food comas

Happy Cinco de Mayo everyone! May 5th commemorates the Mexican army’s 1862 victory over France at the Battle of Puebla during the Franco-Mexican War. In the US, this date is observed as a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride, which in present day loosely translates to people drinking a whole lot of tequila and cerveza.

Last year, Natalya and I went all out to celebrate a very tequila-infused Cinco de Mayo. We set up an entire shrimp taco station and made Tequila Lime Shrimp, Tequila Lime Rice, Guacamole, Spicy Bean Salsa, and of course, a giant pitcher of margaritas. We took our fiesta up to the rooftop to enjoy and was quite a pleasant celebration.

This year, we are giving in to the more commercial side of this holiday and celebrating Cinco de Drinko. Less cooking and more drinking at the Beer Olympics our friends are organizing. So in ultimate lazy fashion, I am compiling all our favorite Mexican-inspired recipes to date. I know collection posts are a bit of a cheat post… it’s kind of like when those episodes of “Friends” that would be all flashbacks to previous scenes… except I’m not getting paid $1 million for each post. Sigh. Time to drink.

Happy Cinco de Mayo! Celebrate accordingly.

Click on each link to view the recipe.

Pico de Gallo
Pico de gallo, which means “rooster’s beak” in Spanish, is a raw salsa in the sense that nothing is cooked. It is also known as salsa fresca “fresh sauce”, a simple Mexican condiment made primarily of chopped tomatoes, onions, and chilies.

Spicy Bean Salsa
Spice up your normal salsa recipe with some black-eyes peas, black beans, and corn!

Mango Salsa
I love the tropical addition of mango to my salsa, and it goes great with some simple shrimp tacos.

Guacamole
Natalya and I are addicted to guacamole. It is always our go-to snack, whether it is while we are lazying around on an weekend afternoon or stumbling in at 2am and looking to satisfy the munchies.

Mango Pomegranate Guacamole
This recipe fused our two obsessions (guacamole and pomegranate seeds) together and the result was magical. Folding fruit into guacamole is just a brilliant idea, and sweet mangoes and pomegranate seeds make a beautiful pairing with the creamy avocados and tart limes. Everything about this dish is so vibrant, from the colors to the taste.

Chili Lime Tortilla Chips
After fancying up our guacamole with mangos and pomengranate, we decided we needed to fancy up our chips as well. So when I came across a recipe for baked tortilla chips with chili powder and cayenne pepper, it was go time!

Taco Salad with Roasted Chickpeas and Cilantro Lime Dressing
This salad is so tasty and flavorful and still manages to be full of nutrition. The crisp, freshly chopped vegetables, creamy avocado, zesty cilantro lime dressing and crunchy Roasted Chickpeas are an incredible combination. I love this recipe.

Baked Fish Tacos with Apple Cider Slaw
This is my interpretation of Barmarché’s amazing Crispy Bass Taquitos in soft-shelled flour tortillas with guacamole, pico de gallo & apple cider slaw. I baked instead of fried the fish and the results were awesome. Really!

Tequila Lime Shrimp
This is basically sautéed Margarita Shrimp, which requires marinating the shrimp in tequila, lime juice, garlic, cilantro, oil and chili peppers before cooking. Yum!

Honey Lime Shrimp
I love the shrimp as the sweet honey and the citrus lime flavors come together quite beautifully. We served these in taco form with a margarita slaw and mango salsa.

3-Ingredient Quesadilla
Pepper jack cheese, salsa and a crispy tortilla. That’s it, just three easy ingredients and you have the tastiest snack ever.

Layered Chicken Enchilada Casserole
For our Gourmet Game Day, my friend Hans baked a Layered Chicken Enchilada Casserole. It was quick and easy to prepare, and even shredding chicken was surprisingly simple. The dish was extremely flavorful with a perfect amount of spice and heat… and a bubbling cheese topping is always a welcome touch.