How To Go Meatless When Dining At A Mexican Restaurant
If you are a vegetarian and have been invited to dinner at a Mexican restaurant, you might be wondering what you can eat. It's true that Mexican cuisine is filled with chicken, pork, beef and fish dishes. However, there are also lots of dishes that are based around beans, vegetables and cheese. Here is a list of a few dishes you could have.
Cheese Quesadilla
This is a classic Mexican dish that is similar to a grilled cheese. Instead of using slices of bread, two corn tortillas are used. Shredded cheese is placed in between the corn tortillas and then the tortillas are grilled. Sometimes roasted vegetables are also used in the quesadilla. It will be cut into wedges and served with sour cream, guacamole, shredded lettuce and often a serving of pico de gallo. Pico de gallo is a thick, chunky salsa.
Roasted Vegetable Enchiladas
These enchiladas are made by filling corn tortillas with roasted vegetables and, sometimes, cheese. The tortillas are then laid in a baking dish and covered with a rich tomato sauce and baked in an oven. The dish is often served with red rice and a side of beans. If you do like cheese, make sure to ask the server if indeed the dish has cheese because some restaurants make them with only a vegetable filling. If that's the case, you might want to get a bean and cheese enchilada instead.
Caldo De Queso (Cheese Soup)
This is a rich soup made with potatoes, cheese, onions and tomatillos. The cheese is not added until the last moment so that it doesn't melt entirely into the broth. You end up with a texture that is similar to the melted cheese in French Onion soup. The caldo de queso is normally served with thick cut, handmade tortilla chips.
Chile Relleno (Stuffed Chile Pepper)
The chili used in preparing this dish is the poblano. The poblano chili pepper is mild. It's also quite large, so it can accommodate quite bit of filling. A vegetarian chile relleno will have a mixture of roasted vegetables, rice and cheese. It is then coated in flour and an egg batter and then fried.
It can be served with different sauces. Some restaurants might even offer a rich chocolate mole sauce, while others would go with regular tomato-based sauce.
Classic Red Rice
Of course you can't go wrong with a plate of traditional Mexican style red rice. It is made by sauteing rice in oil with garlic and spices and then adding broth and crushed tomatoes. The tomatoes provide a tangy flavor, as well as the famous red color.
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