Cinco de Mayo Salads

From chips and salsa to tacos, Cinco de Mayo is a holiday filled with delicious food that will have everyone's stomachs grumbling. Kick off your feast with a healthy and fresh first course like a Cinco de Mayo salad that will prep everyone’s appetites with mouth watering flavors and delightful ingredients.

Here are some Cinco de Mayo salad recipes for you to try at your fiesta this year:

Avocado Shrimp Salad (Serves 8 - 10) 

Ingredients

• 4-5 firm ripe avocados
• 1 lb medium-sized cooked shrimp
• ½ medium red onion
• 2 radishes
• ½ red bell pepper
• 2 celery stalks
• 2 hardboiled eggs
• 5 tbs mayonnaise
• juice of 1 lime
• salt and pepper

To prep for this recipe, finely dice up the onion, radishes, red bell pepper, celery, and eggs. You may also want to cut your shrimp in half. Combine vegetables, eggs, shrimp, half of the lime juice, and mayonnaise in a bowl and mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste. To create serving cups for your salad, cut the each avocado in half, remove the pit, and peel carefully. One handy tip is to drizzle your remaining lime juice over the avocados to prevent them from darkening! Use a spoon to scoop your shrimp salad filling into the avocados and serve.

Chickpea Salad (Serves 2)

Ingredients

• 1 can of garbanzo beans (drained and rinsed)
• 1 cup steamed edamame
• 1 ear of yellow corn
• 1 handful cilantro
• ½ large red bell pepper
• ½ red onion
• ½ cup broccoli sprouts
• ½ tsp cumin
• ⅛ cup sesame oil
• juice of 1 lemon
• ½ tsp salt

In a food processor, finely chop the cilantro, red bell pepper, and onion. Next, combine these ingredients with the beans, edamame, corn, and broccoli sprouts. In a small bowl, you will want to mix the sesame oil, lemon juice, cumin, and salt for the dressing. Toss with your bean mixture, refrigerate, and serve.

Tropical Lime Fruit Salad (Serves 4)

Ingredients

• juice of 3 limes
• ½ cantaloupe (thinly sliced)
• 1 mango (diced)
• 1 sliced banana
• 1 small apple (diced)
• ½ grapefruit (diced)
• ½ cup grapefruit juice
• 1 tbs agave syrup

In a large mixing bowl, combine all of your ingredients and toss well. Chill for at least 10 minutes before serving and quickly garnish with a pinch of lime zest and a few dashes of cayenne for a pretty colored accent.

Chicken Tostada Salad (Serves 4)

Ingredients

• 4 corn tortillas
• 3 tsp EVOO
• 2 oz grated Monterey Jack cheese
• ½ small red onion (diced)
• 1 garlic clove (minced)
• 2 cooked chicken breasts (torn into bite-sized pieces)
• 1 cup water
• salt and pepper
• 2 tbp lime juice
• 6 oz shredded romaine lettuce
• 1 tomato (chopped)
• 1 avocado (diced)
• fresh cilantro

First you can prepare your tortillas by preheating the oven to 400F. Lightly brush both sides of each tortilla with 2 tsp oil and place on a baking sheet. Set in oven until golden and crisp, approximately 10 minutes. The cheese should then be divided among the tortillas before they are returned to the oven for about 3 minutes. When the cheese is bubbling, remove the sheet from the oven and set aside. Next, heat 1 tsp oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add half of the red onion and cook until softened. Then add the chili powder and garlic and cook until fragrant, approximately 30 seconds. The chicken and water go into the skillet next and you can season with salt or pepper as desired. Cook, stirring frequently, until the chicken is warmed through and the water is almost evaporated, approximately 2 minutes. Before removing from the heat, stir in 1 tsp lime juice. In a large bowl, combine lettuce with 1 tbs lime juice and toss well. This is the base for your tortillas, which can then be topped with the chicken mixture, tomato, avocado, remaining onion, and cilantro.

These salads are sure to delight your taste buds with their Mexican flavors. Enjoy your meal and then settle down for a relaxing siesta. Happy Cinco de Mayo!