When you think of Thanksgiving dinner, what comes to mind? Perhaps you picture an overflowing cornucopia of fresh food. More than likely, your mind conjures up images of Thanksgiving dinner staples, such as turkey with stuffing, mashed potatoes with gravy, green bean casserole, and pumpkin pie. And while we’ll be the first to say that there’s nothing wrong with “traditional” Thanksgiving food, we also realize that some people like to create their own unique traditions.

If you’re considering ideas for non-traditional Thanksgiving dinners this holiday season, we’ve got some excellent recipes worth trying out that are relatively simple and way more flavorful than your standard turkey.

Green Chili Pork Burros

Loaded with delicious sour cream, stew, and black beans—and topped with Jack cheese—this recipe is sure to please all of your guests while leaving them happy and stuffed! Here’s what you’ll need:

• a 13-inch flour tortilla
• an ounce of sour cream
• five ounces of prepared green chili pork stew
• a half ounce of Jack cheese
• four ounces of prepared black beans
• a quarter ounce of shredded Jack cheese
• two ounces of pico/cabbage mix, for garnish

Start by heating a tortilla over medium heat in a skillet until it’s slightly crispy but still pliable. Then, spread a dollop of sour cream down the center of the tortilla, along with a helping of the green chili pork stew. Top with Jack cheese. Roll the burro closed before cutting it in half and putting on a plate. Serve with a molcajete of black beans and remaining shredded Jack cheese. Serve atop the cabbage/pico mix!

Shrimp and Chicken Taquitos

Looking for a dish that incorporates your favorite sea food but still has a Mexican twist? We’ve got you covered. You’ll need:

• two ounces of chorizo
• an ounce of chipotle butter
• a pound of diced shrimp
• an ounce of Macayo’s Sergio’s Tomatillo Salsa
• three ounces of Jack cheese
• nine red corn tortillas (6oz.)
• nine white corn tortillas (6oz.)
• olive oil, as needed

Start by heating your chipotle butter in a sautee pan until it’s melted. Then, add the chorizo and brown it before adding the tomatillo salsa and mixing all the ingredients together thoroughly. Then, move to a shallow pan and allow to cool, which will give the flavors a chance to marry.

Once it’s cooled down, add the Jack cheese to the top of the mixture and allow it to melt. Brown both sides of each tortilla, placing about an ounce of the chorizo and shrimp mixture onto each tortilla before rolling them into individual taquitos.

Green Chile Pork Stew

For a hearty dish that’s perfect as a Thanksgiving side or on its own, give this a try. You’ll need:

• two ounces of good olive oil
• two pounds of braised, diced pork butt
• a half-pound of fresh poblano chiles
• four-and-a-half ounces of tomato enchilada sauce
• one 24-ounce can of Sergio’s Tomatillo Salsa
• half a tablespoon of cumin
• one tablespoon of salt
• half a tablespoon of fresh minced garlic

Begin by roasting the poblano chiles and chop them into half-inch pieces. Now, put your stock pot over high heat and add the olive oil and pork butt cubes. Braise the pork with the olive oil, cumin, salt, and garlic for about 20 minutes before adding the tomatillo sauce, tomatillo salsa, and chopped poblano peppers. Let everything come to a boil before reducing the heat to low or simmer for about 30 minutes before serving. Yum!

Traditionally, sopapillas are a pastry dessert that consist of deep-fried dough that’s topped with sugar, honey, or a combination of both. Many people enjoy sopapillas around the holiday season, but they can be made any time of year. However, there are also some delicious and creative twists on traditional sopapilla recipes that we recommend giving a try, especially if you’re looking to wow your holiday guests with a unique dessert offering. We’ve got plenty of creative sopapilla recipes for you below!

Pumpkin Sopapilla Bars

Rather than traditional pumpkin pie this holiday season, why not serve up some yummy pumpkin sopapilla bars? These taste very similar to your favorite pumpkin pie, but have a creamier texture and are served up sopapilla style. For this recipe, all you need are crescent rolls, cream cheese, pumpkin puree, vanilla, butter, sugar, and a little bit of pumpkin pie spice. The end result is a cheesecake-like flavor with a hint of pumpkin and, of course, that delicious and flaky sopapilla crust!

Cheesecake Sopapilla Pie

Speaking of cheesecake, can you really go wrong with combining the flaky crust of a sopapilla pastry with the creamy and rich texture of cheesecake? We don’t think so. This cheesecake sopapilla pie recipe takes dessert to the next level and is a must-try for anybody who loves dessert. This recipe incorporates Mexican vanilla extract, crescent roll dough, cream cheese, cinnamon, butter, honey, and sugar for a flavor that’s out of this world. You can also customize this recipe by adding your own toppings; for example, you could create a chocolate drizzle with Mexican chocolate and heavy cream. Or, you could keep things simple by adding some of your favorite cherry or strawberry fruit syrup on top. Either way, this cheesecake sopapilla pie is sure to be a hit with all your guests, and it’s not very difficult to make.

Cinnamon Sugar Sopapillas

Another excellent and unique sopapilla recipe to try out, especially this upcoming holiday season, is this cinnamon sugar sopapilla recipe. It’s just a minor diversion from traditional sopapillas, which are usually topped with honey and sugar. Instead, for a more “festive” flavor for Thanksgiving or Christmas, we recommend topping your flaky sopapillas with cinnamon sugar as described.

Stuffed Dinner Sopapillas

Last but not least, consider surprising your guests by taking a totally new spin on the traditional sopapilla. Instead of serving them up as a dessert, try stuffing them with your favorite taco or burrito toppings instead. Seasoned ground beef, shredded chicken, cheese, beans, and rice are all great fillings for dinner sopapillas, and you’ll still get to enjoy that flaky and buttery crust. Check out this stuffed sopapilla recipe for more details.

As you can see, there are some very creative ways in which you can transform the basic Mexican sopapilla into something totally unique and delicious. And none of these recipes are very difficult, even for beginners. So the next time you get a sweet tooth or have guests coming by for dinner, be sure to give one of these fun and different recipes a try in your own kitchen.

What could possibly be more delicious than a mug of hot chocolate on a cool night? Before you reach for that pre-made hot cocoa mix in your pantry, however, consider being adventurous and whipping up your own spiced Mexican hot chocolate. We promise it’s not too difficult, and you probably have most (if not all) of the ingredients already on-hand. Give this Mexican hot chocolate recipe a try for yourself and we’re pretty sure you’ll never go back to the pre-made stuff again.

What You’ll Need

For this creamy, delicious hot chocolate recipe with a kick, you’re going to need:

• four cups of milk
• a cup of cocoa powder (preferably unsweetened)
• a quarter cup of sugar
• two teaspoons of cornstarch (to thicken, if desired)
• a teaspoon of cinnamon
• a half teaspoon of vanilla extract
• a quarter teaspoon of chile powder
• a pinch of nutmeg and cayenne

Please keep in mind that this particular recipe will yield about five mugs of hot chocolate, so if you’re making it just for yourself or for you and a friend, you’ll want to adjust these amounts accordingly. After all, leftover hot cocoa just isn’t quite as good.

Putting it Together

Once you’ve got all your ingredients together, it’s time to get to cooking. In a medium saucepan, add all of your ingredients and mix them together until well combined. From there, you’ll want to heat the saucepan over medium heat until the mixture is simmering, stirring frequently along the way. Be careful not to let the mixture boil.

You may want to try making this without the cornstarch at first. You can always add it later on to thicken the mixture if needed, but it really depends on your personal preference. Once the mixture has heated up sufficiently, remove it from the heat and use a ladle to transfer the hot chocolate to individual mugs. If you plan on adding toppings to your hot chocolate, make sure you leave a little bit of room at the top of the mug to do so!

Optional Toppings

This Mexican hot chocolate recipe is yummy enough on its own, but you can make it even better by adding some toppings to your mug. Some of our favorite toppings include whipped cream and hot fudge syrup. However, you can add anything you like, such as marshmallows, chocolate shavings, or anything else that tickles your fancy. For a minty flavor, consider adding some mint chocolate chips. For more of a dessert, you could even add some crumbled cookies. If serving for the holidays, you could garnish each mug with some chopped candy cane. The nice thing about this recipe is that each person can customize their own mug, adding the toppings they want after the hot cocoa is poured.

The next time you get the craving for hot chocolate, be sure to give this Mexican hot cocoa recipe a try. It’ll take five minutes of your time to throw together, but the taste is so much better than any store-bought, pre-made mix in a pouch!

Mexican rice makes a wonderful side dish for any Mexican-inspired dish. Unfortunately, unless you’re buying the pre-made rice in a box, it’s also notorious for taking a while to prep and cook. What if there was a way to enjoy the delicious taste of Mexican rice without having to slave over your cooktop? Believe it or not, there is; this oven-baked Mexican rice recipe will save you time while still yielding the same delicious results. So here is our easy recipe for how to cook Mexican rice in the oven.

What You Need

The most time-consuming aspect of this recipe is the prep work, but with about 15 minutes of prep, you’ll be ready to toss the rice in the oven and let your oven take care of the rest. Here’s a list of ingredients that you’ll need to create this yummy Mexican rice dish:

• a medium-sized onion, chopped
• a half cup of your favorite cooking oil
• three cups of uncooked rice
• one can of tomato sauce
• two teaspoons of chicken boullion
• four cups of chicken broth
• a tablespoon of paprika
• a tablespoon of garlic powder
• a teaspoon of chili spice
• salt and pepper to taste

Of course, you can also add your own spices and ingredients—such as cumin or even diced peppers—to customize this dish as desired. That’s the beauty of it!

Throwing it Together

Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees and rinsing the rice in water, which will help it cook more quickly. Then, in a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients until they’re mixed together well. Next, pour the mixture into a sheet pan and spread it out so that everything lays on the pan as evenly as possible. Finally, cover the pan with aluminum foil and place the entire thing into the oven. Check on it regularly; it should be done within an hour, but you’ll want to avoid overcooking, as the rice can become hard and crunchy if it’s left in the oven for too long.

Once the rice is done, carefully remove the foil so as not to burn yourself. Let the rice sit for about five minutes, then use a fork to fluff and mix the rice before serving. It really is as simple as that!

A Helpful Tip

The key to successfully cooking Mexican rice in the oven is to make sure you’ve got a tight seal on the pan. Therefore, it’s recommended that you use at least two layers of aluminum foil to cover the pan and that you avoid gaps in the foil that would allow steam to exit the pan. Keeping the steam in the pan is important to ensuring that the rice cooks properly and ends up with the correct texture. If you have a pan that came with an oven-safe lid, this would be an even better option for covering the pan while the rice cooks.

Cooking Mexican rice in the oven can save you a lot of time when compared to cooking it on your stove top, so be sure to give this a try the next time you have a craving for this yummy dish. You’ll probably find yourself wondering why you didn’t think to try cooking rice in the oven before!

Fall is here, and for most of us, that means a welcome drop in temperatures. However, it also means that our traditional, beloved Mexican drinks (like margaritas and sangrias) might not be the perfect choice on a crisp, autumn night. Instead, it’s time to explore three warm fall drinks to keep you warm around the bonfire with friends. No worries; we’ve got you covered with three unique and delicious Mexican drink recipes for fall.

Boozy Mexican Hot Chocolate

Transform traditional hot chocolate with a little chocolate liqueur and dried chiles for a kick of flavor. For this recipe, you’ll need:

a few packets of your favorite hot chocolate mix (or you can make it from scratch)
Mexican cinnamon sticks
small dried chiles, chopped into small pieces
Mexican chocolate of your choice, finely chopped
chocolate liqueur of your choosing
Start by making your hot chocolate; then, add a pinch of the dried chiles, the Mexican chocolate shavings, and about an ounce of your favorite chocolate liqueur to each mug. Garnish with a cinnamon stick and stir well before serving. Yum!

Hot Mexican Cider

If chocolate isn’t your thing, how about some adult Mexican cider for this fall? You can’t go wrong with the crisp taste of apples. For this recipe, here’s what you’ll need:

five cups of your favorite apple cider
a quarter cup of fresh lemon juice
two cups of tequila
a third cup of orange liqueur
a pinch of salt
Start by combining the cider, lemon juice, and salt in a medium-size sauce pan on “simmer.” Once warm, add the tequila and the orange liqueur, stirring until well combined. Kick the heat up to medium, and allow to heat until the cider is hot. Just don’t heat for too long (a few minutes is enough), or the alcohol will burn off. Serve in mugs and enjoy! You can also garnish each with a fresh lemon wedge, if you’d like.

Delicious Hot Horchata

Horchata is a famous Mexican beverage that’s deliciously sweet and often served chilled. However, this recipe is perfect for the fall because it involves the sweet flavor of horchata with rum! Plus, it’s served up warm. Here’s what you’ll need to get started in whipping up a hot horchata:

two ounces of your favorite rum
four ounces of horchata
an ounce of coffee
ground cinnamon
whipped cream
a drop of whiskey bitters
Start by combining the horchata, rum, and coffee before heating (either over your stove top or in the microwave). Then, add the bitters and top with your desired amount of whipped cream and ground cinnamon. Serve in a large mug. Yes, it really is that easy…and this recipe is perfect for doubling as your drink and dessert in one!

These are just a few fun Mexican drink recipes to try out this fall. Whether enjoying around the camp fire, around your fireplace, or anywhere else, these recipes are sure to please the adults in your home. Plus, they’ll had the added effect of keeping you warm and getting those cheeks nice and rosy.

If you love Mexican food, chances are you already have a few favorite traditional Mexican burrito recipes tucked away—but what do you do when you’re in the mood to try something different without completely straying away from your favorites? Consider whipping up this yummy green chili pork burro recipe. Loaded with delicious sour cream, stew, and black beans—and topped with Jack cheese, this recipe is sure to please. It’s pretty filling, too, so be sure to bring your appetite!

What You Need

Start by gathering all the ingredients you need for your green chili pork burros. For each burro you’re making, you’ll need:

• a 13-inch flour tortilla
• an ounce of sour cream
• five ounces of prepared green chili pork stew
• a half ounce of Jack cheese
• four ounces of prepared black beans
• a quarter ounce of shredded Jack cheese
• two ounces of pico/cabbage mix, for garnish

You’ll also want to have a large skillet on-hand for heating each tortilla.

Throwing it Together

One of the nice things about this recipe (and one of the things that makes it so quick and easy) is that it uses so many ingredients that have already been prepared. For example, you can buy prepared green chili pork stew (or make your own ahead of time) and simply warm it up. You can also use leftover black beans from a previous night’s dinner. Once you have all your ingredients on-hand, it’s really just a matter of throwing it all together; it couldn’t get much easier.

Start by heating a tortilla over medium heat in a skillet until it’s slightly crispy but still pliable. Then, spread a dollop of sour cream down the center of the tortilla. Next, top the sour cream with a nice helping of the green chili pork stew, followed by the Jack cheese. The cheese should begin to melt onto the stew, assuming it’s warm enough!

Next, carefully roll the burro closed, just as you would a burrito before cutting the burro in half and putting on a plate. Use a ladle to fill a molcajete with black beans and top the beans with your remaining quarter ounce of shredded Jack cheese. Place the molcajete to the right of the burro on the plate, then add the cabbage/pico mix the the plate; ideally, the burro should be sitting on top of a bed of the garnish for the best presentation.

Serve With…

This burro is large and hearty enough to be enjoyed on its own, but if you’re especially hungry, consider serving it up with a side of authentic refried beans, topped with jack cheese. A side of Mexican rice also goes well with this dish. If you’re feeling really adventurous, go for serving up the burro with rice and beans. You’ll probably be stuffed for the rest of the day.

So, the next time you’re in the mood to try a new recipe for dinner but still want an authentic Mexican dish, be sure to give this delicious green chili pork burro a try. We’re convinced that it’ll quickly become a new favorite!

 

Looking for a fun and simple way to spice up your typical Mexican food night? If so, then this Mexican burrito recipe is right up your alley. With delicious, fresh flavors, this dish will leave everybody at the table satisfied. Plus, it’s easier to make than you might think!

What You Need

Before you get started, you’ll want to make sure you’ve got all the ingredients and supplies you need to throw it together. Specifically, you’re going to need:
· 13-inch flour tortillas (one for each burrito)
· two ounces of black beans
· two ounces of rice
· four ounces of cooked, shredded chicken
· two ounces of Macayo’s Baja sauce
· a half ounce of jack cheese
· two ounces of cabbage pico garnish
· two ounces of Macayo’s Sergio’s tomatillo salsa

Putting it Together

Now that you have all of your ingredients, it’s time to get cooking! Start by heating each flour tortilla until it’s soft and pliable enough to work with. A good way to do this quickly is to place the tortillas in the microwave for about 10-15 seconds, with paper towels placed between each stacked tortilla to prevent them from sticking together. Once your tortillas are nice and soft, lay them out flat and spread the black beans, rice, shredded chicken, Baja sauce, and jack cheese onto the center of each tortilla. It’s best to layer each ingredient. Be sure that the chicken is drained of all juices before layering, too, as this will help to prevent a messy burro.
Now that the tortillas are stuffed, it’s time to roll them up, just as you would with a traditional burrito, making sure each end is enclosed. Now, set each burro on an oven-safe plate or tray and run it through the oven just long enough to heat them and leave the tortillas nice and crispy.
Once each burro is heated, remove from the oven and cut in half at a 45-degree angle. Garnish with the cabbage pico mixture, and serve a side of the tomatillo salsa in a ramekin. Serve and enjoy!

Important Tips

As you prepare this dish, there are a few specific tips you’ll want to keep in mind based on some common mistakes people make. For starters, make sure you do take the time to heat up your tortillas before you get started. Otherwise, you’re probably going to end up with a torn tortilla when it comes time to roll your burros! You’ll also want to make sure the tortillas you’re using aren’t too thin. Furthermore, make sure that you’re layering the right amount of ingredients in the center of each tortilla; using too much of any ingredient can result in your tortilla tearing when you roll it as well. By keeping these few simple tips in mind, you’ll end up with perfect burros every time.
There you have it! A simple yet delicious Mexican dish for your next weeknight meal. We recommend serving this up with a great salad, a side of rice, beans, or any of your favorite Mexican sides. And as always, if you’re looking for a delicious Mexican meal without the work, come out to Macayo’s!

Whether we want to accept it or not, summer is coming to an end and fall is just around the corner—and that means cool, crisp nights are quickly approaching. So, if you’re looking for some delicious Mexican dinner recipes that are appropriate for those chilly fall nights, we’ve got one for you that’ll surely become a weeknight staple. It’s a quick and surprisingly easy recipe for a green chile pork stew. Never thought to combine the deliciousness of green chile with pork? You won’t believe what you’ve been missing!

What You’ll Need

One of the many great things about this recipe is that, aside from maybe the pork, you probably have most (if not all) of these ingredients already on-hand in your kitchen. Here’s what you’ll need:

• two ounces of good olive oil
• two pounds of braised, diced pork butt
• a half-pound of fresh poblano chiles
• four-and-a-half ounces of tomato enchilada sauce
• one 24-ounce can of Sergio’s Tomatillo Salsa
• half a tablespoon of cumin
• one tablespoon of salt
• half a tablespoon of fresh minced garlic

As far as kitchenware goes, you can cook this entire dish in a large stock pot. Just make sure the one you have is large enough to hold the chopped pork butt (it should be chopped into about half-inch cubes).

Putting it Together

Got all your ingredients ready? Great! Time to get started in making this delicious, hearty stew. Begin by roasting the poblano chiles until the skin has become blistered. Then, remove the skin and seeds, which will leave you with just the chiles. Once they cool, chop them into half-inch pieces and set aside.

Now, put your stock pot over high heat and add the olive oil and pork butt cubes. For the next 20 minutes, you’ll be continuously braising the pork with the olive oil, cumin, salt, and garlic. Sounds like a lot of work, but trust us—the end result is worth it! After your 20 minutes of braising is done and the smell is almost to enticing to handle, go ahead and add the tomatillo sauce tomatillo salsa, and chopped poblano peppers to the stock pot. Let everything come to a boil before reducing the heat to low or simmer. Keep everything simmering without touching it for about 30 minutes; this should give the pork the time it needs to cook all the way through, but we also recommend testing it with a meat thermometer to make sure it’s done before consuming.

The flavors of this dish marry together so well, you’ll wonder why you never thought of this combination before! The tangy salsa and the kick of spice from the poblano chiles perfectly complement the flavor of the braised pork, creating a taste that’s truly out of this world.

The next time you’re looking for a Mexican dinner recipe that’s simple yet incredibly flavorful, be sure to keep green chile pork stew in mind. And if you’d rather enjoy some delicious Mexican food without the hassle of cooking and cleanup, be sure to stop by Macayo’s to try out our new menu additions!