Hello! Welcome to Djalali Cooks. In Mexico, Cinco de Mayo is a minor holiday celebrating the Mexican Army’s victory over France at the Battle of Puebla, during the Franco-Mexican War in 1862. In America, this holiday is more of a celebration of Mexican heritage and culture. For many Americans, this means enjoying Mexican dishes, cocktails and music. So today, I am rounding up several of my favorite Mexican-inspired recipes – perfect for Cinco de Mayo or any day!
Cóctel de Camarónes (Mexican Shrimp Cocktail)
Leading up to Cinco de Mayo, I am sharing another Mexican recipe; today we have Cóctel de Camarónes, or Mexican Shrimp Cocktail. Mexican Shrimp Cocktail is a bit more robust than the type we usually see on an appetizer menu. This version has diced jicama, cucumbers, onions and avocado. It’s refreshing and light, with a little bit of spice. Well, let’s get right to it!
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Esquites – Mexican Street Corn Salad
Today we have a perfect side dish for yesterday’s Easy Grilled Steak Fajitas; a side dish that you can make ahead because it’s great at room temperature. Which also makes it perfect as a picnic or potluck salad. It’s hard to beat the impressive presentation of Elotes, the Mexican Street Corn dipped in a creamy sauce of mayonnaise, Cotija cheese and lime, flecked with red chili powder. But Esquites takes all the street corn flavors and tosses them in a bowl, with charred corn-off-the-cob. Easier to eat and tote along to your next potluck or picnic! Let’s make Esquites!
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Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas
So colorful, quick, easy and delicious that it might just be my new favorite sheet pan recipe! Tender chicken thighs, peppers and onions are sliced and marinated in a homemade spice blend with olive oil and lime juice. Then the whole thing is cooked on one pan for only about 25 minutes. Served with warm flour tortillas, fresh jalapeños, limes and cilantro. Let’s get right to it!
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Pork Tacos with Chipotle Pineapple Salsa
Tacos are at the top of my favorites list, alongside pizza. I love to turn leftovers into tacos, too. Today I am using some leftover pork shoulder, and you can use leftover chicken, if you like. Or maybe you’ll make your favorite protein especially for these tacos! Whatever the case may be, the fried cheese layer and the chipotle pineapple salsa make these tacos special and truly delicious. Let’s get right to it: Pork Tacos with Chipotle Pineapple Salsa!
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Tacos Dorados (Crispy Tacos)
Happy Cinco de Mayo! To round out our Cinco de Mayo recipes, today we have Tacos Dorados, or Crispy Tacos. This is a great recipe to make for a group, or you can do what I did and make half a batch and save the rest of the filling for either something else or another batch of tacos. I found this recipe on America’s Test Kitchen; it’s not only easy, but these are amazingly good tacos! Different than street tacos, these are shallow-fried (with the meat filling inside) to create a deliciously crunchy shell. Let’s get to the recipe!
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Chicken Enchiladas with Fire-Roasted Pepper Sauce
Today’s recipe is an easy favorite. How can you not love savory roasted chicken wrapped with cheese in a tortilla and baked in a rich, spicy, fire-roasted pepper sauce? Well, I am sure there are some folks out there who will take a pass on Chicken Enchiladas, but this recipe is not like the soggy, sauce drenched versions you find at many sit-down Mexican restaurants. It hits all the right notes and then some. Let’s get right to it!
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Esquites Pizza
Today we have a pizza that is a bit of a mashup, really. I have done Mexican-style pizzas with chorizo and corn before, but this pizza is on a whole other level. Remember the Esquites we made earlier this week? Well, I was enjoying that salad when an idea struck. Put the Esquites on pizza. YES! How on earth could that not be delicious? This idea is not surprising in the Djalali house, really. I am always thinking about what to put on a pizza, so Esquites Pizza was born.
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Beef Tamales
Beef Tamales might seem like a labor-intensive way to use leftovers, but it’s really worth it. Think of it as meal prep and freeze them for another day. And you don’t have to have made the Short Ribs; you can make tamales with leftover chicken, pot roast, pork shoulder….Heck, it doesn’t even have to be leftovers! Go get a rotisserie chicken and use that. Or make cheese and green chile tamales. The sky is the limit! The set up and the assembly are the same, no matter what filling you choose to use.
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Green Chili Chorizo Burgers
This recipe gives burgers a makeover with Mexican flavors and ingredients. These ground pork and chorizo burgers are so juicy and the tomatillo sauce is bright and punchy; with pepper jack cheese and tons of fresh cilantro. This dish is a great Mexican-inspired burger recipe, perfect for a Cinco de Mayo barbecue!
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Thank you so much for stopping by today, I hope you try one of these recipes – whether it’s a classic Mexican recipe like Cóctel de Camarónes or a Mexican-inspired recipe like Esquites Pizza, Cinco de Mayo is a perfect day to make your new favorite dish! Enjoy a Margarita or a Paloma, and a have a wonderful Cinco de Mayo! Take care and be well, xo Kelly
Valentina Sauce
Nordic Ware Tortilla Warmer
Everything but the Elote Seasoning
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Mari
May 4, 2022 at 9:47 amIs it even possible to pick just one or two of those? I think I could easily make a meal of the shrimp cocktail, and the kids would love the chorizo burgers, and the fajitas, and everything else on the menu. We would have to celebrate every night for two weeks to get everything in. We have another round of the allergic flu going around again. Every time the weather changes we get ill. Usually it’s a 24 hour thing, but this time of year it’s four days easily. Aside from that, or maybe because of that, I’m a day off. I keep thinking it’s Thursday, and all day yesterday, I was convinced it was Wednesday, and wondered why you hadn’t posted, untilI remembered you don’t post on Tuesday. I made the lemon cupcakes earlier in the week and they didn’t last long. Sadly I didn’t get pictures, but they turned out beautifully. The only questions I heard were, “Are there any more, and will you this as a cake for my birthday?” That must be the first time in years that they agreed on anything, LOL. A very happy Wednesday to Kelly, Alex, Terry, Dante and the Ladies. Stay well, stay warm, and catch some sunshine. I am going to sit on the porch later if the sun comes out, and the wind dies down. ☀️💨🌷🥰
Kelly Djalali
May 4, 2022 at 10:20 amHello Mari, I am so happy the lemon cupcakes were such a success! I couldn’t choose just one or two of these Mexican dishes, either. And if you saw the email you know that while I had 8 recipes in the post, I added like, 6 more in the email! It’s clear that we make a lot of Mexican-inspired food here. We desperately needed a good strong rain overnight, but instead we got only a sprinkling…the clouds are clearing and my hopes for a drenching are put off. Have a wonderful Thursday, I mean Wednesday 😜 ❤️ ☺️ xo Kelly