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!

Sonorian Caviar

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Trader Joe's black beans and fire roasted tomatoes

Trader Joe's black beans and fire roasted tomatoes

This recipe is #1 in a series of easy recipes for Cinco de Mayo.

This is one of our favorite dip recipes that we have been making for many years. It is a fun mixture of beans, tomatoes, green chilies, green onions and corn. This is a very flexible and forgiving recipe that will still taste great even if you omit some of the items. If this recipe is too plain for you, we have included some suggestions to spice it up.

This recipe is very flexible and is great for beginner cooks, as you are really just mixing ingredients up together. It can be served ice cold, or can sit out at room temperature for a few hours and it will still taste great. Many of your vegetarian friends will appreciate how good it tastes.

What you need:

  • 1 can Trader Joe’s black beans, drained and rinsed
  • ½ cup Trader Joe’s Roasted Corn, thawed
  • 2 green onions, sliced thin
  • 1 can Trader Joe’s Fire Roasted tomatoes with green chilies
  • Salt, pepper

1 bag, Trader Joe’s Tortilla chips

How to:

1. Combine in a bowl the black beans, roasted corn, green onions and fire roasted tomatoes with green chilies. Stir to combine.

2. Season with Salt and pepper to taste.

3. Serve with plenty of chips for dipping.

If possible, make the dip the day before to allow the flavors to develop overnight.

Variations:

  • Use your favorite salsa in place of the can of tomatoes and green chilies.
  • Add 1tsp. (or more) Trader Joe’s taco seasoning for more kick.
  • Add 1tsp. (or more) Trader Joe’s cumin.

Feel free to try your own experiments with this easy recipe- you might find that you discover a whole new dip that you just love.

Sonorian Caviar

Sonorian Caviar

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!

Easy Tortilla Soup

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This recipe is #3 in a series of easy recipes for Cinco de Mayo.

This version of easy tortilla soup is the kind that we have been making for years. It is broth based (use chicken broth or vegetable broth) and then an assortment of “additions” go into the broth to form the basis for the soup.  Next, and we think this is the  best part, is the variety of toppings that you can use for this soup. We like to serve the soup up in bowls and then allow each person to add their own toppings at the table.

This easy tortilla soup is also a great way to use up leftovers such as rice, beans or vegetables, as the soup is so flexible.  In addition you can make this soup as spicy as you like with some of the suggestions under variations.

Because this soup is so flexible and forgivng, we are only going to give you a general guideline for amounts that you will need. You may want to add more beans or chicken if this soup is a “main dish” soup, and use less, or omit all together if this soup is going to be served along with other hearty choices.

What you need:

Soup:

  • Trader Joe’s vegetable or chicken stock (1 quart)
  • Cooked, diced chicken
  • 1 can beans  (pinto or black) rinsed and drained
  • 1-2 cups Leftover vegetables (or Trader Joe’s Organic Foursome frozen diced vegetables)

Toppings:

  • Diced avocado
  • Shredded cheese
  • Sliced green onions
  • Crushed tortilla chips

How to:

1. Bring the stock to a boil in a large pan.

2. Add the remaining soup ingredients and let simmer for 20-30 minutes, to let all the flavors blend together.

3. Serve the soup and pass small bowls of the toppings.

Variations:

  • Add 1 can Trader Joe’s diced green chilies to the soup for more spice.
  • Add cooked rice to the soup
  • Add cooked chorizo or taco meat instead of chicken
  • Additional toppings include: Chicharrones (fried pork skin), diced tomatoes, sour cream or Durango dip, olives
  • Squeeze of lime juice

As you can see, this recipe is almost limitless in what you can add to the soup.  You could make this soup when you want to use up an assortment of leftovers (especially after tacos or fajitas some night), and just have a quart of Trader Joe’s chicken or vegetable stock on hand ready to make into this soup.

Did you make this soup? What were your favorite toppings?