Hooray, Hooray it’s the 5th of May - which means it’s Cinco de Mayo! I love Mexican food, I love the spices, the textures and of course the avocado. I have a friend who once said that she would order a dish simply because one of the ingredients was avocado - go figure.
This weekend there were 2 events - the Kentucky Derby and Cinco de Mayo. I’ve never celebrated the Derby - perhaps next year but I am a fan of Cinco.
On Saturday we cleaned up the gardens in the front and headed off to Menards to get new pots - because after 14 years, ours were hatched. I’m working on new colors but I needed pots that matched the maroon one we still had so I went with an awesome dark blue and dark teal - the combo looks great on the back deck - next up - flowers to put in them. I also made a delicious guacamole to celebrate the day.
In honor of Cinco de Mayo I made 2 dishes this weekend - first a simple guacamole and tonight we had a vegan taco salad. The “meat” was a combo of onions, spices, lentils and toasted walnuts - delicious. I added to it lettuce, cilantro, olives, corn and cherry tomatoes with a kick ass dressing - there were no leftovers - which isn’t a bad thing.
Taco "meat"
1/2 cup chopped walnut pieces
3/4 cup uncooked brown lentils
1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup chopped white onion
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons salsa (or vegetable broth, or water)
Rinse lentils then add to a medium sauce pot and cover with water by 2 inches. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 25 minutes until tender. Drain and set aside.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the walnuts. Toast for ~2 minutes, stirring often until walnuts are lightly browned and fragrant, taking care not to burn. Place the walnuts in a small bowl and set aside.
Add the oil to the same skillet along with the onion and spices. Cook for 5-6 minutes until onions are reduced and translucent but not browned. Add the cooked (or canned) lentils and walnut mixture along with the salsa or broth and cook another 2-3 minutes, gently mashing some of the lentils with the back of your spoon/spatula.
Season to taste, adding more salt/spice as needed.
Salad
1 small head of romaine lettuce - shredded
1 cup cherry tomatoes - quartered
1/4 bunch cilantro - chopped
1/4 - 1/2 cup kalamata olives - chopped (add more or less depending on taste)
1 cup corn - either fresh from cob or frozen - cooked
1 cup cucumber - chopped
1 mango - cubed
1 mango - cubed
Avocado dressing:
1 avocado
1/4 cup olive oil
juice of 1 lime
3T water
cumin
salt and pepper
Place avocado, oil and lime juice in a high-speed blender. Blend until smooth. Add cumin salt and pepper to taste. If needed, add water 1 T at a time until you reach your desired consistency.
Combine all salad ingredients in a medium bowl, add taco meat and avocado dressing - enjoy!
