Sopa Tarasca

I haven't made this soup, but I wanted to have the recipe so I could make it. My husband is from Michoacan, Mexico and this soup originated there. I want to make it for him, even though he hasn't lived there in 40 years, he probably doesn't remember it, but his parents will! I will post about the taste when I do make it.

Source:http://eatlivetravelwrite.com

adapted from The Spiced Life and MexConnect

Ingredients:
6 tablespoons oil (I used olive)
1 large onion, roughly chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium-sized dried ancho or chipotle chilies, soaked in a little boiling water for about 15 minutes, then drained
28 oz (791 mls) diced, canned tomatoes and their juice
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
4 cups (2 cups dry) cooked white beans and about 1/2 cup of cooking liquid
2 1/2 cups chicken stock
2 teaspoons smoked Spanish paprika
salt to taste

To garnish:fried corn tortilla strips (or you can use crushed up plain tortilla chips)fried ancho chilies (again, soaked in boiling water then drained and lightly fried)queso fresco, feta cheese or fresh mozarella
cilantro

Directions:
In a large, heavy saucepan or skillet, heat the oil and dry the onions, garlic and chilies until the onions and garlic are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, thyme, beans, stock and paprika and bring to the boil. Turn down heat and simmer on low for about 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt. Puree the soup with an immersion or regular blender. It’s a thicker style soup but it’s best if it is smooth, rather than lumpy.

To serve:Ladle the soup into the bowls. Add the cheese, chilies, tortilla and cilantro to taste. If you like, you can sprinkle a touch of smoked paprika before serving.

Slow Cooker Enchiladas

I printed out this recipe fully intending to use the slow cooker for it, but due to a busy, hectic weekend, I ended up just baking them in the oven. However, I love that I can make them in the slow cooker in the future. These are so good! I think that they are my second favorite after the honey-lime ones I made awhile back. As usual, I made some adaptations, but the idea was not mine.

Source: http://thekitchn.com

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:
1/2 yellow onion, diced small
1/2 bell pepper, diced small (any color)
1 16-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen corn
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups cheese, shredded and divided - we like monterey jack
2 16-ounce jars of your favorite salsa ( I used 1 jar salsa)
( I added 1/2 can tomato sauce mixed with 1/2 can of Pato sauce to the salsa.) (I find Pato sauce in the international food aisle at the grocery store along with all of the Mexican salsas, etc.)
12 6”-8” tortillas, flour or corn
Optional: 1 cup leftover meat - chicken, pork, hamburger, or shredded beef ( I used shredded chicken)

Directions:
In a medium bowl, mix together the onion, pepper, black beans, corn, spices, meat (if using), and just 1/2 cup of the cheese. Pour about a cup of salsa (half a jar) into the bottom of the slow cooker and spread it around evenly.
Scoop about 1/3 cup into one of the tortillas, roll it up, and nestle it into the bottom of the crock pot. Repeat with the half of the remaining filling, rolling tortillas until the entire bottom of of the crock pot is filled. Spread another cup of salsa over this layer and sprinkle it with another 1/2 cup of cheese.
Continue with the remaining filling and tortillas to create a second layer. Top with another cup of salsa, but reserve the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese for later. Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on HIGH for 2-4 hours. In the last 15 minutes of cooking, sprinkle the leftover cheese over the top and let it melt.
Serve the enchiladas with the remaining salsa. Leftovers will keep for up to a week in the refrigerator.

Additional Notes:
• You can cook the enchiladas for longer (6-8 hours on LOW), but we found that the tortillas in the middle start to get mushy while the ones touching the sides of the cooker get crispy. Still tasty, though!
• To cook these enchiladas in the oven, layer the rolled tortillas in a 9x13 baking pan and cover with aluminum foil. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with cheese, and bake uncovered for an additional 5-10 minutes.
• We haven’t tried it, but we so reason why this recipe couldn't be doubled if your slow cooker is big enough. Just continue creating layers in the slow cooker and bake as usual.

Mexican Skillet Cornbread

This is a really great an comforting recipe. It is reminiscent of a tamale pie. It makes a bunch, so it would be ideal for a large family gathering. Next time I make it I will scale down the recipe to suit my family's needs. My only complaint is it took about 25 minutes longer to bake in the oven than the recipe specified. I would try checking it after 45 minutes, but expect it to take 60 minutes to bake.

Source: http://bunsinmyoven.com

For the filling:
1 lb ground beef ( I used ground turkey)
1 small onion, chopped (optional)
1 red bell pepper, chopped ( I omitted)
2 small tomatoes, chopped (1/2 cup of salsa would be great if you prefer)
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup Monterrey jack cheese
1 packet taco seasoning (or your own recipe for seasoning mix) I used 1 tbsp chili powder and 1 tbsp cumin)
drizzle of olive oil

Drizzle some olive oil in a large skillet and heat it over medium heat. Saute the onions and bell peppers for a few minutes and then add the ground beef, breaking it up into small pieces just as you would for tacos. Cook until no longer pink and then drain. Stir in the tomatoes and taco seasoning. Remove from the heat and get to work on the cornbread.

For the cornbread:
1 3/4 cups cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 eggs
2 1/3 cups milk (buttermilk, if you have it!)
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2/3 cup corn (frozen or canned work, fresh is best!)
1 small can green chilies
butter, for greasing the skillet

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and grease a cast iron skillet with butter. In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl crack the eggs and stir in the milk. Pour wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix in the corn and green chilies. Mix well and let sit for 10 minutes to soften the cornmeal.
Pour half of the cornbread mixture into the bottom of your greased skillet. Spoon the meat mixture on top and cover with both cheeses. Spread on the remaining cornbread mixture. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until the cornbread is golden brown and cooked through.

Honey Lime Enchiladas

This recipe is so good and fairly healthy. The only change that I made is to use corn tortillas instead of flour. In my opinion, flour tortillas should NEVER be used for enchiladas! This will make 9-10 enchiladas if you use corn tortillas.

Source: http://recipeindulgence.blogspot.com


Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds chicken, shredded
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup lime juice
1 tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 (10 ounce) cans green enchilada sauce
mozzarella cheese, shredded
cheddar cheese, shredded
flour tortillas (I used corn)

Directions:
1. Mix together honey, lime juice, chili powder, and garlic powder. Add to chicken and let soak for 30 minutes.
2. Spray a 9 x 13 inch pan with nonstick spray and pour enchilada sauce so it coats the bottom of the pan.
3. Fill tortillas with shredded chicken and desired amount of cheese. Roll and place in baking pan.
4. Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over chicken and and sprinkle more cheese on top.
5. Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes.

Bolillos

Bolillos are a Mexican bread shaped like footballs. We usually use them for sandwiches. I prefer them over french bread because they are individual. This recipe turned out well. The only downside was that they were time consuming because I had a difficult time shaping them! I think that in the future, I will just purchase them from the store because here in the southwest, they are abundantly available.

Source: http://homesicktexan.blogspot.com

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups of flour
1 cup of warm water
1 teaspoon dry yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup of canola oil

Cornmeal Method:

Mix together one cup of flour, yeast and warm water. Add one more cup of flour, sugar, salt and oil and stir until ingredients are combined but dough is still wet and shaggy. Let dough rest for 15 minutes.
Sprinkle 1/2 cup of flour on a clean surface and knead dough until it shapes into a ball, about 10 minutes.Place into a greased bowl, cover and let it rise until doubled in size, about an hour.
After dough has risen, divide dough into 8 equal pieces. Take each piece and flatten it into a circle. Take one side, and fold it in half into the center. Take the opposite side and do the same. Roll folded dough with your hands until it’s spindle shaped, wider in the middle and tapered at the ends.
Place shaped rolls on a greased or parchment-paper lined cookie sheet that’s sprinkled with a bit of cornmeal, cover, and let rise until doubled in size, about an hour.Twenty minutes before baking, heat oven to 425 degrees. Five minutes before baking, place an oven-safe pan filled with water on the bottom of the oven.
Mix 1/2 cup of warm water with 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and brush on each roll. Then, with a sharp knife, razor or lame, make a slash lengthwise through each roll.Place rolls on bottom rack of oven (be careful when opening oven as steam might come out) and cook for 15 minutes or until the bolillos are light brown in color and make a hollow sound when you thump them.These keep for a couple of days, though they if they get too soft. just reheat in the oven to firm them up. They also freeze well.

Pineapple Black Bean Burritos

As you can probably tell, I love sweets! I especially love when I can incorporate sweets into dinner. This meal does just that. It was delicious, cheap and healthy, plus the whole family liked it! My daughter even suggested that I put it on our weekly meal plan!

Source: Adapted from http://brannyboilsover.com via Pillsbury.com

Ingredients:

1 tsp butter or oil
1 package burrito size flour tortillas (I used jalapeno cheddar)
1 onion, chopped
1 20 oz can chopped pineapple, drained
2 15 oz can of black beans
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 4.5 oz can diced green chilies
shredded cheese
salsa

Directions:

Melt the butter or oil in a large skillet, add the onion and saute until semi soft.
Add the black beans, chilies, pineapple, cumin and chili powder. Mix well and heat until mixture is hot.
Heat the tortillas and fill with 1/4 cup of the black bean mixture and sprinkle with cheese. Fold over to make a burrito and top with salsa.

Creamy Taco Mac

This is a tasty and easy recipe. I subbed sauteed zucchini, mushrooms and corn for the ground meat for a healthier version.

1.25 lbs ground turkey
8 oz dry pasta + 1 cup reserved pasta water
1 can (14.5 oz) petite diced tomatoes
4 Tbsp mild taco seasoning
3 oz cream cheese *
1/2 cup sour cream *
salt & pepper
cheddar cheese (optional)

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook pasta per directions. Reserve one cup of pasta water.

Over medium heat, brown ground turkey until no longer pink. Add taco seasoning and diced tomatoes. Allow to simmer over low heat for 5 minutes. Add cooked pasta, reserved water, cream cheese and sour cream. Give it a good stir until cheeses are melted and incorporated. Simmer over low heat for 2-3 minutes. Season with salt & pepper, as desired. Top off with cheddar cheese for extra cheesy goodness.

* I have successfully tested this recipe with low fat cream cheese & sour cream.


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Article printed from Delish: http://www.delish-blog.com

Sweet Potato Black Bean Enchiladas

I love something sweet with every meal so when I find recipes with sweet potatoes, I will usually make them. Plus, my husband purchased about 4 dozen packages of corn tortillas on his last trip to Mexico. I thought that this would be a perfect way to use them. The recipe include directions for a green chili sauce, but I just purchased my favorite store brand. The recipe posted here is the original as I read it on one of my favorite blogs. Check out her blog if you are in the mood for healthy and interesting food combinations.

Source:http://karinaskitchen.blogspot.com

Serves 4
WW points per enchilada = 4

Green Chili Sauce:
1 c light vegetable broth
1 tbsp arrowroot starch dissolved in a little cold water
1 c chopped roasted green chilies
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp cumin or chili powder
( I used 1 - 12 oz jar of Herdez Salsa Verde instead of making my own.)

For the filling:
1 15 oz can black beans rinsed and drained
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
Fresh lime juice from 1 lime
2 heaping cups cooked sweet potatoes, smashed a bit, but still chunky
1/2 c chopped roasted green chilies
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

8 corn tortillas
Shredded cheese

To assemble:

Make the sauce by combining broth, dissolved arrowroot, green chilies, garlic and spices in a sauce pan and heating over medium-high heat until thickened. Taste test. Set aside.

Using a mixing bowl, combine the black beans, minced garlic and lime juice. Toss to coat and set aside.

In a separate bowl, lightly smash the sweet potatoes with the green chilies and spices.

Pour about 1/4 c of the green sauce onto the bottom of a 9x13" baking dish.

Place 8 corn tortillas in a kitchen towel and microwave about 1 minute until they are soft.
Fill each tortilla with sweet potato mixture and black bean mixture, roll and set seam side down in baking pan. Cover the assembled tortillas with the remaining sauce and shredded cheese. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the enchiladas are piping hot and the sauce is bubbly around the edges.

Tex-Mex Calzones

I love Mexican food and I love calzones. So when I saw this recipe, I knew that It would satisfy my palate. I loved the flavor combination of this recipe. I also paired it with black beans and corn mixed with fesh salsa as the side dish, yum. The only difficult thing about this recipe was shaping the dough. I think that whenever I make it again, I will use homemae pizza dough instead of can pizza dough. It was way too thin and kept coming apart when I was shaping it.

Source: Cooking Light/ March 2009

Ingredients:
8 oz ground turkey breast
1/2 c chopped onion
1/2 c chopped green and red bell pepper ( I used frozen mized peppers)
3/4 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp chil powder
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 c salsa verde
1 (11 oz) can refrigerated thin crust pizza dough
3/4 c preshredded cheese
Cooking spray
1/4 c fat free sour cream ( I omitted)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees
2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground turkey to pan; cook 3 minutes, stir to crumble. Add onion and the next 5 ingredients and cook untill all the veggies are tender, stirring occasionally. Remove turkey mixture from heat; stir in salsa.
3. Unroll dough; divide into 4 equal portions. Roll each portion into a 6x4 inch rectangle. Working with one rectangle at a time, spoon about 1/2 c turkey mixture on one side of dough. Top with 3 tbsp cheese; fold dough and press edges together with a fork to seal. Place on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Repeat with remaining dough and turkey mixtyre.
Bake at 425 for 12 minutes or until browned. Serve with sour cream.

Serving size: 1 calzone and 1 tbsp sour cream
Calories: 416 Fat: 14.1 g Fiber:2.5 g

Chicken Enchiladas

I love Mexican food and I try to eat it as often as possible which is pretty easy to do because I married into a Mexican family. I have been trying my hand at making authentic recipes, but I can't seem to make them as well as my mother in law. My husband says that I will just get better with practice. Although, I really think that he wishes I would leave the Mexican food cooking to my mother in law! I made these enchiladas on Friday night and thought that they were pretty tasty. They were very simple too, which is always a plus in my book.

Chicken Enchiladas With Fastest - Ever Salsa
Source: Simply Delicioso

For the salsa:
1 10 oz can diced tomatoes with green chiles, drained
2 scallions, light green and white parts only, finely chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded, veined, and finely chopped
1/4 c. finely chopped cilantro leaves
2 tbsp lime juice
salt

For the Enchiladas
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened ( I omitted and used cooking spray)
4 c. shredded rotisserie chicken
12 oz grated cheddar cheese
2 c. sour cream ( I used 1 c. of light sour cream)
1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
s&p
6- 8 inch four tortillas ( I used 8 corn tortillas)

Directions:
1. To make the salsa, place the tomatoes, scallions, jalapeno, cilantro, lime juice and some salt in a medium bowl and stir to combine. Set aside at room temperature until ready to serve the enchiladas.
2. To make the enchiladas, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x13" baking pan with butter (cooking spray) and set aside.
3. Combine the chicken, 1.5 cups of the cheese, sour cream, red onion and s&p in a large bowl. Mix well.
4. Place the tortillas on your work station. ( If you are using corn tortillas, cover them in a towel and warm up in the microwave for about 1 minute to soften) Spoon some of the chicken mixture onto the center of each tortilla and roll it up. Place the tortillas, seam side down, in the prepared baking dish (it will be a tight fit) Scatter the salsa over the tortillas. Cover with aluminum foil and bake until heated through, about 40 minutes.
5. Remove the foil and sprinkle the enchiladas with the remaining cheese. Return to the oven and bake until the cheese is melted and the edges of the tortillas are just beginning to crisp, 5-8 minutes. Serve hot.