Spice Up Your Cinco de Mayo: 10 Mexican-Inspired Vegetarian Recipes
As a vegetarian, Cinco de Mayo is one of my favorite party holidays. Why? Because there are so many excellent Mexican and Tex-Mex dishes that can be made without meat! Even if no one organizing the party knows you’re a vegetarian, chances are there will be something delicious to eat. With salsa, avocados, black beans and tortillas, I can usually build my own burrito just out of sides. (This is a great departure from the ketchup and cheese sandwiches I’m likely to partake in at a regular cookout.) But if you’re the one in charge, you can make some extra fancy intentionally vegetarian treats this Cinco de Mayo. Try any of these 10 vegetarian Cinco de Mayo recipes to spice up your party.
- Green Salsa: Made with roasted tomatillos, green salsa is an excellent vegan treat for Cinco. Serve some over these black bean Love Cakes for breakfast if you manage to get away with any leftover salsa.
- Homemade Salsa: Try any of our three homemade salsas, which feature cucumbers, heirloom tomatoes and black beans. Or try thisMango Avocado Salsa; the fresh mangoes add a unique texture and flavor.
- Loaded Guacamole: This guacamole is almost a meal in itself since it’s loaded with Serrano peppers, red onion and fresh Roma tomatoes.
- Pico de Gallo: Fresh Roma tomatoes, jalapenos, onion and cilantro all get a huge flavor boost with fresh lime juice. Pico de gallo is a vegetarian and vegan staple for parties.
- Grilled Avocados: If you’ve never grilled an avocado, you’re in for a treat. The smoky flavor is incredible, and you can stuff your avocados with salsa or just eat them as-is. Delicious. The presentation is super fancy for parties, too.
- 5-Ingredient Avocado Salad: Avocado, fresh corn, fresh tomato, lime juice and cilantro—that’s it and that’s fantastic. Our simple yet flavorful salad is a Cinco de Mayo sensation.
- Vegan (or Vegetarian) Taco Bar: A build-your-own-tacos (or burritos) bar with all the fixings and several choices for mock meats (like “beef,” chickpeas, chickeny seitan and black beans) is a great way to accommodate everyone’s varied tastes.
- Homemade Black Bean Burgers: Our black bean burgers are topped with avocado and pico de gallo, so they’ll slide right into your Cinco de Mayo festivities.
- Zesty Cinco de Mayo Burgers: Made with Lentil-Brown Rice Ground Beef Substitute, these vegetarian patties are slightly spicy but still family-friendly. Serve them inside a bell pepper ring to make them a treat for the eyes as well. The patties have onion, bell peppers and (optionally) jalapenos mixed in to make them into a fajita treat within your burger patty.
- Fajita Burgers: These mock burger patties are topped with fajita vegetables instead of having them mixed inside. These are especially good with kids since they can select their own peppers and caramelized onions for the topping.
Keep in touch with Kristi on Twitter @VeggieConverter
Image: Sweet on Veg
