Cinco De Mayo Celebration (At Home Edition)

How often does Cinco De Mayo fall on Taco Tuesday? Once every 5 years (or more when you start to include leap years). But COVID doesn’t need to be a total Debbie Downer for this rare, double fiesta. Though you might not spend Tuesday at your favorite local taco spot, you can bring the celebration home instead.

We’ve whipped up two cinco de mayo recipes to try- Cajun Shrimp Tacos and an Alcohol-Free Beergarita. Read on to see how you can make these tacos and drinks for your own cinco de mayo celebration!

Cajun Shrimp Tacos

Plump cajun-style shrimp and creamy avocado come together to create a spicy twist on the classic shrimp taco. I always recommend using fresh, uncooked shrimp, or shell-on, deveined frozen shrimp for these tacos. While you’re welcome to use precooked shrimp, I find cooking them fresh offers a better texture and flavor.

This quick, healthy recipe can be made in about 30 minutes, and is gluten and dairy free. Don’t worry, if you’re vegan we’ve made some extra modifications just in case. 

Ingredients:

Shrimp Marinade

-1 pound fresh, large shrimp*

-Olive Oil

-2 garlic cloves

-1 Tbsp creole seasoning

-Pinch of cayenne pepper

*Vegan option: Cajun Cauliflower tacos

Sub shrimp for:

-1 large cauliflower head, broken down to smaller pieces

-1 cup chickpeas

Cabbage Slaw

-2 cups purple cabbage (shredded)

-1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped

-1/4 cup fresh cilantro

-juice of one lime

Crema

-1 ripe avocado

-juice of one lime

-1/3 cup cilantro

-1 jalapeno (deseeded)

-2 garlic cloves

-1/2 tsp cumin

-2 Tbsp water

Flour or Corn Tortillas

Instructions: 

Combine shrimp with olive oil and seasoning, cover and marinate in fridge for 20-30 minutes

*If using the vegan option, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss cauliflower and chickpeas with olive oil and seasoning, and bake for 25 minutes or until desired level of crispness.

While shrimp is marinating, shred the cabbage and combine the rest of the slaw ingredients in a bowl. Set aside.

For the crema, combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender and pulse until smooth. Set aside.

Next, heat a saute pan or cast iron skillet over medium heat. Drizzle pan with olive oil, add marinated shrimp, and cook about 2 minutes per side. Be careful not to overcook them!

Make sure to heat up the tortillas as well. I recommend either grilling them, or wrapping in foil and baking at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes. 

Now that everything is ready, assemble those tacos! Warm tortillas, crunchy slaw and creamy avocado makes for a satisfying bite. 

Serve with chips & salsa, and any of your other favorite side dishes (I recommend mexican style street corn, a personal favorite).

Now, time for the drinks!

Alcohol-Free Beergarita

Nothing says fiesta like a classic beergarita. We utilize non alcoholic beer and sub out the tequila for this refreshing AF version. Fresh lime juice and infused jalepeno add a nice kick. This recipe makes two servings, so feel free to double it if you want more!

Ingredients

-1 cup jalepeno infused limeade

-1 cup alcohol-free beer (we used our Grüvi IPA, but any lighter, citrusy beer will work)

-2 Tbsp lime juice

-2 Tbsp simple syrup

-Ice

-Lime wedges & jalepeno wedges (for garnish)

Instructions

To make the infused limeade, slice up one or two jalepenos (depending on how spicy you like) and place in a jar. Add 1 cup of limeade and leave to infuse. I left mine in the fridge for 5 hours and it was perfect to my taste. You can leave yours in longer if you want super spicy, or less for a more mild version.

Once you’ve infused your limeade, add 2 Tbsp of lime juice and 2 Tbsp of simple syrup (which can be made using a 1:1 ratio of water and sugar and heating over low heat).

Toss in some ice and give the mix a nice stir or shake. Top it off with 1 cup of beer and more ice as needed. Garnish with lime wedges and jalepenos.

If you’re a fan of salt, dip the rim of a glass in simple syrup so the salt sticks- you can add some cayenne pepper or harissa pepper for even more spice!

And there you have it, a Grüvi Cinco De Mayo Celebration- all alcohol free and all at home, cheers!