21 Great Party Foods For Cinco De Mayo
When Cinco de Mayo rolls around, you turn up the heat and pour the margaritas.But just because you're throwing a fiesta doesn't mean you can't think outside the box. There are plenty of inventive and fun recipes you can work into your celebration. All you need is a little inspiration and a lot of imagination. Here are some easy party foods to help you host a great bash!
Nachos
Jicama nachos offer a low-fat, unfried, refreshing, flavorful meal while satisfying your nacho cravings. These are on the menu at SunCafe Organic, located in Studio City, California. SunCafe specializes in raw foods and has won many culinary awards.
Want to use canned refried beans? Go ahead — just don't skimp on five-minute stuff, man: simple salsa, chips, and guac. Then layer the chips, beans, steak, Cheddar, salsa, guacamole, crema, tomato, onion, spring onion, jalapeño, and cilantro. Heck, you could even argue that these are healthy. Think about it. Nachos that are baked, not fried; raw vegetables... it's almost a diet. Layer it high and proud.
Who said nachos have to be hot, anyway? This "no-bake" recipe captures their essence without preheating the oven. Plus, it makes it easy for Mom to put together a quick side dish for your Cinco de Mayo celebration.
Go all out with your nachos this year and serve this ultimate version. You'll find the ground beef mixture is good enough to use in your favorite chili, but you won't be able to resist it spread on a crunchy chip and topped with oozing cheese, either.
Who can resist chili cheese nachos? Staggeringly high in fat, sodium, and calories, this appetizer is usually a diet killer, but not here. With this lightened version you can still enjoy the great taste of meaty chili atop crunchy tortilla chips, complete with melted cheese sauce — only now without a side of guilt. Speaking of sides, feel free to add guacamole, more salsa, light sour cream, or even more vegetables.
Tacos
Shrimp Tacos with Avocado and Mango Salsa
Spicy, sweet, and creamy, these tacos with mango salsa are great for a quick dinner or an outdoor get-together (plus, they pair well with margaritas). While I sliced some avocado on top of these tacos, you can also add a scoop of homemade guacamole to make the dish even more filling (and delicious).
The recipe can easily be doubled or tripled to feed a group. It's incredibly easy to make and works perfectly for large-format meals.
A properly cooked grass-fed flank steak, seasoned well, needs little garnish other than some thinly sliced vegetables, a couple of slices of avocado, and a dollop of crema.
When making a salad — or eating it on the run — isn't an option, there are tacos. No, I'm not talking about the crispy, Tex-Mex interpretation. I'm talking about the perfectly warm and soft (and more authentically Mexican) flour or corn tortillas. Stuff them moderately, slather on some crema, wrap, and go. One is perfect for lunch, or two for dinner.
Tacos are best with freshly made tortillas. If you're lucky enough to have a tortilla factory near you, buy them the same day you're going to make the tacos.
This chicken taco recipe will soon be one of your favorite quick and easy dinners because of the effortless slow cooker preparation. It takes less than five minutes to put the ingredients in the pot, and six hours later you'll have delicious shredded chicken for tacos.
The secret? Using Panko breadcrumbs for the crust. It gives the fish a super crunch — perfect against the creamy avocado spread and tangy pickled onions.
Simply put: If you're in need of a celebrate-warm-weather dish, this is it.
Quesadillas
Chicken and Vegetable Quesadillas
Wolfgang Puck offers up a south-of-the-border quesadilla paired with his own red pepper salsa.
Quesadillas often feel too heavy for the health-conscious. While this recipe may not be healthy, per se, it at least adds a bit of complexity and brightness to a normally traditional dish. The shrimp and Parmigiano-Reggiano create a quesadilla that will stand out from the pack.
Bacon, Tomato, and Avocado Quesadilla
Try adding bacon and avocado to a spicy quesadilla.
Grilled Buffalo and Avocado Quesadilla
Crispy, cheese-oozing pieces of heaven — these grilled quesadillas pair perfectly with a cold margarita on a hot summer night. If you don't have fresh buffalo to grill, substitute strips of chicken breast or flank steak. Once again, avocado provides a game-changing twist for this traditional Mexican treat.
For me, the beginning of warm weather signals the start of my favorite eating season: grilling, Tex-Mex, and lots of frozen tasty cocktails. This recipe for steak quesadillas couldn't be easier, and makes for a wonderful (and affordable) weeknight meal.
Guacamole
Here is a basic recipe that will serve as a solid foundation for you to play around with some of the variations above. And as the name suggests, it's best made fresh and served immediately.
Blue cheese and avocado make for a truly delicious union that, as any fan of the Cobb salad understands, is not as odd as it sounds.
We all know chips and guac taste good together, and this recipe makes the best out of both by deep-frying them together.
Love avocados? This recipe is for you!
Adding roasted garlic to guacamole creates a unique and bold flavor.
Margaritas
What makes this rendition perfect, you might ask? "The secret is fresh juice," reveals Alex Alejandro of El Parador Café, New York City's longest-running Mexican restaurant. Fresh lemon juice, that is.
Alex explains that lemon juice is used instead of lime because it is less tart and doesn't mask the flavor of the tequila. Other tips? Use equal parts tequila and triple sec, and always serve it straight up and with salt. If it's on the rocks, he says, the flavor of the margarita gets too diluted by the time you reach the bottom of the glass.
"Once you taste a perfect margarita, you can't go back."
In truth, our Easy Pomegranate Margarita isn't exactly a health drink, but our version is significantly better for you than a margarita from a mix — or from most restaurants. Margarita mixes are typically full of high fructose corn syrup, but this recipe contains no added sugar at all — all of the sweetness comes from the pomegranate juice.
Add some spice to your fiesta this 5th of May with an Ole Smoky Moonshine Margarita. Poured right from the jar (as all moonshine should be), Ole Smoky has that southern kick — it's a Mason jar fiesta!
Much more sweet than spicy, this cocktail boasts a great blend of flavors and a little kick at the end.
Blood orange lends a beautifully rich color to this delicious variation.
Muddled Avocado Margarita Recipe
Most people think, "Avocado? In a drink?" Avocado is a great textural element; it adds a nice creaminess, but without the cream. It's especially good in a Margarita and goes really well with chips and salsa. The avocado flavor in this drink is not overpowering, which ends up tasting like a great margarita with a creamy element to it. The key to this drink is the salt. I'm not a huge fan of salt with my margaritas, but this drink needs it. And if you want to get a little crazy, add some celery salt and crushed green peppercorns to the salt garnish.