Oh Me, Oh (Cinco de) Mayo

One of my fondest Cinco de Mayo memories involves studying Classical Mythology over plates of fajitas on the patio of a busy Mexican restaraunt, dancing to Glenn Miller's "Moonlight Serenade" after leaving the fiesta, and watching The Raccoon take a test the next morning after puking in an OSUM bathroom.

This year the festivities were a bit more low key (and actually a bit lonely, if I'm being completely honest). Roomie was on his way to Philadelphia and the Dad Vail Regatta; it was mid-term week for my friends still in grad school; LitFest was kicking off; I'm likely getting passive-agressively phased out of certain folk's company...

But don't cry for me, friends & enemies. I still had a pretty good time in the kitchen. I just have way more leftovers than I usually do following a holiday-themed dinner party. Plus, there were less dishes to wash! Mira siempre el lado brillante de la vida.

First Course/Nibbles:

Por supuesto, I made guacamole and salsa. I don't really have a recipe for either of these things - I just keep adding ingredients until I like the way the dips taste. I like my guac kind of plain, just red onion, cilantro, a little garlic, a little cumin and/or chipotle powder. Since I'm not a big fan of onion chunks, I'll usually pulse everything but the avocado in the blender before fork-mashing everthing together. For salsa I like white onion and jalapenos and poblanos. Depending on how chunky I want the salsa, I'll puree a few tomatoes in the blender for the base before adding more chopped tomatoes and the minced onions and peppers. I made the salsa the day before so the flavors could settle together a bit. The guac I made just before I wanted to eat it with some cheap tortilla chips. Muy bien.

Main Course:

Both these dishes are spins off of recipes from the "Fast Easy Fresh" section of this month's Bon Appetit. I hadn't been sure what I was going to make for Cinco de Mayo and had picked up the magazine at Kroger on a whim (well, not so much "whim" as "I'm going to need something to distract me from the 60 midterms I have waiting for me to grade"). Neither are expectedly "Mexican" but since I was my only dinner guest I was pretty sure I wouldn't mind. (I did not).

Arco Iris Ensalta Arroz

1 cup long-grain white rice

1/4 cup lemon juice

4 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

2 ears-worth of fresh corn kernels

1 orange bell pepper, chopped

1 zucchini, chopped

3-4 peppadews, chopped (depending on how hot you'd like your salad, feel free to mix in some chiles or poblanos)

3 green onions, white and green parts, chopped

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

1 avocado, peeled and diced

Cook the rice for a few minutes less (or with 1/4 cup less water) then the package recommends to keep it from getting soggy (probably about 12 minutes). Drain, rinse with cold water, and drain again. Set aside.

In a small bowl or Pyrex measuring cup (I seriously love those things when it comes to making dressings), whisk together the lemon juice, 3 tablespoons of the oil, and the black pepper. Set aside.

Heat the remaining oil in a large skillet. Add all the corn, orange pepper, peppadews (and spicier peppers, if using), and zucchini. Saute for about 7 minutes or until all the veggies are bright and just starting to soften.

Mix the veggies and rice into a large bowl. Add the onions and cilantro and toss. Here you can add the lemon-olive oil dressing to the entire bowl and toss to coat, or dress each serving individually. Either way, top with the chopped avocado and serve.

Garlic & Tarragon Pinto Frijoles

This was originally a chicken-with-cream-sauce dish that did not call for beans. Behold! The power of The Veganification!

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped well

1 1/2 tablespoons fresh tarragon, minced

1/2 cup vegetable broth, plus more for thinning/mashing

2- 15 oz. cans of pinto beans, drained and rinsed

Heat the olive oil in a medium pot. Add the garlic and cook until just starting to get fragrant (about 3 minutes). Add the tarragon and cook until softening, another 3-5 minutes. Stir frequently so the garlic doesn't get too brown. Add the beans and broth. Using a wooden spoon, smash together with the garlic and herbs. Add more broth if necessary. You could also use a potato smasher but I didn't want my frijoles too liso.

I cooked up some green beans ($1.99 for 2 pounds pre-cleaned! Hooray for manager's specials at Kroger!) and asparagus to round out the meal.

To drink I just had some white wine. I'm not a huge fan of tequila (unless it's in shot-form with a cinnamon orange slice on the side) and since I was alone, I opted not to lug out the blender for margaritas.

***

There aren't many theme holidays left this quarter so I'll probably be making up a few of my own. "Finally Done Grading Day" and "Start of Summer Blockbuster Movie Season" both seem like as good a reason as any to celebrate with food and drink.

As always, fans and detractors, you're all cordially invited.