Hearty Meaty Taco Soup

This is more like a stew! You could also make Mexican Cheesy Pasta with this. Cook pasta and then top with stew and shredded cheese - great main dish.

2 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped
2 lbs lean ground beef (could use 1 lean beef & 1 ground turkey breast)
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 14.5 oz can whole kernel corn
1 16 oz cans of ranch style beans
3 cans of diced tomatoes w/ garlic & onion (replace 1 can with Rotel if want spicy)
1 pkg taco seasoning
1 pkg Hidden Valley dressing mix
Reduced Fat Cheddar Cheese (topping)

Add olive oil to the pan, saute onions and garlic for a few minutes. Add ground beef, brown and add salt/pepper to taste. Take the 3 cans of tomatoes and puree (my clan will not eat things with tomatoes, so I hide them by pulverizing them). Combine all ingredients in a large pot. Simmer 1-2 hours. Top it with shredded cheese and serve with Garlic Cheddar Biscuits.

Chicken Tacos

I watched The Simple Wife, Joanne, share this recipe on a video post in 2009. I have been reading Joanne's blog since 2008, I was introduced to her through a blog post Meredith wrote about a lunch she had with Joanne and some other friends.

If you do not know Joanne, please go read her blog and pray for her and her family as she recovers from a stroke that she on January 11, 2011. Kristen's blog (Joanne's sister), is a wonderful way to see Joanne's progress through pictures.

What a great way to entertain inexpensively! Sometime I am going to have a party and serve her recipe, but today I am making it for dinner. I am going to freeze 2 cups of the leftovers and make Meredith's Santa Fe Chicken Enchiladas.

Here is the method for this SUPER EASY recipe:

6 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts (I use frozen chicken straight from the freezer)
16 Ounce Jar of your Favorite Salsa
1 Packet Taco Seasoning (my addition)

Put everything into the slow cooker and give it a stir to blend the seasoning with the salsa. Cook on high for 4 to 6 hours or on low for 6 to 8 hours. When done, the chicken should shred easily when with two forks.

For the tacos - serve with warm flour tortillas**, lettuce, shredded cheese, cilantro, lime and sour cream.

Go here to see what Joanne serves with her tacos.

**Warming flour tortillas
Wrap the tortillas in foil and place in a preheated 350 degree oven for 10-15 minutes. The tortillas come out hot and soft - almost as good as homemade tortillas.

Baked Tortilla Chips

Great for our favorite Chicken Tortilla Soup recipe!

Twelve 6-inch corn tortillas (preferably white)
1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Brush both sides of the tortillas with the oil. Stack the tortillas and cut the pile into sixths to make chips. Spread the chips out in a single layer on two large baking sheets and season with salt. Bake until golden brown and crisp, rotating the baking sheets once, about 12 to 15 minutes.

Refried Beans (Quick)

Again the first place I looked for refried bean was the Homesick Texan blog. Sometime when I have a lot of time I will make her recipe but for Saturday I am going to make her semi-home version.

3 Cans Pinto Beans, drained & rinsed
1/4 cup of onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
4 slices of bacon
2 Tbsp Jalapeno (pickled in the jar)
1/2 cup stock or water
Salt to taste

Warm the canned bean in the microwave and set aside. Chop the slices of bacon and fry them in a skillet on medium until crispy and all the fat is rendered.

Remove cooked pieces (save them for a salad or something else). Fry the diced onion in the bacon grease for a couple of minutes, and then add the minced garlic and cook for another minute.

Add the beans into the skillet, adding 1/4 cup of chicken stock or water. Mash the beans with a potato masher, adding more stock/water for desired moisture. Keep stirring the mashed beans in the bacon fat until the texture is a chunky paste.

Serves four

Honey Lime Vinaigrette - Mexican chopped salad

When you are splurging on a big Tex-Mex meal you need a salad to balance it out - right? This is an easy light salad to make you feel a little less guilty about those cheesy enchiladas.

Dressing-
1/4 Cup Lime Juice
2 Tbsp Honey
1 Tbsp Cilantro, finely chopped
1/2 Tsp Salt
2 Dashes Cayenne Pepper
1/3 Cup Canola Oil

Mix all ingredients together and shake well. This Vinaigrette can be made ahead and does not need to be refrigerated.

Salad-
1 Bag of Romaine Lettuce
1 tomato, seeded & chopped
1/4 red onion, sliced thin
1/2 cup cucumber, chopped
2 tbsp cilantro, finely chopped

Chile Con Queso

Here is the Homesick Texan's version of *real* Chile Con Queso minus the cheese food. I'm not knocking the block stuff, but sometimes it is nice to keep things natural. Below are my changes of the recipe to fit my family's taste buds.

1/2 onion, finely diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
4 jalapeno peppers, veins & seeds removed - diced
2 tablespoons of butter
2 tablespoons of flour
1 cup of skim milk
6 cups of red. fat combination of Longhorn cheddar & Monterrey Jack, grated
1/2 cup of cilantro, chopped
1 cup canned tomatoes (pulverised in mini chopper)
1/2 cup of light sour cream
Salt to taste

Melt the butter in a saucepan on medium-low heat, and then cook the onions and peppers for about five minutes or until onions are translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Whisk the flour into the butter, vegetable mix and cook for about 30 seconds. Add the milk to the pot, and cook on medium, whisking constantly until sauce is thick, about five minutes. Stir in the cilantro and tomatoes.

Turn heat down to low, and a 1/4-cup at a time, slowly add the shredded cheese stirring into the white sauce until completely melted. Repeat. Stir in the sour cream and add salt to taste. Serves four

Cheese Enchiladas

One of my favorite Food Blogs is Homesick Texan. Lisa is a New Yorker, who grew up in Texas, on her blog she shares the traditional Texas food she grew up with and misses from our great state. Whenever I want to make a dish that is "Texan" the first place I look is Lisa's blog. Saturday is my mom's birthday and she requested Cheese enchiladas, I knew Lisa would have what I was looking for and she did not disappoint. My menu for Saturday:
Cheese Enchiladas

Chili Con Queso

Refried Beans (Quick version)

Dad's Tex-Mex Rice

Honey Lime Vinaigrette on chopped salad

Neely's Salsa

Leya's Sopapillas Cheesecake

Cheese Enchiladas (with my changes)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
8 corn tortillas
3 cups shredded red. fat very sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1/2 medium onion, diced finely
2 cups chili gravy (see below)

Make Chili Gravy (recipe below) and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 450. Pour the oil in a small skillet, and heat the tortillas one at a time. Keep them wrapped in a cloth until all 8 are heated.

Pour 1/2 cup of chili gravy in a baking pan.
Take a tortilla, put 1/4 cup of cheese and 1 tablespoon of onion in the center and roll it.

Place rolled tortilla in baking dish, seam side down.
Continue with remaining tortillas.

Take remaining chili gravy, and pour it over the rolled tortillas.Sprinkle remaining cheese and onions on top.
Bake for 10 minutes or until sauce is bubbly and cheese is melted.
Makes 8 enchiladas.

Chili Gravy
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
1-1/2 tsp powdered garlic
2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp dried ground oregano
2 T chile powder
2 cups chicken stock
1 lb cooked ground beef (my addition)

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.
Stir in the flour and continue stirring for 3 to 4 minutes, or until it makes a light brown roux.

Add all the dry ingredients and continue to cook for 1 minute, constantly stirring and blending ingredients.

Add chicken broth or water, mixing and stirring until the sauce thickens. Add cooked ground beef (my addition to Lisa's recipe). Turn heat to low and let sauce simmer for 15 minutes. Add water to adjust the thickness. Makes 2 cups.

Tex-Mex Rice

This is my dad's version of Tex-Mex rice. Jeremy and the boys love it so I am not allowed to make Mexican Rice any other way now. Super easy to make!

Uncle Ben's Converted Rice
Chicken Stock (for cooking rice, optional)
1 Tbs. Light Butter
3 to 5 Tbs. Taco Sauce (depending on how spicy you like it)
1 to 1 1/2 cups Sharp Red. fat Cheddar Cheese, grated

Cook the desired amount of servings of rice according to directions on the box. Make sure you add the salt and butter that the directions call for while cooking rice. I always cook my rice in chicken stock because I feel it adds more flavor. The amounts in the ingredient list (above) are for six servings of cooked rice.

Once rice is cooked add butter and taco sauce and mix well. Mix in cheese, then taste to see if it needs more salt. Enjoy warm!

Sopapilla Cheesecake

My friend Leya is famous for this dessert. Here is her recipe:

2 pkgs. crescent rolls**
2- 8oz packages of cream cheese*
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 stick butter**
cinnamon-sugar mixture (to your taste)

Butter bottom of 9x13 dish. Spread one package of crescent rolls on bottom of dish. Heat cream cheese on stove and stir in sugar and vanilla. Spread other package of crescent rolls on top. Pour melted butter on top and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mixture. Bake 350 for 20 minutes. Serve warm with coffee.

**When I make it I use Reduced Fat Cresent Rolls, Neufchâtel cheese (instead of cream cheese) and light butter. It tastes as good as the full fat recipe.**

Mexi-Chicken Crostada

Another great & easy recipe from Jenny! My family loves this and I do not make any changes from her original recipe.

1 roll Pillsbury Pie crust, thawed
1 can chunk chicken
1 drained can Mild Rotel diced tomatoes with chilies
½ Cup fresh chopped cilantro leaves
1 Teaspoon Ranch dressing seasoning, from packet that makes the dip
1 teaspoon cumin
Pinch of salt and pepper
½ Cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
¼ teaspoon garlic salt with parsley


Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Unroll pie crust and place onto a cookie sheet (use Silpat) that has been sprayed with non stick cooking spray.

Place chicken, tomatoes, cilantro, ranch seasoning, cumin, salt and pepper into a large bowl. With a fork, stir and cut up chicken pieces until well combined. Pour chicken mixture into the center of pie crust and top with cheddar cheese, leaving about 1 ½ inch border around edges. Fold crust up over chicken forming little pleats every 2 inches or so pressing gently. Brush edges with olive oil and sprinkle crust with garlic salt.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until crust is golden brown on edges. Let cool for 5 minutes then cut into wedges to serve.

Chicken Burritos

Another one of Meridith recipes that I will be making later in the week. I will make some slight changes - here is the original recipe.

1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup shallot, finely chopped
1/4 cup (15 oz can) petite diced tomatoes, pureed (freeze the rest)
1 4oz can chopped green chilies
1 clove garlic, minced
2 1/2 cups cooked chicken, shredded
1 can refried black beans
flour tortillas

Toppings:
salsa
grated reduced fat cheddar cheese
shredded lettuce
lit sour cream
guacamole


Heat oil in skillet and saute shallots, chilies, and garlic until tender. Add chicken and tomatoes - heat through. In separate saucepan, heat beans. Keep warm. Top tortillas with beans, chicken mixture, and desired toppings.

PW White Chicken Enchiladas

I am making this for our Life Group on Sunday. I can not wait to try this - it looks so good! Here is the original recipe.

2-½ cups Cooked, Shredded Chicken
2 cups Reserved Broth From Chicken
3 Tablespoons Canola Oil
12 whole Corn Tortillas
1 whole Large Onion, Diced
3 whole 4 Oz Cans Whole Green Chilies, Diced
1 whole Jalapeno, Seeded And Finely Diced
1 teaspoon Paprika
½ cups half and half
2 Tablespoons Light Butter
2 Tablespoons Flour
1 cup Light Sour Cream
2-½ cups Monterey Jack Cheese, Grated
Salt And Pepper (to Taste)
Cilantro, Chopped
Picante Sauce (optional)


Heat 2 tablespoons canola oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Fry tortillas for no longer than 20 seconds, just to soften (do not allow to become crisp.) Place tortillas on a large towel or stack of paper towels to drain.

Heat 1 tablespoon canola oil in separate skillet over medium heat. Add onions and jalapenos and saute for 1 minute, just to start the cooking process. Add chicken, half of the green chilies, and 1/2 teaspoon paprika. Stir together. Add 1/2 cup chicken broth and stir. Add cream and stir, allowing mixture to bubble and get hot. Turn off heat and set aside.

In a separate large skillet, melt butter and sprinkle in flour. Whisk together and cook over medium heat for one minute. Pour in 1 1/2 cups chicken broth. Whisk together and cook for another minute or two. Stir in the other half of the chilies. Reduce heat, then stir in sour cream. Add 1 1/2 cups grated cheese and stir to melt. Add 1/2 teaspoon paprika. Check seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed.

To assemble, spoon chicken mixture on top of tortillas, one by one. Top with plenty of cheese and roll up. Place seam side down in a 9 x 13 casserole dish.

Pour cheese mixture all over the top of the tortillas. Top with extra cheese if you’d like (Pioneer Woman does not add more cheese), then bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Sprinkle generously with chopped cilantro.

Serve with picante sauce, if desired.

Chicken Enchilada Casserole With Polenta

I made this for dinner last night so delicious!

1 cup cooked polenta (or 1/2 tube)
3 cup shredded cooked chicken
1 can corn, drained/rinsed
1 shallot, chopped
1 can diced tomatoes (pureed)
1- 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped, from can
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1 tsp cumin,
1 tsp garlic powder,
1 tsp chili powder,
dash salt
1 small can sliced black olives
2 cup red. fat mexi-blend shredded cheese
light sour cream
extra cilantro

Preheat oven to 350. Slice polenta into 1/2" slices. In large skillet, combine olive oil and butter and heat over medium heat. When butter melts, add half of the polenta slices; cook until well browned on one side, then turn and cook on second side. This should take 5-7 minutes total. Drain on paper towels. Line 13x9 baking dish with sliced/cooked polenta. Mix pureed tomatoes, chipotle peppers, cilantro, cumin, chili powder, garlic powder and salt - set aside. Layer in the following order: chicken, corn, black beans, shallot, & tomatoes mixture. Cover & bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle with black olives and cheese. Bake an additional 10 minutes uncovered or till cheese is melted & bubbly. Serve with extra cilantro and sour cream as toppings.

Side note: my polenta (leftovers that were frozen then thawed) did not get crispy in the pan and the slices just turned to mush. So I just put it in the casserole dish and hoped for the best. Jeremy and I both really liked it - reminded us of a cornbread bottom layer. We just ate it with baked doritos (for a crunch).

Chipotle Chicken Pasta in Fire Roasted Tomato Cream Sauce

Have you ever been to the Pick Palate blog? I found it through Meredith when she posted about making this dish. After I made this delicious pasta (that Jenny created) I had to explore her site. She is an amazing cook who comes up with wonderful family recipes and many scrumptious desserts. Since making this dish, I have made several of her recipes (can not wait to make this!) and will be putting them on here. I make so many that I will add a Picky Palate category to my blog. Thanks Meredith for introducing me to Jenny's blog. As always I made changes to the recipe to fit my family, go here to see the original recipe.

1 box Farfalle pasta
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
½ Cup finely chopped shallot
2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped, from can
1 fresh corn on the cob, kernels removed
1 Cup drained black beans
2 Cups diced cooked chicken (often I use rotisserie)
1/2 Cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped (we love cilantro!)
2 14 oz cans Muir Glen Fire Roasted diced Tomatoes
½ Cup half & half
Pinch salt
Pinch pepper
Pinch garlic salt

Place both cans of tomatoes into food processor and pulse until smooth. Prepare pasta according to package directions, drain and set aside. Heat 2 Tablespoons olive oil into large skillet over medium heat. Add shallot, chipotle, corn, and beans. Cook for 5 minutes, until softened. Stir in cooked chicken and cilantro leaves until heated through, reduce heat to low. Pour tomato puree into chicken mixture. Stir in cooked pasta; stir to combine. Stir in heavy cream, salt, pepper and garlic salt to taste. Cook until heated through and serve. Top with additional lots of cilantro.

Mexican Chicken Casserole

3-4 chicken breasts, boiled and shredded
1 can cream of mushroom soup(I use Campbell's Healthy Request)
1 can cream of chicken soup (again Healthy Request)
1 can Rotel (I used mild)
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (I use reduced fat)
1/2 cup Mexican cheese blend, shredded (again red. fat)
1 Bag Nacho Doritos (going to try the baked version next time)

Directions:
Break up bag of Doritos - set aside. Mix together the soups, rotel, cheddar cheese and chicken. Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 9x13 casserole dish with vegetable spray, cover bottom of dish with a thin layer of chips and half of the chicken mixture. Layer again with chips (reserve half a cup of chips), chicken mixture- them top with the Mexican cheese blend. Bake for 30 minutes or until cheese is bubbly. When there are about 3 or 4 minutes of baking time left add the reserved half cup of to the top. Just watch it because the chips on the top will burn quickly. Once done let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

When serving have sour cream, tomatoes, lettuce, and green onions - let everyone add what they want to their individual serving. For a topping add a dollup of light sour cream and few avocado slices. Side dish recommendations salad and black beans.

Side note- could use ground turkey or lean ground beef instead of chicken. Make "taco meat" out of it by sauteing an onion (or use onion powder), brown meat then add cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste.

Salsa

This is my last recipe post today. You can use this on WW.

My friend Neely made this for a Life Group meeting. Jeremy could not get enough of it so he had me stalk her until she emailed me the recipe. It is addictive!

1 large can of diced tomatoes
1 large fresh white onion
1 bunch of fresh cilantro
3 fresh jalapenos (The more seeds to put in the sauce the hotter it is, so remove all the seeds for a milder sauce)
3 cloves of fresh garlic

Drain the canned tomatoes...set aside the juice. Drop the drained tomatoes in the blender, then one veggie at a time continue adding to the blended mixer.Once everything is blended together you can add some of the juice for a thinner sauce...how much is up to you. Refrigerated leftovers can last 3-4 days.

Mexican Chicken Chili

Very easy to make and well worth the time!!!! I found this recipe almost 10 years ago on the Top Secret Recipe website. It is a recipe of the real “Soup Nazi” made famous by Seinfeld. It is a little bit of work but is great for starting it in the morning and reheating for dinner. It is always a crowd pleaser and great for leftovers. Leftovers freeze well too!

1 pound chicken breast fillets (4 fillets)
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 cups water
4 cups chicken stock (I use either the Kitchen Basics or Emeril’s box brand)
1/2 cup tomato sauce
2 to 3 potatoes, peeled & chopped
1 small onion, diced
1 cup frozen yellow corn
2 carrot, sliced
2 celery stalk plus leaves, diced
1 cup canned diced tomatoes (I use fire roasted)
1 15-ounce can red kidney beans, plus liquid
1/4 cup diced canned pimento
1 jalapeno, diced
1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
dash cayenne pepper or a few dashes of Louisiana Hot Sauce (to taste)
dash basil
dash oregano

On the side
Cheddar Cheese
Sour cream
Pinch chopped Italian parsley

Sauté the chicken breasts in the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium/high heat. Cook the chicken on both sides until done -- about 7-10 minutes per side. Cool the chicken until it can be handled. Do not rinse the pot. Shred the chicken by hand into bite-sizes pieces and place the pieces back into the pot. Add the remaining ingredients to the pot and turn heat to high. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 4-5 hours. Stir mixture often so that many of the chicken pieces shred into much smaller bits. Chili should reduce substantially to thicken and darken (less orange, more brown) when done. Serve with cornbread. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

My friend Clancy made this for a small group meeting a couple of months ago and we all begged her for the recipe. I made it for my brother's birthday over the holidays.

These are very rich, I suggest after they have cooled a bit cutting them in half. This is definitely something you want to serve with other food items (I made Cheese enchiladas, salad and rice) because you can get too much of a good thing!

1 package Mission flour tortillas(soft taco size)
4 chicken breasts

Chicken fajita seasoning

2 tbsp butter

1 small onion, diced
1 small can chopped green chilies
2 blocks cream cheese (one full fat and one low fat)
2 cups shredded Monterrey jack cheese
1 whipping cream

Grill chicken breasts and set aside(I season mine with chicken fajita seasoning). In a large skillet, melt butter. Once melted add onion and allow to cook for five minutes. Add green chilies and continue cooking until warm. Add in cream cheese(cut up) and cook until melted. This is when I rip my chicken into chunks. Add chicken to skillet and stir until it's mixed together. Remove from heat. Spoon mixture into each tortilla.(I put my mix closer to the edge of the tortilla and it makes it easier to roll). Place each enchilada side by side in a greased baking dish. (You can prepare to this point,cover and put in the fridge.)

Top enchiladas with cheese and drizzle whipping cream around the enchiladas. Bake for 30 to 35 min at 350. Makes 12 Enchiladas.

Extra Special Queso

My friend Molly brought this to a Super Bowl party seven years ago. I had never had it made it this way - so I asked for the recipe.

1 -2 lb. Velveeta; cubed
1 lb. breakfast sausage; browned and drained
2 cans Rotel
1 small can of green chilies; chopped
1 small can of black olives; chopped

Dump all into crock - pot, set on low and stir occasionally. It takes 2-3 hours to fully melt. For faster results, put everything in a bowl in the microwave and cook until fully melted. Then if taking to a party put in crock pot to keep warm while at the event. Serve with your favorite corn chips.

Corn Salsa

For a party double or triple this recipe because it always goes fast!

1 can corn; warmed in microwave
10 grape tomatoes; cut in half

1 avocado; chopped

2 green onions, sliced finely

2 Tbsp. lime juice

1/2 tbsp. cilantro; chopped finely

1/2 tsp. salt

1 clove garlic; chopped finely

Put first four ingredients in a bowl - set aside. Mix together next four ingredients, pour over the vegetables. Let sit in the refrigerator 30 minutes for the flavors to mix together. Serve with tortilla chips.