Homemade Taco Seasoning

Ingredients

• 1 part chili powder
• 1 part ground cumin
• 1 part garlic powder
• 1 part onion powder
• 1/4 – 1/2 part crushed red pepper

Directions

1. Mix all the spices together and store in an airtight container.
2. Use sparingly. Or liberally!

Spicy Avocado Chicken Enchiladas

 

Yield: serves 4

Recipe Note: To make these as Spicy as their name, leave in the seeds in the Serrano Pepper and use a "medium" Salsa Verde. For those without the love of heat, seed the Serrano Pepper and use a "mild" Salsa Verde.

Ingredients:

for the sauce:
1 tablespoon butter
1 Serrano pepper, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp flour
1 cup chicken stock
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 cup medium salsa verde
1/2 cup fat free sour cream
for the enchiladas:
3 cups chopped cooked chicken breasts (about 4 breasts)
8 oz Cabot Monterrey Jack Cheese, shredded & divided
1 small yellow onion, chopped
3 avocados, peeled and chopped
8-10 flour tortillas

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°F.
In a medium sauce pan, melt butter over medium-high heat. Saute serrano pepper and garlic, for 1 minute. Stir in flour, constantly stirring, and cook for 2 minutes. Whisk in the chicken broth, cumin, salt and pepper and bring to a low boil. Once boiling, whisk in the sour cream, salsa verde and cilantro. Remove from heat.
Spray/grease a 9×13 baking dish. Add 3/4 cup sauce to the bottom of the pan. Add chicken, Cabot Monterrey Jack Cheese, onion and avocado to the center of each tortilla and roll, placing seam-side down in the dish. Pour the remaining sauce over the enchiladas. Top with leftover cheese and bake for 15-20 minutes or until bubbling. Serve immediately.


*photo courtesy of ww.thenovicechefblog.com

Beef Taco Salad with Chunky Tomato Dressing

Ingredients

For the Meat:

• 3/4 pound lean ground beef (90 percent lean or higher)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (15.5-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, plus more to taste
• 1/3 cup water

For the dressing:

• 4 medium tomatoes, diced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the salad:

• 2 hearts romaine lettuce, chopped
• 1/2 cup grated Cheddar
• 2 ounces baked corn tortilla chips (about 32 chips)

Directions

To prepare the meat, heat a large skillet over a medium-high heat. Add the beef and cook until no longer pink, stirring occasionally and breaking the meat up with the spoon. Add the garlic and beans and cook for 2 minutes more. Add the chili powder, cayenne and water and stir until well combined and some but not all of the liquid has been absorbed. Remove from the heat and allow the mixture to cool slightly. Meat mixture may be made up to 3 days ahead and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

To make the tomato dressing, in a medium bowl, combine tomatoes (with their juices), oil, lime juice, salt and pepper. Dressing may be prepared up to 2 days ahead and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Place 2 cups of lettuce on each plate or in a lunch container. Top each serving with 1 cup of the beef mixture then sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of cheese. If making to-go, pack 3/4 cup of the tomato mixture in a separate sealable container and put about 8 chips in a separate bag. Right before eating, pour a portion of the tomato mixture with the liquid on top of each salad, and crush tortilla chips on top.

Easy Pico-de-Gallo

3 tomatoes, diced
1/2 bunch of cilantro, minced
1/2 sweet onion, minced
1 section of green pepper, minced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
about 1/3-1/2 cup vinegar (use your best judgement)
salt and pepper

Mix it up really well and refrigerate. I put my pico in a Tupperware and shook it up really well right before serving to re-mix.

Cafe Rio Tomatillo Dressing

1 pkg. Ranch dressing mix
3 tomatillos (remove papery skin), rough chop
1 cup mayo
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup (or more) cilantro, rough chop
3 cloves garlic
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp green Tabasco sauce
juice from 1 lime

Dump everything in a blender and blend until smooth. Refrigerate in air-tight container (or your entire fridge will smell like garlic and cilantro).

Cafe Rio Pork Barbacoa

Total cooking time: 18 hours

5-6 lb. pork roast
1 liter Dr. Pepper (or Coke, do NOT use diet soda)
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
1 clove garlic, minced
7 oz. can chipotle chilies in adobo sauce
6 oz. red taco sauce (I used hot)
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper


Place roast in crock-pot, cover half-way with water and cook on low for 12 hours. (I started my Pork Adventure at 6pm on Saturday and everything worked out perfectly for Sunday dinner.) After 12 hours, drain pork. Remove fat if any.

Mix remaining ingredients until sugar dissolves. I didn’t keep the actual chilies, I dumped the can into a bowl and added enough Dr. Pepper to get all the sauce off of the chilies, then I tossed them. I also rinsed out the can with Dr. Pepper for more adobo goodness. My version had a fairly good kick to it, but if you LOVE hotness, then blend everything + 2 or 3 chilies in the blender. (Also, the adobo sauce tends to stain plastic, using a glass or metal mixing bowl will make your clean-up of adobo sauce considerably less frustrating).

Add Dr. Pepper mixture to the roast and cook on low an additional 4 hours.

Take out roast and shred, add back into sauce and cook for 2-4 more hours. At this point the meat was so tender it practically shredded itself.

My sauce had too much liquid (from Dr. Pepper) so I let it cook on low in the crock pot without the lid for about 1 supervised hour to let the extra moisture evaporate.

Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad

Ingredients

• Dressing:
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 2/3 cup light sour cream
• 1 tablespoon minced chipotle chile, canned in adobo sauce
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 4 teaspoons fresh lime juice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 
  Salad:
• 4 cups shredded romaine lettuce
• 2 cups chopped roasted skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 2 breasts)
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 cup diced peeled avocado
• 1/3 cup thinly vertically sliced red onion
• 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (8 3/4-ounce) can no-salt-added whole-kernel corn, rinsed and drained

Preparation

To prepare dressing, combine first 7 ingredients, stirring well.

To prepare salad, combine lettuce and remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Drizzle dressing over salad; toss gently to coat. Serve immediately.

Tip: Add a spoonful of adobo sauce for a spicier salad. Kidney or pinto beans also taste great in this dish.

What to do with left over roast?

Turn it into Tacos!

Shred meat and add hot rotel dip with chilies (or mild if you have little ones) heat in a crock pot til warm. Serve over soft or hard shells.

Cheesiest Fried Chicken Empanadas with Chili Con Queso Dip

Recipe courtesy Paula Deen

Ingredients

• 3 cups chopped, cooked chicken, about 4 to 5 chicken breasts
• 1 (8-ounce) package shredded colby and Monterey Jack cheese blend
• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 chopped red bell pepper
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 (15-ounce) package refrigerated pie crusts
• Water

Directions

Preheat vegetable oil in a deep-fryer to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl using a rubber spatula, combine the chicken, colby and Monterey cheese, cream cheese, red pepper, jalapeno, cumin, salt, and pepper. Remove 1 pie crust from pie tin onto a lightly floured surface and roll into a 15-inch circle. Cut out rounds, using a 3-inch cookie cutter. Re-roll dough as needed. Repeat procedure with remaining pie crusts, making 12 to 15 circles total. Arrange 1 round on a clean, flat surface. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the edges of crust with water. Place 1 heaping teaspoon of chicken mixture in the center of the round. Fold the dough over the filling, pressing the edges with a fork to seal. Repeat with the remaining rounds and chicken mixture. Place empanadas in deep-fryer for 3 to 5 minutes or until golden brown. Top with con queso dip.

Note: Up to this point, the recipe can be made ahead and frozen for up to 1 month.

• Chili Con Queso Dip
• 1 pound package Cheddar (recommended: Velveeta)
• 1 (16-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 (4-ounce) can diced green chiles
• 2 teaspoons hot sauce

In a medium sauce pot, slowly melt Cheddar over medium/low heat. When cheese is fully melted add tomatoes, chiles, and hot sauce, stirring with spoon until combined well.

Pour cheese dip into a small casserole dish and serve as a dip for the cheesy empanadas or pour on top for a real cheesy effect.

Poblano Stuffed with Chorizo, Shrimp and Rice

Recipe courtesy Guy Fieri

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1/2 pound Mexican-style chorizo
• 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 green bell pepper, diced
• 1 jalapeno, minced
• 1 red onion, diced
• 2 tablespoons garlic, minced
• 1 cup short-grain rice
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken stock
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1/2 cup water
• 4 large, fresh poblano chiles
• 1 pound shrimp, shelled, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 3/4 cup Cheddar, shredded
• 3/4 cup Jack cheese, shredded

Directions

In a medium saucepan, heat oil and chorizo, cook for 3 minutes. Add peppers, jalapeno, onions and garlic. Cook until translucent, then add rice and cook until all the grains of the rice are coated with oil. Add all liquids and stir over high heat for 3 minutes, cover and reduce heat to low. Check rice for doneness after 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Place poblano chiles on baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. Once cool, cut top 1/4 of chile off and remove ribs and seeds.

When rice is finished cooking, fluff with fork and stir in shrimp. Stuff chiles with 1/6 of the rice mixture. Place all the chiles on baking sheet and place into oven for 10 minutes. Remove from oven, mix cheeses together and cover pepper with cheese. Broil for 3 minutes to melt and brown the cheese.

Chorizo, Bean and Cheese Nachos

Courtesy of Emeril

Ingredients

• 1 pound Mexican chorizo, removed from casings and crumbled
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 cups cooked pinto beans
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Water
• Homemade Tortilla Chips, recipe below, or large, restaurant style corn tortilla chips
• 1 1/2 cups grated pepper jack
• 1 1/2 cups grated sharp cheddar
• 1 small white onion, sliced into thin rings
• 5 large jalapenos, stemmed, seeded, and chopped, or to taste
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• Chopped fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish

Directions

In a large skillet, cook the chorizo, garlic, and cumin, stirring, over medium-high heat until the sausage is browned and the fat is rendered, about 5 minutes. Remove and drain on paper towels. To the fat in the pan, add the pinto beans, chili powder, salt, and 1 to 1 1/2 cups water (depending on the moisture in the beans). Cook over medium heat until warmed through, smashing with the back of a heavy wooden spoon or potato masher until chunky/smooth. Remove from the heat.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

On a large, oval ovenproof platter or in a large baking dish, spread 1 layer of chips. Top with a layer of 1/2 of the beans, then 1/2 of the sausage, cheeses, onion rings, and chopped jalapenos. Repeat with another layer of chips, beans, sausage, cheese, onions and jalapenos. Bake until the cheeses are melted and the mixture is hot, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove from the oven.

In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream and lime juice, with a pinch of salt. Drizzle over the nachos, garnish with cilantro, and serve immediately.

Homemade Tortilla Chips:

9 corn tortillas, cut into quarters

4 cups corn or vegetable oil

Essence, recipe follows

In a large, heavy saucepan, heat the oil to 360 degrees F.

In batches, add the tortillas to the oil, being careful not to overcrowd, and cook until golden brown, turning once, about 1 minute. Remove and drain on paper towels. Season lightly with Essence. Serve warm or use to make nachos.

Yield: 3 dozen chips

Essence (Emeril's Creole Seasoning):

• 2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.

Yield: about 2/3 cup

Chunky Guacamole

Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence

Ingredients

• 4 ripe avocados
• 3 limes, juiced
• 1/2 red onion, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 serrano chiles, sliced thinly
• 1 big handful fresh cilantro, finely chopped
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Halve and pit the avocados. Scoop out the flesh with a tablespoon into a mixing bowl. Mash the avocados with a fork, leaving them somewhat chunky. Add the remaining ingredients, and fold everything together to gently mix. Lay a piece of plastic wrap right on the surface of the guacamole so it doesn't brown and refrigerate 1 hour before serving.

Smoked Gouda-Chorizo Jalapeno Poppers

Recipe courtesy Sunny Anderson

Ingredients

• 2 links Mexican chorizo, casings removed
• 1/2 pound smoked gouda, shredded
• 1/4 cup finely chopped red onions
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup cream cheese
• 3 tablespoons sour cream
• 1 tablespoon hot sauce (recommended: Frank's Red Hot)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 12 large jalapeno peppers, stemmed, seeded and halved

Directions

Special Equipment: parchment paper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Brown chorizo in a skillet over medium-high heat, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and place into a large mixing bowl. Add the cheese, red onion, egg, cream cheese, sour cream, hot sauce, and salt and pepper, to taste. Press into jalapeno halves and assemble on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake until golden and bubbly, about 20 minutes.

Yummy Guacamole

Ingredients

Guacamole

Avocado 3 each

Tomato (diced) 1 each

Red Onion (diced) ½ each

Lime for Juice 1 each

Cilantro 3 Tbls

Jalapeño (diced) 1 each (deseeded)

Sour Cream ¼ cup

Preparation

Place all ingredients in a bowl and mash using a whisk.

Salt and pepper to taste.

Z' Tejas Grilled Shrimp Tostada Bites

Guacamole

Ingredients

3 Avocados

1 Tomato (diced)

1/2 Red Onion (diced)

1 Lime for Juice

3 TB Cilantro

1 Jalapeño (diced) (deseeded)

1/4 C Sour Cream

Preparation

Place all ingredients in a bowl and mash using a whisk.

Salt and pepper to taste.

Grilled Shrimp

Ingredients

Shrimp (peeled/deveined) 24 each

Cilantro Pesto 1 cup

Guacamole

Chipotle Puree ¼ cup

Preparation

Marinate shrimp with cilantro pesto and place on skewers. Grill approx 2 minutes per side. Using your favorite chip, place a dollop of guacamole then chipotle puree then top with shrimp.

Fiesta Corn Dip

1 can of corn

1 can of rotel

1 can of black beans

1 tsp of cumin

juice of 1 lime

stir together and place in refrigerator for one hour. serve with fritos or crackers.

7 Layer Dip

Serves 6

INGREDIENTS

1/3 pound dried baby lima beans, soaked in water for 24 hours
16 oz homemade vegetable stock (see recipe)
2 large red beets, stems removed
1 teaspoon safflower oil, divided
3 small whole wheat tortillas, cut into thin triangular strips
3 cups cauliflower florets
3 cups nonfat milk
10 shrimp, peeled and deveined
½ cup fat free yogurt
1 tablespoon chopped chives
1 oz fresh Alaskan King Crab Leg, out of the shell
(may substitute with 1 oz fresh cooked shrimp or lobster)
10 to 12 leaves of watercress

METHOD

• Preheat oven to 400F.
• Place beets in foil and drizzle with half the oil and 1 teaspoon of water.
• Close the foil around the beets and bake on a tray in the oven for 1 hour or until a knife inserts into the center of each beet without resistance.
• Cool in the refrigerator.
• Cook tortilla strips in oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until strips have colored slightly and are crispy.
• Remove from oven and cool at room temp.
• After the beets go into the oven, drain off soaking liquid from beans and rinse with cold water.
• In a medium pot, bring vegetable stock and beans to the simmer over medium high heat.
• Once simmering, reduce heat to low and cook gently for 1 to 1 ½ hours or until beans are soft and cooked through.
• Once cooked, drain off liquid and move beans to a blender.
• Reserve cooking liquid.
• Cover the lid of the blender with a hand towel and keep it open slightly to release steam, begin pureeing the beans on the lowest speed.
• Slowly drizzle in enough of the cooking liquid to make a smooth puree, about 4 to 6 tablespoons of liquid.
• If puree is still too thick, add more cooking liquid, 1 tablespoon at a time until puree is smooth.
• Remove from blender and leave covered at room temp.
• While beans are cooking, bring cauliflower and milk up to the simmer in a medium pot over medium high heat, but do not allow the milk to boil.
• Once cauliflower has softened, about 10 to 15 minutes, remove from heat and drain.
• Reserve milk.
• In a blender, puree cauliflower on lowest speed, keeping the lid open slightly while covered with a towel to allow steam to escape.
• Slowly drizzle in 3 to 5 tablespoons of the milk and puree cauliflower until smooth.
• Strain cauliflower puree through a fine mesh sieve and leave covered at room temp.
• Heat a large nonstick sauté pan over high heat.
• Sauté shrimp in remaining ½ teaspoon of oil for 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until shrimp is just barely cooked through and pink in color.
• Remove from heat and allow to rest at room temp.
• Chop all but 2 shrimp into a fine dice.
• Peel skin from cooled beets and cut into a small dice.
• Mix yogurt and chives in a small mixing bowl until well incorporated.
• In a small glass bowl or ramekin, begin layering the dip.
• Start out at the bottom with an even layer of the bean puree.
• To that, add the crab, followed by the yogurt, the beets, cauliflower puree, and the chopped shrimp.
• Place the watercress leaves in the center of the shrimp layer.
• Cross the tails of the 2 remaining shrimp and place on the watercress leaves.
• Serve with whole wheat tortilla chips.

Mexican Cornbread

1-1/4 cups cornmeal (plain)

1/4 cup flour (plain)

1 tsp salt

3 tsp baking powder

1 chopped onion

1 chopped bell pepper

3/4 cup cooking oil

1 cup grated cheese

One 15-1/2 oz can whole kernel corn (drained)

One 15-1/2 oz can creamed corn

1 small jar pimentos

2 eggs

1 cup sour cream or 1 cup milk + 1 tsp vinegar

7 hot peppers (your flavor)

Mix all ingredients well. Pour into well greased baking pan. Bake 1 hour at 350F in preheated oven.

Cajun Mexican Chili with Frito's

1 bag dip size Frito's

1-1/2 pkg of burrito seasoning

1 small can green chili peppers

1 can no bean chili (chunky)

1 shredded onion, white or yellow

One 12 oz, salsa

1 lb block Velveeta cheese

One 12 oz bag of shredded Cheddar

2 tsp Tabasco sauce

Soften onions with a little butter in microwave or on stove top. Using a deep Pyrex dish, melt cheeses with all ingredients. Stir often. Once completely smooth, pour over individual bowls of Frito's.

Black Bean Salsa

1 can 15 oz. black beans, drained

1-1/2 cups canned corn, drained

2 medium tomatoes, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1/2 cup red onions, diced

1 to 2 jalapenos, diced

1/2 cup fresh lime juice

1/2 cup olive oil

1/3 cup fresh cilantro

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Mix all ingredients together. Allow to sit in refrigerator a few hours before serving. Makes a wonderful dish for chips or topping for enchiladas or burritos.