Salsa Verde Enchiladas

Ok, so I take no credit for these. I got these, again, from my mother-in-law, who got them from a neighbor. But they are so easy and so good that they deserve another shout out. Plus, the blog needed something! My oldest son started kindergarten, which I didn't realize would take over my life, and then I've battled a not so awesome three + months of pregnancy which has made trying new recipes not a great idea.

So I'm passing along one of our go-tos! Give it a try and let me know what you think.

http://afoodieinutah.blogspot.com/2010/11/salsa-verde-chicken-enchiladas.html

I have found that the brand of salsa makes a big difference. Not a better/worse, but you'll need to decide what you like!

Serve with this...

http://afoodieinutah.blogspot.com/2010/08/cilantro-lime-rice.html

or a packet of Lipton Rice- Taco flavor! SO GOOD!

A Good Summertime Go-To

I love trying new foods, especially when they come from a reliable source and know they'll be good. Here's the newest one I love!

Fish Tacos with Lime Cilantro Crema

We made these with chicken, cause I had that on hand, and they were awesome! I will try tilapia next.

I also grilled the chicken instead of baking, to save ourselves from the summertime heat and it worked perfect.

Let me know what you think and give me any new good recipes to try!

My New Favorite

So we've been in a major boring cycle of eating the same things over and over that are easy and stuff I don't have to think to much about. But in the mix of those, we've been eating THIS a lot. My mother-in-law tried it and I fell in love and now we make it all the time.

On her link it shows the stove top way. I've made it in the crock pot and it works out just fine as long as you have that extra cup of water with the juices for the last few steps.

Give this one a try and don't forget the queso fresco!

Tortilla and Black Bean Pie

I got this recipe from my really great friend, Whitney. We've loved it and it's one of those fun ones you can make with whatever you want. This is the vegetarian version, but it would be good with some seasoned ground beef or shredded chicken. It goes together fairly quickly and has lots of great flavor. We served ours with some fresh guacamole, but you could top it with anything.

Recipe:
4 flour tortillas
1 jalepeno- minced (for less heat, take out ribs and seeds)
1/2 onion- diced
2 garlic cloves- minced
1/2 tsp cumin
2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed (we used one black, one red- it added good color)
1 1/2 c water
1 can corn-drained
2 1/2 c cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease 9" pie pan. Heat 2 T oil in skillet. Add onion, jalepeno, garlic and cumin. Season with a little salt and pepper, cooking til onion and pepper are soft. Add beans and water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until almost all the water is absorbed and then stir in the corn. Remove from heat. Layer in you pie pan, tortilla, 1/4 of the bean mixture, then cheese. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Bake for 20-25 min, until heated through and cheese is melted. Serve sliced into wedges with whatever you want!

You can make this in the morning and refrigerate until ready to cook. Just add 5 minutes to cooking time. Great if dinner time is always busy time!

Smothered Pork Burritos

I think this would be Kev's favorite meal and definitely one of mine too. Every time we eat it, we think of something new to try and it always turns out great! The long recipe may seem like a lot of work, but it pulls together faster than it looks and the meat cooks in the crock pot. Worth every minute of work though!

You'll need:
1 recipe of shredded pork

1 recipe lime rice

2 cups shredded cheese, we like Pepper Jack, but Colby Jack and Cheddar are also great.

8-10 flour tortillas and we highly recommend the ones you cook yourself!

PORK: (We like pork , but I've used chicken and beef would be great too)

3 lb pork roast- buy whatever is the cheapest!

1 lg can of green chile enchilada sauce

1 med onion- diced

1 tsp kosher salt

4 crushed garlic cloves

1 sm can green chiles

1/2 bunch chopped cilantro

Pour half the enchilada sauce in the bottom of the crockpot. Put in the meat. Cover the meat with all the remaining ingredients. The pour the rest of the sauce over the top. Cook on low for 8 hours. Pull meat out and allow to rest. Puree the sauce in a blender, which sounds like a pain, but it needs it. I've tried without and the flavors don't meld quite as well. If the sauce still needs a little thickening, just reduce it in a saucepan on the stove. Shred the meat and mix with about a 1/2 cup of the sauce.

Lime Rice (we've also used Taco Rice, which is a Lipton Rice packet. That's really good too, just depending on the flavor you want.)
3 c chicken broth
1 1/2 cups rice
2 tsp lime zest
2 garlic cloves- crushed
1 T butter
black pepper
Cook all ingredients together, either in a rice cooker, or according to rice directions. When finished, stir in the juice of one lime and 2 T chopped cilantro.

Assembly:
Cover the bottom of a greased 9x13 pan with sauce from meat. In a tortilla layer 1/4 cup rice, 1/4 cup meat and sprinkle with cheese. Roll or fold and place in pan. Repeat with all the tortillas. Pour sauce over the top of the finished burritos. You probably won't need it all, but there's no shame if you want to. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 min or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Fajita Tostadas

I realize I've posted about tostadas before, but this is a twist on the original. Delicious and easy, and that's my biggest goal in cooking, so why not?!

I actually got this from a friend's blog and she got it from her friend, that I don't know. I've made my own adjustments and have loved this meal every time I've made it.

You start by roasting the veggies and chicken with some corn and salsa.

Then melt some cheese and brown up your tostada shells

Then assemble with all the fixings.

It really is as good as it looks.
Not judging by the photography of course.

This time around I forgot that I didn't have any chicken and didn't have time to go to the store. So we skipped out on chicken and I just added beans to the veggies when I roasted them. I also tossed my onion and pepper in a marinade for an hour or so before hand. Both changes worked out beautifully!

Recipe:

1 med onion- sliced

1 bell pepper- sliced (we love red or yellow the best)

1 box of frozen corn or one can of corn, drained

about 1 cup prepared salsa- you can use jarred or bottled, but fresh, like pico de gallo, is best

olive oil

1-2 cups cooked and shredded chicken, depends on how meaty you like your meal, we like less so the veggies can shine

6 corn tortillas or tostada shells

1 c cheese, cheddar or pepper jack are good choices for this

Move rack to highest setting, under the broiler and preheat the oven to 450. Line a baking sheet with foil and put your onion, pepper, corn, and about 1/2 cup of salsa on the foil. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and toss together. Roast veggies, tossing occasionally until tender and lightly browned. That takes about 15-20 minutes. Add the chicken, toss and roast an additional five minutes. Transfer all that into a bowl and discard foil.

Now you can use tostada shells and sprinkle with grated cheese and toast. Or you can use tortillas. Brush them with olive oil. Bake until lightly toasted, then sprinkle with cheese and continue baking until the cheese melts.

Then top the tostadas with the chicken and veggies and then top like you would a fajita. Lettuce, tomatoes, guacamole, sour cream, and your remaining salsa. So good!

Turkey Tacos

Don't let the turkey scare you away. It cooks up just like ground beef and tastes great! My friend from work that suggested them, his wife doesn't eat red meat, so this is a great alternative. I'd never used ground turkey before, but I really liked it and may start throwing it some of my other dishes.

This was a nice toss up to the traditional taco seasoning taco. It was a little sweet but still a lot of good flavor. I didn't add the dried cranberries, I was going to, but it was the last thing on my list and they weren't where I thought they were at the store and my kids were done with the shopping thing. Maybe next time. If you like that sort of thing, I'm sure it would add another level of flavor, and good color.

Turkey Tacos:
1 lb ground turkey
1 pkg taco seasoning
3/4 c water
3/4 c green onions
1 T sugar
1 T apple cider vinegar
1/2 c dried cranberries
4 tsp chopped cilantro

Cook turkey until browned. Drain off fat. Stir in all the other ingredients except cilantro and cranberries. Cover and cook over med-low heat, simmering for two minutes. Uncover and stir in cilantro and cranberries. Simmer five more minutes. Serve on a tortillas with sour cream, cheese, guacomole, lettuce, tomatoes, etc.

Spicy Black Bean Enchiladas

This is a pretty quick and easy enchilada recipe. I've tweaked a few things to make it a little more our style.
Recipe:
8 flour tortillas *I highly recommend the uncooked tortillas*
2 15 oz cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 pkg enchilada seasoning
2/3 c water (this wasn't quite enough, I think I'd go closer to 3/4)
1 10 oz can enchilada seasoning- we like medium, if you can handle the heat!
1 c sour cream
shredded cheese- the pepper jack I used turned out really good, but use whatever you have or like

In skillet, mix water and seasoning packet, then stir in the beans. Let that simmer til the sauce thickens and beans are tender. Remove from heat and stir in 1/2 cup of sour cream.
Assemble the enchiladas by spreading 2 T enchilada sauce on the tortilla, 1/4 c bean mixture and sprinkle with cheese. Roll and put in greased 9x13, seam side down. Repeat with the remaining 7 tortillas. Pour remaining enchilada sauce over the top of rolled tortillas.
Cover and bake for 15 minutes at 375. Uncover and sprinkle the top with cheese, bake an additional 5 minutes. Serve with remaining sour cream.

**This is a great dish to make ahead and then refrigerate until you are ready to eat. Just add an additional 10 minutes of baking time to warm through!

Corn Salsa

I got this recipe from my mother-in-law and it is always a hit. I made it the other night for a get-together and everyone wanted the recipe! It's great for this time of year when tomatoes are in season.

(Sorry, this was taken after the event)

Corn Salsa:

3-5 tomatoes

2 c frozen corn (or fresh if you are that ambitious)

1 bunch of cilantro

1 bunch of green onions

1 can black beans- drained and rinsed

1 pkt dry Italian seasoning

1/2 c apple cider vinegar

1/4 c oil

Put tomatoes, cilantro and onions in a food processor, each seperately scraping into a bowl when finished. Mix with corn and beans. Mix vinegar, oil and seasoning in processor and stir into salsa. Chill at least one hour before serving.

Red Chile Chicken with Rice and Black Beans

I saw this recipe on My Kitchen Cafe and it looked pretty good. And I always like meals that are one pot. Less dishes are always a good thing.


It turned out really good and even warmed up great for lunch the next day. A little sour cream and homemade guacamole on the side topped it off great. Go here for the full recipe.

Tostadas

A while back I was scrambling to get the menu made, again. Kev suggested we try tostadas. I'm not a huge fan of corn tortillas, but I thought we could give it a whirl. He always eats what I cook without a single complaint, so I thought it was only fair to take and try one of his ideas.

Now, they are one of my favorite go-to meals. We eat these all the time. They are so quick and easy and we usually have the ingredients on hand. Even my mom, whom we lovingly gave the nick-name of 'food-snob', likes these.

Start with tostadas, refried beans and shredded cheese.

Assemble like so and put them under a broiler until they are bubbly and melted, like so.

My boys don't like tostadas. I don't know why, they are just picky eaters and just don't. So they felt left out when their dinner wasn't being photographed. So here is one of their lovely bowls of mac and cheese, straight out of the box.

Here is our delicious dinner. A bit better than mac and cheese and just about as easy. We topped ours with what we had on hand. Tomatoes, olives, green onions and corn. But you can do whatever you like. Put all your favorite things on top and then dig in!