Layered fiesta dip

serves 20 [2 T servings]

Ingredients:
2 ripe avocados
2 T Italian dressing [zesty preferred]
2 T lime juice
3/4 c salsa
1 c shredded lettuce
3/4 c mexican cheese
3 green onions, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
2 T black olives

Directions:
Mash avocados in small bowl. Add dressing & lime juice, mix well. Spread onto plate. Top with remaining ingredients. Refrigerate 30 mins or til chilled. Serve with tortilla chips

Corn salsa

This is one of my favorite salsa's EVER!
makes 3 cups

4 chopped tomatoes [1.5 lbs]
1 c cooked fresh corn kernals
1/4 c finely chopped red onion
1/4 c chopped fresh cilantro
1 finely chopped jalapeno pepper
1/4 c Italian dressing [zesty kind preferred]

Taco pizza

adapted from Kraft
serves 8

Ingredients:
1 lb lean ground beef
1 packet taco seasoning [optional]
1 c salsa [chunky preferred]
1 ready-to-use baked pizza crust
1 can refried beans
1 c mexican cheese
1 large tomato, sliced
2 c loosely torn mixed salad
2 T ranch or sour cream

Directions:
Heat oven to 400F.

Brown meat in large skillet; add taco seasoning as usual if desired. Stir in salsa. Spread beans and meat mixture onto pizza crust. Top with cheese and tomatoes. Place directly on rack.

Bake 10-12 mins or until crust is lightly browned and cheese is melted. Top with salad greens and dressing.

Cheddar Jalapeño Mashed Potatoes

A mexican twist on a classic

serves 10

Ingredients:
2 lbs baking potatoes (abt 6)
3 T flour
1 c milk
1 c sour cream
1 jalapeño pepper, chopped
1 c cheddar cheese

Directions:
Heat oven to 350F. Book potatoes in boiling water in saucepan 20 min or til tender; drain. Cool. Peel and slice potatoes. Whisk flour and milk in large bowl. Stir in sour cream and peppers. Add potatoes; stir to coat. Pour into 2 qt casserole sprayed; top w/ cheese. Bake 25-30 mins or til heated through.

Heidi's Chicken Enchiladas

From my sweet, SIL, Heidi.
serves about 12

12 – 14 flour tortillas
1- can green enchilada sauce
2- cans cream chicken soup
1- can milk (use one of the cream of chicken cans to measure out normal milk)
2- 4oz cans green chilies
chopped green onion (2Tish)
2 -cans black beans
1 -cup cooked rice
Some chicken (1 cup-ish)

Mix in bowl and add a little of your enchilada sauce.
Scoop into tortillas
I sprayed a little Pam on the bottom of my 13x9 pan but she didn’t say to.
Top with 1 can green enchilada sauce (minus the little you put in the mixture)
Sprinkle with grated cheese. She uses Monterey Jack mix from Costco, I had cheddar and it tasted great too.
Place the dish on a cookie sheet (those babies are crammed in there and spillage will happen) :O)
Bake at 350 for 45 minutes
If you have limes or lime juice put a little on after you plate it.

GF Tortillas

from G-Free Foodie

(note that a smaller size is easier to work with)

Tortilla Ingredients:
2 c Gluten Free All-Purpose Flour Mix*
1 1/2 t xanthan gum
2 t sugar
1 t salt
1 c warm water

*All-Purpose Flour Mix:
1 1/2 c brown rice flour
1 c soy flour (can substitute garbanzo, fava, sorghum)
3/4 c potato starch (can substitute corn, arrowroot)
3/4 c tapioca starch (can substitute corn, arrowroot)
1/2 c masa harina (can substitute almond meal)

Directions
Add dry ingredients to a large bowl, mix well. Add warm water and mix completely, using your hands (this will be sticky!). Separate dough into 8 pieces, and roll each piece into a ball. Store dough balls in a bowl under a damp towel while working with each individual ball.

Cut parchment paper to the same size as the bottom of your tortilla press, and lightly oil paper. Cut a matching piece for the top, and rub the two pieces together to transfer oil.

Place a ball of dough onto the bottom piece of parchment, top with the second piece, and press (or roll out). Immediately cook tortilla on a lightly oiled cast-iron griddle over medium heat. Turn the tortilla before you think you should (it does not take long), and be careful not to overcook, or they will turn out more like chips or crackers than lovely, soft tortillas!

If you are hand-rolling your tortillas, cut two pieces of parchment paper and oil as above. Place a ball of dough onto the bottom piece of paper, cover with the second piece, and, starting in the center of the dough, roll away from you with a rolling pin, turning the paper and dough 1/4 turn after each roll. Rolling the dough in this way should yield a mostly round tortilla of equal thickness throughout. Cook as above.

Shredded Chicken Nachos

from Pillsbury.com

Ingredients:
8 boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 oz. pkg. taco seasoning mix
15 oz. can pinto beans, drained
14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes
4.5 oz. can chopped green chiles
2 tablespoons lime juice
Tortilla chips

Topping suggestions:
Shredded mexican cheese mix
Sour cream
Salsa
Sliced green onions
Sliced olives (not our taste but others may like it)
Chopped fresh cilantro
1 lime, cut into 12 wedges

Directions:
1. Place (rinsed) chicken thighs in slow cooker. Sprinkle with taco seasoning mix. Top with beans, tomatoes, chiles and lime juice.
2. Cover; cook on Low setting for 7 to 8 hours.
3. Just before serving, place all topping ingredients in individual serving dishes. Shred chicken in slow cooker; mix ingredients together well.
4. To serve, have guests place chips on serving plates; spoon 1/2 cup chicken mixture onto chips. Top nachos with desired toppings. (I put nachos in the bottom of bowls, spooned the mixture on top, then topped with our toppings - perfect!)

Mashed potatoes with a flair

serves 6

Ingredients:
2 1/2 lbs (about 3 very large) potatoes
1/4 c milk
6 T butter
1/2 t salt
1/2 c salsa
1/2 c corn
1 c shredded cheddar
thinly sliced green onions, for garnish (optional)

Directions:
1. Place potatoes in large pot and cover w/ water. Bring to boil, then reduce to low and cook til tender, abt 20 mins.
2. Meanwhile, place milk, butter, and salt in a saucepan. Bring just to simmer over low heat- don't boil. Remove from heat and stir in salsa and corn.
3. When potatoes are cooked, drain well, then return them to pot. Shake pot over low heat for abt 30 secs to dry them out.
4. Remove potatoes from heat and add hot milk mixture. Mash potatoes til they're fluffy. Fold in cheese. Sprinkle w/ green onions (if desired).


Nutritional jazz: 340 cal; 18 f fat; 11 g sat fat; 51 mg cholesterol; 455 mg sodium; 915 mg Potassium; 36.5 g carbs; 9.6 g protein; 16.8% vitamin A; 3.7% vitamin b-12; 26% vitamin b-6; 31% vitamin C; 18% calcium; 13% copper; 14% folate; 12% iron; 13.6% magnesium; 19% manganese; 12% niacin; 23% phosphorus; 11% riboflavin; 7.8% thiamin; 8.6% zinc

Sweet Pork Burritos

Have to post this one after eating at Kera's tonight. Yummy! Will be trying again sometime!

Sides to include:
Tortillas (of course)
Cilantro Lime Rice (recipe at the end)
Sweet pork
Green Chile Enchilada sauce
cheese (I like Mexican blend best)
lettuce
Pico De Gallo or salsa

Sweet Pork
4 lb. pork roast (I used a rump)
2 cups brown sugar
1 (12-14 oz.) jar salsa
2 cans Coke (24 oz. or 2 1/2 cups)

Cook meat with stuff listed above in crockpot. Low setting 8 hrs. Shred pork.

Cilantro Lime Rice
3 cups cooked rice
juice of 2 small limes
zest of 1 lime
1/2 cup cilantro
1 teaspoon salt

Mix all ingredients together and enjoy.

SW Mini Crescent Burritos

From Pillsbury

makes 12 mini burritos

Ingredients:
1 box (9 oz) Green Giant® frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed to drain
1 c shredded cooked chicken breast
1/2 c canned black beans, drained, rinsed
1/2 c frozen corn
1 c shredded pepper Jack cheese (4 oz)
1 package (1 oz) taco seasoning mix
2 cans (8 oz each) crescent dinner rolls (16 rolls)
1 Egg White, beaten
3/4 c sour cream
3/4 c salsa

Directions:
1.Heat oven to 375°F. In large bowl, mix spinach, chicken, beans, corn, cheese and taco seasoning mix; set aside.

2. Unroll 1 can of crescent dough; press perforations to seal. Press or roll into 13x9-inch rectangle. Cut rectangle in half lengthwise, then cut crosswise into thirds to make 6 squares.

3. Spoon about 1/4 cup spinach mixture onto center of each square. Bring up one side of dough over filling and roll up, folding in sides as you roll. Pinch seam to seal. On ungreased cookie sheet, place rolls seam sides down and 2 inches apart. Repeat with second can of dough and remaining spinach mixture. Brush rolls with egg white.

4. Bake 14 to 18 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Cool 10 minutes. Serve warm with sour cream and salsa.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Ingredients:
16 oz can corn
1-2 cans of pinto or red beans
1/3 c salsa
2 c chopped cooked chicken
2 16 oz can diced tomatoes
4 c chicken broth
2 T taco seasoning

Combine all together and simmer for 30 mins. Top with sour cream and cheese if desired.

Easy Chicken Enchiladas

Got this one because of the fabulous Monica's Philadelphia cooking party :-)
serves 4

Ingredients:
1 small onion, chopped
2 t oil
3 c shredded cooked chicken breasts
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, drained
1 tub (10 oz) Philadelphia Santa Fe Blend Cooking Creme
1/2 c Mexican blend cheese
8 flour tortillas (6 inch)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350
Cook & stir onion in hot oil in skillet on medium heat 4-5 mins or until crisp-tender. Stir in chicken, tomatoes, 3/4 c cooking creme and shredded cheese.
Spoon about 1/3 c of chicken mixture into tortilla; roll up. Place in 13x9 inch baking dish sprayed w/ cooking spray; top with remaining cooking creme. Cover.
Bake 15-20 minutes or until heated through. Top with chopped tomatoes and sliced green onions if desired.

Chicken Tortilla Bake

From Kraft Recipes

serves 8

Ingredients:
1/2 c Mayo (it calls for Miracle Whip, but I don't like Miracle Whip, so I use Kraft Mayo)
1/2 c Flour
3 c Milk
1 pkg. (8 oz.) Shredded Cheddar Cheese, divided
1-1/2 lb. Boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked, cut into bite-size pieces
1/2 c Chunky Salsa
1/2 c chopped fresh parsley
16 Flour tortillas (6 inch)

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 375°F.

2. Mix dressing and flour in medium saucepan with whisk until well blended. Gradually stir in milk. Bring to boil on medium heat, stirring constantly; cook and stir until thickened. Add 1 cup cheese; cook until melted, stirring constantly. Reserve 1 cup sauce.

3. Stir chicken, salsa and parsley into remaining sauce; spoon 1/3 cup down center of each tortilla. Roll up. Place 8 roll-ups, seam-sides down, in each of 2 (13x9-inch) baking dishes sprayed with cooking spray; top with reserved sauce and remaining cheese.

4. Bake 25 min. or until heated through.

Layered Enchilada Bake

From Kraft Recipes

serves 8

Ingredients:
1 lb. Lean ground beef
1 large Onion, chopped
2 c Chunky Salsa
1 c (15 oz.) black beans, rinsed
1/4 c Italian Dressing (it calls for Zesty Italian, but regular Italian works fine)
2 T Taco Seasoning Mix
6 Flour tortillas (8 inch)
1 cup Sour Cream
1 pkg. (8 oz.) Mexican Style Finely Shredded Four Cheese

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 400ºF.

2. Brown meat with onions in large skillet on medium-high heat; drain. Stir in next 4 ingredients.

3. Arrange 3 tortillas in single layer on bottom of 13x9-inch baking dish. Cover with layers of half each meat mixture, sour cream and cheese. Repeat layers; cover.

4. Bake 40 min. or until casserole is heated through and cheese is melted, uncovering after 30 min. Let stand 5 min.


Tips:
Make Ahead
Line 13x9-inch baking dish with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides of dish. Assemble recipe in prepared dish as directed. Cover with foil. Freeze up to 3 months. When ready to serve, heat oven to 400ºF. Bake, covered, 1 hour. Remove foil. Bake an additional 15 to 20 min. or until casserole is heated through and cheese is melted. Let stand 5 min. before cutting to serve. To decrease the baking time, thaw frozen casserole in refrigerator overnight, then bake, uncovered, 45 min. or until casserole is heated through and cheese is melted.

Serving Suggestion
Top with chopped tomatoes, shredded lettuce and cilantro.

Guacamole

from SimplyRecipes

Serves 2-4

Tip: Check for ripeness by gently pressing the outside of the avocado. If there is no give, the avocado is not ripe yet and will not taste good. If there is a little give, the avocado is ripe. If there is a lot of give, the avocado may be past ripe and not good. In this case, taste test first before using.

Ingredients:
* 2 ripe avocados
* about 1/8 of a red onion, diced finely (or a little bit of dried, diced onion)
* 1-2 serrano chiles, stems and seeds removed, minced
* 1/2 tablespoon cilantro leaves, finely chopped (to taste)
* 1 tablespoon of fresh lime or lemon juice
* 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
* A dash of freshly grated black pepper
* 1/2 ripe tomato, seeds and pulp removed, chopped

Garnish with red radishes or jicama if desired. Serve with tortilla chips.

Directions:
1. Cut avocados in half. Remove seed. Scoop out avacado from the peel, put in a mixing bowl. (See How to Cut and Peel an Avocado.)

2. Using a fork, mash the avocado. Add the chopped onion, cilantro, lime or lemon, salt and pepper and mash some more. Chili peppers vary individually in their hotness. So, start with a half of one chili pepper and add to the guacamole to your desired degree of hotness. Be careful handling the peppers; wash your hands thoroughly after handling and do not touch your eyes or the area near your eyes with your hands for several hours.

Keep the tomatoes separate until ready to serve.

Remember that much of this is done to taste because of the variability in the fresh ingredients. Start with this recipe and adjust to your taste.

3. Cover with plastic wrap directly on the surface of the guacamole to prevent oxidation from the air reaching it. Refrigerate until ready.

4. Just before serving, add the chopped tomato to the guacamole and mix.

Black Bean Salsa

From my sister-in-law, Kera

5 medium tomatoes
3 large avocados
1 can black beans
1 can whole kernel corn
3 green onions
1/2 bunch cilantro
1 lime (zest and juice)
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 T chili powder
1 T taco seasoning
1 t garlic
1 t cumin
1/3 c Italian dressing

1 bag of tortilla chips

Chop tomatoes into bite-size chunks.
Drain and rinse beans and corn.
Dice green onion and cilantro
Add everything together in a bowl and combine with seasonings.

This is better if you can mix this all together the day before.
Right before serving peel and cut avocado into bite size chunks.

Serve with tortilla chips or on top tacos or quesadillas.

Carnitas

From Pioneer Woman's Tasty Kitchen

Ingredients:
3 lbs Boneless Pork Roast
3 c Chicken Stock Or Broth (low Sodium)
2 T Granulated Garlic Powder
2 T Onion Powder
2 T Ground Cumin
1 T Chili Powder
1 T All Spice
1 T Black Pepper

Directions:
Place pork roast in the bottom of the crock pot. Mix all the spices in a bowl to combine. Sprinkle half of the spices over the pork roast and turn the roast and pour remaining spices on top. Next, pour the chicken broth or stock around the outsides of the roast, trying to keep as much of the seasoning on the roasts as possible.

Put the lid on and set for 8 hours (low). Most importantly, don’t touch it throughout the cooking time. When it’s finished cooking, take two forks and shred the meat in the crock pot and let it soak up some of the juice.

At this point, you can either serve it in tortillas with your favorite fixings or you can transfer some to a large pan with a little olive oil and onions and put a little bit of a crisp on the carnitas. It only takes a few minutes tossing it around at medium-high heat. Makes wonderful tacos!

Enjoy!

Bean Burritos (copy cat recipe- Taco Bell)

Serves about 10

10 flour tortillas
2 cans of refried beans
1 can of red enchilada sauce (I only used about 3/4 of the can)
2-3 T of dried, minced onion
shredded cheese (Mexican cheese, Monterrey Jack or mild cheddar tastes best)

Cook stove top the beans, adding enough red sauce until the right consistency (you'll want to make sure you warm up a the beans a bit so that they get less clumpy and that makes it easier to make sure that you add the right amount of red sauce- you could probably use the whole can and have it be fine, but I only added 3/4 of the can). Add onion (to taste). Warm thoroughly. Once warmed spoon abt 3 (large) spoonfuls on tortillas. Top w/ cheese. Fold in bottom and then sides, and enjoy!

Taco Soup

A family favorite and easy to make. The kids always love it.
Serves 8-12

2 lbs hamburger
1 medium onion
1 packet taco seasoning
1 can black beans
1 can red kidney beans
1 can chili beans
1 can corn
1 can mexicorn
3 cans diced tomatoes
1 can of diced green chiles
Tortilla chips (optional)
sour cream (optional)
shredded cheese (optional)

Fry the ground beef. Then when browned, drain off the fat. Then add the diced onion. After the onion is browned add to large pot. Then add packet of taco seasoning.
Stir, and then begin to add beans, tomatoes, and corn. DO NOT drain. Pour all contents of can in. Set to low, continuously stirring. Finally when warm enough, pour into separate bowls and add cheese and sour cream and eat with a spoon or tortilla chips

**To make gluten/ casein free make the taco seasoning recipe linked above and skip on the tortilla chips, sour cream & cheese**

For freezer meal simply defrost and reheat in pan or microwave.

Chimichagas! Ole!

This is a weight watcher recipe I swear. It is awesome! My kids all scarfed it down- I would say it's pretty kid friendly in general even for pickier eaters, and you could easily "hide veggies" in it without them being any the wiser. I got it from my ol' neighbor, Jen. She is so awesome!

2 spray(s) cooking spray
1/2 pound(s) lean ground turkey (or chicken)
16 oz fat-free canned refried beans
1 3/4 cup(s) salsa
4 1/2 oz canned green chili peppers, mild, drained and diced
1 tsp chili powder
3 tbsp scallion(s), thinly sliced
1 cup(s) shredded reduced-fat Monterey Jack cheese
8 large burrito-size wheat flour tortilla(s)
1 cup(s) salsa
1/2 cup(s) fat-free sour cream



Preheat oven to 350ºF. Coat a large skillet with cooking spray. Coat a 13- X 9- X 2-inch baking dish with cooking spray.


Add turkey to skillet and cook over medium-high heat until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Drain any excess liquid from pan and then add beans, 1 3/4 cups of salsa, chili peppers, chili powder and scallions. Cook until heated through, about 3 minutes; stir in cheese.


Meanwhile, wrap tortillas in foil; warm in oven for 10 minutes.


Assemble chimichangas by spooning about 1/2 cup of turkey mixture onto each tortilla; fold in sides and roll up.


Place chimichangas, seam-side down, in prepared baking dish. Bake, uncovered, until tortillas are crisp and browned, about 20 minutes. Serve each topped with 2 tablespoons of salsa and 1 tablespoon of sour cream.