use the same recipe but leave out the cumin...?

to keep it from being bland use something you like chili powder, coriander, paprika

Cilantro, lime, vinegar and peppers! Really I'd just try omitting the cumin from your favorites and see how they are, I think there are a lot of strong flavors in Mexican cooking that can pick up the slack. I know I've made enchiladas and barbacoa (mmm chipotle) without cumin and it was still delicious! My family chicken enchiladas have no cumin, just green chiles and white pepper and they're delicious.

I don't care for cumin and almost never cook with it, but I cook mexican inspired food quite a lot. I usually just leave it out. Grilled fish or chicken (marinated in garlic, lime, and a little tequila, perhaps) in warm corn tortillas topped with salsa, avocado, and cilantro is a favorite at my house. I also like to grill corn and cut it off the cob and mix it with lime, chili powder, and cotija cheese.
Here are a couple of actual recipes too:
http://www.thebittenword.com/thebittenword/2011/12/chicken-tinga-tacos.html
http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/chile_verde/
http://www.eatliverun.com/chicken-and-green-chili-enchiladas/

Cumin? I wouldn't say all Mexican food has no Cumin, but most of the Mexican food I make lacks it (I'm from Mexico and make it often).

Sure, just take a cold shower before and after you cook.

I've never heard of Cumin used in Mexican cooking -- what is the source of your recipes?

Several prior commenters have it right: Cilantro, lime, chiles and chile powder are key. Perhaps he doesn't like cilantro -- many find the taste soapy.

I have used chinese five spice powder instead of cumin before - it sounds weird, but you still get that similar smoky flavor. It's surprisingly good with meat inside an enchilada or burrito and adds a lot of flavor to salsas and guacamoles.

Cumin to me tastes like cheap taco seasoning. Yuck. I use it but rarely.
I'm with others. Real Mexican is fresh and clean flavors, not the heavy muddled up mush of generic flavors most stuff called "Mexican" is here.

Stick to powdered chiles, rather than chile powder, which may be a mixture of spices including cumin.

Cumin is one of my favorites, it goes in everything Mex/Southwest (plus Indian and the rare Muslim-influenced Chinese dish -- lamb with cumin!), but I could certainly do just about any of the Mexican dishes without it, moreso than I could make Indian food without it.

Snapper/Shrimp Veracruz -- no cumin (or chiles for that matter)
Fish Tacos -- no cumin

I agree, just leave the cumin out. Try smoked paprika for a smoky (duh) flavor or ground coriander for a "warm" flavor. It must be more of a problem with Indian food!

I hardly ever use cumin when I cook mexican food (btw: I'm Mexican). Its not a key ingredient in most mexican food. I think you may be confused with a taco bell version of Mexican food. In which case, I would recomend you try some more authentic recipes.

I think cumin is more common in Tex-Mex food than actual Mexican. I was somewhat surprised how little seasoning a lot of authentic Mexican food has, it seems to be more of something you add on after it's been cooked. My favorite carne asada tacos from the Mexican place up the street are pretty "plain" (not really, they're delicious!) and then you can add as much hot sauce as you want. Seconding chiles, cilantro, lime as all great flavors that are present in a lot of Mexican food.

Ha! @BRITALIAN took me a minute though...

use achiote or paprika instead for the smokiness

I have to assume you make more "tex-mex" style food? I never use cumin in cooking mexican style foods (i also hate cumin). try just leaving it out, or subbing chile powder, or adding chipotles instead

I love Mexican food but live in France, aka the Sahara of all things Mexican... last year I finally broke down and bought a cookbook I had been hearing good things about: Truly Mexican, by Roberto Santibañez. It's a great book for all of the fundamental sauces of Mexican cooking (my Mexican cooking has gone from good to amazing) and there's hardly a recipe with cumin in it - which bears out what Roberto Leibman and Cupcakegirl9 said.

Lots of dried and fresh chiles, lime, coriander, garlic... and also hints of things like canela (Mexican cinnamon) and allspice in moles and adobos... you can check out some of his recipes here.

It's true that his Carne Adobada recipe uses 1/4 t of cumin, for 2 lbs of meat... I would just leave it out. BTW, the Carnitas recipe is really delicious, it's in his book and I've made it several times to rave reviews....

dear white people who said cumin isn't used in "real mexican food" or have never heard of it being used in mexican recipes,

it is.

sincerely,
mexican from monterrey

although, i wouldn't recommend chile powder as a replacement. you can make a good sauce for authentic enchiladas using peppers (i use ancho and/or guajillo), broth, garlic, and oregano. the recipe also calls for cumin, but leave that out. you need to roast the peppers .. too much work to type out.

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/enchilada-sauce/ here is the closest thing i could find online. it has so much flavor, not having the cumin is no big deal at all.

Leave the cumin out, Lindsey, when you cook. Buy cumin in a shaker can and add it to your food after you've put it on your plate. It won't be the same, but it will be ok and you will adapt.

Mexico is a very large country, with regional cooking just like any other country (Italy, anybody? France? CHINA!?) It would be utterly stupid to state, assume, or imply that cumin is not an authentic spice in Mexican cuisine.

Too bad he has such an inhibited palate. No substitute for Cumin, which is a fantastic spice used in many cuisines from Latin to Indian. If he were my friend I'd give him some tough love. But I understand you trying to keep a happy nest.
Sorry, you have my sympathies.

I'll bet it's cilantro that he doesn't like. I'm fine with cumin, but cilantro tastes like soap to me and I loathe it.

Hey, my question's up :)

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone (particularly those of you who suggested smoked paprika, and to Granola Suicide for the enchilada suggestion). I'm certain it's cumin, as I've just left it out before and used cilantro. He tends to like recipes when I do that, but generally I find that it leaves my food bland. I'm excited to try these other options.

To the people who think her husband really doesn't like cilantro: I totally relate and LOATHE cumin. It is more common to be averse to cilantro, true, and I don't like it (but can tolerate it if I have to), but cumin absolutely ruins things for me. I avoided a lot of Mexican and Indian food for years until I finally figured out that it was cumin I hated. To me, it tastes and smells like B.O. I can't even walk through a kitchen (I work in a restaurant) that is grinding it or cooking with it. It is a curse!

Leave the cumin out of the dish, then have a small dish of it on the table and use it to season to taste, like salt and pepper.