. I couldn’t agree with this ethos more; for me, food has always been a means of showing love and I believe it brings people together like nothing else.

I’ve also always loved the Mexican way of cooking; the freshness of herbs, the hum of fragrant chillies and the zest of dousing everything in fresh lime. It’s a common misconception that Mexican food is unhealthy when in fact, real authentic Mexican cuisine is packed with nutrients and some of the healthiest you can find. These days fast-food restaurants and takeaway eateries have given Mexican food this bad wrap, so I’ve come up with a bundle of new Mexican low salt and salt-free blends so you can make this delicious cuisine yourself at home the healthy way – super quickly and super easily!

Here’s a rundown of all of our wonderful new blends along with some great recipes and ideas for use:

Mexican Adobo Seasoning

Derived from the Spanish word ‘adobar’ meaning ‘to marinate’, Mexican Adobo Seasoning is a staple in Mexican cooking that, as its name suggests, is all about meat marination. This blend is such a versatile marinade base, so much so that I’ve dubbed it my ‘Mexican salt and pepper’. I use this seasoning to add a mild Mexican kick to just about anything I’m marinating – for a simple, on-the-fly mid-week marinade, I mix with oil and rub generously over steaks, letting them sit outside the fridge in a cool spot for about 30 minutes before placing on a searing hot grill; this not only allows the flavour of the marinade to seep into meat, but allowing your meat to come to room temperature before cooking allows an even cook, resulting in the juicy, tender steaks we all love.
The most common and traditional use for this ancient marinade seasoning is Mexican
Adobo Sauce. A spicy, fragrant sauce that can be used to marinate chicken, seafood, meat
or as a sauce for beans, enchiladas or even your morning eggs.

As well as Mexico, this traditional Adobo marinade is used widely in other Latin American countries as well as South American countries like Peru. In many parts of Latin America, it is mixed with pure orange juice, which not only adds fruity, sweet notes to balance out the chillies, but the acid in the juice also helps to tenderise your meat and break down its proteins during the marinating process. This fruity twist works perfectly with rich meats like pork and beef – simply marinate in the fridge for at least an hour (overnight is optimum) before grilling, roasting or slow cooking. On the lighter side, the Peruvian adaptation of Adobo uses the addition of lemon juice. This combination works stunningly with seafood. Douse this marinade over unpeeled king prawns and a firm white fish like bass or cod and leave to marinate for at least an hour before BBQing. Tip for added flavour – baste the prawns and fish as they BBQ; this will intensify the flavour and the lemon juice in the marinade will create a sticky caramelised crust on the outside.

Click Here to give my recipe for Adobo Chicken with Coriander Rice a go – a Peruvian adaptation of this traditional spice mix.

Mexican Taco Spice Mix

Tacos are arguably the most well-known Mexican foods and have always been a family-
favourite in our house. One thing that’s always put me off making them however, was the
amount of sugar, salt, preservatives – and god knows what else – is in the store-bought taco kits. After doing a thorough scan in the supermarket one day, I was shocked to see how many unnecessary ingredients are packed into these sauces and seasonings so I took it upon myself to develop a healthier (and tastier) staple taco spice mix that everyone can have on-hand in their pantry ready for Taco Tuesdays (for alliteration purposes only, tacos most definitely should not be confined to just one day). Although I’ve blended this specially with tacos in mind, I do use this mix in many more dishes and find it adds the perfect hit of Mexican flavour that’s mild and salt-free so great for the whole family.

Click Here to read my recipe for Healthy Beef Tacos. It’s a classic recipe that’s super easy, so perfect for midweek meals. It’s also totally interchangeable, so you can make it with
whatever meat you like or even vegetarian with some beans in-place of meat.

Mexican Burrito/Fajita Spice Mix

Following closely on the heels of tacos when it comes to popular Mexican dishes, has to be burritos and fajitas. When developing blends for these two, I found a lot of the ingredients wound up being similar, so decided to combine the two in one handy spice blend making life much easier and my spice pantry a little tidier.

This blend has the smoky notes of dried Chipotle and Ancho chillies that take the flavour to the next level and impart the most authentic Mexican flavour. Though I created this blend with fajitas and burritos in mind, I also use it to add a smoky depth of Mexican flavour to loads of dishes – Like my easy Mexican Tortilla Bean Soup: I add a spoonful of the burrito/fajita spice mix when browning the onions, then just add in beans, corn, tinned tomatoes and stock and simmer for 20 mins before crumbing crispy tortillas or corn chips over the top for a little crunch; absolutely delicious and couldn’t be easier!

I also like to trick up my classic roast chicken with a little Mexican twist by rubbing this blend generously over it with olive oil before roasting. I then spritz it with loads of fresh lime and serve with roasted sweet potatoes and a fresh tomato/coriander salsa.

Seeing as this blend (for lack of a better saying) kills two Mexican birds with one stone, I’ve put together two recipes for you; both as simple and delicious as each other. The first, my Smoky Mexican Chicken Burrito Bowl – this fresh take removes the outer tortilla from the classic and makes one fresh bowl of deliciousness! The second, Easy Chicken Fajitas – the name says it all. This easy recipe has very few ingredients and takes very minimal effort. The smoky charred chicken, sweet capsicum and onion all wrapped up in a soft tortilla makes for a delicious family-favourite meal that can be made in mere minutes.

Mexican Mole Poblano

Mole Poblano has always been a favourite sauce of mine with its deep, rich notes of cocoa, smoky chillies, sweet currants and crunch of nuts. This unique sauce is very traditional to Mexico and is a staple at special occasions however, is often overlooked in our everyday cooking when in fact, it’s so easy to make and produces the most delicious hit of flavour that can be used in tacos, fajitas, burritos or simply spooned generously over grilled meat to serve alongside rice and a fresh salsa.

Mole has many different versions, mine is a classic Poblano, also known as Red Mole Sauce. It is a rich combination of ancho, pasila, Mulato and chipotle chillies in the base blend that are then combined with chocolate, tomatoes, nuts and raisins. This unique combination is pureed to create a lush, decadent sauce. My favourite way to use this liquid gold sauce is in my Vegetarian Mole Enchiladas – Click Here to check out the recipe; it’s haute Mexican cooking at its finest and the out-of-the-world taste it produces will never have anyone knowing how quick and easy it really was!

This complex blend takes the hard chilli and spice blending out for you, making it an
absolute cinch to recreate this wonderful sauce yourself at home. Use straight away, or
make up a big batch and keep in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer so you can
have it on-hand whenever the hungry hordes call for Mexican.

Click Here to read my take on the traditional Mole Poblano Sauce and Click Here to see how I use it in my Chicken Mole Poblano recipe.

I hope this has given you some ideas for your next Mexican fiesta or a little inspiration to
dabble in this wonderful cuisine, the healthy way. We are very proud of the authentic
flavours we’ve emulated in these blends and know you will just love them and their
versatility!

If you make anything from our site be sure to upload it onto social media and tag us. We
love seeing what you create!

Ciao,

Liz

F | @thespicepeople I | @thespicepeopleaus