Cinco De Mayo Recipe: Mexican Beef Pie

This easy casserole makes it simple to prepare a great Cinco De Mayo meal without a lot of work. Tasty Mexican ingredients such as corn, tomatoes, cornmeal, and chili powder go great together with the ground beef, and the ease of preparation will make this one a hit for your Cinco De Mayo party! Feel free to add other ingredients if you like, and if you like it spicy, add crushed red pepper, or substitute a can of diced tomatoes with green chilies for the plain tomatoes. Sprinkle with cheese if desired before serving.

Happy Cinco De Mayo!

Mexican Beef Pie

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef
1/2 cup onion, chopped
2 Tbsp butter
12 oz corn
15 oz diced tomatoes (do not drain juice)
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp chili powder
3 cups water
1 cup cornmeal 
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup ripe olives, chopped

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Get out a skillet and sauté ground beef and onion in butter until beef is browned. Add the corn, tomatoes, pepper, salt, and chili powder; set aside.
2. Boil the 3 cups water in a medium saucepan. Once it begins to boil, slowly stir in the cornmeal and 1 teaspoon of salt. Turn it down to low heat and stir constantly, cooking, until very thick. Remove from heat and add the beaten egg and olives. 
3. In a 2 quart casserole dish, spread half the cornmeal mixture and top with beef mixture. Use the remaining cornmeal mixture and drop by spoonful on top of the beef mixture layer. 
4. Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until nicely browned.

Cinco De Mayo Recipe: Quick Sopapillas & Strawberry Salsa

These quick and tasty appetizers make a good snack and give your guests something special to munch on while waiting for your Cinco De Mayo feast. These faux sopapillas don't require any frying, so they're also healthier than the real thing. When paired with a fresh, fruity salsa, they add a perfectly unique spring flair to the proceedings!

Quick Sopapillas with Strawberry Salsa

Ingredients:

Sopapilla:
1 package tortillas
natural cooking spray (coconut oil works well & adds a tropical taste)
1 to 2 tsps cinnamon, to taste
1/3 cup sugar

Salsa:
1 carton organic strawberries, rinsed & trimmed
1 organic apple, peeled and cored
2 kiwi fruit, peeled
1/2 to 1 Tbsp sugar, to taste
1 tsp lemon juice

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Cut tortillas into wedges and use the cooking spray or oil to lightly coat both sides of the tortillas. Mix together the cinnamon and sugar in a little bowl, then sprinkle the coated tortillas on both sides with the cinnamon sugar. Place tortilla wedges on a cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes, turning once, until crispy. Remove and let cool on a rack.
• Prepare salsa by putting the remaining ingredients in a blender or food processor and pulse, creating a chunky salsa to your liking.
• Serve salsa in a little bowl with the sopapilla chips for dipping.