Cinco De Mayo Supper

This morning I heard a Mariachi band on a Cinco De Mayo Parade on TV and it made me crave spicy Mexican food.  I love to prepare and eat a variety of foods but try to recognize where traditions originate.  So instead of just having tacos tonight because of a whim I wanted to know what Cinco De Mayo represents.  MEXICO online said that it was originally a celebration to commemorate a battle won in 1862.  Fast forward to present day and you will find that the regional holiday is a celebration of Mexican food, culture, and tradition.  This menu plan can be customized to suit your taste and fancied up if using for a party.  For a mid-week supper, this would be ambitious enough for me.

Image from http://www.dreamstime.com/

Cinco De Mayo Supper

• Build Your Own Tacos
• Guacamole with Veggies for dipping
• Lime Punch
• Mexican Brownies 

This is my Canadian version of Mexican dinner.  I am inspired by a lot of recipes I see on the Food Network and must give them credit for most of my ideas.

Shopping & Prep List/

Tacos:

• hard corn taco shells & small whole wheat wraps (use soft, corn taco wraps if you can find them locally)
• ground beef, browned and mixed with low sodium Taco Seasoning packet 
• Yves Meatless Ground Taco Stuffers, prepared according to directions
• 2 tomatoes, diced
• cheddar cheese, shredded
• jalapeno havarti sliced
• red onion, diced
• head lettuce, washed, dried, shredded
• jar salsa, our favourite brand is Old El Paso, medium

Guacamole:
/I cut the original recipe in half because it will spoil fast/
Mix well/ Chill for about an hour before serving/

• 1 large avocado, cored and mashed with
• 3 Tablespoons of lime juice
• 2 Tablespoons Miracle Whip
• 1 small tomato, seeded & diced
• 2 green onions, chopped fine
• pinch of cayenne
• pinch of cumin
• hot sauce /I use 1 dash but if you like spicy do more
• carrot sticks
• celery sticks
• cucumber, sliced lengthwise
• red pepper strips

Lime Punch Recipe:

In a pitcher, mix/

• 7 UP, 1L bottle chilled
• Fresh mint leaves, small handful mashed with 
• Lime juice, 3 Tablespoons
• crushed ice

*I like mine tart, but you can add about 2 teaspoons of sugar or Splenda while mashing the mint and lime juice mixture.

Mexican Brownies

If you are feeling ambitious you can use the recipe linked at the top of this post.  For me there is a way to cheat using Betty Crocker Brownie Mix prepared as directed, but adding 1 tablespoon of cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon of ground chili powder before putting it in the pan to bake. Also if the directions ask you to add oil, I swap it out for unsweetened applesauce instead.

Portion control tip: I use a mini muffin pan to make two-bite brownies. 2 brownies would be one serving, and the rest would be frozen to delay eating them ALL. Notice I said delay, but nothing could stop me completely.