Dinner Party Diaries – Volume 1: Issue 9
With travel, a holiday, and a scheduling conflict, it’s been a few weeks since we’ve hosted our regular Friday night dinner party. With Cinco de Mayo fast approaching, this seemed like the right time for a Mexican inspired fiesta. It’s the perfect excuse for a fun night with friends and some tasty recipes. (These ones also happen to be low-carb and coconut free.) Give them a try for your Mexican themed Cinco de Mayo dinner party.
Let’s start with the appetizers. I’ve always loved empanadas–toasty, flaky pockets of gooey deliciousness with a combination of flavors that is really only limited by your imagination. My plan for this Cinco de Mayo dinner party was to make both a savory and dessert variety. Alas, the dessert version failed testing, so you’ll have to stay tuned for how I fix it in the future. The savory version, on the other hand, was exactly what I wanted it to be. Since my guests were bringing a couple of other appetizers, I stopped with the cheater empanadas.
For the main, I went with a Chicken and Cauliflower Rice Fajita Casserole. As I frequently pontificate, “you’ve got to balance your time budget”. Given the amount of handwork required for a couple of the other dishes, the main needed to be suited to advance prep. To be fair, I also could have gone with a dead simple yet delicious cut of meat cooked in sous vide, which also would have met that criterion. However, since I was only planning one side, I wanted the hearty, filling quality of a casserole.
Speaking of that side dish, the Poblano Keto Fiesta Patties are as versatile as they are delicious. They could be an appetizer, a side, or a vegetarian main. Also, if you don’t want to mess with making patties, you could just stop after the first part which is making the Poblano Cauliflower Rice Risotto and you’d still have a hit on your hands.
Since I’d planned two desserts, I wasn’t too concerned when one of them didn’t work out how I’d hoped. The Margarita Mousse would have been fine on its own. Given the failure of the second one, I had to move on to Plan B which was the Keto Cinnamon-Sugar Chips and Sugar Free Dulce de Leche. Still delicious so I can’t complain. All-in-all, they were a great ending for my Cinco de Mayo Dinner Party.
Disclaimer: I’m under no delusions that my recipes qualify as truly authentic, so please read them as being inspired by Mexican food flavors. 🙂
What We’re Having for our Cinco de Mayo Dinner Party
The Menu
Appetizers
- Salsa (brought by a guest) & Dippers
- Stuffed Jalapenos (brought by a guest)
- Keto Meatballs (brought by a guest)
Main Course
Sides
Dessert
- Keto Cinnamon-Sugar Chips with Sugar Free Dulce de Leche
Wine Pairing & Cocktails
- Malbec
The Details
Number of People: 9
Serving Style: Appetizers on the table; Dinner & Dessert as a buffet
Guest Arrival Time: 7:00 pm with dinner planned to be ready at 7:30 pm
Getting Ready for our Cinco de Mayo Dinner Party
Advanced Prep (2 or More Days in Advance)
Notes:
The first part of prep falls under “the usual” category, meaning that you’ll see some version of these steps repeated frequently.
- Make space in your refrigerator and freezer
- Freezer – Here’s what you’ll be storing:
- Keto Poblano Fiesta Patties (day / night before party)
- Refrigerator – Here’s what you’ll be storing:
- Poblano Cauliflower Rice Risotto (2 or more days before party) (I use a 9 x 13 inch casserole dish with a lid.)
- Chicken and Cauliflower Rice Fajita Casserole – 9 x 13 inch casserole dish with a lid
- Ground Turkey Cheater Keto “Empanadas” (day / night before party) (I use a 16 x 10 ½ x 3 inch plastic container.)
- Margarita Mousse (day / night before party) (I use a 2 quart bowl with a lid.)
- Chipotle Crema (2 days before party) (I use a 1 ½ – 2 cup bowl with a lid.)
- Dulce de Leche (day / night before party) (I use a 1 quart bowl with a lid.)
- Freezer – Here’s what you’ll be storing:
- Make your Grocery List
- Go Grocery Shopping
- Pick up around the house (for any rooms / areas that will actually be seen)
- Plan out serving dishes & utensils (to make sure you have what you need, ready when you need it)
- Plan out eating plates & utensils (to make sure what you need will be clean and ready for guests)
2 Days in Advance (~ 3 hours)
Notes:
To make your life easier, the intent here is to get all of your chopping and cutting done so that you don’t need to pull out the cutting board for the remaining prep. We’re also going to fully cook a few items–a couple that are ingredients to be assembled later and one of our “slow cookers.” Trust me, it is better to get these out of the way.
- Poblano Cauliflower Rice – ingredient for the Keto Poblano Fiesta Patties and is easier to turn into patties if it has been chilled
- Chicken Pieces – ingredient for casserole
- Chipotle Crema – slow cooking item that we can get out of the way
I know that at first glance, this seems like a long list. However, keep in mind that there are many steps that can be done while waiting for something else to cook, roast, etc. Throughout the prep steps, where you see “*”, that indicates that you should be doing other prep work while waiting for this step to finish. It might require occasional attention but is still fine for multi-tasking.
- Keto Poblano Fiesta Patties (Start this step first so that you can make the cauliflower rice risotto while you continue your prep)
- Roast Poblano Peppers (20 minutes*), let cool (20 minutes*, remove skins, chop & set aside (10-15 minutes)
- Chop Spanish Onion & set aside (5 minutes)
- Make Poblano Cauliflower Rice Risotto (45 minutes*), let cool, & store in fridge
- Mix crushed pork rinds or bread crumbs with Fajita Seasoning & store in the fridge (5 minutes) (If you are making your own breadcrumbs, allow an additional 40 minutes to dry out the bread in the oven.)
- Ground Turkey Cheater Keto “Empanadas”
- Dice Bell Pepper and Red Onion & store in fridge (10 minutes)
- Clean & chop Mushrooms into pieces (10 minutes)
- Chicken and Cauliflower Rice Fajita Casserole
- Slice Bell Peppers & store in fridge (5-10 minutes)
- Slice Red Onion & store in fridge (5 minutes)
- Make the Fajita Seasoning Mix (if you are not using store bought) (5 minutes)
- You will be using this seasoning for the Ground Turkey Keto Cheater “Empanadas”, the Chicken and Cauliflower Rice Fajita Casserole, and the Poblano Keto Fiesta Patties.
- Cut chicken into bite size pieces & season (20 minutes)
- Sauté Chicken pieces, cool & store in fridge (20 minutes)
- Chipotle Crema
- Dice Chipotles & set aside (5 minutes)
- Make the Chipotle Crema (30 minutes*), let cool, & store in fridge
- Keto Cinnamon-Sugar Chips
- Cut ~ 20 keto street style tortilla shells into 6 pie-shaped pieces (5 minutes), store in zip top bag in fridge
- Mix ½ cup Granulated Erythritol with 2 teaspoons Cinnamon & store in container with lid (5 minutes)
Day Before Prep (~2.5 hours)
Notes:
Today’s goal is to have everything that can be assembled or cooked in advance complete. That means that tomorrow before your Cinco de Mayo or Mexican themed dinner party, you are mostly moving food in and out of the oven or refrigerator at the appropriate times. The items that we’re waiting to finish prepping “day of” are those that will have a less than desirable texture if cooked in advance. The longest cooking item on this “Day Before” list is the Sugar Free Dulce de Leche. If you are not worried about carbs and sugar, you could just buy the premade version from the store and heat it the day of the party.
- Chicken and Cauliflower Rice Fajita Casserole
- Sauté Bell Pepper & Red Onion slices (6 – 8 minutes)
- Finish recipe to the point of pouring it into a 9 x 13 inch casserole dish (25 minutes*), let it cool, cover the dish, and store it in the fridge
- Ground Turkey Cheater Keto “Empanadas”
- Sauté Mushroom pieces & set aside (8 – 10 minutes)
- Season and sauté Ground Turkey & set aside (8 – 10 minutes)
- Sauté Bell Pepper & Red Onion (6 – 8 minutes)
- Finish making the filling mixture (5 minutes)
- Fill & seal the keto tortilla shells with the mixture. Store in an airtight container in the fridge. (20 minutes)
- Keto Poblano Fiesta Patties
- Using the chilled Poblano Cauliflower Rice Risotto and other listed ingredients, make the mixture for the patties (5 minutes)
- Form the patties and store them in an airtight container lined with wax paper. Use a layer of wax paper between each layer of patties. (20 minutes)
- Store in the freezer.
- Margarita Mousse
- Make the Margarita Mousse, cover, & store in fridge (20 minutes)
- Sugar Free Dulce de Leche
- Make the Dulce de Leche (1 hour), cool, cover, & store in fridge
- Easy Sugar Free Margaritas
- Mix everything except the ice and store in the fridge (5 minutes) (Do this while you’re watching and stirring your Sugar Free Dulce de Leche.)
Day Of Timeline (7:00 pm Guest Arrival Time “T”; Dinner Time: ~7:30ish)
- 5:00 pm (T – 2 hours)
- Set out plates, silverware, napkins and glasses (water, margarita, wine, etc.) if buffet style; set table if not buffet style
- Take Sugar Free Dulce de Leche out of the fridge
- 5:05 pm (T – 1h 55m)
- Prep rimmed baking sheet with heavy duty aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray. Start breading the Poblano Keto Fiesta Patties and set them on the prepped rimmed baking sheet.
- 5:40 pm (T – 1h 20m)
- For the Keto Cinnamon-Sugar Chips, line 3 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper (you can also put a layer of aluminum foil under that for easier cleanup if you’d like), spray with cooking spray.
- Lay the chips out on the baking sheets, brush with melted butter, and sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar mix. Set aside.
- 6:00 pm (T – 1h)
- Take Chicken and Cauliflower Rice Fajita Casserole out of the fridge
- Take Chipotle Crema out of the fridge
- Salt rim glasses and spoon Margarita Mousse into serving cups and return to the fridge (Optional. You can also just place it in a serving bowl and allow guests to serve themselves when you get to dessert.)
- 6:30 pm (T – 30m)
- Prep rimmed baking sheets for the Ground Turkey Keto Cheater “Empanadas” with heavy duty aluminum foil and wire rack inserts (if you have them). Either way, spray with cooking spray.
- Make egg wash and brush on the empanadas
- 6:40 pm (T – 20m)
- Put Turkey Empanadas in the oven – 350 degrees F for 20 minutes
- Chicken and Cauliflower Rice Fajita Casserole in the oven – 350 degrees F for 45 – 50 minutes
- 6:45 pm (T – 15m)
- Prep ice for Easy Sugar Free Margaritas (ice bucket, making sure the ice maker on the fridge isn’t jammed, etc.)
- 7:00 pm (T)
- Put the Poblano Keto Fiesta Patties in the oven (350 F for 30 minutes)
- Put water pitchers on table
- Pour Easy Sugar Free Margaritas for guests as they arrive
- 7:30 pm (T + 30m)
- Turn oven to Warm (180 degrees F) until you are ready to serve the Chicken and Cauliflower Rice Fajita Casserole and the Poblano Keto Fiesta Patties
- Once you remove the casserole and patties from the oven, turn it back up to 350 degrees F
- Put Keto Cinnamon-Sugar Chips in the oven (350 F for 10 – 15 minutes). Once done, let them cool until you’re ready for dessert, then place them in a serving bowl next to the Sugar Free Dulce de Leche.
