Mexican Side Dishes

 by: The Vasquez Family

The most common side dishes you will see on a Mexican table are refried beans and Mexican or Spanish rice. Refried beans are probably the easiest dish you can make. Simply cook your beans, fry them then mash them while still frying in the skillet. You can also add items as you fry your beans like onions, garlic, or cheese. You can add many different items to your beans as you cook them, such as bacon and chile peppers. These slow cooked beans are often referred to as Frijoles Charros. Spanish rice is another traditional side dish served with most Mexican meals. There are many different versions of Spanish rice. You can serve the traditional version, often called Arroz Rojo, a Spanish white rice, or even a Tex-Mex style that is common in the American southwest.

Black beans are another Mexican side dish. The traditional version is very simple to make. Simply take your beans, add them to a pot with some hot water, and bring to boil. Lower your heat so that they will simmer and cover with a lid. Let them cook for about 2 hours and then add your ingredients, such as onions and garlic and let simmer for about another hour. Serve with a little of the broth.

Another Mexican side dish is Camote. Camote is a sweet potato dish that is made with honey and butter. To make camote, peel your sweet potatoes and cut them into cubes, about 1 inch in size. Then place them in any oven-safe dish, cover, and bake for about 45 minutes. When you remove them, top them with honey and butter. Add cinnamon to taste. A similar dish is Calabaza En Tacha - or candied pumpkin. This is a great recipe to use when you are preparing your jack-o-lanterns at Halloween. Typically, the recipes for candied pumpkin are very similar to candied yams.

Pickled onions and jalapenos are also often served to accompany many main dishes. These typically contain a hint of sweetness, from the onions, and are normally tangy and spicy. Spicy pickled carrots are not really a side dish, but you will often see them served on the side of main dishes. They are normally flavored very strongly, so only a few are eaten at a time.

If you'd like to change the way you make corn and add another dish for your Mexican food night try Chilied Corn. To make Chilied Corn you can use either canned or frozen corn. You will also need finely diced and roasted red chiles, a Serrano chile, cumin and chile powder. Throw your corn in a saucepan and let it heat for about 10 minutes. Then add in your peppers and seasonings and let cook for about 5 more minutes. Add salt to taste. You're family will never want regular corn again!

Another side dish that is often forgotten; however, served almost all the time is grilled onions and jalapeño peppers. Grilled onions and jalapeño peppers are easy to make, taste great, and a must have for your family's fajita night. There are a couple of different ways to make these. One is to use halved peppers and the long green onions. Simply place in an oven safe dish and drizzle with oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. You can also place these on your grill at home to add that great 'grilled flavor'. If you choose to grill them, you'll want the skin on your peppers to be browned and soft, and your onions will look browned and wilted. Another easy way to make these, most often served with your fajita meat in restaurants, is to slice your onions and peppers and either grill or cook in your oven. Which ever way you choose to make them, they are definitely a must have!

GREAT MEXICAN DESSERTS

FLAN

Flan is a silky-smooth, egg custard topped with caramel sauce.

EMPANADAS

Empanadas are a triangularly shaped bread that is filled with various sweet and delicious fruit fillings like sweet potato, pumpkin, or pineapple.

CHURROS

Churros are sticks of fried dough covered with cinnamon and sugar. They are made either plain or stuffed with a fruit filling.