What's Cookin': Cinco de Mayo Shabbat Menu

Yes, it feels entirely necessary to begin this post with a photo of a guinea pig wearing a tiny sombrero!

Cinco de Mayo falls on Shabbos day this weekend, and I thought it might be fun to let that add some inspiration to my Saturday Kiddush lunch menu. I'm still coming up with and searching for unique recipes, but here's a glance at my Shabbat day menu thus far:

 Breakfast Treat: I made the most incredible breakfast cheesecake recipe last week. Yes, you read that correctly--breakfast cheesecake! I may very well share the recipe at a later date, and I modified it to make it gluten-free and less fattening. Nonetheless, it will make a wonderful treat served with some fresh mango slices.

Kiddush Lunch
First course: 

• Gluten-free oat challah 
• Mexican style green salad with creamy salsa dressing and crunchy corn chips
• Black bean & corn salad

Main course:

• Crock pot vegetarian burritos: my family has a favorite recipe a friend shared with us in the early 90s for a Mexican Lasagna (pictured to the left). My mom has actually made this in her crock pot so it is ready when she gets home. My crock pot is much smaller than my mom's and I use it for meat/parve dishes. I definitely want to keep the tradition of having something hot on Shabbos afternoon even with my non-traditional menu this week, so I'm going to cook my vegetarian "burrito" filling on a low setting overnight and then warm some corn tortillas on top of the crock pot before I'm ready to eat on Shabbos afternoon.
• I might make a batch of Mexican Rice to add to the burritos.

Dessert:

If I am feeling incredibly ambitious tomorrow afternoon when I get home from work, I may alter my gluten-free brownie recipe to create a gluten-free Mexican brownie cake. If not, I do plan to cut up some fresh fruit for a fruit salad that will make a lovely dessert.

Seudah Shlishis (Third Meal)
I am (understandably) almost never hungry by the time seudah shlishis rolls around. It is a mitzvah to eat three special meals on Shabbat, so when I am at home I try to partake in a smaller third meal of salads and (when I have it) gluten-free oat challah and dips. This Shabbos, I'll probably enjoy some challah with hummus, pesto, and babaganoosh (middle eastern eggplant dip). I've got hummus in the fridge and some homemade pesto that thawed quite nicely. And, it's just about time to take my roasting eggplants out of the oven!