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Mexican/Spanish Recipes, Recipes, Vegetables & Salads

Zesty Fiesta Salad

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Mexican festival header

¡Buenos días, mis amigos y amigas! Good day to everyone!

That wonderful Mexican holiday when everyone wants to celebrate—because who doesn’t love a good party—is just around the corner. That’s right! It’s Cinco de Mayo—May 5th!

No, it’s not quite May Day (which was May 1st) or “May the 4th Be With You” (which is tomorrow—Happy Star Wars Day to the fans!). And it’s not Mexican Independence Day—that comes in September.

Cinco de Mayo celebrates Mexico’s victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla in 1862. It symbolizes Mexican resilience and resistance. I never even realized the French tried to invade Mexico!

It all started when Mexican President Benito Juárez declared a moratorium on loan-interest payments to foreign creditors, including France, Britain, and Spain. In response, those countries sent troops to demand repayment. Britain and Spain ultimately negotiated settlements, but Napoleon III had bigger plans—he wanted to establish a French-controlled monarchy in Mexico to expand French influence.

Though outnumbered and outgunned, the Mexican forces at Puebla managed to defeat the French army, marking a significant victory. While it wasn’t the final battle, it was an important moment for Mexico. To this day, the people of Puebla celebrate with parades, reenactments, cultural festivities—and, of course, amazing food!

In the United States, Cinco de Mayo has evolved into a celebration of Mexican-American heritage. So grab your tacos, margaritas, or a cold beer, and celebrate! Or enjoy a backyard party featuring this delicious Zesty Fiesta Salad alongside grilled or barbecued chicken or pork.

A Flavorful Low-Carb Addition to Your Cinco de Mayo Feast

bowl with salad ingredients

This salad is a real winner for a festive dinner or even a relaxing Sunday meal with roasted or grilled chicken or pork. It’s quick and easy to make, especially if you prep the ingredients ahead of time.

Want a shortcut? Buying coleslaw mix or shredding your cabbage early and storing it in a plastic bag can save you time.

This handy shredder is a real time saver for me (not to mention avoiding shredding your knuckles) and it’s affordable.  If, by any chance you can’t find cumin at your grocery store, you can order it or just about any other spice from Amazon here.

As written, the recipe is bold and spicy. If you prefer a milder version, simply reduce the chili powder. The spice level leaves a definite tingle and burn on my taste buds!

To keep the net carbs under 10, I adjusted the amounts of corn and beans, but if you have more carbs to spare, feel free to add extra.

For maximum freshness, use real lime juice—it tastes much better than the bottled variety. Need a juicer? Some electric ones are comparable in price to manual ones.

Check out this one. 

Here’s a little tip. If your lime or orange is too fresh and it feels really firm, roll it in your hands or on the counter until you break down the fruit inside so you can get as much juice as you can from it.

Hey there! Just a heads-up—some links on this blog are Amazon affiliate links. If you make a purchase through them, I earn a small commission (at no extra cost to you!). It’s like sharing a secret recipe for success—thank you for helping me keep cooking up delicious low-carb creations!

Zesty Fiesta Salad

a one cup serving of the salad topped with cheese and cilantro.

Recipe adapted for low carb from a recipe on AllRecipes.com

INGREDIENTS
1 (16 oz) bag cabbage coleslaw mix or shredded cabbage
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 yellow bell pepper, diced
1/2 red onion, diced
1 jalapeno, deseeded and finely chopped
2/3 cup frozen corn, thawed
2/3 cup black beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup green onions, chopped
⅓ cup fresh cilantro, chopped (optional)

DRESSING
3/4 sour cream
1/4 cup water
juice of 1 lime
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons cilantro, minced
1/4 cup Mexican blend Cheese or Coteja Cheese (optional)
1 Avocado diced (optional)

PREPARATION
Prepare all ingredients before your start. Chop the peppers, onion, green onion, jalapeno, cilantro, and cabbage, if needed. Drain and rinse the beans to get the juice around them off.

In a large bowl, add all the salad ingredients and toss or stir them together to distribute them as evenly as possible through the cabbage.

In a small bowl, mix the dressing ingredients, except the minced cilantro, until smooth. Add water 1 tablespoon at a time if dressing is too thick. It should be about the consistency of a thick gravy–easy to mix in the bowl, but not runny.

Pour dressing over salad and toss until it is mixed into the salad well.

Place in the refrigerator until ready to serve and allow at least 30 minutes for the flavors to blend together. Peppers develop more flavor as they sit. Sprinkle cheese and cilantro leaves over the top when you serve this.

Makes 8 servings.

Nutrition Information (not including optional ingredients):
Calories: 106 Fat: 3.9 g Sodium: 391 g Carbohydrates: 14 g Fiber:4.21 g Protein: 3.6 g Sugar: 3.5 g Net Carbs: 9.8 g

Other recipes that you might like for your celebration:

 

Zucchini Taco Boat                            Taco Lasagna

   

Spaghetti Squash Tamale Pie    Spicy Cod with Chorizo

Note: Nutrition information is based on the ingredients I used in this recipe and my measurements. Although they are a close calculation, your results may be slightly higher or lower. Ingredient substitutions may affect the carb count. Different brands may have other carb counts.

How do you celebrate Cinco de Mayo? What is your favorite margarita? (I love a peach one.)

Recipes, Vegetables & Salads

Delightful Summer Vegetable Salad

Summertime is a great time for all kinds of salads. Looking for a substitute for potato salad to take on a picnic? This one might do the trick.It’s light, low caloried, and low carb’d, and it tastes wonderful. Like most seasoned items, it tastes better the longer it sits in the ‘fridge to allow the flavors to really come through, so allow several hours to chill if you can.

Originally, I spotted this recipe on Foxes Love Lemons website and I thought it looked delicious, so I wanted to adapt it for low carb. It was a pepe pasta recipe and the pasta is too high in carbs, so I pulled out the versatile cauliflower to stand in for it. After tasting it, I added in sliced radishes to give it a little more crunch and flavor and I also added in a little cayenne pepper. You can add sweet peppers for more flavor and color burst. If you prefer your salad dressing a little on the sweet side, add a teaspoon or two of sugar substitute when you mix the dill dressing.

By the way, the dill dressing is lovely for dipping vegetables in for a party. I cut back the amount of buttermilk for this as it made quite a lot, so unless you like your salad completely doused with dressing, the amount below should be enough.

This dish is good for all phases of Atkins except for Induction.  For induction, you can substitute the buttermilk with heavy cream and add more seasonings or make a straight mayonnaise dressing.

Vegetable Summer Salad

2 cups riced Cauliflower
2 tablespoons unsalted Butter
1 Leek (white and light green parts only), halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
1/2 bunch Asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan Cheese
1 cup Baby Corn, chopped
1 cup Grape Tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup Radishes, sliced
1/4 cup Sweet Peppers, chopped (optional)

Dill Dressing

1/2 cup Buttermilk
1 teaspoon Sugar Substitute (optional)
2 tablespoons Mayonnaise
2 teaspoons dried fill or 1 tablespoon fresh Dill
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/2 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground Black Pepper

If using purchased pre-riced cauliflower, cook according to directions on the package. Many of these are in steam bags that can be microwaved or cooked in a pot.

If ricing fresh cauliflower, put in a food processor and pulse until you have rice-sized pearls. Put in a microwave safe bowl, add a tablespoon of water, and cover. Microwave for about 2 minutes to cook the cauliflower. Set aside.

Cut all the vegetables up before starting so they are ready to go.

In a large pot or deep skillet, melt the butter, then add the leeks and sauté until they are softened, then add the cut asparagus spears. Continue to sauté over medium heat until the asparagus are just slightly tender. If using red peppers, add them when you add the asparagus.

Stir in the baby corn pieces and cauliflower and mix it well. Remove from the heat. Add radishes and grape tomatoes.

Mix the dressing by combining all ingredients in a small bowl and whisking until they are well blended. Taste for seasonings. If you want any of the flavors stronger, add a little more.

Put the vegetable mixture in a large salad bowl and pour the dressing over it. Toss to mix the dressing into the salad. Chill in refrigerator for at least two hours. Can be prepared up to two days in advance of serving.

Makes 6 to 8 servings, 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup.

Nutrition Information per serving (6 servings):
Calories: 114 Fat: 7.5 g Net Carbs: 6.9 g Protein: 2.1 g

Nutrition Information per serving (8 servings):
Calories: 85.5 Fat: 5.6 g Net Carbs: 5.2 g Protein: 2.1 g

Nutrition Information per serving with sweet peppers (8 servings):
Calories: 86.7 Fat: 5.6 g Net Carbs: 5.5 g Protein: 2.1 g