Mexican Street Corn Salad with Avocado

Slow Cooker Enchiladas

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 cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups cheese, shredded and divided - we like monterey jack
2 16-ounce jars of your favorite salsa
12 6"-8" tortillas, flour or corn
Optional: 1 cup leftover meat - chicken, pork, hamburger, or shredded beef

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.

from the kitchn.com

Crispy Chicken Tortilla Rollups

Step 1: Preheat oven to 400. Make the chicken filling by combining the following ingredients in a bowl: 12 ounces shredded cooked chicken, 1/2 cup jack cheese, 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup corn kernels, 1/2 cup black beans, 1-2 sliced green onions, 2 grated or minced garlic cloves, 1/3 cup salsa, 1 tsp. cumin, the juice of  half a lime, 1 tsp. salt, a finely diced seeded serrano pepper (I didn't add this), and 1 container Chobani 0% Greek yogurt.

Step 2:  Heat 1/3 cup canola oil and two grated garlic cloves in a small saucepan over med heat. When the oil is hot, turn off the heat and let the garlic infuse into the oil for 5-10 minutes. Assemble the tortillas by adding about 2 tbs. of the filling along the lower third of 8-10 flour tortillas -- feel free to sprinkle with a bit more cheese on top if you like it extra cheesy! Roll up and place seam-side-down on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silpat.

Step 3:  Brush the tortilla rollups with the garlic oil and sprinkle with salt, dried cilantro, and chipotle chile powder. Bake for 8-10 minutes, flipping over halfway through cooking so both sides are able to brown and crisp.

Green enchiladas

Ingredients:
-24 corn tortillas
-2 chicken breast (cooked and shredded)
-15 small tomatillos or 10 big ones
-1/3 bunch cilantro
-1 garlic clove
-1/4 onion divided
-Salt to taste
-1 cup queso fresco, cotija or feta cheese crumbled
-1 red bell pepper chopped
OPTIONAL:
-1/2 cup onion
-1/2 cup frozen corn
-Sour cream




Instructions:
Boil tomatillos in water(should cover tomatillos) for 5 minutes or until tomatillos change color. Blend tomatillos, cilantro, garlic, onion, and salt to taste.
To assemble enchilada: fry corn tortillas in just a little bit of oil so the tortillas can get soft (you can also just warm it up in the microwave but it doesn't taste as good).
Fold corn tortilla and add cooked chicken inside of it. After you are done assembling the enchiladas, pour the tomatillos sauce on top of enchiladas.
To garnish enchilada: sprinkle queso fresco or cotija or feta cheese on top, chop red bell peppers, chop onions, corn and/or sour cream.
Serve enchiladas with white rice. I put on my enchiladas cheese and red bell peppers. It is so delicious!

Slow Cooker Mexican Pulled Pork

Slow Cooker Mexican Pulled Pork
•2 (8 oz) cans tomato sauce
•1 Tbsp chili powder
•1 Tbsp ground cumin
•2 Tbsp brown sugar, divided
•1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
•½ tsp salt
•3 cloves garlic, minced
•1 lb pork tenderloin
1.In a slow cooker, combine the tomato sauce, chili powder, cumin, 1 Tbsp of the brown sugar,cayenne pepper, salt, and garlic. Stir until well combined.
2.Carefully place the pork into the sauce in the slow cooker. Make sure it is all covered with the sauce. Cook on low for 8 hours.
3.Remove the pork from the slow cooker and shred the pork using two forks, pulling against the grain of the meat. Pour the sauce from the slow cooker into another bowl. Add the pork back to the slow cooker and add just enough of the sauce to make the meat saucy just like a bbq pulled pork. Then mix in the remaining 1 Tbsp of brown sugar for extra sweetness.

Pozole

A spicy Mexican Soup I often had on my mission.

Ingredients:

2 (15 oz) cans hominy
0.5-1 lb chicken, diced
1-2 tsp oregano
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped
1-2 Tbs chili powder
1-2 cups chicken broth and water

Directions:

Season chicken and cook. Set aside. Saute onions and garlic in oil. Add all ingredients. Cook 15 minutes. Great with thinly sliced cabbage on top.

HONEY LIME ENCHILADAS

6 T honey
5 T lime juice (1 large lime)
1 T chili powder
½ t garlic powder

1 pound chicken, cooked and shredded (I used 3 small chicken breasts).
8-10 flour tortillas
1 pound Monterey jack cheese, shredded
2 10 oz cans green enchilada sauce
1 cup heavy cream

Mix the first four ingredients and toss with shredded chicken. Let it marinate for at least ½ hour (I tossed mine together in a Ziploc bag in the morning and let it sit in refrigerator all day). Pour one can enchilada sauce on the bottom of the 9 x 13 baking pan. Fill flour tortillas with chicken and shredded cheese, saving about 1 cup of cheese (or more if you are like me and love cheese) to sprinkle on top of the enchiladas. Mix the other can of enchilada sauce with the cream and leftover marinade. Pour sauce on top of the enchiladas and sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes until brown and crispy on top.

***Freezable Meal: Freeze prior to baking. To bake, preheat oven to 350 and bake enchiladas, covered (without thawing first) for 1 hour. Uncover and bake 30 minutes longer, until brown and crispy on top.

Cafe Rio Recipe - Pork

Sweet Pulled Pork:

3-4 lb pork loin roast
1 cup brown sugar
1 12-14 oz bottle of mild/med taco sauce
1 12oz can of Coke (I heard that Costa Vida uses Dr. Pepper)

Put all the ingredients in a slow cooker and cook on high for at least 6 hours. Take pork roast out and shred on a cutting board (I also removed the fattiest pieces). Return shredded meat to crock pot and let it heat/soak while you get everything else ready.

Tomatillo Ranch Dressing:

3/4 c. buttermilk
1 t fresh squeezed lime juice
1/2 c. cilantro leaves
1 c. mayo
1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch powder
1 small tomatillo, quartered
1/2 jalapeno, seeded and diced
3/4 can chopped green chilies

Slop everything into either a food processor or a good blender.

Chicken Enchiladas

(Freeze the tortillas separately for this easy dinner)
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1/2 pint sour cream
pinch garlic powder
1 can diced green chiles
3-4 chicken breasts, cooked and diced
1 dozen flour tortillas
grated Monterey Jack cheese

To freeze: Mix first 5 ingredients together in a large bowl. Spoon into a 1 gallon freezer bag and lay flat to freeze.

To prepare: Thaw sauce and tortillas. Spoon a bit of the chicken mixture into each tortilla. Roll up and place side by side in a 9 X 13 baking pan. Pour remaining mixture over enchiladas and sprinkle with cheese. Bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Santa Fe Chicken with Veggies

Ingredients:

1 cup chopped red/green sweet pepper (1 large)

1/3 cup chopped onion (1 small)-I use more than this

2 tsp olive oil

1 cup frozen broccoli florets

1 cup frozen corn

2 cups cubed, cooked chicken (10 oz)-I use two big chicken breasts

1 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes, undrained (I used Italian flavored)

1 tsp ground cumin

1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese (4 oz)

fresh cilantro (opt)

In a large skillet, cook sweet pepper and onion in hot olive oil over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally (I salt/pepper chicken and then cook with veggies at this time, or you can cook previously as the recipe says). Stir in broccoli and corn. Cook for 3 minutes more, stirring occasionally. Add cooked chicken (if not added previously), black beans, undrained tomatoes, and cumin to skillet. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with cheese. Garnish with cilantro.

Great over couscous (use chicken broth with a little water to cook it) or in a tortilla.

From Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book

Chicken and Rice Quesadillas

Ingredients

• flour tortillas
• cheese
• rice, plain or spanish rice
• tomatoes, diced
• salsa
• sour cream
• chicken, cut into strips

Cook chicken strips and rice per package instructions. Spray a pan with pam and place a flour tortilla on it. Put chicken strips, rice and cheese in it. Fold in half. Cook until cheese is melted and tortilla is slightly browned. Flip over 2/3 of the way through. Put on a plate and add in tomatoes, salsa and sour cream. Enjoy.

Mexican Stuffed Shells

Ingredients

• 24 uncooked jumbo pasta shells
• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1 cup salsa
• 1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
• 1 cup canned corn
• 1 cup black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Toppings

• sour cream
• salsa
• olives
• cheese

Cook shells according to package directions. Cook ground beef in skillet till done. Stir in salsa, tomato sauce, corn and beans. Spoon into pasta shells, reserving a small amount to put on bottom of 9x13 pan. Place shells in pan and sprinkle with cheese. Cover and bake at 350 for 40 minutes. Add desired toppings.

Chili's Fajitas for 2

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 1/3 cup water
• 2 TBSP vegetable oil
• 1 garlic clove, pressed
• 3 tsp vinegar
• 2 tsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• dash onion powder
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breast or top sirloin

Combine above ingredients and put in fridge over night. Then grill or cook on stove.
Combine the following and cook until peppers and onions are tender crisp

• 1 TBSP vegetable oil
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 2 TBSP water
• 1/2 tsp lime juice
• dash pepper
• dash salt

Serve meat, onions and peppers in a warm flour tortilla with sour cream

Flour Tortillas

Ingredients

• 4 cups flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 5 TBSP lard
• 2 cups hot water

Mix flour, salt and baking powder. Add lard and cut into dry ingredients. Add 2 cups hot water. Work well and knead until no longer sticky. Let set at least 1/2 hour before rolling out. When cooking, turn only 3 times.

Chris' Salsa

Ingredients

• 2 28 oz cans whole tomatoes
• 1 28 oz can tomato sauce
• 1 bunch green onions
• 1 bunch cilantro
• 1-2 dried red peppers (optional)
• jalapenos (optional)
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp salt

Mix in blender until desired consistency.

Tamales

Ingredients

• 5 lbs of meat
• 15 cups masa harina (5 lbs)
• 1 1/2 lbs lard
• 3 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 3 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp pepper
• 5 whole cloves
• 1-2 cloves of garlic
• 1/2 lb chili soaked in water

Mix all dry ingredients together. Add lard into dry ingredients. Add warm broth and mix well. Puree chili and water chili soaked in with small amount of dry masa harina to form a past. Shred meat and add pureed chili. Steam tamales for aproximately one hour or until done.

Enchiladas (my own made up recipe)

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground beef or shredded pork/beef (I sometimes buy the already cooked shredded pork or beef at Costco and use green sauce instead of red, and omit the spaghetti sauce and ketchup)
• cheese
• enchilada sauce 28 oz can - I like Old El Paso Red Sauce for ground beef
• ketchup
• spaghetti sauce
• sour cream
• 8-12 flour tortillas (mission medium size fit in an 8X8 best but mission large burrito size also work)

Cook ground beef. Add in enough spaghetti sauce to moisten beef then add a few TBSP ketchup to taste. Place tortilla on a plate and spread enchilada sauce on both sides. Then place sour cream followed by ground beef and cheese in the middle. Roll up and place in either two 8x8 pans or one 13x 9 pan. Continue to make enchiladas until all the meet sauce is used up. Then put sour cream and cheese across the top of the rolled up enchiladas in the pans. Cook for 15-25 minutes in the oven on 350.