Summer Menu Ideas: Mexican Theme

Summertime is the perfect time to have friends and family over to enjoy a casual weekend meal together outside.

I particularly enjoy themed menus; it’s fun to organize a meal around one particular cuisine. While Greek and Italian lunches and dinners are hugely popular in our house (obviously!), we also enjoy a Tex Mex/Mexican themed fiesta!

My kids recently did a half-day summer cooking camp and coincidentally, the theme was Mexican. The boys learned how to make tacos and quesadillas. They were so excited to take what they learned in class, and bring their cooking skills back home to prepare these dishes for my husband and me.

These quick Mexican recipes make it easy to enjoy the tastes and flavours of Mexican food without spending a long time in the kitchen. They’re also great menu choices for hosting a fiesta themed party for family and friends.

The kids can also get involved in preparing these dishes; the ingredients are colourful, and everyone can help out. Kids can help shred the cheese, cut the lettuce, and stir the ground beef or turkey.

I don’t have to look far either when gathering ingredients for my recipes. Wild mint grows in our garden every summer, so I use it to make Mojitos. I also make a yummy mango salsa and guacamole, as well as Mexican bean salad, all made with the addition of tomatoes from our garden.

Old El Paso hard taco shells are made with corn and are gluten-free. The Tortilla Bowls are great for serving tacos, or Mexican Bean Salad.

Here are some of my recipes that are popular in our home!

Mango Salsa

1 mango, chopped

1 avocado, chopped

2 tablespoons chopped red onion

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

2 tablespoons Ol El Paso salsa

Juice of 1 lime

½ jalapeno pepper, chopped finely without seeds

¼ teaspoon chili powder

In a medium bowl, mix all ingredients and stir gently. Cover, and allow to sit at least 30 minutes before serving.

Mexican Bean Salad

1 cup pinto beans

1 cup red kidney beans

1 cup corn

1 small red onion, chopped

1 tomato, chopped

2 tablespoons Ol El Paso salsa

½ yellow onion, chopped

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Juice of 1 lime

½ teaspoon chili powder

½ teaspoon sea salt

Place all ingredients into a bowl, and stir gently. Serve in individual Old El Paso Tortilla Bowls.

Disclosure: I’ve partnered with Old El Paso and as such receive perks and compensation for my participation. As always, the opinions expressed herein are my own.