Indulging in a whole load of Mexican food - Mohujos, Stockton

As you may well know, I'm a lover of Mexican food. Whenever there is an opportunity to get a burrito I'll take it. I'm always cooking up chicken fajitas or chilli con carne at home and knocking back the guacamole and tortilla chips. It's my favourite cuisine. In Middlesbrough, there aren't many independent places that I know of that serve good Mexican food. We have Chiquitos of course, but quite frankly it's pants.

I've written on my blog before about Mohujos Burrito Bar on Bedford Street which is a descendant of the original Mohujos which sits across from the River Tees in Stockton. Before Christmas myself, my Mum and Sister all paid a visit to the OG to see if it was any good.

As it was the festive season, we decided to go all out and start with the Grande Nachos to share between the three of us. This was a large plate of nachos covered in chipotle chicken, salsa and loads of delicious cheese. On the side we had guacamole and sour cream, these could have gone on top but my sister is super fussy!

These were delicious, we stuffed our faces and soon realised the mistake we'd made as we were pretty full. Our leftover nachos were taken away and our main courses came pretty soon after which none of us were ever going to finish.

My sister picked Chicken Enchiladas (oven-baked tortillas with cheesy enchilada sauce filled with chipotle chicken and smothered in more sauce then topped with Jack cheese), I had Chicken Tostadas (fried corn tortilla baskets filled with refried beans, mixed beans, red pepper finished with guacamole, sour cream, cheese and salsa) and Mum chose Nacho Chicken (chicken breast with salsa, cheese, tortilla chips, guacamole and sour cream). Each of our dishes was very yummy with lots of good quality meat, fresh salad and tasty sides it was just a shame we were all too full to finish!

Although we were literally bursting at the seams, my sister said she needed some churros. I mean to come to a Mexican restaurant and not have churros is pretty much against the law, so she got some. Myself and Mum had been on the cocktails having around three each including Daiquiris and Mexican sunrises. There was a good list of choices, but they didn't come out looking pretty enough for any photos. Instead of dessert, I asked for a hot chocolate with a shot of Kaluha which was a little too strong for my liking!

We left Mohujos full of delicious Mexican food, feeling a little bit tipsy and vowing that we would definitely visit again.

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Getting my burrito on - Changos, Manchester

I don't know if I've expressed my love for the humble burrito on my blog before, but if not, today is the day. I bloody love them. When made correctly they are filling, tasty and full of goodness (well partly). Depending on what you choose as your filling, the accompaniments of rice, beans, salsa and salad with sauces and guacamole for good measure all complement it brilliantly.

Like I say, I'm obsessed. When I was down in Manchester recently for work I stumbled across a right gem in my world of Mexican food. Changos isn't a chain, just the one restaurant nestled on Oxford Street in Manchester, offering home-made, flavoursome and nutritious Mexican cuisine at a great price. I must admit, it's colourfully designed interior drew me in and when I realised it was a burrito bar I was rushing through the doors.

Stopping for a quick but late lunch, I decided on a medium chicken burrito filled with all the good stuff. I accompanied it with a guava Jarrito which is a popular brand of soft drink in Mexico that is naturally flavoured. Everything about the experience at Changos was brilliant. There was a lot of choices when making up my burrito, although I turned down a few items, I still came away with a good-sized burrito.

My lunch was delicious, full of flavour with all the different aspects working together. The guava drink was unusual but very nice. I definitely want to try other flavours from Jarritos. When I'm in Manchester again, I'll be seeking Changos out again for another burrito, even maybe a side of nachos. Go all out with the carbs!

Has anyone been to Changos? Who else shares my love of burritos?

Let's make Mexican fajitas! Easy spice mix!

Do you ever really fancy fajitas but don't want to pick up a ready-made spice mix? Fancy trying to make your own but don't know what spices to use? Well I'm here to help! With the assistance of Pinterest and a few at-home trials, I've got a great recipe for great fajitas. This recipe uses spices that you will, hopefully, have lying around the house. I don't know about you but I much prefer to know what I'm putting in my food. The mixes that are available to buy in the supermarket can have all sorts of nasties and unknowns but with this recipe, you will know exactly what you are eating with no sneaky added extras.

Now I don't want to tell you what to put into your fajitas as that is your call. I usually put in chicken, mushrooms, pepper, onion and if I'm feeling crazy some tomatoes (with the juicy bits left out).

The spice mix is as follows, and please feel free to add extra if you want a bigger flavour of one spice! I'm very lenient with my mix and it ends up just an approximation of the below with me pouring all the spices in, still tastes just as good!

Serves 4

1 tbsp chilli powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
3 tbsp olive oil

- Cut your chicken (or other meat) into chunks. Put in a bowl with the above to coat and then cook!

Now you know what you have to do... Organise a Mexican night and get these fajitas rustled up! I hope you enjoy the recipe. Let me know if you try!