Cinco de Mayo!

Is everyone getting as excited about Cinco de Mayo as I am?  Yes, we know that Cinco is barely even celebrated in Mexico, but around here we love any excuse for a good party–especially if that party includes loads of margaritas and guacamole.  Tomorrow you can try to weather the crowds at your favorite taco joint, but why not stay home and make some of our favorite Tex-Mex recipes for your friends?  Amazing taste, leftovers, and no Uber required. Here is a round up of our favorite Mexican posts throughout the last year. ¡Happy Cinco!

1. Classic Margaritas

Starting off strong with a classic margarita.

2. Spicy Chicken Tacos with Corn and Black Bean Salsa

The corn salsa gives a little freshness and crunch to this spicy chicken taco.

3. Mexican Street Corn Salad

A take on the traditional elote, this corn salad is the perfect side for your Mexican feast.

4. Slow Roasted Pork Tacos with Salsa Verde

Let the oven and a jar of salsa do all of the work for you–your friends will never know!

 

5. Mahi Tacos with Mango Salsa and Mexican Slaw

The grilled fish along with the sweet slaw gives a little baja flair to this taco.

6. Mexican Chicken Soup

The best take on a comfort food classic. This lightened-up version has lots of fresh lime and cilantro, yum!

7. Healthy Tex-Mex Tostadas with Tomatillo Cilantro Lime Dressing

Loaded up with veggies and a creamy dressing that’s surprisingly healthy, you can get away with eating these tostadas every day of the week.

8. Mexican Turkey Stuffed Bell Peppers

Easy weeknight stuffed peppers with a kick from our favorite Mexican seasoning.

9. Creamy Verde Chicken Enchiladas

Green salsa, cream sauce, and tons of melted cheese?  Sign me up!

10. Tacos al Pastor

Pork, pineapple, and spice make these my favorite tacos on the list!

11. Watermelon Agua Fresca and Popsicles

 

Bright, refreshing, and the perfect cool end for your fiesta.

Hope everyone has the happiest of Cinco de Mayos! What are your plans for the big day?

 

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Healthy Tex-Mex Tostadas with Tomatillo Cilantro Lime Dressing

Surely by now my deep abiding love for all things Tex-Mex has been made pretty obvious.  It’s my go-to comfort food at any and all times of the year, but when it’s this sweltering outside, nothing sounds better to me than a spicy tostada with a nice, cooling margarita! If you want to keep things on the light side, I always suggest making things from scratch, but I just couldn’t resist serving these on top of pre-made tostada shells–yum!  If you’d like to sub these out for something slightly healthier, put corn tortillas in a 350° oven until crispy.  Then top with this amazing tomatillo cilantro lime dressing and all the fixings!

Tex-Mex Tostadas

-1/2 lb ground turkey (can use either turkey or beef or this combination to please everyone)

-1/2 lb ground beef

-1 tsp canola oil

-homemade taco seasoning

In a large skillet, add the oil, turkey, and beef and cook until browned.  Then add the taco seasoning.  Too easy.

  

  
 Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing

-2 tomatillos, husks removed, washed

-1 handful of cilantro

-1/2 of an avocado

-Juice of 1/2 of a lime

-1/2 of a jalepeno, seeded or unseeded depending on the amount of heat you want to achieve

-1/4 c. Canola oil

-1, two finger pinch of salt (or two small pinches)

 

Homemade Taco Seasoning

1 Tbs. Chili Powder

3/4 Tbs. Cumin

1/2 Tbs. Paprika

1/2 Tbs. Garlic Powder

1/4 Tbs. Kosher Salt

Several dashes of Cayenne Powder

The best part is that you only need to use a Tablespoon then you can guesstimate accordingly! The less to wash the better.

 

Toppings

-refried beans (we used refried black beans and highly recommend them!)

-chopped lettuce

-chopped tomatoes

-chopped onion

-chopped cilantro

-wedges of lime

-thin slices of fresh or pickled jalapeño

-cotija (white, crumbly Mexican cheese)

We like to serve this Make-Your-Own style.  Everyone gets exactly what they want and less work for you!

Enjoy!

Tuesday’s Table – Slow Roasted Mexican Pork Tacos with Salsa Verde

I definitely have a penchant for Tex-Mex flavors, (that’s clearly been shown here already!) but I’m also always trying to find a way to make my Mexican food more authentic.  This recipe is adapted from carntias recipe by Javier Plascencia, one of the hottest chef’s in Mexico these days.  It’s ridiculously easy to throw together although does take a while to cook down once it’s in the oven.  I’ve never had much experience with a slow cooker, but I bet this would be the perfect recipe for one! By ways of salsa, both making your own and buying a good store-bought type are great options, but I like combining the best of both worlds to maximize ease and deliciousness.

Slow Roasted Mexican Pork

2 lb pork butt, fat trimmed

3 tsp salt

3 tsp cumin

3 tsp coriander

3 c. apple juice

4 cloves garlic, minced

Season the pork butt with salt, cumin, and coriander and put it in a large heavyweight pot.  Cover with apple juice and add minced garlic.  Put it in a 425 oven, uncovered, for 25 minutes to start to caramelize.  (If using crock pot add after this step on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8). Then cover the pot, drop the temp to 200 and let cook for 3 hours.  At this point you will want to check the tenderness with a fork.  If it’s not quite tender enough yet, cook for up to an hour more.  Whether using oven or crock pot you should always have some liquid in the pan, so feel free to add a little more apple juice, water, or stock if you’re increasing the cooking time.  Then remove from oven or crock pot, let rest for 15 minutes, and shred with forks.

Salsa Verde

1 c. jarred green salsa

1 handful cherry tomatoes, chopped

1/4 c. cilantro, chopped

1/2 jalapeno, minced

1/4 red onion, chopped

1/2 avocado, chopped

juice of 1 lime

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and serve on top of tacos or with tortilla chips!

Taco Night

I would happily eat Mexican food every day of my life.  Not only is it delicious, but the Tex-Mex version is quick to make and inexpensive.  My fiance William and I have tacos about once a week because of all of these winning qualities, and here’s how we do it.



Chicken Tacos

-2 chicken breasts, chopped into bite-sized pieces

-2 Tbsp. canola oil

-2 tsp. cumin

-1 tsp. coriander

-1 dash garlic powder

-1 pinch salt

-corn tortillas

Optional Toppings

-lime

-green onions

-cilantro

-red onion

-corn and black bean salsa*



Combine the canola oil, cumin, coriander, garlic powder, and salt in a Ziploc bag and add your chicken.  Let this marinade overnight or for at least a couple of hours.  Heat a cast iron pan over medium high heat, and add your chicken.  Allow this to cook without moving it around very often.  This will result in a nice char on the outside.  In the mean time, heat your tortillas over a gas range or you can warm them in your microwave.  Let everyone top their tacos how they please and enjoy!

*I made my corn and black bean salsa by combining 1 can of black beans (drained), 1 can of sweet corn (drained), 1 carton of cherry tomatoes (chopped), 1 green onion (chopped), a little red onion (diced), and a vinaigrette that I made with olive oil, lime juice, salt, crushed red pepper flake, and a pinch of sugar.  This was delicious to eat with tortilla chips too!