Cinco-star recipes for Cinco de Mayo

Strawberry Avocado Salsa

Ingredients

1 cup hulled strawberries, coarsely chopped

1 avocado - peeled, pitted, and coarsely chopped

1/4 cup chopped red onion

1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped - or to taste

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 pinch freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions

In a serving bowl, lightly mix together the strawberries, avocado, red onion, jalapeno pepper, cilantro, lime juice, and black pepper. Serve immediately.

Cinco de Chili Chocolate Cupcakes with Chili Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

• 1 (18.25 ounce) box devil's food chocolate cake mix

• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ancho chile pepper

• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

• 1 1/4 cups water

• 1/3 cup vegetable oil

• 3 eggs

• 1 teaspoon ground ancho chile pepper

• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 4 cups confectioners' sugar, or more as needed

• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

• 1/2 cup butter, softened

• 1/2 teaspoon clear vanilla extract, or to taste

• 24 small dried red chiles

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line 24 cupcake cups with paper liners.

2. Empty the boxed cake mix into a mixing bowl, and whisk in 1 1/2 teaspoon of ground ancho chile and 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper. Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat in the water, vegetable oil, and eggs; beat for 2 minutes. Spoon the batter into the prepared cupcake cups, filling them 2/3 full.

3. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 18 to 22 minutes. Remove and cool completely before frosting.

4. In a bowl, sift 1 teaspoon of ground ancho chile, 1/8 teaspoon of cayenne pepper, and the cinnamon with the confectioners' sugar. Beat in the cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer on medium speed until the frosting is smooth; mix in the vanilla extract. Spread the frosting onto the cooled cupcakes in attractive swirls, and poke a small dried chile, stem-side up, into the frosting as a garnish.

Cinco De Mayo Margarita Ice Pops

Ingredients

• 12 ounces sweetened condensed milk

• 1 cup lime juice

• 3/4 cup water

• 1 (1.5 fluid ounce) jigger tequila, or more to taste

• 12 small paper cups

• 12 ice pop sticks

• 4 limes, each cut into 3 discs

• 1/4 cup margarita salt, or as needed

Directions

1. Mix condensed milk, lime juice, water, and tequila together in a bowl or pitcher. Fill 12 small paper cups nearly full with the mixture, leaving 1/2 inch between the liquid and the lip of each cup.

2. Spear each ice pop stick through the middle of a lime disc so the discs sit evenly in the middle of the sticks. Place one speared ice pop stick into each filled paper cup so the stick is submerged and the lime slice is sitting on top of the liquid.

3. Place cups into the freezer for 8 hours to overnight. Rip and peel paper cups off of the ice pops. Pour margarita salt into a shallow bowl and dip ice pops in margarita salt before serving.

Courtesy of allrecipes.com