A quick, fresh, and flavorful side dish that is the perfect accompaniment to Old El Paso Quesadillas and your Cinco de Mayo feast … let’s do this.
Sometimes the stars align and I get my act together enough to share holiday ideas BEFORE the actual holiday.
This is that.
So Cinco de Mayo is this Monday. And there is pretty much not a better time of the year to have some frozen Margaritas and a table filled to the brim with Mexican deliciousness. And guacamole. Something so good that it deserves its very own mention. We have been on avocado-on-toast overload here this past week, which means we have a counter full of ripe avocados.
So we are ready for Monday and homemade guacamole.
But it’s a work day. And a school day.
Which means I want to keep the meal prep time down to a minimum, so we have enough time to enjoy ourselves properly, but still have time to do homework and all those other niggly things that get in the way of Ole!
How do we best do this?
Well, we simply channel a little bit of *coughcough* Sandra Lee and go the semi-homemade route.
The table quickly gets filled with some store-bought items, and some made-from-scratch, but quick-to-table items, which is the perfect balance to allow us to enjoy our meal prep, our actual meal, and even some downtime before crashing from Margarita overload.
That would be me. Not the kids.
Natch.
Would you believe I haven’t had chickpeas in over a year? Nor avocado? The drought of eat-all-the-good-things has come to an end, and this gorgeous salad is hitting the table on Monday night.
Featuring a few of my favorite fresh ingredients, this Tomato and Avocado Chickpea Salad takes just minutes to throw together, literally, and really lets the flavors of each of the ingredients shine.
Which is pretty much what you want from your dishes.
Rounded out by quesadillas from Old El Paso, a homemade salsa, and fried ice cream, we fully intend to have ourselves a most delicious fiesta.
Completely different, and yet completely perfect.
Hungry for more Cinco de Mayo ideas?
Check out the appropriately-themed Pinterest board right here.
Tomato and Avocado Chickpea Salad
Recipe courtesy of Cate O’Malley
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 ripe avocado, roughly chopped into bite-size pieces
2 large plum tomatoes, chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
dash or two of hot sauce
3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 lemon, juiced
In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients, folding gently so as not to mash the avocado. Serve.
*I developed this recipe as part of my work for my client, Old El Paso. All opinions expressed are completely my own.
Personally, I’m quite impressed because I SO did not get my act together for cinco de mayo this year! But i will happily make this salad.
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That salad looks great. I hope to make that soon. We all have those super busy nights and I love making a quesadillas for a quick dinner. I freeze cooked chopped chicken, freeze some tortillas, and always have cheese in the fridge or freezer — add some drained canned black beans etc…. and dinner is done.
Some frozen foods have way tooo much sodium and “stuff” — not saying I haven’t had one for a quick dinner. I used to keep on in the freezer for those nights I need dinner ASAP, and in no mood to even boil water.