Avocados, beans, corn, tomatoes, cheese, cumin, coriander —  all yummy foods and seasonings our Gymtime kids’ cooking classes are using to help celebrate Cinco de Mayo.

One of our favorite foods, avocados originated in Mexico and are now grown in many warm climates. They are ready to eat when they have a slight “give,” yet still feel firm. To ripen an avocado, either place it in a brown paper bag at room temperature for a few days or lay a ripe banana over it. Once it is ripe, it can be stored whole in the refrigerator for about a week. Avocados are loaded with vitamins and healthy Omega-3 fats. It can be a meal on its own, added to salads or whipped up into a batch of guacamole.

For a simple guacamole, just scoop out the flesh from two avocado halves into a shallow dish, immediately squeeze on the juice from half a fresh lime or lemon, mash the pulp to a chunky consistency and season it to taste with a little salt and pepper. For a more sophisticated guacamole, try adding a pinch of cumin, a clove of freshly minced garlic, a handful of fresh cilantro, chopped fine, and some diced fresh tomato.

Guacamole Tips:

  • Adding citrus juice to the avocado flesh as soon as it is cut helps to prevent discoloration.
  • If you are only using half of the avocado, run the other half under some cool water and refrigerate it. It should hold for a few days without turning nasty.
  • For a fun presentation, carefully remove the flesh from the avocado half, keeping the skin intact. Once your guacamole is made, it can be loaded back into the shell.

Enjoy getting creative with your kids and try branching out to recipes, foods or ingredients you all may not have tasted before. Cinco de Mayo is a great opportunity to introduce new flavors to your children. See our recipe below for Tamale Pie!

Tamale Pie Recipe

Filling:

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon onion flakes (or 1 medium onion, diced)
  • 1/4 cup tomato paste
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1/2 teaspoon oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 16-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
  • 1 16-ounce can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1/2 cup corn kernels
  • 1/2 cup black olives, pitted, sliced

Topping:

  • 3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
  • 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup plain lowfat yogurt
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
  • 1/4 cup sliced scallions
  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
  2. Lightly coat a 13x9x2-inch pan with cooking spray and set it aside.
  3. For the filling, combine 1 tablespoon of olive oil with the onion flakes (if using fresh onion, sauté it for a few minutes in the olive oil, in a nonstick pan, to soften).
  4. Add the tomato paste, cumin, coriander, oregano, salt and pepper and combine well.
  5. Fold in the tomatoes, beans, corn and olives and pour the mixture into the prepared pan.
  6. For the topping, combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl.
  7. Whisk together the yogurt, egg and olive oil in another bowl or use the same one you used to mix the filling.
  8. Stir in 3/4 cup of the cheese and all of the scallions.
  9. Pour the yogurt mixture over the dry ingredients and stir until just blended.
  10. Spoon the topping over the filling and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.
  11. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the topping comes out clean.

By Carla Jolis, Director of Cooking for Gymtime, Early Learning Foundations and York Avenue Preschool

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