If you’re having tortilla chips on Cinco de Mayo, celebrate with a better chip. We received a sample of Cabo Chips, and the toughest part has been restraining ourselves so there are still chips left on May 5th.

Cabo Chips were born during a beach vacation to Cabo San Lucas in Baja, Mexico. Created by a college student who set out to make “the best,” these are artisan chips. The company actually grinds whole corn kernels, makes tortillas, and cuts and batch-fries them into the chips.

The seasonings are top drawer, too: fresh lime juice, sea salt, powdered mango (not “mango flavor”), organic cinnamon and sugar. You’ll taste the difference: fresh and natural.

There are currently four flavors:

If you can’t find Cabo Chips locally, you can buy them online at CaboChips.com, in 1.5-ounce snack packs and 5.5-ounce bags.

WHY BLUE CORN IS BETTER FOR YOU

Long ago, we bought our first bag of blue corn chips because we were attracted to the color, and then the naturally sweeter flavor. Much later, we learned that blue corn was better for you than white or yellow corn.

Blue corn-based foods were originally developed by the Hopi natives of Arizona and New Mexico, who bred the blue corn. Blue corn is actually regular yellow corn that has a high level of anthocyanins, powerful antioxidants that give the corn (and blackberries, blueberries, etc.) its blue hue.

THE HISTORY OF TORTILLA CHIPS

Surprisingly, tortilla chips are not a traditional Mexican food. They were first popularized and mass produced in southwestern Los Angeles in the late 1940s by Rebecca Webb Carranza, who, with her husband, owned a Mexican deli and tortilla factory.

Misshapen tortillas were rejected from the tortilla manufacturing machine, so Ms. Carranza turned them into snack chips. She cut them into triangles, fried them and sold them in snack-size bags.

Needless to say, they sold well and became a popular appetizer in California’s Mexican and Tex-Mex restaurants. They expanded across the U.S. in a big way in the late 1970s, with the growth of Mexican and Tex-Mex restaurants. They replaced corn chips like Fritos as America’s favorite corn chip* snack.

And yes, they made their way to Mexico.

 
*The main difference between the two types of chip is that a tortilla chip is cut from a whole tortilla. A corn chip is corn meal that is processed into a particular shape.

Why is blue corn better for you? See the explanation above. Photo courtesy Cabo Chips.

Some are obvious, some are new:

 
Have we left out your favorite uses? Let us know!
 
†A great use for the broken pieces! Shake ‘n Bake was created to use Kraft’s supply of cereal crumbs.

‡Pulse in a food processor into a flour.

For a cheesecake-loving mother who has given up sugar, here’s a find: sugarless cheesecake from Cinderella Cheesecake Company.

It’s sweetened with maltitol, the finest-quality sugar substitute, and has a gluten-free cinnamon cracker crust.

The classic-style cheesecake recipe also includes cream cheese, eggs, sour cream, natural vanilla flavoring. It tastes just as it should: rich, creamy, wonderful. Sugar-free observers, rejoice!

Cinderella Cheesecake Company is a family-owned business founded in Riverside, New Jersey in 1965 with a broader product line. But by the early 1980s, the cheesecake business was so rocking that founder Alfred Rezende decided to drop the other baked goods to focus on expanding the cheesecake operation.

The company sells cheesecakes to distributors, restaurants and non-profit groups for fundraisers, as well as direct to consumers online.

All cheesecakes are eleven inches in diameter and precut into 16 slices. A four-pound cheesecake is $38.00. It freezes nicely.

Get yours at CinderellaCheesecakeCoInc.com.
 
  

For Cinco de Mayo, these mango bowls are great as a dessert with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or lemon sorbet.

The recipe is from Urban Accents, which makes it with its Rio grande chili blend, an award winning chili seasoning that balances a smoky mesquite flavor with chili pepper, onion, garlic and bell pepper.

But mixed with the honey, it creates a spicy-sweet glaze.

Prep time is 10 minutes, cook time is 5 minutes.
 
 
RECIPE: GRILLED MANGO-CHILE-HONEY BOWLS (OR SLICES)

Ingredients For 4 Servings

 
Plus

Preparation

1. PREHEAT the grill for medium heat. Make the glaze by combining the orange juice, honey and chili blend in small bowl, Mix well.

2. SLICE the mangoes by cutting the two large side portions from each side of the mango pit. Score each side in a crosshatch pattern, cutting down to, but not through, the skin.

3. PLACE the mango halves on the grill, cut side down, and cook for 2 minutes until light grill marks form on the fruit. Turn over and brush liberally with the glaze, trying to get glaze to drip down into the cut slits. Turn glazed mangoes over and grill for an additional 30 seconds; then remove from heat.

4. COOL the mangoes to room temperature; then turn them inside out by pushing them from the skin side. Serve resting on the skin as a tasty side dish or as a dessert with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

You can stretch the recipe to 6 servings by slicing up the grilled mango halves.
 
 

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Our review of Diestel Ranch turkey chorizo inspired us to whip up a torta española for breakfast.

One of the most popular uses for crumbled chorizo is in a torta española, or Spanish omelet. Made with eggs, potatoes and onions, the recipe is customized with whatever ingredients you have on hand: cooked meats, sausage, other vegetables and herbs.

In Spain, it is served at any time of the day: for breakfast, lunch or dinner, or as tapas with a glass of wine. We sometimes serve a slice with a green salad as a first course.

To Americans, a torta will resemble a crustless quiche; but it’s made without cream or milk, and is cooked in a skillet rather than baked.

It’s an easy recipe, the most taxing part of which is flipping the half-cooked omelet onto a plate and then back into the pan. But you’ll have fun doing it.

Prep time 15 minutes, cook time 30 minutes. If you happen to have leftover boiled potatoes, you can use them and save 20 minutes of cooking the raw potatoes.

Ingredients For 4 Servings

Preparation

1. ADD the vegetable oil to a large skillet until the pan is filled halfway. Heat over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the potato slices and onion, making sure they are well-covered by the oil; add more oil if necessary. Cook for 20 minutes until the potatoes and onions are soft. Drain the oil and combine the potato mixture with the eggs and herbs. Add the salt and mix well.

2. ADD the olive oil to a separate, nonstick, skillet, 10 inches by 2-1/2 inches deep. Heat over medium-high heat and add the potato, egg, and onion mixture. Lower the heat to medium-low and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, until the bottom of the omelet is very light brown.

3. USING a flat ceramic plate, cover the frying pan and flip the omelet over onto the plate. Immediately slip the uncooked side back into the pan. Cook for another 4 to 5 minutes, until the other side is a very light brown.

4. REMOVE the omelet to a plate and cut into 4 wedges for breakfast, smaller slices for a first course.
  

Love spicy sausage but have been told to avoid the cholesterol? How about turkey chorizo? How about a turkey chorizo scrambled eggs recipe (it’s below).

Made by family-run Diestel Turkey Ranch, it has lots of flavor and fewer calories, cholesterol, and sodium* than conventional pork or beef chorizo.

Whether in a Cinco de Mayo recipe or everyday breakfast burritos or scrambled eggs, it has only 2g of fat per serving.

The all-natural, Mexican-style chorizo is made from 100% pure ground turkey, is minimally processed, and is gluten-free. The family’s seasoning blend adds dimensions of flavor as well as a spicy kick.

The Diestel Family Turkey Ranch has been sustainably raising turkeys for over four generations. Their turkeys and turkey products are humanely raised on GAP-rated farms, without hormones, antibiotics, or growth stimulants, resulting in tender and juicier turkeys with old-fashioned flavor and great texture.

The products are sold at independent, natural and upscale food stores nationwide. Here’s a store locator.
 
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*A two-ounce serving has 60 calories, 15 from fat; 0g saturated fat, 30mg cholesterol, 360mg sodium, 2g diegary fiber, 8g protein.
 
 
MEXICAN CHORIZO VS. SPANISH CHORIZO

Mexican chorizo is a spicy ground meat sausage, sold fresh and uncooked. It can be purchased either loose or in a casing: Many traditional Mexican recipes call for the chorizo casing to be removed and the meat to be crumbled while cooking.

The traditional chorizo meat is pork, but you can find beef and turkey versions. Use Mexican-style chorizo as you would any ground meat.

Spanish chorizo is a cured, dried, ready-to-eat pork sausage. The casing is not removed prior to eating. Dense and chewy, Spanish-style chorizo is made in smoked, unsmoked, sweet, and spicy varieties. It can be served as tapas, with other charcuterie, with a cheese plate, or added to recipes (paellas, soups, tortas, etc).

Spanish chorizo is seasoned with smoked paprika, which is responsible for the vibrant color. Other traditional herbs and spices include cumin and garlic. Here’s a photo.
 

THINGS TO MAKE WITH CHORIZO

In Mexico, chorizo is often served at breakfast with scrambled eggs. Here’s a recipe from Betty Crocker that’s ready in 15 minutes.

Ingredients For 4 Servings

 
Preparation

1. REMOVE the casings from the sausage and cook the sausage on a 10- or 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Cook about 5 minutes until the meat is no longer pink, stirring and breaking up the sausage.

2. BEAT the eggs in a medium bowl until blended. Begin to toast the bread or warm the tortillas.

3. ADD the beaten eggs to the chorizo in the skillet and stir. Cook for about 4 minutes, stirring constantly, until the eggs are scrambled and set. Taste and add salt as necessary.

4. SPREAD the butter on the toasted slices of bread and place toast on individual plates. Spoon the eggs over the toast. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.
 
 

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