Cinco de Mayo (May 5th)

Cinco de Mayo is a celebration held in commemoration of Mexico's independence from France on May 5, 1862. While it has limited significance nationwide in Mexico, the date is observed around the world as a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride.

We've had some really fun adventures in Mexico and remember our times there with a smile. As a tribute, we always like to spice things up with a Mexican dinner whenever May 5th rolls around. This year I found a really innovative soft taco created by one of my favorite chefs in the world- Bobby Flay. Flay's preparations are in the intermediate or advanced category, so you have to have the time available to spend creating. His recipes are typically American Southwest or Spanish influenced, and inevitably seem to include one or two obscure ingredients that aren't readily available. This time I got lucky and had everything available. (I intentionally left out the poblano pepper from my version.)

This soft taco has a mexican-spice rubbed chicken breast, guacamole, onions sauteed in BBQ sauce and a tangy, crunchy coleslaw. It has a ton of flavour, and is low cal and satisfying. I served my Southwest mango, corn and black bean salad on the side.

Spice Rubbed Chicken Breast Tacos with Grilled Poblanos, BBQ Onions and Coleslaw

Recipe adapted from Bobby Flay, 2008

Ingredients

Grilled Poblanos:

• 3 large poblanos

• Canola oil

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

BBQ Onions:

• 2 sweet onions, skin-on, and cut into 1/4-inch thick slices

• Canola oil

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 1 cup BBQ Sauce

Chicken:

• 2 tablespoons ancho chili powder

• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

• 2 teaspoons ground cumin

• 2 teaspoons light brown sugar

• 2 teaspoons kosher salt

• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (8 ounces each)

• Canola oil

• 8 flour tortillas

• Barbecued onions

• Coleslaw

• Guacamole

Directions

Heat the grill to high.

For the Poblano peppers (if you want to use them):

Brush the poblanos with oil and season with salt and pepper. Place the chiles on the grill and cook until charred on all sides, about 10 minutes. Remove from the grill, place in a bowl and cover with plastic for 10 minutes. Remove the skin, seeds and stem and cut into thin slices.

For the onions:

Brush the onions with oil and season with salt and pepper. Place on the grill and cook until lightly golden brown and just cooked through, about 4 minutes per side. Brush with some of the bbq sauce during the last few minutes. Most of the skin should come off on the grill, but if not, take it off when the onions come off the grill.

For the chicken:

Heat the grill to high.

Whisk together the ancho, cinnamon, cumin, brown sugar, 1 teaspoon salt and black pepper in a small bowl.

Season top side of the breasts with the rub mixture, turn over and season the back with the remaining salt. Drizzle with some of the oil and place on the grill, rub side down and grill until lightly golden brown and a crust has formed, about 3 minutes. Turn the chicken over, close the lid and continue cooking until just cooked through, about 6 minutes longer. Remove from the grill and let rest 5 minutes before slicing.

Grill the flour tortillas briefly, just to mark and heat. To build the tacos, fold each tortilla around some of the chicken, poblanos, onions, coleslaw and guacamole.

Mango Bruschetta

Sometimes it's fun to change up the "old reliable". Bruschetta is classically made with roma tomatoes, garlic, basil, olive oil and some balsamic vinegar (hopefully from Modena, Italy).

But since "bruschetta" is originally from the Italian "bruscare" meaning "to roast over coals"... we can substitute what we want to. For this appetizer I used fresh mangos as a base. Instead of basil I used cilantro, and made a "vinaigrette" from fresh lime and orange juice. Finally I made a small dice with some onions and red peppers for some crunch and piled it high on a crusty toasted Tuscan bread. This one is super-simple, and a real treat with dinner. You can make it ahead of time and let it sit in the fridge for a couple of days.

The Mango Bruschetta is shown here with a panko-crusted Tilapia and dilled tartar sauce.

Mango Bruschetta

Crusty Italian bread

1 mango, peeled and diced

1 Tablespoon butter

2 Tablespoons finely chopped red onion

2 Tablespoons finely chopped red pepper

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

2 tablespoons lime juice

2 tablespoons fresh orange juice

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Mix ingredients together and allow to sit for at least 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Butter toasted bread and top with mango mixture.

Dilled Tartar Sauce

2/3 cup mayonnaise

2 Tablespoons diced dill pickle

1 Tablespoons diced white onion

Freshly squeezed juice from 1/2 lemon (about 1 tablespoon)

Stir together the mayonnaise, pickle, onion, and lemon juice. Chill and serve.

Panko Crusted Fish

Ingredients

1 pound piece boneless, skinless tilapia

1 cup panko (Japanese coarse bread crumbs)

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus for seasoning

2 large eggs

Freshly ground black pepper

Canola oil, for frying

Directions

Prepare a paper towel-lined baking pan and set aside. Toss the panko, flour, and 2 teaspoons salt in 1 shallow bowl or pie plate, and beat the eggs lightly in another.

Heat about 1/4-inch of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the fish all over with salt and pepper, dip in the eggs, and then press into the panko mixture to coat evenly, shaking off any excess. Carefully place the fish in the hot oil, taking care not to crowd the pan. Adjust the heat as necessary to maintain a constant sizzle. Fry the fish, turning once, until evenly brown, about 2 to 3 minutes total. Transfer to paper towels to absorb excess oil, and, if necessary, keep warm in the oven on the rack. Repeat with the rest of the fish. Serve hot with the tartar sauce.

Southwest Corn, Mango & Black Bean Salad

My sister Tracy is going on a camping trip and asked if I had a salad idea that will travel well. I thought my Southwest Corn, Mango & Black Bean Salad would do the trick. This is one of the most colorful salads you'll ever see... yellow, red, white, purple, orange, green, and brown. It's also one of those concoctions that gets better the longer the ingredients are sitting together. You can easily stash it in a tupperware dish and throw it in a backpack or cooler.

For those of us that prefer a less rustic experience, try it at home with a mesquite rubbed chicken breast.

Southwest Mango, Corn & Black Bean Salad

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons canola oil

• 1 1/2 cups corn kernels (from 3 ears)

• 1 1/2 tsp Club House seasoning - Spicy Mesquite or similar flavour

• 1 large ripe mango (about 1 pound), peeled and diced

• 1 15-ounce or 19-ounce can black beans, rinsed

• 1/2 cup chopped red onion

• 1/2 cup diced red & yellow bell pepper

• 3 tablespoons lime juice

• 2 tablespoons honey

• 1 jalepeno, seeds and ribs removed

• 1 small canned chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, drained and chopped

• 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium. Add corn and cook, stirring, about 30 seconds. Sprinkle with Club House seasoning and sauté for 5 minutes, then remove from heat and allow to cool. Transfer the corn mixture to a large bowl. Stir in diced mango, beans, onion, jalepeno, red & yellow bell peppers, lime juice, honey, chipotle, cilantro, cumin, a couple shakes of the Club House seasoning and salt.

The Oakville Salad

Asian Pear, Smoked Almond & Walnuts, Crumbled Blue Cheese in a Raspberry Balsamic Vinaigrette ... a.k.a. The Oakville Salad

I know the title is a mouthful, but I don't know what to call this salad. How about the "Oakville Salad"? Okay, sounds good.

We make variations of this salad all summer long. To us it's like having dessert with your dinner. Essentially, it's a mixed green salad with any fruit and nut combination, some savory cheese and a sweet/tangy vinaigrette.

For the Oakville Salad, I used almond and walnut that I had hickory smoked (I stash them in the freezer for safe-keeping), some diced Asian Pear, crumbled blue cheese and a vinaigrette made from raspberry balsamic vinegar. It's served here with a Cajun Rubbed Center-cut Chop. The heat of the Cajun rub is perfectly balanced by the creamy blue cheese and juicy crunch of the asian pear. Give it a try!

Lasagna Rolls

What if you feel like a nice lasagna, but don't have the time or energy to prepare an entire tray? Here's a quick way to enjoy all of the lasagna flavors in a quicker, rolled up version. I made a béchamel with skim milk, then coated a glass baking dish. Then I piled a light ricotta/spinach/parmesan filling onto a cooked lasagna noodle and rolled it up. Once I had 6 of those I placed them in the dish on top of the béchamel, then ladled on some marinara sauce, light mozzarella and a bit of parmesan reggiano. In 20 minutes you've got a nice gooey lasagna dish, that's low cal and satisfying.

This was based on a recipe shown on Giada De Laurentis' "Everyday Italian"

Lasagna Rolls

Sauce:

• 2 tablespoons unsalted light butter

• 4 teaspoons all-purpose flour

• 1 1/4 cups skim milk

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

• Pinch ground nutmeg

Lasagna:

• 1 (15-ounce) container skim milk ricotta cheese

• 1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry

• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan

• 1 large egg, beaten to blend

• 3/4 teaspoon salt, plus more for salting water

• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 12 uncooked lasagna noodles

• 2 cups marinara sauce

• 1 cup shredded light mozzarella (about 4 ounces)

Directions

To make the sauce: Melt the light butter in a heavy medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the flour and whisk for 3 minutes. Whisk in the skim milk. Increase the heat to medium-high. Whisk the sauce until it comes to a simmer and is thick and smooth, about 3 minutes. Whisk the salt, pepper, and nutmeg into the bechamel sauce.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Whisk the light ricotta, spinach, 1 cup Parmesan, egg, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl to blend.

Boil the noodles until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain. Arrange the noodles in a single layer on a baking sheet to prevent them from sticking.

Spray a 13-by-9-by-2-inch glass baking dish with some Pam. Pour the bechamel sauce over the bottom of the prepared dish. Lay out 4 lasagna noodles on a work surface, then spread about 3 tablespoons of ricotta mixture evenly over each noodle. Starting at 1 end, roll each noodle like a jelly roll. Lay the lasagna rolls seam side down, without touching, on top of the bechamelsauce in the dish. Repeat with the remaining noodles and ricotta mixture. Spoon 1 cup of marinara sauce over the lasagna rolls. Sprinkle the mozzarella and remaining 2 tablespoons of Parmesan over the lasagna rolls. Cover tightly with foil. Bake until heated through and the sauce bubbles, about 20 minutes. Uncover and bake until the cheese on top becomes golden, about 15 minutes longer. Let stand for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the remaining marinara sauce in a heavy small saucepan over medium heat until hot, and serve alongside.