Cinco de Mayo Swordfish Taco

This year it seemed that more and more people were complaining that Cinco de Mayo has turn into a holiday much like St.Patrick's Day - a day of drinking that really has less to do with its roots and more with its alcohol brand sponsorship. However, I love "taco stand" style tacos and I can't pass up a fresh taco with some delicious ingredients so why skip over a good excuse to eat and drink. Traditionally you see often pork carnitas tacos and fish tacos in this style with just a bit of cabbage slaw, some salsa, cilantro, lime and usually a radish slice. These tacos are different than the tacos that are found at tex-mex type places which often are filled with sour cream and guacamole. This makes them a bit lighter so you really don't need an excuse to make them.

I decided to skip the radish slice and went with a "meaty" slice of grilled swordfish instead of a fried fish. This meal was fresh and so fast! I mean from fridge to table in about 15 min total...and anyone can make this.

click through for the recipes!

Mexican Chicken Stew and a give away!

Recently I have learned about an amazing new protein to use for dinner... boneless skinless chicken thighs! I know these aren't new but I have just always used chicken breasts. Since my resolve a few years back to get over my fear of raw chicken, I have come a long way. From only cutting partially frozen or cooked chicken to actually roasting a whole one, even if I did need help getting the giblets out! Now I have found out how tasty and delicious the thigh is especially when seasoned correctly. This dinner was made possible by one of my new favorite discoveries. Seasoning Rubs are such an easy way to add a lot of flavor with out many calories (careful though some rubs have sugar added)

Because the thighs are boneless, you can get this dinner done pretty quickly though I think that you would also be fine adapting this to a crockpot or dutch oven and letting the chicken cook down. Feel free to change the heat level of the dish by adding more or less hot peppers, my CSA just sent home a bag of the little hot ones and I couldn't resist them all cute colorful ...luckily they didn't over power things.

I was lucky enough to get a goodie bag of Goya treats from Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program that helped the make this dinner possible and want to share! Please leave a comment below and I will pick someone at random to win a prize pack with coupons and 2 recipe books containing some great easy dinners using Goya products.

5/5/10 - Cinco de Mayo Burrito Buffet

 I just love doing buffets! Guests are able to customize exactly what they want which also means less waste (and more leftovers)! Its really a win-win situation for everyone. Since I love doing theme nights, I used Cinco de Mayo as an excuse to make burritos. This prep was more about chopping than cooking! Luckily I had a helper in the kitchen that was willing to fill up all the bowls of condiments while I prepped dinner. The bar included pickled hot peppers, salsa, guacamole, sour cream, shredded cheese, grilled mushrooms and zucchini, marinaded chicken, sauteed peppers and onions and brown basmati rice.

2/1/10 - Fajita....unwrapped

In an effort to eat a little healthier (yes the new years resolution is still hanging on...by a thread!) I decided to forget the tortilla wrap on my fajita tonight. I still got all the wonderful flavors of the meal, especially the homemade guacamole (thanks Jeremy!).though I did miss the fun and convenience of eating with my hands. While this isn't a fancy meal its still fun to deconstruct your dinner and see what really matters flavor-wise and what you are just eating out of habit. While I admit tortilla wraps make a fajita and "fajita" its still delicious and you save about 100 cals per serving...not to bad!