CELEBRATE CINCO de MAYO ~ SEVEN LAYER CHICKEN TACO SALAD / COCONUT PUDDING

“Cinco de Mayo has come to represent a celebration of the contributions that Mexican Americans and all Hispanics have made to America.”

~ Joe Baca

Rembrandt tulips

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SEVEN LAYER CHICKEN TACO SALAD

~ Favorite taco fillings make a simple festive salad

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1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts

2 cup organic chicken broth

3 Tbsp. chopped parsley

1/2 tsp. coarse salt

1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

3 cups shredded iceberg and/or romaine lettuce

1 lb. diced ripe tomatoes

1 can (16 oz.) drained and rinsed black beans

1-2 diced avocado sprinkled with fresh lime juice

1 cup finely diced red onion

1-2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese

3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

salt & freshly ground pepper to taste

1 heaping tsp. Dijon mustard

1 large peeled and sliced shallot

• Place chicken breasts in medium sauce pan. Add chicken broth and enough water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to simmer over medium high heat, reduce heat and cook until chicken is white throughout but still moist, 10-15 minutes. Let cool in liquid until cool enough to handle.
• Remove poached chicken from broth and shred. In medium bowl toss shredded chicken with parsley salt and pepper.
• In wide shallow bowl, layer lettuce, tomatoes, black beans, chicken and avocado. Scatter red onion over avocado and sprinkle cheese around the inside of bowl in a wide ring.
• Combine red wine vinegar, olive oil, salt & pepper, Dijon and shallot in a blender. Blend until creamy and taste adding more vinegar if needed.
• Drizzle dressing over salad and serve with favorite crispy corn chips. (6 servings)

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COCONUT PUDDING

~ Best served warm from Mexican Light Cooking

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2 1/2 cups low fat milk

1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

1/3 cup sugar

(if using sweetened coconut, reduce the sugar to 2 Tbsp.)

3 Tbsp. cornstarch

pinch of salt

1 whole large egg plus 1 lightly beaten egg white

1 tsp. vanilla extract

• In medium saucepan, warm milk over medium heat until bubbles appear around the edges, 3-5 minutes. Add shredded coconut and half the sugar. Remove the pan from the heat and let the coconut steep in the milk 20 minutes. Transfer coconut mixture to a blender and puree until smooth.
• Combine remaining sugar with cornstarch and salt in a medium saucepan. Gradually whisk in coconut puree until well blended then beat in the beaten egg and egg white. Bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to cook, whisking, 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
• Let pudding cool slightly for 10 minutes and serve warm, which is traditional in Mexico. Or spoon into serving bowl/bowls and chill. (6 servings)

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Rembrandt tulips

Although Rembrandts are officially classified as a distinct group, in catalogs they are not normally listed separately. They are, in fact, forms of Darwin or Cottage tulips, or of another old class called Breeder tulips, that have been infected with a virus by aphids, which carry the disease from pant to plant as they feed.

The virus causes and attractive "breaking' of the main color, so that it seems to be feathered and striped. This phenomenon has existed since the early days of the garden tulip ~ and it was greatly admired, as can be seen from the Dutch flower paintings of the seventeenth century, many of which featured Rembrandt tulips in the foreground.

~ Tulips - A Romantic History with a Guide To Cultivation

(Ann Bonar)