CHICKEN TORTILLAS CASSEROLE

Jessica S.

1 whole chicken cooked and shredded
1 cup milk
12 corn tortillas quartered
1/2 cups chopped olives
1 can cream mushroom soup
1 can cream chicken soup
1 can chopped green chiles
1 lb grated cheddar cheese

mix soups, milk, chiles, and olives. Butter 13x9 baking dish. Add a small amount of broth or water. Layer tortillas, chicken, soup mix, then cheese. Repeating until all is gone. Bake 1 hour at 325.

serves 6

CHILE COLORADO

Jessica S.

9 dried new Mexico chiles washed, seeded, and stem removed
3 cups water
5 lb beef chuck roast- fat trimmed off
1/2 cup flour
1 TBS salt
1 TBS black pepper
3 TS olive oil
1 large onion chopped
2 cups beef stock or water

Place chiles in the 3 cups of water in med. pot and bring to boil. Remove form heat and steep for 30 minutes to soften. Strain- reserving liquid. Place chiles and a little liquid in blender and puree (add water as needed a little at a time). Strain and set aside.

Cut roast into 1 inch chuncks. In med. bowl combine flour, salt and pepper. Dredge beef in flour mix. Heat olive oil in large pot over med. heat. Saute onion for 5 minutes. Add beef a few pieces at time being careful not to overcrowd. Remove cooked meat and set aside while cooking remainder of meat. Cook until evenly browned. Return meat to pot. Stir in chile mixture. Add enough beef stock to just cover beef. Bring to boil over med heat. Reduce heat and simmer 3 hours until meat is tender. Add more beef stock if needed during cooking. Serve with chopped onion, green onion, cheese and sour cream.

Serves 12

SOUR CREAM ENCHILADAS

Jessica S.

1 lb. chicken cooked and shredded
2 pkgs flour tortillas
1 family size can cream mushroom soup
16 oz. sour cream
4 oz can diced green chiles
2 cups grated cheese

combine soup, sour cream, and green chiles. place about 1 TBS chicken and 1 tsp soup mix in tortilla and roll. repeat for rest of tortillas placing them in shallow casserole dish. cover with remaining sauce and cheese. Bake at 350 fr 25 minutes.

can substitute 1 lb ground beef or 1 large can re-fried beans for chicken.

Habanero Chile-Hot, Hot, Hot Salsa

This recipe is from my Aunt Francis, she is a true Mexican. This recipe will certainly cure what ails you! And it's delicious too ;)

1 lb. habanero chiles-remove top stem
3 cloves of garlic
Cilantro- about 1/4 of standard bunch or more if you like(remove stems)
Salt to taste

IMPORTANT: open windows and ventilate kitchen when boiling chilies. Don't touch eyes or face with your hands if you have touched the chile. Wash hands well.

Place chiles in a pan, cover with water and boil until chiles and skin are soft. Maybe 1 hr on medium heat. When chiles are done allow to cool.

Place chiles, garlic and cilantro in blender and run until just about liquified. Add water from chiles to help blend. Place in glass jar and refrigerate.

Use on anything you want to spice up. Eggs, enchiladas, chile verde etc.

If the chile is too hot add diced tomatoes to blender to help cut down and reduce the heat.

Chile lasts longer without the tomato.

Good luck.

Chicken Enchiladas

Jessica S.

My Mexican family raves over this recipe that I brought from my time in Salt Lake City

1 dozen flour tortillas (soft taco size)
3 cans cream of chicken soup
1 can enchilada sauce
grated cheddar cheese
4 cooked chicken breasts cut in to small pieces
chopped onion (optional)

Mix chicken and soup. separate. Use half of mix to Spoon across middle of tortillas, sprinkle with cheese. Roll-up and secure with a tooth pick. Mix other half of soup/chicken mix with enchilada sauce. Pour over rolled tortillas. sprinkle with more cheese and onions. Bake @400 for 20 minutes.

Chilaques

Jessica S.

16 oz salsa (mild or med.)
12 (6 inch) corn tortillas torn or 4- large flour tortillas whole
1 cup shredded cheese (Colby, Monterrey jack, or cheddar)
1/2 cup sliced black olives
2 cups sliced zucchini
1 can black beans rinsed and drained
top with shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes,and sour cream

Spread 3/4 cup of salsa mixed with 2TBS water in bottom of a large skillet. Add 1/2 layer of tortillas, 1/2 remaining salsa, and 1/2 of cheese. Top with olives, zucchini and beans. Top with remaining tortillas, salsa and cheese. Cover pan and cook over med-low heat for 15 minutes or until tortillas are soft and cheese is melted. Cut into 6 wedges. Serve with toppings. Serves about 4

Avacado Dipping Sauce

Jennifer S.

1 avocado, peel, seed, chop
juice from 1 lime
1 cup fat-free sour cream
½ cup medium-hot picante sauce
⅓ cup finely chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon grated onion
½ very finely chopped jalapeno chile

Whirl in a blender or food processor.

Alton Brown's Guacamole

Submitted by Summer S.

3 Haas avocados, halved, seeded and peeled
1 lime, juiced
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 medium onion, diced
2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1 clove garlic, minced

In a large bowl place the scooped avocado pulp and lime juice, toss to coat. Drain, and reserve the lime juice, after all of the avocados have been coated. Using a potato masher add the salt, cumin, and cayenne and mash. Then, fold in the onions, tomatoes, cilantro, and garlic. Add 1 tablespoon of the reserved lime juice. Let sit at room temperature for 1 hour and then serve

Taco Chicken

Summer S.

1 lb. chicken breasts or thighs (I can tell you right now that I'm a breast girl and Matt prefers thighs.)
A couple of juicy limes (thin skinned are juicer)
A splash of red wine vinegar
2-3 cloves garlic, pressed or coarsely chopped
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper

Juice the limes and combine with a couple splashes of red wine vinegar. Add garlic. Pour over chicken. This will not completely cover the chicken; just turn it occasionally as needed. Marinate for at least 4 hours, no longer than 8.

Heat an outdoor grill (you can also use a grill pan inside. Or your broiler in your oven.) Combine salt, chili powder, cumin, and black pepper in a small bowl. Remove chicken from marinade and rub the spices all over the chicken.

Grill about 7 minutes per side.

Remove from heat and allow to stand a few minutes so it doesn't lose its juiciness. You can either eat the chicken as it is, maybe with Mexican rice and beans, or use slice it up and use it as you would taco meat.

Yummy Bean Dip

Summer S.

1 can re-fried beans (16 oz)
1 cup sour cream
1 cup shredded cheese (I like cheddar jack)
1 envelope taco seasoning

Heat beans in saucepan over medium heat 1- 2 mins. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a simmer. 5- 10 mins. Serve with Fritos, on layered dips or on ultimate nachos.

Mexican Egg Rolls

Jennifer S.

photo credit simplecomfortfood.com

2 cups grilled boneless skinless chicken breasts (I marinade mine in 1 T oil, 2 cloves garlic, 1 t cumin, and the juice of one lime)
2 cups Monterrey jack cheese or 2 cups Mexican blend cheese, shredded
1 (15 ounce) can drained black beans
2 cups frozen sweet corn (unthawed and drained of liquid)
1/2 chopped sweet red pepper
4 -5 diced green onions
2 minced fresh garlic cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin (can put 1/2 t more if desired)
1 (16 ounce) package egg roll wraps
oil (for frying)

Chop the chicken into small dices.
Mix all ingredients, except egg roll wrappers and oil, together.
Moisten the edges of an egg roll wrap and put approx 2 tablespoons of filling in the middle.
Fold like you would an egg roll (directions and picture are usually on the egg roll wrapper container).
Make sure the flap is sealed to keep the filling inside.
Heat oil to 350°F and cook just until golden browned (approximately 3-5 minutes). Cut diagonally and serve with guacamole, salsa and sour cream.

Cafe Rio Rice

Submitted by Summer S.

1 cup long grain rice
2 cups water
3 cubes chicken bouillon
½ tsp dried onion
¼ bunch cilantro chopped
1 tbsp oil

Put all ingredients into a pan and cover. Bring to a boil. Turn down heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand for 10 minutes. Prior to serving add juice of ½ lime. Mix well.
.

Lime-Cilantro Rice with Pineapple

Summer S.

You really can just make this to taste, but here’s the basics.

1 cup dry white rice, cooked in 2 C water.
2 T real butter
Juice from 1 large lime, or two smaller ones (taste as you go, I add a lot!)
1 small can crushed pineapple, drained. (You may want 2 small cans)
½ – ¾ C chopped fresh cilantro
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook rice. As soon as it’s done, toss in the butter and stir to melt. Add lime juice, pineapple, and cilantro. Stir to combine, and then add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

You can also make another version of the rice and use 1 can of black beans instead of pineapple. It's delicious! .

Quick and Easy Black Beans

Summer S.

2 Cans Black Beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 T olive oil
2/3 C diced onion
2-3 garlic cloves, pressed or finely minced
2/3 C chicken broth (or water, I use broth for extra flavor)
1/4 t cumin
1/4 t coriander
1/4 t oregano
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1 lime

In a saucepan on the stove, heat the olive oil to med-high heat. Saute onions for about 3 minutes or until they just start to become translucent. Add garlic and saute abut 30 seconds more. Add beans, broth, and remaining seasonings and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a low simmer and simmer for about 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. When they are done cooking, remove from heat and add in a few squeezes of fresh lime juice. Then use the back of a spoon or rubber spatula so smoosh (yes, that’s a technical culinary term) some of the beans. You don’t want to pulverize them, but you want to take a bunch of good smooshes so that some of the beans are smashed, which will thicken the sauce. I like mine on the thicker side so I smoosh quite a bit. They will thicken more upon standing.

If you want a more soupy consistency, just add a little more broth.

Serve as a side dish, or on top or rice, in fajitas or tacos, or on top of chicken or steak

Creamy Lime-Cilantro Dressing

Summer S.

1 pack (1oz) Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix (regular or buttermilk, and ignore directions on the packet)
1 C mayo
1/2 C milk (or buttermilk depending on which packet you buy)
1 lime
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1/2 C roughly chopped cilantro
1/4 C green salsa*
hot sauce

Place milk, mayo, and ranch mix in a blender. Juice the lime in there too, you should get about 2T juice. Toss in the garlic, cilantro and green salsa. Blend 'er up. Sample it and add hot sauce to taste. Make it several hours ahead of time to allow it to thicken.

*A note about green salsa:
There are several brands of green salsa available in most supermarkets and they have various degrees of heat. One of the most commonly seen brands is Hernandez. Hernandez brand is a lot spicier than any of the others I've tried. Even their medium green salsa is way too spicy for my liking. I like to buy La Costena because their medium is actually really mild. That way I get all of the flavor of the tomatillos but I control the level of heat with the hot sauce. If you're not used to buying green salsa, make sure to sample it first before you put it in the dressing so you know what you're getting into!

Matt’s Chili Verde

Matt S. (Submitted by his wife Summer S.)
8 Servings

3 Pounds boneless pork loin or chicken thighs, medium dice
1/3 Cup corn oil
3 Tablespoons flour
3 Cups hot chicken stock
4 Large cloves garlic, peeled
2-5 Jalapeno chilies (deseeded, deribbed)
1 ½ - 2 Pounds Anaheim and/or Poblano chilies, roasted, peeled, seeded (canned work well too)
1 onion (rough chop)
1 Tablespoon ground cumin
1 Tablespoon chili powder
1 Teaspoon oregano
1 Teaspoon salt
1 Teaspoon pepper
Chopped fresh cilantro, diced onion and diced tomato for garnish (cheese & sour cream*)

Season and then brown chicken cubes in 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Depending on skillet size, this may require two or three batches.

Remove cubes with slotted spoon to a bowl large enough to accommodate all of the chicken cubes. Deglaze the pan with ¼ cup water, scraping up browned bits, and then pour the liquid over the reserved chicken cubes. Set chicken aside.

Heat the balance of the oil in same skillet set over medium-low heat and slowly whisk in the flour to make a roux. Simmer four minutes then begin whisking in the hot stock in 3 parts, whisking the sauce smooth each time, until all of the stock has been incorporated.

Meanwhile, in a food processor fitted with the steel blade, drop the garlic then the jalapenos and onion down the feed tube until finely minced. Then add the Anaheim chilies and puree. Add the chili puree mixture to the flour gravy and whisk together. Add the cumin, chili powder, oregano, salt and pepper.

Adjust all seasonings to taste. Add the meat to the mixture along with the deglazing liquid and simmer slowly for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to see nothing sticks or burns on the bottom.

Serve with hot, fresh flour tortillas and garnish with cilantro, onion and chopped tomatoes (*and I’m a gringo so I like sour cream and cheese with mine).

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos

Summer S.

1/3 C (3 oz) cream cheese (I do fat free and you can't tell)
1/4 C green salsa
1T fresh lime juice
1/2 t cumin
1 t chili powder
1/2 t onion powder
1/4 t granulated garlic
3 T chopped cilantro
2 T sliced green onions
2 C shredded cooked chicken
1 C grated pepper-jack cheese* or if you like it less spicy
1 C grated Monterrey jack cheese
12- 14 small corn or flour "soft taco" sized tortillas
kosher salt
cooking spray

Heat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.

Heat cream cheese in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds so it's soft and easy to stir. Add green salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder and granulated garlic. Stir to combine and then add cilantro and green onions. Add chicken and cheese and combine well.

You can prepare up to this step ahead of time. Just keep the mixture in the fridge.

Work with a few tortillas at a time and heat in the microwave until they are soft enough to roll without cracking. It helps to place them between damp paper towels. Usually 20-30 seconds will do it. If you find yours are cracking when you roll them or come unrolled right away, just try heating them longer and try the paper towel thing.

Place 2-3 T of chicken mixture on the lower third of a tortilla, keeping it about 1/2 inch from the edges.

Then roll it up as tight as you can.

Place seam side down on the baking sheet. Lay all of the taquitos on the baking sheet and make sure they are not touching each other. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray or an oil mister and sprinkle some kosher salt on top.

Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start to get golden brown.

Dip 'em in salsa, sour cream, guacamole, or cilantro/lime dressing (recipe to follow)

Slow Cooker Chicken Burritos

Jennifer S.

1 clove garlic, minced
1 small red onion, chopped
14 1/2 oz canned diced tomatoes, with chiles
15 oz canned kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp dried oregano, crushed
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 pound skinless chicken, cut into bite-size pieces
3/4 cup canned chicken broth
12 medium tortillas, about 7-inches in diameter each
3/4 cup shredded Mexican-style cheese
salsa
sour cream

Place garlic, onion, tomatoes, beans, chili powder, salt, oregano and pepper in a 3-quart slow cooker; stir well. Add chicken and broth. Cover and cook on low setting for 5 hours; drain off liquid (there should be about 6 cups of burrito mixture).

To serve, spoon about 1/2 cup of burrito mixture down center of each tortilla; top with 1 tablespoon of cheese. Fold bottom 1/3 of tortilla to center. Fold left side to center; fold right side to center, covering filling. Repeat with remaining ingredients.
Serve with salsa and sour cream.

Southwestern Chicken Layered Salad

Jennifer S.

This salad is really close to the one they serve at Paradise Bakery.

6 cups torn romaine lettuce
2 cups shredded deli rotisserie chicken (from 2- to 2 1/2-lb chicken)
1 can (11 oz) Southwestern style corn, drained, liquid reserved
2 tablespoons taco seasoning mix (from 1-oz package)
1/2 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend (2 oz)
1/2 cup ranch
1/4 salsa or BBQ sauce
1 cup black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup corn chips (1 1/2 oz)
1/2 cup tomato, seeded and diced


Arrange lettuce on large platter. In 10-inch nonstick skillet, place chicken and reserved liquid from corn. Sprinkle with taco seasoning mix. Cook over medium heat 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly, until blended and thoroughly heated.
Arrange chicken mixture over lettuce. Sprinkle with cheese, corn and beans.
Combine dressing and salsa (or bbq sauce) together.
Drizzle with dressing; top with corn chips. Garnish with tomatoes.

Quick Chicken Quesadillas

Jennifer S.

2 lbs of shredded chicken or 2 12.5-oz can chicken, drained
6-oz shredded cheese (cheddar, Monterrey-Jack, Mexican blend). Your choice. I always use WAY more cheese!
2 TBS Taco seasoning (or from envelope)
4 green onions, thinly sliced with green parts
12 6" flour tortillas
salsa, sour cream, and guacamole (optional)

Mix chicken, cheese, taco seasoning and onions together in a bowl.
On 6 tortillas divide the mixture up and spread to the edges. Cover with remaining tortillas.
Heat a non-stick pan to med-high. Place assembled tortillas in pan (one at at time, turning once) until both sides have been browned lightly, and crispy.
Cut into wedges and serve with salsa, sour cream, and guacamole.