Cheesy Taco Rice

Recipe

1 lb of ground beef

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cayenne

2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp each of cumin, dried cilantro, black pepper

1 diced onion

1 TBSP of minced garlic

1 10 oz can of Rotel

1 8 oz can of tomato sauce

1 1/2 cups of beef broth

1 cup of long grain white rice (uncooked)

2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese

Steps

-brown ground beef in a skillet on medium high heat, add all seasonings, and the onion

-let that cook until beef is cooked through and onions have softened

-drain any grease from the skillet

-add Rotel, tomato sauce, minced garlic, beef broth, and uncooked rice

-stir well, cover with a lid, and cook on medium low heat for about 15-20 minutes or until rice is cooked (I stirred it once about half way through)

-top with shredded cheddar cheese and let melt or pop in the oven on broil

-serve and top with fresh pico & tortilla chips 

-Can also serve on tortillas like a burrito

Pico Recipe

4 small tomatoes, diced

1/2 onion, diced

1 jalapeño, diced

1/2 a bunch of cilantro

2 limes, squeezed

Salt and pepper

Easy Beef Enchiladas

 

• 1 pound ground beef
• ▢1 small white onion diced
• ▢1 clove garlic minced
• ▢2 tablespoons taco seasoning 1 packet
• ▢½ teaspoon cumin
• ▢1/4 cup water
• ▢8-10 corn tortillas
• ▢28 ounce can red enchilada chile sauce
• ▢2-3 cups freshly shredded cheddar jack cheese
• ▢1 green onion thinly sliced
• ▢Optional Toppings: Sour Cream Pico de Gallo or salsa, Diced Avocado, Fresh cilantro

• In a large skillet over medium heat, cook ground beef with diced onions and garlic, breaking up the beef with a spoon as it cooks. Cook until no longer pink. Drain any excess grease.
• Sprinkle taco seasoning and cumin over the beef and stir in ¼ cup of water. Continue to cook, stirring often, until water is absorbed.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Pour ½ a cup of enchilada sauce in the bottom of a 13×9-inch baking dish and spread evenly.
• Heat remaining sauce in a small skillet, just until bubbly, then remove from heat. Wrap a stack of 10 corn tortillas in a clean kitchen towel and microwave on high for 30 seconds to a minute. Dip a tortilla in the enchilada sauce to coat both sides then lay flat on a cutting board or plate. Add a small amount of the meat mixture (about 3 tablespoons) down the center of the tortilla, then top with about 1-2 tablespoons of shredded cheese. Roll up both sides and place seam side down in the prepared baking dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas and meat.
• Pour remaining sauce over the enchiladas evenly and top with remaining shredded cheese. Feel free to add more or less cheese based on your preferences. Sprinkle sliced green onion on top.
• Bake uncovered for 20-30 minutes, or until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbly. Let sit 5 minutes before serving. Garnish as desired with optional toppings like sour cream, pico de gallo, avocado, sliced green onions or cilantro.

Notes

You can get anywhere from 8 to 14 enchiladas depending on the amount of meat you place in each tortilla. You will have about 2 ½ cups of meat mixture to work with. Using ¼ cup of meat on will yield 8-9 enchiladas.

Baked Chicken Taquitos

FOR THE TAQUITOS:

• 2 cups shredded chicken (we use rotisserie chicken)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
• 1 cup shredded cheddar or Mexican blend cheese
• 20 corn tortillas

FOR THE TOPPINGS:

• Shredded lettuce
• Diced tomatoes
• Guacamole
• Sour Cream
• Chopped Green Onion
• Crumbled Queso Fresco
• Pico de Gallo
• Salsa

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Spray a large baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the shredded chicken with the cumin, chili powder, salt, garlic powder, paprika, and fresh lime juice. Stir until chicken is well coated with the seasonings. Stir in the shredded cheese.
3. Get two paper towels damp and place two tortillas at a time in between the paper towels. Place in the microwave for 20-30 seconds. Remove from the microwave and roll up the taquitos.
4. Place a heaping tablespoon of the chicken and cheese mixture in the center of the tortilla and roll it up tightly. Place the tacquito, seam side down on the prepared baking sheet. Continue rolling taquitos until the tortillas and filling are gone. You should have about 20 taquitos.
5. Spray the taquitos generously with nonstick cooking spray. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until taquitos are golden brown and crispy. Remove from the oven and serve warm with desired toppings.

Ree Drummond's Simple Enchiladas

Sauce:

• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• One 28-ounce can enchilada or Mexican red sauce
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Meat:

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

The Rest:

• Canola oil, for frying
• 10 to 14 corn tortillas
• Two 4-ounce cans diced green chilies
• 1 cup chopped green onions
• 1/2 cup chopped black olives
• 3 cups grated sharp Cheddar cheese
• Cilantro, for garnish

For the sauce:

In a saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the canola oil and flour. Whisk together and allow to bubble for 1 minute. Pour in the red sauce, chicken broth, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer while you prepare the other ingredients.

For the meat:

While the sauce is simmering, brown the ground beef with the onions in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Drain the fat, add the salt and stir to combine. Turn off the heat and set aside.

For the rest:

In a small skillet over medium heat, heat some canola oil. Lightly fry the tortillas just until soft. Do not crisp. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Repeat until all the tortillas have been fried.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Spread 1/2 cup of the sauce in the bottom of a 9- by 13-inch baking dish. Next, one at a time, dip each tortilla into the sauce. Set the sauce-soaked tortilla on a plate. Place on some of the meat mixture, chilies, green onions and black olives. Top with a generous portion of grated Cheddar. Roll up the tortilla to contain the filling inside.

Place the tortilla seam side down in the baking dish. Repeat with the rest of the tortillas and pour the remaining sauce over the top. End with a generous sprinkling of cheese and any other bits of chiles, green onions or olives you have left over from the filling.

Bake the enchiladas for 20 minutes, or until bubbly. Sprinkle chopped cilantro over the top and serve.

Fajita seasoning

• Use with 1 pound chicken and onions and peppers
• 
  
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon white sugar


• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper


• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

• 
  
• 
  

Libby's Chicken Tacos

These are Adam's absolute favorite tacos and the recipe of my friend Libby.  I tried to replicate them last night and got rave reviews.

-2 rotisserie chickens, meat shredded (or 4 large chicken breasts, cooked and shredded)
-3 poblano peppers (roasted, skins removed, and diced)
-Medium onion, chopped
-1-2 tbsp chili powder
-1-2 tbsp cumin
-can of chipotle in adobo sauce (I use the sauce only....about 1 tbsp)
-2 cans of diced tomatoes

I roast peppers right on my gas cooktop.  You can also use your grill or broil in your oven. Blacken and blister skins of peppers.  Place in a paper or plastic bag.  Seal bag and let sit for a few minutes. Pull skins off peppers and seed them.  Chop up peppers and set aside.  Cook onion in pan in a little olive oil.  Once onions are translucent, add in chicken, peppers, spices, and diced tomatoes.  I use about 1 tbsp of the adobo sauce (or as much as I can strain out of the jar) but don't add in any chipotle peppers.  You can chop some and add in if you like.  Do a small amount at a time and test...they are so spicy and add a lot of heat.  Simmer on stovetop until flavors are melded (at least 15+ mins).   Serve on tortillas with your favorite toppings.  We like these on white corn tortillas with some mexican cheese and sliced avocado.  Libby serves with a squeeze of lime.

From the kitchen of Libby Chapman.

Spanish Rice

This is a recipe that is so versatile.  I usually make it with leftover taco meat. When I make tacos, I brown 2 pounds of ground beef and drain the grease.  Then, I add a packet of taco seasoning and water along with a can of black beans (drained and rinsed) and a can of corn (drained).  This is my effort to sneak a few extra veggies/fiber/protein into the kids' tacos. We usually need about 1 pound of this beef mixture for our tacos leaving the second pound for me to use for something else....like this Spanish Rice.  It can be eaten as a main dish or as a side dish. Scott has been known to pile it on top of tortilla chips to make some nachos or on top of shredded lettuce as a taco salad.  It also works well as a burrito filling.

-1 pound ground beef with taco seasoning and corn and black beans (see above)
-4 cups cooked brown rice
-1/4-1/2 cup chopped peppers (red, green, yellow...whatever you have)
-1 can diced tomatoes (or rotel)
-2 carrots, chopped (or a about 10-15 baby carrots, chopped)
-2-3 stalks of celery, chopped
-1/2 medium onion, chopped
-2 cloves garlic, minced
-shredded cheese (cojack is my fave)
-1/4 teaspoon salt
-1/4 teaspoon chili powder

Saute onion, celery, garlic, carrots and peppers in a little olive oil until tender.  Mix in beef mixture, rice, tomatoes, salt, chili powder, and a little water.  Simmer uncovered for about 15 minutes until water is incorporated.  Add more water as needed so rice doesn't burn.  When serving, sprinkle with a little shredded cheese.  I also like some jalapenos on mine.

Restaurant Style Salsa

My friend, Katie, brought this PERFECT salsa over the other night.  She snagged it off the Pioneer Woman's website (I love the Pioneer Woman!!) and said that she never eats jarred salsa anymore.  It's super easy and I have a feeling I will be doing the same thing.  I love me some chips and salsa!

-1 can (28 Ounce) Whole Tomatoes With Juice
-2 cans (10 Ounce) Rotel (diced Tomatoes And Green Chilies)
-1/4 cup Chopped Onion
-1 clove Garlic, Minced
-1 whole Jalapeno, Quartered And Sliced Thin
-1/4 teaspoon Sugar
-1/4 teaspoon Salt
-1/4 teaspoon Ground Cumin
-1/2 cup Cilantro (more to taste)
-1/2 whole Lime Juice

Note: this is a very large batch. Recommend using a 12-cup food processor, or you can process the ingredients in batches and then mix everything together in a large mixing bowl.

Combine whole tomatoes, Rotel, onion, jalapeno, garlic, sugar, salt, cumin, lime juice, and cilantro in a blender or food processor. Pulse until you get the salsa to the consistency you'd like---about 10 to 15 pulses. Test seasonings with a tortilla chip and adjust as needed.  I haven't tried this yet, but I think I will add in a rinsed jar of black beans and a rinsed can of sweet corn and gently stir before serving.

Refrigerate salsa for at least an hour. Serve with tortilla chips or cheese nachos.

From the kitchen of Katie Talbert

Chipotle Pork Tacos with Pineapple Salsa

A-MAZING all around.  Flavors are fantastic and this will be a regular on our dinner table.   This is very different than anything else I usually cook and it was welcomed warmly by the husband.

Salsa
-2 cups minced pineapple (fresh is best but I used canned because I forgot my pineapple during my shopping trip this week...still tasted great!)
-1 cup minced apple (I used a crisp Gala)
-1/4 cup minced shallots (didn't have shallots on hand so I used some Vidalia onion)
-2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
-1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
-1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
-1/4 teaspoon salt

Tacos

-1 tablespoon canola oil
-1 cup thinly sliced yellow onion (I used vidalia)
-2 garlic cloves, minced
-1 1/2 pounds pork tenderloin, cut lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
-1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
-1 tablespoon cider vinegar
-1 teaspoon dried oregano
-1 teaspoon ground cumin
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
-12 cherry tomatoes, quartered (I used grape tomatoes)
-2 chipotle chiles, canned in adobo sauce, chopped (about 2 tablespoons)
-12 (6-inch) corn tortillas, warmed

To prepare salsa, combine the first 7 ingredients in a medium bowl; stir until well blended. Cover and chill for at least an hour.

To prepare tacos, heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion to pan; cook 2 minutes or until tender. Add garlic; cook 30 seconds. Add pork to pan; cook 4 minutes or until pork loses its pink color, stirring occasionally. Stir in broth and the rest of the ingredients (except tortillas). Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes. Uncover and simmer 10 minutes or until liquid is nearly evaporated. Warm tortillas according to package directions. Serve pork mixture with tortillas and salsa.

From the kitchen of Kate Thomason.

Notes:
*My kids can handle like a little spice in their food but the chipotle peppers were a little much for their palates.  Next time, I will pull out some of the pork for their tacos before adding the peppers in to the dish.
*When I cut chicken breast for recipes, I usually do so while they are partially frozen.  However, I failed to do this with the pork.  What a mess...took me forever to slice through it.  I highly recommend freezing your tenderloin (at least partially) so it's a little firmer to slice through.  It would have saved me a lot of time.

Crockpot Enchiladas

Super simple and tasty. Scott downed 3 servings tonight. This recipe is a keeper!

-1 pound ground beef (I used ground turkey)
-1 small onion, chopped
-1 clove garlic, minced
-1 can cream of mushroom soup
-1 (4 ounce) can of chopped green chiles
-1 (10 ounce) can enchilada sauce
-10 corn tortillas
-3 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
-paprika
-chopped fresh cilantro

In a large skillet, cook beef, onion, and garlic until browned. Stir in soup and chiles. Spray 4 quart crockpot with nonstick spray. Spread about 1/4 cup of the enchilada sauce in bottom of slow cooker. Place 3 tortillas over sauce, overlapping, and breaking in half to make an even layer. Top with 1/3 of the beef mixture, spreading evenly. Drizzle about 1/4 cup enchilada sauce over beef mixture. Sprinkle with 1 cup of cheese. Repeat layering twice, using 3 tortillas and half of the remaining beef mixture, enchilada sauce, and cheese in each layer. End by layer 3 more tortillas over your creation. And pour remaining enchilada sauce on top. Sprinkle with just a little cheese and paprika over top. Cover and cook on low for 4 1/2 - 5 1/2 hours. Spoon our helpings with a spatula and sprinkle individual servings with cilantro.

From the kitchen of Steffanee Masten (p. 110 in the Bolar Cookbook)

Mexican Lasagna Take 2

This tastes just like chicken enchiladas.

-1 lb shredded chicken breast
-1 package whole wheat tortillas
-2 cans cream of chicken soup (light)
-16 ounces sour cream (light/fat free)
-2 cups shredded 4-cheese blend

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Boil chicken with salt and pepper. Shred with fork. Mix sour cream and cream of chicken soup together in a separate bowl (your lasagna “sauce”). Spray bottom of 9x13 pan with Pam. Build your lasagna in layers in order: start with a small amount of sauce on the bottom, cover with tortillas (your lasagna “noodles”), add chicken and cheese. Continue your layers and end with sauce and cheese on top. Cover with foil and bake from 1 hour at 350. Remove foil for last 15 minutes if you want to brown the cheese. Cut like you would a lasagna.  Top each serving with a little salsa.

From the kitchen of Jennifer Blueter