This month’s Spice Trail is a little bit different. Instead of celebrating an individual spice, we are celebrating a specific cuisine, and that cuisine is Mexican.

Mexican cookery is well known for its big flavours and exciting use of fresh, vibrant ingredients and bold spices like chilli, cumin, cinnamon, cloves and allspice. The basic staple ingredients of this South American country might be beans, corn and peppers but the food of Mexico is as complex and varied as any of the world’s greatest cuisines. From our old favourite chilli con carne and the classic mole sauce to sensational street foods and hearty, slow-cooked soups and stews.

If you love Mexican food as much as I do, then this month’s challenge is the challenge for you. I wait with eager anticipation to see what delights you bring to our Mexican table.

Win a Gran Luchito gift set

If the sheer joy of sharing your passion for Mexican food wasn’t enough to entice you, I also have a brilliant prize for this month’s winner from the generous folk at Gran Luchito, who happen to know a thing or two about authentic Mexican food.

Gran Luchito offer a taste of Oaxaca rarely tasted outside of Mexico, a smoky deep flavour from the back country hills of the Mixes. Their range includes a smoked chilli paste, a smoked chilli mayo and a smoked chilli honey. One lucky winner, chosen by a guest judge from Gran Luchito, will receive a gift set containing samples of each of these delicious products.

How to enter The Spice Trail

• Display the The Spice Trail badge (above and also available here) on your recipe post, and link back to this challenge post.
• Up to three recipe links accepted per blogger, so long as they each one has a Mexican theme and features at least one spice.
• Feel free to link up recipe posts from your archive, but please add the information about this challenge to the post and The Spice Trail badge.
• Send your recipe URL to me at vanesther-at-reescommunications-dot-co-dot-uk, including your own email address and the title of your recipe or post. The closing date this month is Monday 28 April 2014.
• If you tweet your post, please mention #TheSpiceTrail and me @BangerMashChat in your tweet and I’ll retweet each one I see.
• As entries come in, links to these will be added to the bottom of this page.
• At the end of the month a guest judge will choose a winning recipe and the winner this month will receive a gift set from Gran Luchito.
• The winner will be announced in a monthly round-up of all the entries.
• Entries from bloggers all around the world are accepted, but unfortunately the prize can only be shipped to a UK address.
• All entries will be added to The Spice Trail Pinterest Board.

I’m really looking forward to seeing your Mexican dishes. Any questions, please tweet or email me.

And thanks to everyone who entered March’s ginger challenge – I’ll be posting the recipe round-up and winner announcement very soon.

April’s entries

1. Chicken Villa-jitas from Spurs Cook
2. Easy Homemade Nacho Chips from Drizzling Delicacies
3. Bean Enchiladas from My Kitchen Odyssey
4. Sweet Potato, Zucchini and Olive Quesadillas from Green Gourmet Giraffe
5. Home Made Red Enchiladas Sauce with Roasted Tomatoes from Home Cook Food
6. Soy Chorizo and Vegetables Enchiladas from Home Cook Food
7. 15 Beans Vegetarian Chili from Home Cook Food
8. Holy Mole! from The Fig Tree
9. Partridge with Chilli and Chocolate Sauce from Pebble Soup
10. Guacomole with a Twist for the Umpteenth Time from Nasifriet
11. Cheater Tlacoyos with Nopales (Cactus) from The Taste Space
12. Mexican Spiced Chocolate Orange Cake from Cakes From Kim
13. Chilli con Carne from Julie’s Family Kitchen
14. Vegan Mexican Tamale Pies from Allotment 2 Kitchen
15. Black Bean Soup & Chilli Baked Feta from Bangers & Mash
16. Sweet Potato Salsa from Nasifriet
17. Mexican Smoked Chilli Energy Bars from Chocolate Log Blog
18. Mexican ‘Tortilla’ Bake from Farmersgirl Kitchen
19. Queso Fundido from Bangers & Mash
20. Mexican Oil Dip from The Garden Deli
21. Moreish Mexican Fish Tortillas from What the Cook
22. Healthy But Hearty Chilli Con Carne from What the Cook
23. Queso Fresca from Lapin d’Or and More
24. Holy Moly Guacamole! from Eat Your Veg