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5 Easy Recipes for Cinco de Mayo

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So,  what are you going to make for Cinco de Mayo this year??

Well, Trader Joe’s naturally has a lot of items for you to choose from. Do you want to buy stuff already made? OR are you planning to make everything from scratch?  The readymade selection at Trader Joe’s includes chips, salsas, taquitos, burritos, enchiladas –WOW- this list could go on and on…

We are going to mix it up a little this year, as Cinco de Mayo is on a Wednesday and make a little from scratch and also buy a few items already made at Trader Joe’s. Also because it is a Wednesday (and a school night) we are going to keep the celebration fairly simple.

Now when we have parties, or celebrate a holiday (even if it is just the two of us), we like to have a variety of small dishes  or appetizers or tapas to nibble on during the evening, instead of making a big fancy meal. I am not sure how we developed this tradition, but we just love it, and this gives us a great excuse to try new stuff all the time.

Anyway, for Cinco de Mayo, we know that we want to serve Tamales. We like Trader Joe’s Cheese & Green Chili  Tamales (in the Frozen Section) so we are going to pick up some on our next trip.

Trader Joe's Cheese & Green chile Tamales

Trader Joe's Cheese & Green chile Tamales

We also love Sonoran Caviar, to eat with chips, as well as Durango Dip. Yummz!

We are also planning to make a batch of Calabacitas (squash and corn) to round out the meal.

To end the “party” we are going to purchase those yummy Trader Joe’s Crème Brulee’s (see review). They are almost a flan/ custard, and we thought they would be a nice finish to the meal. Our other idea is to serve vanilla ice cream with some fresh papaya chunks- yum.

OK, like I said, we are still in the planning stages. And, YES, this is a LOT of food for two people, but the beauty is that we will have lots of leftovers to stretch this Cinco de Mayo celebration out for a number of days. Heck we could still be enjoying these items into the weekend. Now that is my kind of party (cook once and eat for a few days…..)

We have included the recipes for 5 easy Cinco de Mayo dishes that we hope you will love, so  check out the choices and choose some to make this year.   Here is the complete list of easy Cinco de Mayo recipes for you to try:

5 Easy Recipes for Cinco de Mayo

We hope that these recipes and the items that you purchase from Trader Joe’s will make you Cinco de Mayo celebration a smashing success!

Durango Dip

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Trader Joe's Taco Seasoning Mix

Trader Joe's Taco Seasoning Mix

This recipe is #2 in a series of easy recipes for Cinco de Mayo

This is a creamy easy dip that goes great with chips or is good served on tacos, enchiladas or burritos.  We first tried this dip at a friend’s super bowl party. We were just thrilled to find out how easy it was to make AND that all the ingredients were from Trader Joe’s- yeah.

What you need:

  • 1 pint Trader Joe’s sour cream
  • 1 package Trader Joe’s taco seasoning
  • Optional items: green onions (sliced thin), shredded cheese, olives

How to:

1. Place the pint of sour cream in a bowl and mix in 1 tsp. of Trader Joe’s taco seasoning. Add the green onions if using and stir until everything is combined. Taste the dip and add more taco seasoning if you like (our friends used the whole package of Trader Joe’s taco seasoning, which was delicious, but spicy)

2. Spread the dip into a serving bowl or dish and sprinkle with shredded cheese and sliced olives.

Variations:

  • We thought this dip would be great as a layer on a 7 layer bean dip.
  • Add chopped up bacon for a smoky flavor.
  • Add fresh herbs such as parsley and chives in with the green onions

This dip will also be better if made a day (or two) before you wish to serve it.

Yes, that is really all there is to this dip. At the super bowl party, our friends were using this dip on a veggie tray that was filled with baby carrots, zucchini and cherry tomatoes. This dip was soo tasty that somehow (and we will never tell…) the dip made its way across the table and found its way onto a few of the bowls of chili.  Yummz!

Tortilla Soup, Mexico City Style

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This recipe is #4 in a series of easy recipes for Cinco de Mayo.

As you read in a previous post, we just love Tortilla soup so on our recent trip to Mexico City we had to order some, right? (I mean WOW we were in Mexico City after all!)

Well, we were surprised at what we got.

First of all, the presentation was awesome.  We ordered this soup at three different restaurants all over Mexico City, and the presentation was the same each time. (Now, this could be the way that all soup is served, but we would like to think it was special for the Tortilla soup).

This is what they did: The waiter brought a bowl to the table, which had only some skinny tortilla strips in the bottom. Next, another server came out with a pitcher (like you would serve water in) and then poured out a (second surprise) a thick tomato soup into the bowl.  Next we were presented with a small plate that had a variety of toppings for the soup, usually chicharrones (fried pork skins), diced avocado chunks, diced cheese and some diced chilies.

We were used to having tortilla soup as a broth based soup, not tomato soup! But you will be happy to know, the whole thing was fantastic! The thick creamy tomato soup with all the toppings was wonderful. We are now converted to this new, Mexico City Style Tortilla Soup.

Here is the best part:  Trader Joe’s makes it easy to prepare this soup as they sell a fantastic creamy tomato soup in a box- the basis for this whole meal already ready to heat and eat! Yeah!

What you need:

Soup:

  • 1 qt. Trader Joe’s Creamy Tomato soup

Toppings:

  • Tortilla chips (leftovers are great)
  • Diced avocado
  • Grated cheese
  • Trader Joe’s diced green chilies (optional, but they add nice heat to this dish)
  • Trader Joe’s sour cream or Durango Dip

How to:

1. Heat up the Trader Joe’s Creamy Tomato soup

2. Pour into a bowl and pass the toppings

What could be easier?

So try this easy and tasty Tortilla Soup, Mexico City Style today.

Calabacitas Trader Joe’s Style

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Trader Joe's Style Calabacitas

Trader Joe's Style Calabacitas

This recipe is #5 in a series of easy recipes for Cinco de Mayo.

This is a tasty and easy to make squash side dish. Calabaza means squash in Spanish, and calabacita means little squash or little one (at least I think…). And this dish is simply loaded with little squashes.  While this makes a nice veggie dish for Cinco de Mayo, these Calabacitas would also be a great way to enjoy all those, you know,  larger squash that appear in your garden in August…

Besides just eating them up on a plate, another great way to enjoy calabacitas is in a burrito. Many of the restaurants here in Tucson will add a scoop of calabacitas to a bean or beef burrito. We have even eaten an egg burrito with calabacitas (and cheese of course).

Again, we are giving you rounded figures for this recipe. You will need to eyeball the amounts you add to the pan to make enough for you meal.

What you need:

  • Summer Squash (zucchini and/or yellow squash) 4 medium or 6 small, sliced
  • Sweet onions, sliced or diced (about ½ a medium onion)
  • 2 cloves of garlic, grated
  • ½ cup Trader Joe’s Roasted Corn
  • Olive oil, Salt and Pepper

How to:

1. Heat oil in large sauté pan, and add onions, garlic and squash.

2. Stir frequently until the squash is nice and soft, 10 or so minutes.

3. Add frozen corn and cook until hot.

5. Season with salt and pepper.

6. Serve- Yum

Variations:

  • Season with a spoonful of Trader Joe’s Taco Seasoning
  • Add diced green chilies
  • Sprinkle with grated cheese just before serving.

We make calabacitas frequently, and we hope that you enjoy them and make them often for yourself.