Cinco De Mayo Fiesta Bites (aka Cornbread, Tomato, and Guacamole Bites)

I love Cinco de Mayo!  I love it for the celebration and all of the colors, but mostly, I love the food.  Cinco de Mayo signifies Mexico’s victory over the French in 1862, but for most, it is a celebration of Mexican heritage and culture.  My love of Mexican-inspired food has been a life-long endeavor, but it was my saving grace during the worst points of  my gut infection that left me without dairy, gluten or eggs.  Mexican food is easy to prepare (or order) without cheese.  Most of the traditional dishes are prepared with beans, meats, corn, vegetables and rice, so I was able to enjoy a meal at a Mexican restaurant without worry.  Now that I have mostly healed from my infection and most of my food intolerances and sensitivities have faded (I can tolerate dairy with a lactose pill and I am still gluten-free), Mexican food is still my go-to favorite, and Cinco de Mayo is the perfect excuse to eat it!

I love cornbread, although most places make it with wheat flour, so I can’t eat it out, but I like make my own using a gluten free flour.  Last time I baked, I made mini muffins that disappeared very quickly from my kitchen (I suspect the teen).  This time, I decided to change the recipe so that the cornbread wasn’t as sweet as a muffin, but would be sturdier than polenta, to hold some of my favorite flavors.  Spring has sprung here (finally!) and I am about to plant my garden full of grape tomatoes and make lots of sauce to last me the winter, so I thought it was time to use up the rest of my Roasted Grape Tomato Sauce that I had tucked away in the freezer.  With a little tomato sauce, and a dollop of my guacamole, I created the perfect bite-sized fiesta for my taste buds – hence the name… but wait, there’s more!  I made two sizes, one a bite, and one a flat, for those who like a few bites at once.

Cinco De Mayo Fiesta Bites (aka cornbread, tomato, and guacamole bites)

Makes 24 mini bites and 9 flats, or 36 mini bites, or 16-20 flats

(Click here for a printable version of the recipe)

1/4 cup butter (or substitute if you are dairy free)

1/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 cup plain Greek yogurt

1/4 cup milk (dairy or other)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup cornmeal

1 cup brown rice flour (or other flour of your choice)

1 teaspoon xantham gum (only if you are using a gluten-free flour that doesn’t already contain it, or wheat flour)

1/2 teaspoon salt

Roasted Grape Tomato Sauce (or salsa, pico de gallo, taco sauce, or pureed tomatoes)

Guacamole (my recipe or store-bought, though mine is awesome)

Grape tomatoes for garnish

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and grease a mini muffin pan.  If you are making flats, grease a baking sheet or put down a silpat or parchment paper.  In a large bowl, combine the butter and sugar with a whisk.  Add in eggs and whisk to combine.  Next, add in the Greek yogurt and milk and whisk to combine.  In a smaller bowl, combine the baking soda, cornmeal, flour, xantham gum, and salt.  Add the dry to the wet ingredients and whisk to combine.  Fill the mini muffin tray cups only half way – we want them to be rather short so they don’t topple over when topped.  If you are making the flats, use damp hands to roll the dough into 1 1/4″ balls and flatten with your hands to 1/4″ thickness.

Bake the mini muffin tray for 12 minutes and the flats tray for 15 minutes, or until they are golden with light brown edges.  Cool for five minutes.  Top with a bit of tomato sauce (or any tomato recipe you love) and a dollop of guacamole.  Add a slice of grape tomato to garnish.

These would make for a great appetizer or a few could serve as a delicious lunch.  It’s a bite filled with fresh flavors to welcome in the spring and celebrate Cinco de Mayo.

Happy Cinco de Mayo and enjoy, or as they say in Mexico: ¡Provecho!