Ridiculously easy Mexican feast ( not for the authenticity fundies)
Our Cinco de Mayo feast is over, and as tends to be the case when I'm making a huge amont of food, I looked to make it as easy as possible without sacrificing taste. This is not a feast for those overly concerned with authenticity, and those who are vegetarian or paleo will have to wade through-not to mention teetotalers- but I promise you will find something.
First, the beans: You need to start first thing in the morning. Empty a one pound bag of black beans into a pan and cover with water. Add a toss of baking soda, and soak til after lunch. Drain, and rinse thoroughly. Dump in one bottle of Negro Modelo and two bottlesful of water. If you don't drink, or you need to eat gluten free ( I will pay for this in the morning) you can just use water. Add about 2 TBL cumin powder, 1 TBL garlic, and 2 diced jalepenos. Simmer til supper, and salt lightly at the very end of cooking.
Next, start the mole. Chop and onion and 2 jalepenos. Throw in a large pan with a glug of olive oil . Brown while you cut up a standard chicken. Toss in the chicken pieces, 5 dried chiles,a 28 oz can of diced tomatoes, 1 TBL garlic, and one Theo chocolate Ghost Chile bar, broken in two. Toss on about 2 tsp cinnamon. Simmer for about an hour.
Now it's time for the rice. In a pan toss 2 cups rice, 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes, 1 can of water, and 2 sliced jalepenos. Salt to taste- usually 1 tsp for me. Simmer for about 45 minutes.
While the food cooks, it's times to make the guac. In your Cuisinart, toss 3 avacados, 1 bunch cilantro, 4-6 cloves garlic, juice of one lime, salt, and a jalepeno. Process. Yum.
The last think to make is the margaritas. Start by putting a glass for each imbiber in the freezer. For my husband and I we juiced 2 oranges and 7 1/2 limes. I also had 3/4 of a lemon I needed to use, so I tossed that in too and put it in the freezer til serving time.
When you're ready to party, salt your glasses. Add 1 cup citrus juice to each glass, and toss in three shots of 100 proof Tequila. We used 100 Anos.
The finished meal:
Labels: Cinco de Mayo, dairy free, gluten free, Mexican
Grain free Decadence cookies (with Mexican variation)
These cookies are based on Chocolate Decadence cookies by Alice medricM, modified to be gluten free.
Oven 350.
Melt in a double boiler, or in the microwave, 8 oz bittersweet chocolate and 2 TBL butter or coconut oil.
In bowl of a stand mixer, add the melted butter/chocolate mixture to 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1/4 cup almond flour. Mix briefly. Add 1/8 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp baking powder, and 1 tsp vanilla extract. Mix briefly. Add two large eggs and mix til just combined. To make these "Mexican", add 1 tsp cinnamon. This will add depth while still having a subtle flavour.
Use a cookie scoop to scoop out cookies onto parchment covered trays. Using a medium scoop you should get 26, if your family can keep their fingers out of your dough. Bake 12 minutes. Eat warm!
Labels: chocolate, cookies, gluten free, grain free, Mexican
