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Cinco de Mayo is on Wednesday, and if you love to go out and celebrate with chips and salsa, margaritas, and Cervezas, I’ve got a better idea for you…
Make one or two of these Mexican-inspired dishes and bring the party to your very own kitchen!
The great thing about Mexican food is that it can be pretty good for you. There are lots of fresh, alkaline ingredients in traditional Mexican cooking.
But with that said, much of what Mexican and Tex-Mex restaurants offer up is acidic, inflammatory, and not doing you any favors. Starting with the chips. Even corn in its raw, fresh form is mildly acidic, but processing it and frying it into tortilla chips takes it up a notch to highly acidic.
Read my article in The New Potato on the Healthiest Foods at Mexican restaurants.
The margaritas and Mexican beers are even worse! All alcohol is acidic, but sugary margarita mixes and gluten-filled beers are about the worst offenders you could choose.
The good news on that front is that tequila itself is far less acidic than most alcoholic beverages. So before we get to my top 10 alkaline Mexican recipes, I want to share my recipe for a better margarita!
A lot of so-called “skinny margarita” recipes out there use agave nectar, which is one of the WORST sweeteners you can use. It has more fructose – the worst sugar of them all – than even high fructose corn syrup.
So give this tasty alternative a try if you want to indulge in an alcoholic beverage leading up to Cinco de Mayo. And enjoy it with one of the recipes listed below.
Low-Glycemic Skinny Margarita
Ingredients [serves 1]
- 1/4 cup tequila
- 4 tbsp. lime juice, fresh squeezed
- 1 tbsp. orange juice, fresh squeezed (not from a carton)
- 2 drops organic liquid stevia
- 1/2 cup ice
- Sea salt (to rim glass) (Himalayan, Celtic Grey, or Redmond Real Salt)
Directions
Rim glass with salt by rubbing lime wedge around the edge then dipping in salt on a flat surface. Set aside.
Add remaining ingredients to a cocktail shaker and shake for 30 seconds. Pour into the rimmed glass and enjoy!
10 Alkaline Mexican-Inspired Recipes
ADZUKI BEAN AND AVOCADO LETTUCE CUPS
These lettuce cups are so good, you’ll swear you are eating out at your favorite Mexican restaurant! But unlike most of what’s on their menu, these lettuce cups are actually packed with nutrition – protein, fiber, and a whole host of vitamins and minerals.
Kids love this easy dinner, and you can prepare them in just a few minutes, which is good because you might need to make seconds!
SOUTH OF THE BORDER QUINOA SALAD
The grains and veggies in this salad are among the best that Mexican flavors have to offer: black beans, red pepper, avocado, and any other veggies you want to throw in. You could add leafy greens and make it into a more traditional salad, or tomatoes and jalapeños for a fresh, spicy version.
If you make the quinoa in advance, this only takes a few minutes to put together for a savory, satisfying, alkaline dinner.
This recipe is an easy and delicious Mexican-inspired soup that makes a tasty dinner I know you’re going to love. It includes chickpeas, avocado, quinoa, squash, and lime for a yummy meal that comes together in minutes.
AVOCADO, TOMATO, & RED ONION SALAD
There are a few staple foods you want to always have on hand and incorporate every day to help you get off your acid, which include the ingredients in this salad – avocado, tomato, red onions, cilantro, olive oil, and lime juice. If you keep these staples in your kitchen all the time, it’s easy and quick to whip up this salad, which makes for one of my favorite alkaline lunches or dinners.
Gazpacho is Spanish, but this version has the delicious tastes you think of when you crave Mexican food – avocado, cilantro, lime, and jalapeño, which you can leave out or use more, depending on your heat tolerance. My wife and I often make this when we want a fast dinner that really satisfies.
This burrito bowl is full of flavor, protein, and healthy fat. It can be made with quinoa or brown rice, but we choose quinoa in our house because it’s packed with alkaline nutrition without the arsenic (yep, you read that right)!
Did you know that in addition to being full of fiber, black beans also provide long-lasting energy, help maintain stable blood sugar levels, improve digestion and cardiovascular health, and contain high levels of antioxidants, which help prevent cancer? That’s impressive from one little bean!
PROTEIN-PACKED ALKALINE QUINOA BOWL
This recipe is a quick and easy alkaline dinner that delivers vegan protein, healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals. What more could you ask for? Oh yeah, taste! It’s delicious too. The whole family will ask for seconds. Plus, it’s a great way to get vegan protein from both the quinoa and the adzuki beans.
This recipe is a bit like a vegan chili with Mexican flavors of chipotle and lime. You can serve it 2 different ways, and both are delicious. You can either keep the vegetables as they are after cooking so you end up with a chunky texture, or you can blend the soup to a smooth consistency. We enjoy both in our house!
Our homemade guacamole recipe is full of healthy fats and raw nutrients that will make you feel great. Instead of tortilla chips, serve it with veggies like cucumber, carrots, jicama, and celery for a delicious appetizer.
I’ve got a Mexican dessert recipe for you to round out the top 10! This energizing, hot beverage will end your day deliciously – although it’s healthy enough that you could drink it first thing in the morning too!
It’s a spicy chocolate recipe, but don’t worry, you can adjust the level of your spice to your taste preference so you and the kids can enjoy this rich, creamy warm drink!
Want more easy, healthy recipe ideas?
How do Avocado Keto Wrap-Ups or Sweet Potato Fries with Chimichurri Sauce sound?
My new book is packed with tasty dinners that cook in minutes to serve up a satisfying, anti-inflammatory meal that will help you end your sugar cravings and heal your body deliciously!
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