Mexican Appetizers

This recipe is loosely based on fattoush, a Middle Eastern salad in which toasted bread is moistened by other ingredients, like tomatoes and cucumbers. Here, tortilla chips soak up the delicious salad juices.

Los Angeles is known for its myriad salads and also for its large Latin population. This salad pays homage to both.

The extra tang in the ceviche marinade comes from an unexpected ingredient: juice from pickled jalapenos.

Alex Stupak believes that his style of modern Mexican food is the result of reverse colonization. "It's what happens when Mexico settles in New York," he says. His version of fideos are spicy, smoky, deliciously creamy and a snap to make.

The cumin and oregano add an interesting touch to this warming Mexican soup.

Deconstructed nachos were the inspiration behind this fun pizza. Made with chili-spiced black-bean puree, tomatoes, olives, shredded lettuce and low-fat Jack cheese on a whole-wheat crust, the pie also gets a little low-fat sour cream (that nacho staple) on top.

Make this classic Mexican dish in your slow cooker for ease and extra flavor.

For the Italian breakfast dish Eggs in Purgatory, eggs are baked in a spicy tomato sauce. In this Mexican-inspired take, Grace Parisi substitutes a vibrant, fresh green sauce made with tomatillos, cilantro and scallions.

This fairly easy shrimp cocktail recipe banks on the delicious combination of ketchup, horseradish and cilantro.

F&W's Justin Chapple uses frozen sweet corn from Gill's Farm in Hurley, New York, to create this cheesy, slightly spicy dip.

Studded with zucchini, corn, and tomatoes, our brothy soup is comforting, especially on chilly evenings. Oregano flavors both the liquid and the meatballs.

This classic ceviche recipe makes a perfect party appetizer because it's easy to prepare and can be marinated a day ahead. Celebrated chef Rick Bayless combines fish with lime and spicy chiles, then piles the mixture on tortilla chips for a no-fuss presentation. The recipe is equally delicious with snapper, halibut or other fresh fillets with mild flavor.

kasha Richmond stuffs her enchiladas with squash, mushrooms, kale and corn, then tops them with a tangy tomatillo sauce and rich cashew crema.

F&W's Grace Parisi invented this smoky guacamole, then presented three ingenious ways to use it: in a soup, an hors d'oeuvre and a salad dressing.

Adding fresh zucchini to a cheesy quesadilla livens it up a bit; the bold, spicy salsa that goes into the quesadilla as well as on top gives it an excellent punch.

In Jane Coxwell's take on a classic tortilla soup, which she makes with tomatoes with flour tortillas stand in for the usual corn tortillas.