Ancho Chicken Taco's with Cilantro Slaw & Avacado Cream

Okay - that is a massive title, but the title needs to explain all that yumminess that are going into these tacos! This recipe is one from my Cooking Light magazine, but I made a few modifications...

Makes about 8 Taco's

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into thin 1/4" strips

3/4 t. ancho Chile powder

1/2 t. garlic salt

1/4 t. ground cumin

Cooking Spray

1/8 t. grated lime rind

2 T. fresh lime juice, divided

1/4 C. Light sour cream

2 T. Low-Fat milk

1 ripe peeled avocado, diced

2 C. packaged angle hair slaw

1/2 C. thinly sliced green onions

1/4 C. chopped fresh cilantro

1 T. Canola oil

1/4 t. salt

1 C. Shredded Monterrey Jack Cheese

16 Corn tortillas

Heat a large non-stick skillet over high heat. Combine the Chile powder, garlic salt & cumin in a small bowl. Sprinkle it evenly & liberally over the sliced chicken. Coat the pan with some cooking spray. Add the chicken to the pan (this may need to be done in batches), turning after about 4 minutes. Cook thoroughly and place in a bowl covered with aluminum foil until all the other pieces have been cooked.

In a blender or food processor combine the lime rind, 1 tablespoon lime juice, sour cream, milk & avocado. Process until very smooth. Season with salt.

In a separate bowl combine the remaining lime juice with the slaw, onions, cilantro, oil and salt. Tossing to coat.

Heat a non-stick griddle ( I use a George Foreman, but a smooth-top griddle would work 100 times better!). Lightly dampen the corn tortillas with a squirt bottle full of water or quickly dunk in a shallow bowl of water. Place one tortilla  on the hot griddle, then sprinkle with enough cheese to cover the tortilla evenly, place another moist corn tortilla on top. Press down with the back of the spatula or the lid of your George Foreman. Allow to cook until the tortilla is soft and the cheese is melty.

Remove from the griddle and assemble the tacos. Top each tortilla with about 1 T. avocado cream and 1/4 C. of the slaw.... and some tomatoes.

 

Lightning Spicy Chili

I am sad to say that I don't remember where or who I got this recipe from (so if it is you, let me know!) but it is of course quite yummy.
 Ingredients:
1 lb. mixed beans   (I use white, garbanzo, and kidney)
2 cloves garlic
1 med. Onion
olive oil
4 c. chicken broth
1 tsp. chili powder (or more)
¼ tsp. red pepper flakes
dash or two of cayenne pepper
1 T. parsley
2 T. lemon or lime juice
fresh cilantro (maybe 1/3 a bunch chopped?)
¼ c. sour cream (optional)
Directions:
Cook beans*.   After beans are cooked, drain and rinse them gently.

Use a pot big enough for all the beans here.   Sauté garlic and onion in a small amount of olive oil.   Mash 1-½ cups of the beans.   Add to pot with the rest of the beans and the rest of the ingredients.   (Except sour cream.)   Cook until warmed through.   Stir in sour cream and serve.

Spicy and yummy!   ***Play around with the spices.   I never measure

*my favorite way is to sort and rinse them and put them in a crock-pot with at least 6 cups of water.   Cook on high till done.   Which is about 4-6 hours, depending on your crock-pot.   If you are only doing 1 pound of beans, perhaps use only 1 tablespoon of salt.  

Pinto Beans

Beans are universally delicious. They are fantastic in many different ways. This is a basic recipe for Pintos that can be eaten as is, or mashed for burritos, or topped on Fry Bread... plus this makes a ton - and unless you are a family of 12 you should have leftovers for several more meals.

 

Pinto Beans

Ingredients:

1lb. Pinto beans

1 small onion – diced

½ package salt pork

Salt & pepper

Red pepper flakes

Directions:

In a large stockpot combine the beans, pork, and onions cover with plenty of water. Bring to a boil and let simmer, stirring often and adding more water if necessary, for several hours (about 5 hours) when beans are almost soft add salt and pepper to taste and red pepper flakes.  Beans take about 2 seconds to burn! So watch them carefully and simmer on a low heat, and make sure you have plenty of water in the pot to prevent them from sticking to the bottom.

Note: If you are not a fan of the whole beans, then mash them (like you would mashed potatoes) until they are the consistency that you desire. First remove some of the liquid though, but keep it near by just in case you need to add some back in, because gluey beans are a no-go. 

Shredded Beef Tacos

I love love love shredded beef tacos and find them especially enjoyable when eaten away from the house. For whatever reason I have never loved a recipe from home. They always seem so watered down and bland. This recipe is the exception to that rule. I swiped this recipe from the website http://gimmesomeoven.com/ and I am excited, after trying this, to check out some of her other recipes.

Ingredients:

1-2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

2 pounds beef (boneless chuck roast)

1 tsp. chili powder

1/2 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. smoked paprika

1 cup beef stock

2 Tbsp. tomato paste

1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, minced

1/2 large sweet onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

Flour tortillas

Favorite taco toppings (**ideas below**)

Method:

Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat.  Meanwhile, combine the chili powder, cumin, and smoked paprika in a small bowl.

Rub the spice mix into the beef, covering each side evenly. Once the oil is hot (it will shimmer a bit in the skillet), place the beef in the skillet and sear on each side.

Remove the beef from the skillet and place in the bottom of a slow cooker.  Leave the pan on the heat, and add in the beef stock to deglaze, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.  Add the tomato paste and minced chipotle and whisk into the pan sauce. Bring the sauce to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for a few minutes until the sauce has reduced and thickened slightly.

Add the diced onion and minced garlic on top of the seared beef in the slow cooker.  Pour the pan sauce down over the onions, garlic, and beef.  Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Remove the beef from the slow cooker and shred with two forks.  Use a slotted spoon to remove the onions from the slow cooker, and mix into the shredded beef.

Serve the beef in the flour tortillas, topped with your favorite taco toppings.

Some topping ideas include:

guacamole or avocado

fresh salsa

Mexican rice

grated cheese

fresh lettuce

tomato

onion

cilantro

squeeze of lime juice

Chili Mac

So... I am getting ready for Thanksgiving. In fact, on Saturday we are having Thanksgiving with my husbands family and then on Thanksgiving day we are going over to my grandparents house. I absolutely love this time of year. The traditions, the food, the family and the opportunity to really think about things to be grateful for. I have been cooking and preparing foods for our get together for the last two days already and tonight, well I am not cooking. Therefore, I am having a really hard time thinking of a recipe to post for today (because honestly we are going to see Harry Potter and then going out for Mexican food (: ) So I have decided to post a family favorite.

This recipe is a family recipe. I can remember my mom making it when I was a kid, probably because it is cheap and it can make a ton (there were 7 kids!). Everyone in my family LOVES it and my kids really like it when they get to have it. People who know me will know that I don't like the flavor of chili powder, therefore this recipe and I are not best of friends - but it IS easy and it IS cheap and kids DO like it.

2 C. Elbow Macaroni
1 lb. Ground Beef (of leftover taco meat)
1/2 Onion - diced
small can Tomato Paste
8-12 oz Tomato Sauce
1-2 T. Chili powder
1 tsp. Cumin
salt & Pepper
1-2 C. Cheddar Cheese - grated.

Cook the macaroni noodles according to package instructions (keeping it on the al dente side). Reserve some of the water.

Meanwhile, saute the onions in a pan that has been lightly sprayed with cooking spray, until translucent. Add in the ground beef. Cook until it is browned throughout. Drain off any excess fat (I read in magazine once, that a great way to cut calories on ground beef is to actually drain it in a colander and then rinse it with hot water after it has been cooked, then return it to the pan and add seasonings - I do it and it works!) 

Add half the can of tomato paste (or more if you are using the full amount of sauce, but start with half), chili powder, and cumin to the browned meat. Add enough of the pasta water to make a sauce-like texture. Simmer for about 20 minutes, adding pasta water as needed. 

When the macaroni is cooked, drain it and return it to the pot. Add the beef mixture, tomato sauce and salt & pepper and more chili powder and cumin if you feel that it is needed). Stir to thoroughly mix. 

Add the cheese or you can have people add their own cheese to their own bowls.  

Chicken Enchiladas

What is it about a Saturday night that calls for a different kind of food? When coming up with my menu for the week I always struggle with coming up with a Saturday dinner. For some reason I always want to have pizza or..... well pizza. It is the only thing I ever want to eat on a Saturday night. However, pizza every Saturday night would not be keeping up with my different meal for every night for 1 year gig, so I am branching out this week. I don't know that chicken enchiladas are necessarily a Saturday food but for now they will just have to do. Also, I prefer to keep this recipe lower fat - which is why I steam the corn tortillas rather than flash-fry them, but you are welcome to do either.

4 chicken breasts
2 cans cream of chicken soup
2 pints low-fat sour cream
2 cans diced green chilies
1 1/2 C. cheddar cheese
36 Corn tortillas

In a large stock pot, boil the chicken breasts until tender and able to be shredded, about 1 hour. Remove from pot and shred.
In a separate bowl combine the cream of chicken soup, sour cream and green chile's. Pour half of the sour cream mixture onto the shredded chicken and combine.
Pour half of the remaining sour cream mixture into the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish.
Steam the tortillas: I moisten each size of the tortilla with a spray bottle filled with water and then put it in a hot, dry skillet for a few seconds on each side or until pliable. I am sure that you can steam them in a rice cooker or maybe even the microwave if you wanted too.
One at a time, put the chicken mixture in the middle of a corn tortilla and roll up. Place seam side down in the baking dish and continue until all the tortillas and chicken is used. Spread the remaining sour cream mixture over the enchiladas and bake at 350 for about 20 minutes. Sprinkle with the cheese and return to the oven for about 10 more minutes or until the cheese is melty and yummy.

Chicken Burritos

Since today is Halloween a simple easy dinner is in order. I will be busy painting faces, doing hair, sewing kids into costumes and passing out candy - I am too busy to worry about dinner.  Therefore I am starting dinner in the early afternoon! This dinner can be (and actually should be) started earlier in the day. The longer is cooks, the tastier it gets. I must give credit to my sister-in-law Aubrey for this delicious recipe. Plus it makes the whole house smell delicious, it is one of those recipes that you can smell as you are walking up to the front door!

1 large jar of Pace Picante Sauce - medium, reserve 1 cup  ** (DON'T try a different salsa or your    own homemade salsa or the Pace salsa. I am well aware that Pace is not the most delicious sauce out there but for this recipe it is the ONLY one that works - trust me.)

4 chicken breasts
2 cups dry white rice
3 cups chicken broth
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Garlic Salt
flour tortillas (burrito size)
Shredded Cheese
Tomatoes
Lettuce
Sour Cream
Olives
Salsa

In a large stock pot add the chicken breast and the bottle of pace (minus the one cup reserved) and enough water to cover the chicken. Simmer on Med-Low for as long as you have time for (1 hour minimum up to 4-5 hours) just remember to keep checking on it and filling it with water if needed. If the sauce starts to get too thick it will burn. The longer you let the chicken simmer, the tastier it will be and the better at shredding it will be. When you are getting ready for dinner let the water cook down so you have a thicker sauce left (just be careful not to burn it!)

About 30 minutes before you are ready to eat:

Start the rice:In a blender or food processor puree the remaining salsa (or if you like the chunks - you can skip this step) add it to a stock pot with the chicken broth, turn up to high heat and let it come to a boil. Meanwhile, in a saute pan, heat about 1 tsp of Olive oil. Add in the rice and a dash of garlic salt. Saute until some of the rice is a golden brown color and all the rest are opaque white. Add the rice to the boiling liquid (carefully because the hot rice can cause the liquid to boil over the edge of the stock pot). Turn down to low heat, cover and cook for 20 minutes.

Shred the chicken, adding a little extra sauce to keep it moist and tasty.

Assemble the burritos: rice, chicken, cheese, lettuce, tomato, sour cream, olives, salsa..... They get pretty big - so be careful!

Makes LOTS!