Category Archives: Mexican

September 22, 2010 · 2:28 pm

Spinach Tortilla Bake with Ricotta Cheese and Salsa Verde

We have been eating a lot of spinach around here. It’s in season right now so now’s the best time.

Ingredients:
2 T olive oil
4 chicken breasts (about 1 pound) OR 1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained
Salt and pepper
1 1/2 cups store-bought salsa verde
3/4 cup ricotta cheese
3 large flour tortillas
1/2 red onion, chopped
3 cups baby spinach
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

In a large skillet, heat 1 T olive oil over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, add to the pan and cook, turning once, until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Let cool, then shred the meat and place in a bowl to the side.

In the same skillet, heat 1 T olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, cook for a few minutes and then add spinach until onions are soft and spinach is wilted.

In a small bowl, whisk together ricotta and salsa verde.

In a greased pie pan or 9-inch square baking dish, pour 1/3 of the salsa mixture in the bottom of the pie pan or baking dish. Next, place one tortilla on top. Next, 1/2 of the chicken, then half of the spinach mixture and then 1/2 the cheese. Repeat with salsa mixture, tortilla, chicken, spinach, cheese, tortilla. Top with remaining salsa mixture.

We had this with mexican rice and strawberries.

Did I change anything? The directions for this recipe were really confusing. I hope they are a little bit clearer now. Also, I cooked and shredded the chicken ahead of time for a quicker assembly and since the chicken had been sitting in the frig, I threw it in with the onion and spinach mixture to warm it up since it was already cooked.

What did the family think? Everyone really liked it. I think next time I make it I will switch out the chicken with some beans to make it vegetarian and maybe use pepper jack to give it some more spice. Also, I used a pizza cutter to cut this up…worked like a charm. 🙂

from Rachel Ray

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Filed under Chicken, Everybody Ate It, Mexican, Vegetarian

September 18, 2010 · 10:30 pm

Baked Mexi Chicken Wraps

These were made out of the need to get dinner on the table, but I didn’t want to go to the store in the pouring rain. The cupboard was bare since tomorrow is grocery store day and I happened to have everything I needed to make these. They turned out pretty tasty too. 🙂

Ingredients:
1 cup bottled salsa, divided
8 oz. sour cream
6 (10-inch) flour tortillas
1 1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken breast
2 T olive oil
1/2 cup onion, chopped
15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
4 oz. can chopped green chilis
2 cups fresh spinach
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1 clove garlic
Cooking spray
3/4 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook until they begin to soften. Add black beans, green chilis, spinach, cumin, chili powder and garlic. Stir until heated through and spinach is wilted.

In a small bowl combine sour cream and 1/2 cup salsa.

Spread sour cream mixture down the center of each tortilla.

Spread chicken down the center of each tortilla and then continue with the black bean mixture.

Roll tortillas up and place seam-side down in a 11 x 7 inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.

Top with 1/2 cup salad and sprinkle with cheese.

Did I change anything? This was inspired by a recipe I found on-line, but I had to change a lot of things since I was working with only what I had on hand.

What did the family think? Sean and I loved these. They were a little on the spicy side, so the boys just picked through and ate the chicken and maybe a few beans.

inspired by a recipe from Cooking Light

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Filed under Chicken, Mexican, Spicy

September 14, 2010 · 10:37 pm

Chicken Enchiladas Verdes

I have several verdes recipes on here, but we like our verdes. 🙂

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts
16 oz. jar mild salsa verde
2 cups fresh cilantro
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups canned corn
8 oz Monterey Jack cheese, grated
Salt and pepper, to taste
8 6-inch flour tortillas
Tomatoes, sour cream, salsa (for garnish)

Instructions:
Heat oven to 400° F.

Place the chicken in a medium pot, add enough water to cover chicken, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes; remove from pot and let cool. When cool enough to handle, shred the chicken. Place the meat in a large bowl.

In a blender, puree the salsa, cilantro, and ½ cup of the sour cream until smooth. Transfer to a small saucepan and simmer until slightly thickened, 10 to 12 minutes. Stir in the remaining ½ cup sour cream.

Add the corn, ½ cup of the sauce, 1 cup of the cheese, and ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper to the chicken. Toss to combine.

Spread 1 cup of the remaining sauce in the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.

On a separate plate, place the chicken mixture in the tortillas (about ½ cup per tortilla), roll them up and put seam-side down in the baking dish. Top with the remaining sauce and cheese. Bake until bubbling and beginning to brown, 15 to 20 minutes.

Serve with tomatoes, sour cream, and salsa, if desired.

What did the family think? This was not their favorite. Hubby thought it would have been better if I had substituted black beans for the corn. I thought the corn was fine, but maybe there was a little too much of it.

from Real Simple

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Filed under Chicken, Mexican

August 17, 2010 · 10:53 pm

Layered Black Bean and Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients:
2 cups diced chicken breast
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
2 T chopped fresh cilantro
15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
4.5 oz can diced green chile peppers, drained
10 oz can red OR green enchilada sauce
8 (6-inch) corn tortillas
2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese
8 oz sour cream

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and spray with cooking spray. Saute chicken with cumin and coriander until chicken is cooked through. Transfer to a medium bowl and stir in cilantro, black beans and chiles.

Spread half of the enchilada sauce in the bottom of a 11 x 7-inch casserole dish. Place four tortillas over the sauce, layering if necessary. Spoon half of the chicken mixture over the tortillas and sprinkle half of the cheese over the chicken. Spread half of the sour cream on top of the cheese.

Spoon the remaining enchilada sauce over the sour cream. Make another layer of tortillas. Add the remaining chicken. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes.

Remove the cover. Sprinkle with cheese and dollop remaining sour cream over top. Continue cooking uncovered four about 5 minutes or until cheese melts. Remove from oven and let set for ten minuted before serving.

Did I change anything? No, but I think if I made it again I would add a little chopped onion.

What did the family think? Hubby and I really liked it. Our oldest ate it without too much complaint although he said it was too spicy, but to him anything that has more flavor that mac and cheese is considered spicy. Our youngest ate it after much duress.

from AllRecipes

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Filed under Chicken, Definitely Making it Again, Mexican

August 16, 2010 · 10:38 pm

Mexican Stroganoff

I love it when I make a meal that everyone likes…it’s a pretty big deal.

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef, turkey or chicken
1 package taco seasoning
1 cup salsa
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup onion, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1/2 carrot, chopped
8 oz. egg noodles
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1 tomato, chopped

Instructions:
In a Dutch oven, cook and crumble the meat until cooked through; drain excess fat. Add taco seasoning, water and salsa and simmer on medium for about 5-10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a separate pot, cook pasta per directions on the packaging. Drain.

Add green peppers, onion and carrots to the meat mixture, stir and continue to simmer for about five minutes.

Stir in noodles and cream cheese. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese, remove pan from heat and cover until cheese melts.

Sprinkle with tomatoes and serve.

Did I change anything? I added the taco seasoning to the recipe to give it more flavor and the carrots to give it some more veggies. I also served it with a couple slices of avocado on the side.

What did the family think? Everyone ate it and NO ONE complained. NO ONE. Hubby ate all of his, went back for seconds and then helped our youngest with his leftovers. I think he liked it. What do you think? 🙂

from allrecipes.com

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Filed under Definitely Making it Again, Everybody Ate It, Mexican

July 7, 2010 · 10:21 pm

Grilled BBQ Sandwich with Spicy Avocado Spread

When I told my husband we were having BBQ chicken sandwiches for dinner he asked me what the twist was…he knows me too well. You will enjoy the avocado “twist” that goes along with this.

Sandwich
Ingredients:
4 boneless skinless chicken breast cutlets
1/4 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce (we used more for dipping)
Cooking spray
4 slices of cheddar cheese
Lettuce and tomato slices for garnish
4 Whole wheat hamburger buns

Instructions:
Spray grill rack with cooking spray.

Preheat the grill.

Brush both sides of chicken with BBQ sauce. Grill for 4-5 minutes on each side or until chicken is done. Place one cheese slice on each chicken breast during the last minute of cooking.

Assemble sandwiches on buns with chicken, lettuce, tomato and spicy avocado spread. You might want to add a little more BBQ sauce to the chicken or even dip the sandwich in the BBQ sauce as you eat it. We did.

Spicy Avocado Spread
Ingredients:
1 ripe peeled avocado, coarsely mashed
1 T jalapeno pepper
1 T minced red onion
1 1/2 T lime juice
1 garlic clove, minced
2 T minced fresh cilantro

Instructions:
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and mix well.

What did the family think? Everyone REALLY liked this. It was so good and it made me miss all of that Kansas City BBQ I am used to eating. The avocado spread made this sandwich extra special. Yummo! P.S. The kids didn’t eat the avocado spread, but they did eat the chicken sandwich with BBQ sauce. Our youngest even decided he REALLY likes BBQ sauce and used it for dipping his sandwich into. Who knew????

from Cooking Light

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Filed under Chicken, Definitely Making it Again, Everybody Ate It, Mexican, Sandwich

July 5, 2010 · 11:27 pm

Chicken Enchiladas with Salsa Verde

If you have never had green sauce with your enchiladas this would be a good place to start. Yum!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
16 oz. bottle salsa verde
2 cups shredded chicken breast
1/3 cup cream cheese, softened
1 cup chicken broth
8 corn tortillas
Cooking spray
2/3 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese (or cheddar)
1/2 tspn. chili powder

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Combine first four ingredients in a small bowl.

Combine chicken and cream cheese in another mixing bowl. Add 1/2 cup of the salsa mixture to the chicken and stir. Reserve remaining salsa mixture.

Bring broth to a simmer in a small/medium skillet. Working with one tortilla at a time, add tortilla to the pan for about five seconds, just until moist. (If you leave it in much longer it will turn to mush. Trust me.) Take out and spoon about 1/4 cup chicken mixture down the center of the tortilla, roll it up and place it seam side down in an 11×17 baking dish coated with cooking spray. Repeat procedure until you have run out of chicken mixture.

Pour most (but NOT all) of the remaining salsa mixture over the enchiladas. Sprinkle with cheese and chili powder. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes.

We had these with black beans.

What did the family think? Hubby and I LOVED these. The kids ate the chicken out of the enchiladas. They were a bit too spicy for them.

from Cooking Light

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Filed under Chicken, Mexican, Spicy

June 23, 2010 · 12:07 am

Fajitas

My goal here was to make a tasty fajita without having to use one of those packages of powdery spice mixes. I did not get what I was going for, so if you have any suggestions, please send them my way.
I am going to go ahead and include the recipe so you can see what I did and then you can help me from there. Thank you!!!

Ingredients:
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 T lime juice
1/4 tspn. salt, divided
1/8 tspn. pepper, divided
2 T sour cream
1 1/2 tspn. fresh cilantro
1/8 tspn. ground cumin
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1 tomato, chopped
Tortillas

Instructions:
Preheat broiler.

Place chicken in a shallow dish and sprinkle with lime juice. Season with 1/8 tspn. salt and pepper and let sit at room temperature for ten minutes.

Whisk sour cream, cilantro, cumin and 1/8 tspn. salt in a small bowl.

Place the onion and the chicken on a lightly oiled cookie sheet and broil for 3-5 minutes. Stir onion and turn chicken over. Broil chicken and onion for 3-5 more minutes or until chicken is cooked through. (The onion may get done before the chicken.) When chicken is done, cut into thin slices on a cutting board.

Assemble tortillas with chicken, sour cream mixture, tomatoes, salsa, cheddar cheese…whatever you like to put on your fajitas.

Did I change anything? I added green peppers that I just sauteed in a skillet with some onions. You can’t have a fajita without green onions. 🙂

What did the family think? I think everyone thought they were just okay. Not as much flavor as we would have liked. Any suggestions?

recipe from Food Network

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Filed under Chicken, Mexican

June 17, 2010 · 9:26 pm

Cayenne-Rubbed Chicken with Avocado Salsa

This dish was awesome. I think I am going to just start making the salsa part of this recipe to have with tortilla chips. Yummo!!!

Ingredients:
Salt and pepper
1/4 tspn. cayenne pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 T olive oil
1/2 red onion, finely diced
2 T fresh lime juice
1 Haas avocado, peeled, pitted and cut into chunks

Directions:
In a small bowl combine 1 tspn. salt, 1/4 tspn. black pepper and cayenne; rub all over chicken.

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add chicken and cook until done, about 8 to 10 minutes on each side.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine onion and lime juice. Set aside. Just before serving, fold avocado chunks into the onion mixture; season with salt and pepper. Serve chicken topped with salsa.

Did I change anything? I ended making twice as much rub as the recipe above calls for. It wasn’t nearly enough for 4 chicken breasts. I also only used 1/2 of a red onion. The original recipe called for an entire red onion. I felt like 1/2 was almost too much.

What did the family think? Hubby and I could eat that avocado salsa all day long. Not only would it be scrumptious on its own, but it was fantastic on the chicken as well. The coolness of the avocado went along nicely with the spice of the chicken. The chicken was way too spicy for our oldest. The youngest loves spicy things, so he ate it even though he kept wiping off his tongue with his napkin.

We had this with leftover Spanish rice, watermelon and some tortilla chips.

from Everyday Food

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Filed under Chicken, Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Mexican, Spicy

June 7, 2010 · 11:53 pm

Lumpe Burritos

I LOVED these burritos! This recipe came from the cookbook we got when we joined our CSA a few years ago.

Ingredients:
1 lb. new potatoes
1 T olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
1/2 tspn. ground cumin
1/2 tspn. salt
pepper to taste
2 T fresh cilantro
8-10 large flour tortillas
1 1/2 c. refried beans
1 1/2 c. grated cheese (Cheddar, Jack or Jalapeno Jack)
Garnish with tomatoes and sour cream

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Wash potatoes, cut into large cubes, cover with water in a large pot and boil until tender, but firm.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat and saute the onion and pepper until just tender.

When the potatoes are done, drain well and add to onion mixture.

Sprinkle with cumin, salt and pepper. Continue to cook until potatoes begin to brown.

Remove from heat and add cilantro.

To assemble burritos:
Lay out a tortilla.

Place 2 to 3 tspns. on refried beans down the center of the tortilla.

Top with a generous helping of potatoes.

Sprinkle with 2 to 3 tbspn. cheese and roll up as tightly as you can.

Place in an ungreased 9 x 13-inch baking dish.

Continue assembling burritos until you have run out of filling. Line burritos up in baking dish as you make them.

Bake for 20 minutes.

Serve with tomatoes and sour cream.

What did the family think? Hubby liked them, but he needs meat in his diet and these don’t make the cut. I thought they were super yummy and I highly recommend them.

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Filed under Lent, Mexican, Vegetarian