Looking for recipes for Cinco de Mayo?

Most people we know whip up guacamole and Tex-Mex favorites: burritos, quesadillas, tacos, tortillas.

We love these “classics.”

But of you’d like something new, here are more options for Cinco de Mayo breakfast, lunch, dinner, drinks, and desserts.
 
 
CINCO DE MAYO RECIPES

 
Desserts

 
Drinks

 
 
> THE HISTORY OF CINCO DE MAYO

[1] Beyond stuffed peppers, try Mexican meatloaf (photo © Pampered Chef).

[2] It’s the season for a blood orange Margarita (photo © Betty Crocker).

[3] For dessert: baked churros with chocolate sauce. Ice cream is optional (photo © The Baker Chick).

[4] Feeling flush? Have lobster guacamole (photo © RA Sushi).

Swerve is an erythritol-based sugar substitute that checks all the boxes for anyone seeking a noncaloric sugar substitute.

 
Plus:

Unlike other sugar alcohols, it causes little or no digestive disruption†.

It’s used 1:1 as a replacement for sugar.

Unlike other natural non-caloric sweeteners such as monkfruit and stevia, it caramelizes (for cooking) and holds its shape (for baking).

What else could one ask for?

How about good taste?

We’re not partial to the aftertastes in monkfruit and stevia, but erythritol is as natural-tasting—if not more so—than Splenda (which is an artificial sweetener with a flavor we far prefer to monkfruit and stevia—see more below).

Plus, Swerve is available in every format one might desire:

 
There are also favorite mixes, including:

 
Swerve checks all the boxes, from a cup of coffee to an easy-to-make birthday cake.
 
 
GET YOUR SWERVE SWEETENER

Head to the Swerve website for recipes, tips, FAQs and to purchase.

It’s also available on Amazon at at retailers and other e-tailers.
 
 
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*Non-glycemic means it does not raise blood sugar.

†Aspartame (Equal), saccharin (Sweet ‘n Low) and sucralose (Splenda) are considered artificial sweeteners.

‡These include bloating, gas and loose stools.
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THE HISTORY OF ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS & NATURAL NONCALORIC SWEETENERS

Saccharin (brand name Sweet ‘N Low launched in 1957), the first artificial sweetener, was discovered in 1879 when a chemist at Johns Hopkins, working on coal tar derivatives, inadvertently tasted sweetness on his hand. It is 300 to 500 times sweeter than table sugar by weight.

Sucralose (brand name Splenda) was discovered by British researchers in 1976. It is the only non-caloric sweetener made from sugar, but because of the process by which it is made, it is considered an artificial sweetener. It is about 600 times as sweet as sugar. The Splenda brand was launched in the U.S. in 1999.

[1] Ice pops and ice cream are just one category of sweets you can make with Swerve noncaloric sweetener (all photos © Swerve).

[2] Swerve’s granular sugar (table sugar) is packaged in packets and bulk bags.

[3] Bake your favorite cakes, cookies and pies with a 1:1 ration of Swerve to sugar.

[4] Swerve brown sugar is a real find for bakers and for cooks (in glazes marinades, sauces, and so much more).

Acesulfame potassium (called Ace K for short, brand names Sunett and Sweet One) was discovered accidentally in 1967 by a German chemist, it was approved for use in the U.S. in 1988. It is 200 times sweeter than sugar. In 1998, acesulfame K was approved by the FDA for use in beverages (and subsequently for all foods). It is mostly used as a blending sweetener, most prominently paired with aspartame in Coke Zero (Diet Coke uses aspartame only).

There are other artificial sweeteners, but these are the most familiar to American consumers.
 

NATURAL NONCALORIC SWEETENERS

Sugar alcohols were the first-available natural noncaloric sweeteners in Europe and the U.S. Also called polyols, sugar alcohols are organic compounds, derived from the sugars that naturally occur in common foods.

The first, sorbitol (derived from potatoes), was discovered by a French chemist in 1872. Subsequent discoveries include erythritol (from corn or wheat), glycerol (from soybean, coconut or palm oils), isomalt (from beets), lactitol (from whey/dairy), maltitol (from corn, tapioca or wheat), mannitol (from sugar), and xylitol (from birchwood), among others.

Monkfruit and stevia are also natural noncaloric sweeteners, that have been used for centuries, if not millennia, in Asia and South America, respectively.

They were brought to the U.S. over the last 20 years as part of the ongoing search for the ideal noncaloric sweetener for weight management.
 
 
> CHECK OUT OUR GLOSSARY OF NON-CALORIC SWEETENERS

[1] Chocolate covered pretzel gift box from Sugar Plum. Get it here (photo © Sugar Plum).

[2] Another sweet idea: Buy doughnuts and top them with crushed pretzels. Here’s the recipe from A Cozy Kitchen (photo © A Cozy Kitchen).

[3] Salted caramel pretzel brownies. Here’s the recipe (photo © The Baker Chick).

[4] Top a sundae with chocolate-covered pretzels. Add some caramel or chocolate sauce (photo Elvira Kalviste | THE NIBBLE).

April 26th is National Pretzel Day.

Is this box of chocolate-covered pretzels (photo #1) overkill?

Not if you have someone to share it with!

Sugar Plum’s Chocolate Pretzel Passion Gift Tray includes a twenty-two pieces of chocolate-dipped pretzels.

What happens, pray tell, when such a cornucopia enters your home?

How do you decide what to eat first? How do you stop yourself from eating half the box—on day one?

The Chocolate Pretzel Passion Gift Tray includes:

 
We’ve pretty much decided on starting with the dark chocolate and white chocolate pretzel logs.

After that, we may be generous if you happen to stop by.

Order your own box of chocolate-covered pretzels here.
 
 
> THE HISTORY OF PRETZELS

> THE HISTORY OF CHOCOLATE-COVERED PRETZELS
 

MORE PRETZEL: PRETZEL RECIPES

Sweet Recipes

 
Savory Recipes

 
 
PRETZEL HISTORY

Thanks to creative monks, man has enjoyed 15 centuries of pretzel snacks.

Here’s the history of pretzels.

[1] Cashew salsa (recipe below) adds protein to salsa (photos #1, #2, #3, #4 © DeLallo).

[2] Fire-roasted diced tomatoes from DeLallo. Fire-roasting provides a slightly smoky flavor.

[3] Calabrian chiles (or chile peppers, if you will), from DeLallo.

[4] Roasted piquillo chiles from DeLallo.

Add some cashew protein to your salsa with this yummy recipe. For Cinco de Mayo or any other day, for a snack or a sauce.

With fire roasted tomatoes, Calabrian chiles and roasted piquillo chiles, it has just enough heat for pizzazz, without overwhelming your taste buds.
 
 
RECIPE: CASHEW SALSA

This recipe can be a snack with tortilla or pita chips, or a sauce for grilled chicken or fish.
 
 
Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. DRAIN the tomatoes. You may wish to save the juice to toss into dressing, sautes, soups, stir-frys…or with a splash of gin or vodka.

2. HEAT the oven to 350°F. Arrange the cashews on a rimmed baking sheet and roast until golden brown, about 15 to 18 minutes. Let cool.

3. ADD the chiles and garlic to a food processor or blender, and pulse until roughly chopped. Add the tomatoes, lime juice and salt. Process until combined.

4. ADD the cashews and pulse until roughly chopped.

5. PLACE the salsa in a bowl and serve with pita or tortilla chips.
 

MORE SALSA RECIPES

 
 
> More Recipes For Cinco De Mayo
 
 
PLUS:
 
 
> The History Of Salsa
 
 
> The History Of Chile Peppers
 
 
> The Different Types Of Chiles

CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON OUR HOME PAGE, THENIBBLE.COM.

[1] Sweeten cream cheese and top with strawberries for a strawberry cheesecake English muffin (photo © California Strawberry Commission).

[2] Avocado cheeseburger (photo © Thomas Breads).

[3] Peanut butter and banana for breakfast, lunch or snack (photo © Wolferman’s).

[4] English muffin mini-pizzas (photo © The Wholesome Junk Food Cookbook).

What other ways to use English muffins have you tried—beyond a breakfast bread, mini pizzas (photo #4), the base for Eggs Benedict and your version of the Egg McMuffin?

April 23rd is National English Muffins Day, so here are a few more ideas.

If you have too many English muffins on hand, instead of tucking them into the freezer, try:

 
 
ENGLISH MUFFIN HISTORY

The English muffin, first called a “toaster crumpet,” was invented in New York City in 1894 by Samuel Bath Thomas, a British immigrant.

The English muffin is not a muffin per se, but a variation of the crumpet—a raised muffin cooked on a griddle in a ring mold until is brown on the bottom and riddled with small holes on the top.

That description is not too dissimilar from the “nooks and crannies” that Thomas’s, the original English muffin, has been proclaiming for some 30 years.

Immediately embraced as a more elegant alternative to toast, it was served at fine hotels and ultimately became a mainstay of American breakfast cuisine.

You may see crumpets at specialty food stores or at fancy brunches and teas and think that they’re English muffins, but the giveaway is that they’re unsplit.

Then, what’s the difference between an English muffin and a crumpet?

They are cousins, maybe even half brothers, depending on how you like your culinary analogies.

 
While Thomas named his new style of bread the English muffin, the Brits not only did not invent the English muffin.

In fact, they had never heard of an “English muffin” until the 1990s, when Best Foods, a unit of international conglomerate Unilever, bought the S.B. Thomas brand*.

They began exporting English muffins to the U.K. in early 2009. (We could not find any information om how the British felt about Americans selling “English muffins” to them.

Here’s more about Samuel Bath Thomas and the invention of the English Muffin.

 
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*The brand has been sold numerous times. In 1922, after the death of Samuel Bath Thomas, the family incorporated S.B. Thomas, Inc. On August 3, 1926, they registered the “Thomas” trademark. In 1970, the business was acquired by the CPC food conglomerate; in January 1, 1998 the conglomerate was renamed Bestfoods. The brand was more recently owned by George Weston Bakeries, an operating unit of George Weston Ltd., which sold it to the U.S. subsidiary of a Mexican baking company, Bimbo Bakeries USA, which also owns Entenmann’s, Sara Lee and other brands.