Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Happy Cinco de Mayo! Are all the presents bought? Pinatas stuffed? Fresh tortillas made?If so, you get extra points. For me, I am not quite sure what one does for Cinco de Mayo except eat Mexican food. In honor of this celebration, we have eaten Mexican food for the past two days. We may sit today out but if you are stuck with not a Mexican dish to prepare, let me suggest a couple from my new favorite cookbook:

This is a cookbook from Martha Stewart that is mouthwatering. My SIL recommended this to me and I immediately sat down and read it like a novel. Each recipe has a photo and every recipe is worthy of a chance at my dinner table. I can't wait to make them all.

I have made two in a row and they were simply delicious. The Tortilla and Black Bean Pie and the Beef Tacos with Radish and Avocado Salsa. My children upon hearing what was being prepared made the gestures of dissatisfaction but all plates were cleared. They were sure that the avocado and radish salsa was going to ruin a perfectly good steak taco but they loved it. They were surprised. So was I since none of them like avocados. They are now converts. This food is all so colorful and fresh. I wish I had photos to share but it was devoured too quickly. Try them out. Go pick yourself up a copy of the cookbook to tie you over until mine comes out!

Happy Cinco de Mayo and try one of these out!

Beef Tacos with Radish and Avocado Salsa

1 avocado, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes

6 large red radishes, ends trimmed, halved and thinly sliced

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1 T. chopped pickled jalapeno chili

2 t. fresh lime juice, plus 1 lime cut into 8 wedges

1 t. olive oil

coarse salt and pepper

1 pound skirt steak

1 T. ground cumin

8 corn tortillas

Heat broiler with rack 4 inches from heat. Line a cooking pan with aluminum foil. In bowl, stir together the avocado , radishes, cilantro, jalapeno, lime juice and oil. Season with salt. Cover with plastic wrap pressing it directly to surface to prevent discoloring. Chill.

Arrange stead on baking sheet. Rub both sides with cumin. Season with salt and pepper generously. Broil without turning until well browned, 6-8 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes under foil.

While steak is broiling, stack and wrap tortillas in a dampened kitchen towel; microwave until hot and pliable , 1 - 2 minutes. You can then stack them in foil to keep warm. Cut steak into strips on the diagonal. Place on tortillas and top with salsa.

**I doubled this recipe. I also used sirloin and only used half as many radishes. I squeezed lime juice on the beef before serving.

Tortilla and Black Bean Pie

4 10 inch flour tortillas

1 T canola oil

1 Large onion, diced

1 jalapeno Chile, minded

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 t. ground cumin

coarse salt and pepper

2 cans 15 oz each black beans, drained and rinsed

1 1/2 cups water

1 10 oz package frozen white corn

4 scallions, thinly sliced, plus more for garnish

2 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 400. Using a paring knife, trim the tortillas to fit a 9 inch springform pan, using the bottom of the pan as a guide. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, jalapeno, garlic, and cumin. Season with slat and pepper. Cook , stirring occasionally until onion is softened, 5-7 minutes. Add the beans and water and baring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until liquid has almost evaporated, 8-10 minutes. Stir in corn and scallions and remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper.

Fit a trimmed tortilla in the bottom of the springform pan; layer with one quarter of the beans and 1/2 cup cheese. Repeat three times, using 1 cup cheese on the tops layer. Bake until hot and cheese is melted; 20-25 minutes. Unmold the pie; sprinkle with scallions. Slice into wedges and serve.

** I used Monterrey jack cheese

Sorry no pictures. Have a great day celebrating the 5th of May. What does one do for the 6th of May? In case you were wondering , my vacation was fun and I will tell about all I learned later, come visit me again.

Adios Amigas!