Showing posts with label mexican. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mexican. Show all posts

Friday, August 15, 2014

Back to School!

Friday - kids in Burley, Bam Bam's for John, Alton, and me
Saturday - cornbread waffles and chili, toppings, fruit
Sunday - chicken tortilla soup, quesadillas fruit
Monday - The Dip, fruit
Tuesday - grilled flank steak, potato salad, corn on the cob, fruit
Wednesday - skillet mac and cheese, fruit, veggie
Thursday - sloppy lasagna
Friday - Maxwell's Birthday!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

1 1/2 pounds chicken, cooked and shredded
15 oz can whole tomatoes
10 oz can enchilada sauce
1 md onion, chopped
4 oz can green chilies
1 clove garlic, minced
2 cups water
14 1/2 oz chicken broth
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 bay leaf
10 oz package frozen corn
1 T cilantro
6 corn tortillas, or tortilla chips
2 T vegetable oil
grated Parmesan cheese

In slow cooker, combine shredded chicken, whole tomatoes, enchilada sauce, onion, green chilies, and garlic. Add water, chicken broth, cumin, chili powder, salt, black pepper, and bay leaf. Stir in corn and cilantro. Cover and cook on Low 6 to 8 hours, or on High 3 to 4 hours. Remove and discard bay leaf.

Preheat oven to 400. Lightly brush both sides of tortillas with vegetable oil. Cut tortillas into small strips. Spread strips on baking sheet. Bake, turning occasionally until crisp, 5 - 10 minutes. Sprinkle tortilla strips and Parmesan cheese over soup. Serve.

Makes 6 -8 servings.


Friday, May 13, 2011

Week 54(ish)

Friday - Mexican "Flatbread" Pizza (I'm sure the biscuits are full of junk, but I need fast and easy.) We'll have them without the hamburger meat - just refried beans and toppings.
*edit - Maxwell's quote during dinner - "I can't believe I like this!" He ate a ton.
Sunday - hamburgers and fries
Tuesday - Pizza
Wednesday - Black Bean Tacos (like this but in taco form)
Thursday - Whole Wheat Blender Pancakes (didn't get to these last week, so we'll try again)

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

American Enchiladas

Ingredients:
8 flour tortillas, uncooked
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 TBSP oil
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 cup water
2 cups cheddar cheese, grated
1 cup monterey jack cheese, grated
1 cup sour cream
1 jar Frontera Gourmet Enchilada sauce, mild

Method:
Brown tortillas in frying pan, set aside.
Heat oil in frying pan (or sauce pan). Add garlic and cumin; simmer till nice and fragrant. Add beans and water. Bring to a boil and mash beans. Reduce heat and simmer for 2 or 3 minutes. Mash beans and set aside.
Combine cheeses and sour cream.
Cover the bottom of a 9 x 13" pan with enchilada sauce.
Layer a heaping TBSP beans and 1 or 2 TBSP cheese mixture in a tortilla.
Roll up and place seam side down in baking dish.
Repeat with remaining tortillas, then cover with sauce.
Sprinkle with a little more cheese and bake for 20 minutes at 350.

This was one of those meals that my kids ate without complaining, but didn't love.

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Creamy Tomatillo Dressing

Cafe Rio Style Creamy Tomatillo Salad Dressing

Place the following in a blender:
3 fresh tomatillos, cut into quarters
juice of 1/2 lime
1/2 cup buttermilk (or make w/dry buttermilk mix)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1 package of dry Ranch Buttermilk Dressing Mix
1 cup fresh cilantro (abt. one bunch)
5 stalks (1/2 bunch) of green onions w/ends
2 cloves crushed garlic
1/2 to 3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. crushed cayenne pepper
4 tsp. sugar or other sweetener (you might want to taste it w/out first)

Combine well in blender and refrigerate at least one hour.

Black Bean Taco Salad

Stephanie blogged about her latest craving awhile ago, and since then, we've been eating something similar. It's really yummy.

Ingredients
2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
2 TBSP canola oil
1 cup water
1 large tomato
1 green onion
cilantro - 1 tsp dried or 1 TBSP chopped fresh
lettuce, in bite sized pieces
olives, sliced
grated cheese - cheddar, queso fresco, or monterrey jack would be good
tortilla chips
creamy tomatillo salad dressing or ranch dressing

Directions
Heat oil in large skillet, add garlic and cook until fragrant. Add beans, stir in one cup of water, and simmer until desired consistency.

Cut tomato into tiny pieces. Cut green onion into small slices and add to tomato. Stir in cilantro.

Layer tortilla chips (I crunch mine up on the bottom), lettuce, beans, cheese, olives, salad dressing, and any other toppings.

If you want to skip a step, you can leave out the mini-pico (tomato, onion, cilantro) and serve with salsa instead.

Sunday, July 5, 2009

Pinto Bean Chiliquiles

My kids ate a ton of this tonight - I'm not sure whether they were just really hungry, or if they actually liked the dinner. I started out with a recipe from A Year in a Vegetarian Kitchen for Black Bean Chilaquiles (p 288-289), and made a few changes.

8 small corn tortillas
3 TBSP canola oil
salt
3 cloves garlic, minced
onion powder
1 15 oz can pinto beans (drained and rinsed)
1 15 oz can chili beans
2 cups water
shredded cheese (cheddar, monterrey jack, or queso fresco)
sour cream

1. Make tortilla chips by cutting tortillas into 6 wedges. Toss in a bowl with 1 TBSP oil and some salt. Bake in a single layer on a baking sheet in the oven at 350 degrees until edges are golden brown (10-15 minutes). (Or use regular tortilla chips)

2. Heat remaining oil in saucepan, add garlic, and cook till fragrant. Add beans and 2 cups water. Bring to boil and simmer about 10 minutes. Beans should still be soupy. Using a potato masher, mash beans until they form a coarse puree. Bring the beans back to a simmer, and stir in the tortilla chips. Cook until tortilla chips are soft, but retain some chewiness. (You can add water if the beans get too dry.)

3. Sprinkle liberally with cheese, and serve with sour cream or creamy tomatillo salad dressing drizzled on top.

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Wet Burritos

This recipe originally called for hamburger. I tried it tonight with just the refried beans, and we didn't miss the meat. Store bought enchilada sauce is usually too spicy for John and the kids, so I mixed the gravy with some tomato sauce and half the enchilada sauce. Some unbaked tortillas are trans fat free, so I prefer those to the precooked ones.

Ingredients:
1 pkg tortillas (either the precooked, or cook the raw ones)
2 cans refried beans
1 pkg brown gravy mix (mixed), or one jar brown gravy (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 can enchilada sauce (10 oz)
1-2 cups shredded cheese (I like Monterrey jack and cheddar)
lettuce (shredded or finely chopped)
tomato (finely chopped)
sour cream

Directions:
Put a spoonful of beans on a tortilla, roll it up burrito style, and place in a 9x13 pan. Repeat with other tortillas and remainder of beans (you'll probably get about 6-8 burritos).
Mix brown gravy and enchilada sauce together and pour over burritos. Top with cheese and bake at 350 for about 20 minutes, or until cheese melts and sauce is hot and bubbly.
Serve with shredded lettuce, tomato, and sour cream.

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Homemade Flour Tortillas

I have a thing for good flour tortillas. However, back in January we started paying more attention to trans fat, and I found out that all of the flour tortillas at our grocery store had trans fat in them. (I've recently discovered that some of the uncooked flour tortillas at a few stores do NOT have trans fat - hurray!) We tried using corn tortillas for a while, and that was fine until near the end of my pregnancy. I started to have dreams about flour tortillas. Seriously.

One night, I was craving something. I narrowed it down to Sees and flour tortillas, but only mentioned chocolate to John. He was sympathetic, and offered to go to the mall to get some Sees for me. What a guy! However, I decided that even more than chocolate, I wanted to eat a flour tortilla. (Weird?) When I told John, he offered to MAKE me tortillas. I had tried several times before, but they always turned out tough. John did a quick search online, and found this recipe. Instead of going out to buy candy, he spent the rest of the evening making me tortillas. And boy were they good! Soft and so yummy. He made them for me again the night that I came home from the hospital; and a couple of nights ago he helped me make some for dinner.

They're really good plain, but we had most of them with refried beans, cheese, and taco sauce. Anyway, here's the recipe. Oh - the site it's from, Rockin Robin's Cooking Mexican Recipes, has some other recipes I'm hoping to try.

Homemade Flour Tortillas

Ingredients:
2 cups white flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. vegetable oil
3/4 cup warm water

Directions:
Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. In another bowl combine the warm water and oil. Add the water/oil mixture to the flour mixture, one tablespoon at a time and mix the dough with a fork. Once the water is mixed in, add another tablespoon of water and repeat the process until all the water is mixed into the dough. The dough will be sticky.

Lightly flour a wooden cutting board and knead the dough for about 5 minutes. If the dough is too sticky, add a little flour, but you want the dough to stay soft.

Place the dough back into the bowl and cover it with a damp towel or damp paper towel. Let the dough rest for 20 minutes.

Divide the dough into golf-ball-size balls by pinching off the dough with your thumb and fore finger. Form each ball into a nice ball shape.

Place the balls on a flat dish making sure they don't touch each other and cover with the damp cloth.

Let the dough rest again for 10 minutes.

Preheat a skillet to medium high heat.

Lightly dust a cutting board or other rolling surface with flour. Use your hands to pat a ball into a circle, then use a rolling pin to roll the dough out until it is about 1/8 thick. Add more flour if you need to as you roll the dough out.

Once you have rolled out the tortilla, place it on a preheated skillet. You don't need to add any oil or butter. Cook the tortilla for about 30 seconds. You will notice brown spots all over your tortilla. Flip it over and cook an additional 30 seconds. Don't over cook it as you want the tortilla to be nice and soft. Keep your tortillas warm by covering them in a towel on a plate or in a tortilla warmer.

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Bean Burritos - Corn Tortillas

8-10 corn tortillas, warmed
refried beans (recipe follows)
queso fresco cheese, grated
baby spinach leaves
tomato, diced
taco sauce
sour cream
fresh cilantro leaves, minced

Lighter Refried Beans
2 TBSP canola oil
1 medium onion, minced (I sprinkled liberally w/ onion powder instead)
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp ground cumin
2 15-ounce pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup water
salt
pinch cayenne pepper

1. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and cook until lightly browned, about 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cumin and continue cooking until fragrant, about 1 minute.

2. Add the beans and water. Use a potato masher to mash the beans into a coarse puree. Continue cooking until the beans are fairly dry, stirring to prevent burning or scorching. (8-10 minutes) Add salt to taste and the cayenne pepper.

from p 434, A Year in a Vegetarian Kitchen by Jack Bishop

Notes: Until I can find flour tortillas without trans fat (sigh) we'll probably be switching to corn tortillas. Luckily, the kids really liked these! You could use any refried beans, but this is the recipe we tried last night.

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Cheese Enchiladas

Sauce:

1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 1/2 tsp onion flakes
1/2 tsp baking powder
6 1/2 tsp flour
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
1 TBSP Parmesan Cheese

Combine spices, tomato sauce, and water in saucepan. Bring to boil, then simmer 40 minutes. Blend in the Parmesan cheese.

Filling:

1 can (15 oz) pinto beans
1 TBSP shortening or butter
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 lb. grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup water
1 TBSP chopped onions
1 tsp salt
3 TBSP green chilies

Mash some of the beans. Add shortening and water. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add spices and cook for another 5 minutes. Add green chilies and cheese. Mix well.

Assembly:

10 corn tortillas
1 cup grated cheddar cheese

Poor a little sauce into baking dish (I use a 7 x 11 pan, but any casserole or 9 x 13 pan will do) to cover bottom of pan. Warm corn tortillas; either by frying them in oil, or heating in a pan or microwave. Fill tortillas with cheese filling (it will be runny), and place in greased baking pan. Cover with remaining enchilada sauce, and grated cheddar cheese.

Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

From a package of Lynn Wilson corn tortillas.

Notes:

When I'm in a hurry, I skip warming the tortillas and make enchilada casserole. I just break the tortillas up and layer them with the cheese mixture and the sauce, ending with the sauce and topping with grated cheese.

I also like to mix in different kind of cheese when I have them. Queso Fresco, cottage cheese, Monterrey jack, whatever I have on hand.

You can skip the sauce and use your favorite canned enchilada sauce. Usually those are too spicey for my family, to it's easier to make our own (and to keep it very mild).

Monday, December 29, 2008

Tostadas

Ingredients:

6-8 tostada shells
(you can also buy soft corn tortillas and either pan fry them till crisp,
or coat them with oil and bake at 350 till crisp - about 10-15 minutes)
1 can refried beans
1/2 cup rice (I like brown)
1 cup water
taco sauce
olives (slice)
tomatoes (diced)
avocado
grated cheese
sour cream
lettuce
other taco toppings

Directions:

Boil 1 cup water and add 1/2 cup rice. Cook till water is absorbed.
Add refried beans and a little taco sauce. Heat through.
Prepare tostada shells (warm them or crisp them).

Spread a layer of bean filling on each tortilla.
My kids like to use the toppings to make faces on their tostadas.
Olives or tomatoes make good eyes and noses.
Taco sauce can be "drawn" on like a mouth.
Grated cheese looks kind of like hair.
This is probably my kids favorite way to eat beans. :)

Friday, November 14, 2008

Slow Cooker Vegetarian Taco Soup

Ingredients:

1 can Mexican-style diced tomatoes (I used Rotel - mild)
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 1/2 cups frozen corn
1 (15 oz) can Ranch Style pinto beans
1 large onion, chopped fine
1 tsp dried cilantro
2 TBSP powdered broth (optional)
1/2 tsp chili powder (more or less to taste)
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp thyme

Directions:
1. Combine all ingredients in slow cooker.
2. Simmer for 3 or more hours.
3. Serve with tortilla chips, grated cheese, sour cream
fresh tomatoes, olives, and other desired toppings.

slightly adapted from this recipe on Recipezaar

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Bean Burritos - Taco Time Style

Ingredients:
tortillas
refried beans (canned or homemade - I like Taco Bell fat free refried beans)
grated cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Spread refried beans on tortilla.
Put a little grated cheese on the beans.
Roll tortilla up and place on baking sheet.
- optional: spray outside of tortilla with cooking spray
Repeat with remaining ingredients.
Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until tortillas start to brown and burritos are heated through.
Serve with taco sauce.