Mexican Independence Day - Viva Recipes!

On this auspicious day in 1810 a brave Roman Catholic priest (and a real Father of two daughters) in the village of Dolores rang a church bell and made a powerful speech that set in motion the War of Independence from Spain. To read all about it, just click here.

¡Viva México!

I can think of no better way to celebrate bashing away shackles from an oppressor than a deep cultural dive into Mexico's culinary arts. And, boy, do I have a barricade of recipes for you to attempt to go through. And, of course, the ingredients are cheap but tasty. So join the charge and follow the Revolutionary Chef !

(By the way, Hispanic Heritage Month begins the day before, on September 15.)

Flag of the Mexican Empire of Iturbide - template for the modern Mexican flag. 

Fire the first volley with a Calabasitas -- a Mexican veggie stew made of a bunker-full of summer squash. It's lightly spicy comfort food, a dish always ordered by my late wife at our fave local Hollywood Mexican restaurant, and shared over Happy Hour frosty margaritas.

Along with squash, you'll need an ammunition belt of onion, corn (fresh or from a can), tomatoes, a can of mild green chiles, cilantro, and, finally, some melting cheese as a topping.

Be sure to choose a cheese that is firm, like Jack, mozzarella, Swiss, mild cheddar, or my favorite, Mexican Queso Fresco (avoid processed American cheese; it will melt into a soup - save it for a gringo grilled sandwich).

They say the military marches on its stomach, well Calabasitas is hearty enough to satiate any soldier's appetite.

Pozole is a rich pork dish, a stunning stew of hominy (corn,) red chilies, and pork. If you had a bit too much Tequila the night before, or, just coming off a firefight, recuperate with a rich bowlful. 

The American Revolution broke British rule over our original 13 colonies, and later Mexico removed the yolk of Spain's oppressive reign. And speaking of "yolk," in the Battle of Breakfast Huevos Rancheros wins hands down. 

I've been making Huevos Rancheros often lately. And the reason is, it's the bomb! You got corn tortillas, creamy refried beans, crumbly Mexican cheese, and fried eggs topped with more cheese and tangy salsa. 

You are hit from all sides with this Gatling gun of disparate flavors. And it's an easy recipe to make. Just heat up some tortillas and refried beans to add to your fried eggs. I prefer Mexican cheese, but you can use what you have on hand. Deliver the coup de grâce with your favorite salsa, either fresh (simple recipe click here) or from the jar.

Just check out my video below to see my cheap$kate version.

I come from illegal stock. As young men, my grandfather and his brother crossed into Texas from Mexico, and after a few years, they applied for and became U.S. citizens. He spent his working life as a Shrimp Boat captain. Now you know the genesis of Tex-Mex cuisine. His daughter, my Mom, has a classic Tex-Mex Chili-Cheese Enchilada recipe my high school buddy Marvin raves about to this day. Check it out below.

My Mom learned to cook from Big Mama, her mom. A mess kit can easily contain heaps of her Shrimp and Rice. This hand-me-down recipe is a keeper, and you can be sure any private will lineup for seconds. Check it out below, it's really easy to do. It's the kind of recipe soldiers dream about on a cold night in a wet foxhole.

Fusion or multiculti cuisines are made by true Americans, and my "brother from another daddy," the Swamp Chef, has his own version of a Cajun-Mex dish called Cajun Natchos. You have to see it to believe it below.

Tacos are THE secret weapon. I can have tacos morning, noon, and night. So read on and you'll know what I mean - just click on any taco name, or highlighted text, to see all the tasty details from my blog post recipe or review.

In the morning it's spicy Mexican chorizo with scrambled eggs and refried beans nestled into a warm corn or flour tortilla.

Breakfast Tacos

And my Chorizo & Egg Taco is about as cheap as you can get. I get Mexican chorizo from the 99c only Store natch, and all kinds too, like beef, pork, and even soy (which is a recent favorite.) Eggs still show up at my local Dollar Tree.

*Click on any recipe name to see the original blog post recipe or review*

The simplest breakfast taco to make is one made of Scrambled Eggs & Refried Beans. You can use canned refried beans or make my Homemade Mexican-style Pinto Beans.

This breakfast taco blows all others out of the water! It's a killer recipe and the title says it all: Shrimp, Jalapeño & Egg Tacos. Thanks, Mom for this recipe, I can now hand it down to my fellow food warriors.

And for Breakfast Tacos, it's all about the salsa toppings. I like salsa from a jar especially when I'm in the food trenches, but sometimes I just gotta go for it and make my own Homemade Salsa, and it's easy to do.

My Mango Salsa recipe with yummy photos and tasty text is right here, but you can check out the video below:



I'm ready to party on this awesome day, and when this cheap$kate does it you can bet pennies will be pinched without a sacrifice in flavor. For my backyard soirée, it's my favorite taco: slow-cooked pork Carnitas. Just check out my video below to see what I'm writing about.



I buy a 5 to 6-pound budget pork shoulder, and I can get a couple dozen tacos out of it, too.

 And, boy, it's the perfect budget recipe that your friends, neighbors, and troops will line up for. You let them do most of the work -- they get to build each taco to suit their taste. I like to set out some chopped onion and cilantro. You can make your taco bar any way you like, go ahead and add a bowl of shredded cheese, chopped lettuce, and tomato, and a cheap jar of salsa, too.

Here's another gringo fusion rip-off recipe based on a Mexican classic salsa, Peach Salsa. Take your ripe Georgia peach and mix it with onion, jalapeño, cilantro, and lime juice. All it takes is a bit of chopping. What a great and refreshing appetizer on a hot summer day under the shade of a sombrero.

Mexico is a major producer/exporter of produce (and labor,) and Californians get the benefit of Hass Avocados 4 for $1. As far as these invasions go....bring it on!

A lighter version of pork Carnitas, and just as delish, is my Turkey Carnitas made with dark leg meat. After a long day on the battlefield, gather around the campfire and make a few tacos or a fat burrito.

Carne Asada, or grilled steak, is a favorite taco of mine. Just make my marinade for thinly sliced steak, let it sit for half an hour or so, then slap it on the grill. After the Carne Asada is done you chop it up and serve on a corn tortilla.

Carne Asada Taco - The marinade is a simple mix of lime juice, oil, cilantro, cumin, garlic, salt, and pepper.

Drive anywhere in Los Angeles and you will see taco trucks, sidewalk taco vendors, and taquerias on almost every street keeping the Mexican Culinary Revolution alive and kicking. And I've stopped at most of them. What follows are a few of my faves - with a few recipes I cribbed from them, too.

When I moved to Los Angeles over 40 years ago, I discovered the taco truck. Boy, have they evolved over the years. In the beginning, it was just hamburgers and tacos made with ground beef. Well, that all changed about 10 years ago when a hotel chef named Roy Choi, who was down but not out, rebounded from couch surfing to start Kogi Taco Truck.

A fellow co-conspirator came up with the idea of a Korean taco, and Roy Choi assembled the taco ingredients of Korean barbecue short ribs with a kimchi-style coleslaw, served on corn tortillas. His truck was an instant hit, and Kogi jump-started the neverending nouveau taco truck renaissance.

Kogi is still around and I still love them. Check out my video below, where I hang out night and day, for L.A.'s most uniquely mouthwatering taco. 

¡Viva Taco Revolution!

Inspired by Kogi's mashup of Korean BBQ and Mexican Tacos, I came up with the Loxaco, which combines Jewish and Mexican cuisines.

A Loxaco is comprised of homemade lox (cured salmon) in a fast food crunchy taco shell topped with cream cheese and thin sliced red onion. I introduced this preposterous concoction at a book signing in Libros Schmibros, a lending library in East Los Angeles. How did it go over with book lovers? The following video is a twofer, you get a recipe plus a literary happening scene -- even the late great food critic Jonathan Gold makes an appearance - while his wife and kid tried them Jonathan gave them a pass )-:



After a double feature at my fave art house cinematheques like the Egyptian or New Beverly Theater, on the way home I swing by Leo's Taco for a few al pastor pork tacos. They're still cheap, and the line can be long, now that the word is out.

This is porcine perfection on a paper plate. It's tender and flavorful grilled marinated pork, that's cooked in front of a gas grill called a trompo. A cook manning the grill slices off thin slivers, finishing the taco with flare: a flying slice of pineapple. Check out the yummy action below.



I've followed the Two Hot Tamales from the beginning when the Border Grill was in a storefront with half a dozen tables on Melrose Avenue. Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken are fixtures on the L.A. dining scene who jumped on the taco truck train, bringing their nuevo take on Mexican cuisine to four wheels. They primarily park their taco truck in the environs of Silicon Valley West Coast, Santa Monica.



My Tacos El Primo video review has gone viral. That means this YouTube video gets thousands of views per month - right now it is pushing half a million. Why? I'm not sure. Let's see... in this video, I review Buche and Tripas tacos, or tacos made from slow-cooked stomach and intestines. Gross right? One thing I noticed is half my visitors are from Mexico, so maybe half my audience is curious about how gringos react to offal?

I did the taco review because Tacos El Primo was a midnight munchies stop on my return home from various Hollywood treks. When you have a neighborhood food stop, you eventually dive deeper and try eats you would not normally taste.

Tripas (intestine) Taco

Well, join the multitudes and check out my Cheap$kate video review of Tacos El Primo.

Deep-fried Fish Tacos are one of Mexico's great culinary contributions. These battered depth charges of crunchy perfection are based on the street food of Baja Mexico and other coastal communities. If you like British Fish & Chips, you'll love Fried Fish Tacos.

Fish Taco

The battered fillets of fish are typically served on corn tortillas and topped with a white crema and chopped cabbage. I have my own recipe for Fish Tacos you can see by clicking on the recipe name.

And this is the best taco deal in town: Wednesdays are $1 Fish Taco Day at Tacos Baja! Yeah, that's what you heard - don't believe me? Just watch the video below that I shot in Whittier (East L.A.) and see it for yourself.

Chicken is one cheap protein. My Chicken Tinga recipe will have your compadres coming back for seconds...and thirds! Chicken Tinga is a stew simmered in tomato sauce with a can of spicy chipotle peppers, but you can make a mild version with a can of enchilada sauce.

 Chicken Tinga

My no-cook Fake Krab Ceviche just takes some veggie chopping. Because Krab is cooked you just shred it and add as much as you like to the chopped veggies and cilantro. Now I know that real Mexican Ceviche uses "citrus-cooked" raw fish and/or shellfish, but I'm a Cheap$kate Internet Chef, right? So you will have to grant me amnesty for this recipe! But I make up for any shortcomings with the addition of creamy avocado and flavorful black beans. Give my recipe a shot and let me know if it's a successful maneuver.

So do celebrate Mexican Independence Day with me today now that I've shown you an ammunition dump of taco recipes you can make easily and cheaply. I guarantee your family or guest will light up the sky with praise!

And, what the heck, I'll end with a queasy taco review, from Jack In The Box with its 2 for 99 cent tacos (the price has risen since I made the video, but the taste is the same)...ugh, whoever came up with this abomination should face a firing squad!!

Hey, I know these tacos are affordable and actually liked, so skip the firing squad, just put the chef-inventor in solitary confinement...please.

Raspberry Pancakes - Video Recipe

Have a very berry breakfast with my latest fruit-laden pancake concoction. Nothing to it really just mix up your fave pancake batter and layout raspberries on a hot grill then finally pour on the batter. My easy Raspberry Pancake recipe pops with sweet and sour fruity flavor.

Raspberries are the most tender fruit. It's soft but loaded with tiny seeds. The juice is sweet with a tart aftertaste.

These days in Los Angeles I can get a 6-ounce plastic pack of fresh Raspberries in my local 99c only Store quite often. You could use frozen berries, but they will be mushy. Frozen raspberries are yummy in smoothies or stirred into yogurt. I also add them to oatmeal just before serving, if you mix them in too early they will dissolve completely - I mean dissolved is okay but I like the sweet/sour pop in a bite.

No special tricks to this recipe, I just add fresh Raspberries to a lightly oiled heating pan and pour on pancake batter. 

For the pancake batter, I use a commercial brand. If you have a homemade recipe then use it. I can get a large box of dry pancake batter at my local 99c only Store or Dollar Tree. Regular grocery stores sell it cheap enough, too.

My recipe is the easiest and quickest thing to make and starting the day with fresh fruit is a big tasty plus.

Check out how I make a cheap$kate breakfast of Raspberry Pancakes.

Raspberry Pancakes - Video

Play it here, video runs 1 minute, 39 seconds.

My YouTube video link for viewing or embedding, just click here.

Ingredients (2 servings, using a pancake mix)

• 1 cup pancake mix - any favorite
• 3/4 cup water - okay to use milk for a richer pancake batter.
• Raspberries - a handful. Okay to substitute with any fresh seasonal fruit like blueberry, peach, apricot, strawberry, and even sliced banana or canned fruit like pineapple.
• 1 tablespoon of cooking oil - to grease the skillet. Add more when needed, depending on how many pancakes you make.
• Butter and favorite pancake syrup - add as much as you like.

Directions
Prepare pancake batter according to package directions. My pancake mix calls for 1 cup of flour and 3/4 cup of water.

Mix pancake ingredients in a bowl. When mixed it will be like thick country gravy. Start to heat the pan over medium/low heat.

I like to place fruit down on the pan first so it is in direct contact with the skillet for a little caramelization. You want to pour batter against the Raspberries so they stick to the pancake when you flip it. 

Since Raspberries are so delicate it's also okay to mix them into the batter so they will hold their shape and not semi-dissolve away.

Follow the Pancake mixing and cooking directions. The box directions below mention cooking time to brown each side as 1.5 minutes each....hmmm, they must be using a super hot pan!

If you want a dark brown pancake presentation, then just cook one side to get the right amount of brown, then cook the other side for a minute, to finish. Serve browned side up, on the plate.



I serve hot with melted butter and my favorite pancake syrup.

Meatballs In Marinara Sauce

I have a way with meatballs. Mixing ground turkey with sauteed onion, spinach, mushrooms, toasted bread, and garlic makes a Meatball so light it almost floats off the plate. 

Maybe you like a more solid Meatball, then leave out the sauteed veggies and toast for a hefty Meatball. Make Meatballs your way - it's all good.

99c only Stores carry packaged fresh spinach, so it's a natural progression to blend the side dish into the entree -- combining sauteed spinach and Meatballs. If you have a favorite green then add that. You want to saute them until soft, so the Meatballs hold their shape better.

And mushrooms go with meat any day. I like sauteed musky mushrooms on my grilled steak and hamburger. Add any favorite sliced mushrooms.

Onions and garlic are cheap anytime. You can substitute with dried or powdered versions. 

I have a small patio garden with fresh herbs like basil, oregano, sage, and parsley. You can, again, use dried herbs or an Italian Herb Mix.

                        Click on any photo to see larger.

I finish the Meatballs with a canned tomato sauce. I made the sauce with crushed, whole, and plain tomato sauce. I simmer the Meatballs for at least an hour so the sauce breaks down while absorbing the Meatball flavorings. If you are using whole canned tomatoes, break them apart as the tomato sauce cooks.

The meat part is the expensive part. I can find little ground beef and turkey patties for a buck, not enough for a pot of meatballs. I find larger packages of ground pork for breakfast sausage for a dollar. One-pound packages of ground turkey and pork are usually cheaper than ground beef.  

For lighter Meatballs use ground turkey or chicken. Ground poultry is mushier so I sometimes add an egg to the mix to firm up the Meatballs, it's the same way I firm up my Homemade Meatloaf.

Add or subtract any of the above Meatball ingredients. I've made different versions and the Meatballs have all been tasty.  

Meatballs in Marinara Sauce - Video        Play it here, video runs 6 minutes, 19 seconds.

My YouTube video link for viewing or embedding, just click here.

Ingredients (serves 4 - 6)

• Ground Meat - 1 pound. Okay to use any favorite ground meat including pork, beef, veal, chicken, turkey, or a ground meat mix.
• Spinach - one bunch with most of the stems removed. Okay to use a 6-ounce package of spinach, or frozen spinach. If you have other favorite greens then use them.
• Mushrooms - sliced or chopped. 1 package, about 4 ounces, of any favorite mushrooms.
• 1 Onion - chopped.
• Garlic - 1 tablespoon chopped fresh or from a jar. Okay to use dried garlic.
• Bread - 2 toasted slices. Break into small pieces to mix into ground meat and sauteed veggies.
• Italian Herbs - 1 teaspoon fresh or dried, including basil, oregano, sage, and parsley. For fresh herbs add 2 teaspoons.
• Milk - 1/4 cup, optional.
• Oil - 2 tablespoons vegetable oil. One tablespoon to saute onion, and one tablespoon to saute Meatballs.
• Salt & Pepper - to taste, or about half a teaspoon total.

Marinara Sauce

• Red Wine - 1 cup, optional. Okay to use white wine or a favorite broth.
• Tomato Sauce - 24 oz. can of crushed, diced, or tomato sauce. I often use 2 small 16-ounce cans of tomato. If I am feeding extra guests then I will add one more small can of tomato sauce, water, wine, or broth - you can never have too much tomato sauce with meatballs.

Directions

In a large pan or pot saute onion for about 5  minutes in a tablespoon of oil until soft.

Add sliced or chopped mushrooms and saute until soft about 5 minutes. Add chopped garlic and herbs then saute another minute.

Wash the spinach and remove most of the stems. Add spinach and cover the pot to steam spinach to softness for a few minutes. Give them a stir as spinach cooks down.

In a large bowl mix ground meat, toasted bread, milk, and sauteed veggies. Salt and pepper to taste.

Form the meat mixture into Meatballs of any size you like (I like large ones,) and add to the heated pan with oil. 

Brown the Meatballs for about 5 minutes on each side. You may need to do it in a couple of batches depending on the size of your pan or pot. Partially covering the pan helps firm up the Meatballs by steaming, thus making them easier to turn without breaking apart. 

Add red wine (optional) and tomato sauce. Rinse out the tomato sauce can and add the water to the sauce. Okay to add an extra 8-ounce can of tomato sauce for more servings.

Cover and low-simmer Meatballs in the sauce for 1-2 hours until sauce is reduced by half. This is the kind of sauce you can keep warm for a few hours. If too watery then cook the sauce uncovered to thicken.

Add water or broth if the liquid cooks out too much. I like a thick sauce, but make it your way.

Serve Meatballs in Marinara Sauce over your favorite pasta. And you can build a perfect Meatball Submarine Sandwich with my recipe.

Hindsight

I like a lot of veggies in my Meatballs. I've made meatballs without spinach or mushrooms so use what veggies you have on hand - chopped carrot, celery, and bell pepper are other veggies to add. I use this same ground meat and veggie combo for a Loaded Homemade Meatloaf.

 It's okay to make more traditional Meatballs without added veggies. Just season ground meat and mix in a teaspoon of Italian herbs. Form the ground meat into Meatballs and brown them. Finish cooking with tomato sauce and wine. 

An extra flavor to add to Meatballs is a teaspoon of Worcestershire Sauce.

Ground chicken and turkey can be mushy, so I will add a large egg into the mix so the Meatballs will firm up better.