Jalapeño

Japanese bread crumbs, called panko , give these cakes a light, crisp coating. Panko is sold at Asian markets and can often be found in the seafood section of large supermarkets. But if it's unavailable, plain dry bread crumbs are an acceptable substitute.

For an attractive presentation, mound the salad on shredded lettuce and garnish with tortilla chips. Warm corn muffins and thickly sliced beefsteak tomatoes round out this substantial menu, and sliced fresh peaches and brown sugar wafers make a nice light dessert.

If you prefer, use honeydew melon for an equally good salsa. Offer buttered new potatoes and sautéed spinach with the fish. Afterward, serve slices of pound cake with rum-soaked raisins and store-bought caramel sauce. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

The tofu in this chowder provides a richness surprisingly similar to that of cream but with much less fat.

Paired with tortilla chips, this guacamole makes an excellent starter. Also offer chilled Mexican beer throughout the meal.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Besides the tacos, try the Pico de Gallo on scrambled eggs, grilled chicken or instead of sour cream on a baked potato.

Red snapper is the fish of choice in Veracruz, Mexico, where this dish originated. The combination of the cinnamon, olives, capers, and peppers gives the sauce heat and depth. This is a quick, light dish, good with boiled potatoes and rice.

(Chicken Stir-Fry with Holy Basil) Two of the common types of basil used in Thailand are now available in North America. Bai horapha tastes like a good strong Italian sweet basil and can be found in Asian markets and some supermarkets, usually sold as Asian basil or Thai basil. The basil traditionally used in this recipes is bai gaprow, or holy basil which can be harder to find because of its shorter shelf life. Holy basil hasn't much taste when raw, but when cooked it becomes strong and distinctive. Asian basil makes a very good substitute, though it can't be cooked as long or it will lose flavor.

Jalapeño chilies give this a nice spicy kick. An accompaniment to Chicken Chili Verde .

The verde on the succulent swordfish comes from the cilantro and chili marinade and a silky avocado mayonnaise. Start out with salsa and tortilla chips, and serve Mexican beer throughout the meal.

Our Cuban-style mango mojo could enhance any grilled meat, as could the anise-seed rub. Adding our grilled asparagus and herbed bulgur creates a well-rounded meal, but rice and green beans or broccoli would also work. Active time: 25 min Start to finish: 35 min

This recipe originally accompanied epi:recipeLink="101035"Masa Pancakes Topped with Poached Eggs and Chipotle Ranchera Salsa</epi:recipeLink>.

The coconut tuiles (cookies) that go into this layered dessert (left) are delicate, so the recipe provides for quite a few extras to allow for breakage. Tuiles are also terrific with ice cream. The syrup gets an interesting (and delicious) kick from nontraditional dessert ingredients like black peppercorns and a jalapeño chili.