Alley's Recipe Book: mexican

Showing posts with label mexican. Show all posts

Cauliflower Tacos - total time 30 minutes

I have read a couple articles that have stated that cauliflower is going to be the next big food trend. I don't think they are going to call it a superfood, but as people are turning to more meatless meals, they are looking for "meaty" vegetables so they don't miss it. I feel like I saw cauliflower start trending the middle of last year in the foodie/food blogger world, so it's only a matter of I time before it is on every menu!

I used to actually hate cauliflower. I think it have a weird texture and not a ton of flavor. But then I tried it roasted! Put a little spice on these white nuggets and they are delicious!

So I ordered some cauliflower in my GreenBEAN bins and started trying some different things. My favorite so far has definitely been the tacos (probably no surprise there). I have made them a couple times now and each time my husband asks me to put chicken in his (I tell him no). He begrudging eats it and really likes it! I don't know how many times we will have to go through the process until he admits that he likes it anytime other than when he is scarfing them down.

These are kind of kitchen sink tacos. I basically looked in my fridge (and freezer) to see what I had to add to the cauliflower. Frozen corn from the summer, salsa, and some pepper jack cheese... And I have made it the same way since! But don't feel like you need to stick to these ingredients. The cauliflower is definitely the star of this taco and packs some spicy, nutty flavor. Other roasted veggies would be great... sautéed onions... eggplant... even some shredded chicken. Make it your own, but make sure to include lots of super trendy roasted cauliflower!

cheesy fajita cousous with shredded chicken and enchilada sauce

Haha, I used to avoid those cooking game show type things on the Food Network or Cooking Channel (cupcake wars just gives me anxiety), but after participating in the first Chopped at Home challenge, I find myself watching the show on occasion. The last one I saw had viewers vote for the basket ingredients which included cow eyeballs! Ick!

Luckily, the at home challenge has much more forgiving ingredients. This time it is Mexican blend shredded cheese, chicken tenders, salsa, and couscous. All ingredients the average home cook has used before and almost make sense together. I love Mexican food, so the Mexican cheese blend round sounds delicious!

If you have never had couscous before, it is kind of like quinoa. I used to cook with it a lot more as a rice substitute before quinoa became so popular as a super food edging out some of the shelf space at grocery stores couscous once occupied. You can get different sized couscous, pea-sized to itty bitty grain size.

I was in the mood for some enchiladas, so this dish could easily be wrapped up in tortillas and baked for 20-25 minutes instead. But this way, we are cutting the carbs and attempting an artsy presentation that is really easy. Word of caution, you could use four pots/pans for this dish (which sounds like a cleaning nightmare to me)... Or you could use two and have to be watching things a little more attentively. Read all if the directions before starting the recipe (best practice for any recipe). :)

You know that perfect spot in a campfire to roast marshmallows? Right by the red embers not too close to the flame. It gets the marshmallow gooey and lightly toasted without catching them on fire. Well, that same spot is the perfect place to cook your dinner too! Just wrap the ingredients in heavy foil, spray with cooking spray, carefully put the foil packet in that perfect spot, and enjoy some perfectly cooked dinner in about 30 minutes.

I made this dinner while we were camping last weekend. As soon as I got everything on the campfire to cook, the sky opened up and it started to pour. We took cover in our Jeep and checked every single weather app on our phones... possible tornadoes. Eek! Thankfully the storm passed by pretty quickly. There were a lot of puddles and the ground was muddy, but the campfire was still hanging in there (thanks to good tree cover)... but only by a little bit. The rain made the whole fire those perfect red embers for cooking. Surprisingly everything cooked just right and as the sun came out, we were chowing down on some delicious camp food. :)

So before I started reading about nutrition and really learned how to cook, occasionally I would just make some nachos for dinner which involved some chips, lots of cheese, and a little bit of salsa. It was quick, of course. Only about one minute in the microwave. But had no nutritional value what-so-ever.

After reading a couple books about digestion and the ways what you eat can cause certain annoying symptoms, most of which you might blame genetics on like unclear skin, stuffy nose, or trouble concentrating... I realized that there was more to food than just tasting good. Food is really about nourishing your body because it takes a lot just to keep our heart pumping, lungs inhaling, and brain thinking. I started to make a conscious effort to make sure vegetables always had a spot on my plate for both lunch and dinner. I started to cut back on meats and gluten. I tried to limit how much dairy I ate, but I just couldn't give up cheese. It is little steps that make the difference. Going to the extreme will leave you hungry and feeling deprived. Being too strict makes it nearly impossible to enjoy a meal out with a friend. With most things, a happy medium is best.

It's been several years since those old microwaved nachos days, but sometimes you just want what you want. I follow a couple bloggers that plan out their meals as well and one of them posted that they were making nachos for dinner one night. I've been thinking about whether nachos are really dinner food ever since. I decided to make my version of loaded nachos and it was quite filling and loaded with veggies (and cheese!). This makes a great quick meal that you eat with your hands. Perfect for a casual weekend dinner or to have with a couple drinks tailgating.

I can't believe it is already the end of June! Where did the month go?!? I need to get out of the office earlier so I can really enjoy the summer. Whether it's late nights at the office or you just want to get dinner on the table quickly, taco night is always a great solution.

What's funny is as often as we have taco night around these parts... I've never made ground beef (or ground turkey) tacos. I have made chicken (of course), fish, veggie, fajita, and shrimp tacos... probably even some more that I can't think of off the top of my head. But the default taco at every Mexican or Tex-Mex restaurant is always ground beef. Likely because it is the less expensive meat (but not always). Maybe it's because the original Mexican taco was made with beef. Who really knows!

So... I thought I would give these tacos a try. The thing about tacos is really getting the spices right. You don't need a prepackaged mix... you don't know what is in that thing and you can't customize it either. I always keep a few spices on hand; chili powder and red pepper flakes. Those two combined give anything the right amount of flavor and spice to make taco night a success! And don't worry, for those of you adverse to spicy foods... regular chili pepper isn't really spicy (though chipotle chili pepper is, I breathed in steamy chipotle air by accident and my lung felt like they were on fire!). The recipe below is spicy enough to keep you reaching for your water but not make you sweat. And of course you can adjust how much you add depending on how you like your tacos (the beauty of not using a mix)!

We used to have a game on trying to make every meal into a sandwich... you know, since sandwiches are so awesome. I think breakfast might have been the beginning of this challenge when I was using pancakes and sandwich ends before McDonalds made it a thing. We made spaghetti sandwiches between garlic toasts. Of course we sandwiched our pizza. Pretty much anything was fair game to be between two slices of bread.

Now I feel like it's tacos time to shine (or enchiladas in this case). Fish and veggie tacos that may have been hard to find a few years ago are not available everywhere. With Taco Bell's waffle taco, you really have to wonder what can't be turned into a taco (and when does it stop being a taco and start just being a way to eat with your hands and shove food in your mouth).

Enter breakfast enchilada! While it's not technically a taco, it sorta is. Ha. It's also kind of like a mini breakfast burrito. Perfect serving size for your brunch table or for making on a Sunday and heating up throughout the week. I went with more of a fajita approach, but add potatoes, beans, salsa, etc if that's what floats your boat!

I know I'm one of the anomolies that has cooked or baked just about everything on their food-related Pinterest boards, but there are still some recipes on there that I'm just not sure about. Most of the foodstuff I pin look and sound delicious, with a couple tweaks, it's perfect for my somewhat picky pallet. Other recipes look amazing, but sound much less appealing.

That's how I felt about this taco twist that pinned over six months ago. I love stombolis and I love tacos, but mixing the two together seems sacrilege. I guess if I can do it to stuffed shells, I can do it to stromboli. So, inspired by Bev's raving review, I checked another recipe off my Pinterest board.

Taco bread is basically begging to be dipped into something, whether it be guac (my fav), salsa, sour cream, or queso dip... the bread makes it nice and sturdy so you don't lose anything when you make your dunk. The egg wash give the crust a good crunch with a fluffy inside and a savory filling. I don't know what I was afraid of, taco bread is delish!

I was just having a conversation about the last time we ate at McDonald's (it's been a while). I thought it was funny that I could recall the last time I ate at several fast food chains, all of which have been years ago, because they were all paired with awful belly aches or just bad luck. Last time at McDonald's was actually in San Fran and was the only thing open for breakfast by the rental car place so we could leave for Yosemite. They screwed up my breakfast sandwich order and I was too tired to realize it until it was too late and my stomach was already turning. The last time I went to Burger King was after a long day waiting in lines and shopping at a sample sale and a car ran into my car while I was waiting in the drive thru line. For KFC, it was after a canoe trip that was continuing into some backpacking in Zaleski. It was either KFC, McDonalds, or Clif bars (which meant we would have less to eat while hiking). We ate a quick lunch and off we went... it was 98 degrees, 100% humidity, and the trail started straight up some switch backs. We got to the top and both of us looked pale as ghosts... the friend chicken was not sitting well... And then lastly, I've never ate at White Castle, but my husband has once and told me the reason they call them sliders (TMI).

Ironically, with all of these fast food horror stories, surprisingly Taco Bell hasn't made our 'do not go there' list. They also have a decent selection of vegetarian options and the Catina Bell menu is better than the average fast food. Taco Bell just announced that they are testing some higher end fast-casual restaurants called U.S. Taco Co. in Florida, which will be interesting to see how they compete with Chipotle. Any way, I've always thought Taco Bell had something with their crunch wrap idea... a mix of soft and crunchy. There just had to be a healthier option than ladles of nacho cheese and sour cream with almost no veggies. So here's my version...

Cinco de Mayo is only a few days away! How do you plan on celebrating? We love all things Mexican food in our house, we have tacos, quesadillas, and enchiladas on the regular. So I can't believe it was only three years ago when I was introduced to the idea of fish tacos! I was visiting my friend in Florida and the restaurant specialized in fish tacos... I was hesitant, but love to try new things especially while on vacation. White flaky fish, crunchy cabbage, and the tang of lime wrapped up in a tortilla... yum! So now they are in our rotation for Taco Tuesdays and other nights we feel like Mexican.

Ugh, it has been a rough week with some late nights at work. It is easy to come home and not want to cook. Since we're trying to limit processed foods in our diet, not wanting to cook doesn't leave a lot of options. So after seeing a pin on Pinterest about freezer meals, I thought about having a 'backup' meal ready to go from fridge to oven to table. In fact, I could even call my husband ahead of time and have him put it in the oven and it could be ready by the time I got home (and then we aren't eating after 9pm).

So I thought about what I could make that could sit in the fridge a few days before being completely baked and I think this works for most noodle dishes (just remove any raw eggs from the recipes and make sure to completely cook the meat). I decided to go with the disposable/recyclable tin pans because I didn't want anything to break going from a cold fridge to a hot oven (and my husband doesn't have a good track record when it comes to cooking).

My first go at a make ahead (or fridge-to-oven) meal was a success! I wasn't even home when the mexican stuffed shells were made or even eaten. I say a home cooked meal is definitely better than the Taco Bell run or frozen pizza that would have happened if it was not available. :)

It took about 20 minutes to boil the noodles, brown the ground turkey, cook in the additional ingredients, and stuff the shells. I ran cold water over the noodles to stop the cooking process and let the filling cool down a little. After stuffing the shells and topping with cheese, I covered the tin pan with aluminum foil and wrote the baking instructions on top. So simple! I'm definitely planning to prepare one of these every week for that night that inevitably comes where I just don't want to cook.

What do you do when you don't want to cook?

Vegetarian Fajita Tacos - total time 20 minutes

It's Taco Tuesday! Okay, we don't have that much of a food routine at our house. We eat a lot of tacos, enchiladas, and quesadillas... so we probably have taco Tuesday more often than I realize. Any way, tacos are perfect for Tuesday nights because they are fast and easy. Everyone can build their own so everyone gets what they want. These tacos have fajita veggies instead of chicken or beef, so they are great for Meatless Mondays as well!

Whenever I think about taco salads I remember this Bud Light radio spot from way long ago (apparently there was a TV commercial that went along with it). It was about how taco salads have crazy amounts of calories, but because it is a salad, people think they are being healthy. That commercial kind of stuck with me over the years and I don't think I've ever really had a taco salad since even Bud Light thinks it is an unhealthy option. Well, here's one that is light on calories, full on flavor, and completely meatless! It was so good wanted to go back for seconds despite being completely full.

Eggs are not just for breakfast and baking. They are a great source of protein in a vegetarian diet. Quiches, souffles, stratas, frittatas, or poached on a sandwich or in soup are all great ways to incorporate eggs into meals after noon. Some day I want to have a few chickens and we could have eggs every day...

Any way, this recipe is kind of like a Hot Pocket... well, only in that it is hot and a pocket of food. Quality and taste are way better than any Hot Pocket. But you get the point. The puff pastry is buttery, flaky, and tender. The filling tastes fresh and a little spicy. Really you could put pretty much anything inside these pockets, like ham and cheese or broccoli and cheese or something else and cheese (guess I really want a cheesy pocket). As long as it is fresh ingredients, it will be good!

1 pkg puff pastry, thawed
5 eggs, divided
4 oz. cheese
1 avocado
.5 cup salsa
chives
salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Scramble four eggs with salt and pepper. Roll out puff pastry and cut into six sections. Lay puff pastry on parchment paper lined baking sheet.
2. Layer eggs, cheese, smashed avocado, salsa, and chives on half of the dough. Fold dough over top of the filling. Press edge close with fork.
3. With remaining egg, brush a thin layer of egg over each dough pocket. Bake for 18 minutes or until crust turns golden and flaky.

Chicken & Spinach Baked Taquitos - total time 45 minutes

With as much Mexican food that I eat, how could I have lived so long without knowing about taquitos? They are pretty easy to make. Pretty much like a sauce-less enchilada, although I believe taquitos are supposed to be fried... they still get a nice crispy shell in to oven. These make great appetizers with some salsa, guacamole and sour cream for dipping. Or serve them as a meal with corn and spanish rice.

8 small tortillas
1 lb chicken, shredded
.5 can of beer
1 cup queso cheese, shredded
1 medium onion
2 cups spinach, chopped
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 green onion

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sear chicken in pot, pour beer over chicken and continue to cook for about 8 minutes. Once cooked, shred chicken with two forks. While shredding chicken, cook onions and spinach in pot until spinach is wilted.
2. Combine shredded chicken, spinach, onion, chili powder, red pepper flakes, and shredded cheese in miking bowl.
3. Scoop about two tablespoons of mixture into tortillas and roll closed tightly. Place in casserole dish and bake for 15 minutes. Turn taquitos and bake for additional 10 minutes

Chicken Enchilada Casserole - total time 45 minutes

Another opportunity to open up a jar of tomatoes from the garden. It smells like summer every time, which is certainly welcome when I can see how cold it is outside from the kitchen window. Although I would rather be wearing shorts and enjoying the sunshine, winter allows everything to renew itself in the spring. Can't wait to get out in the garden again... the seed catalogs are showing up in the mail.

If you love enchiladas, you will love this casserole... and it is super easy! Swap the chicken for spinach to make it vegetarian.

1 lb chicken

1 cup rice

1 medium onion, chopped

1 cup shredded cheese, divided

.5 cup cream cheese

10 oz. tomato juice

1 tbsp chili pepper

1 garlic clove

1 tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare rice according to package. Cook chicken.

2. In a medium sized pot, heat olive oil, add onions and garlic, and saute for three minutes. Add in tomato juice and chili pepper. Simmer until sauce thickens, about eight minutes.

3. Shred chicken using forks and add to medium sized mixing bowl. Add cream cheese, rice, .5 cup shredded cheese, enchilada sauce, salt, and pepper and mix together. Transfer into casserole dish and top with remaining shredded cheese.

4. Bake for 25 minutes. Eat as a casserole with sour cream and green onions or serve with tortillas.

Chicken & Sour Cream Enchiladas - total time 35 minutes

There seems to be endless ways to make Mexican classics like tacos, quesadillas, and enchiladas. I mean, there must be a minimum of 200 options on any given Mexican restaurant menu, which is easy to know since they are usually numbered. If a restaurant can have 200 preselected options, then you have ten times that when you make them at home! Well, here's another one... sour cream enchiladas are super creamy, but still getting a little vegetables in too.

1 pound chicken
1 cup sour cream, divided
1 cup bell pepper
1 small onion
1 cup queso cheese, divided
3 tbsp butter
1 splash cream
.25 cup milk
a palm full of flour
8 flour tortillas
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp red pepper flakes
salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook chicken in a pan over medium heat (about five minutes each side). Add chopped onions and bell pepper for the last two minutes.
2. Shred the chicken with a fork and add to a mixing bowl with the onion and peppers. Add half cup of sour cream, half cup of queso cheese, chili powder, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper and combine together.
3. In a small pot melt butter. Add palm full of flour while whisking and then the splash of cream. Whisk out any clumps. Add remaining sour cream and queso cheese, stir until melted and combined into sauce.
4. Spoon out about a half cup of filling mixture and wrap into tortillas and place seam side down into casserole dish. Pour sauce over all enchiladas and bake for 20 minutes. Sprinkle chopped green onions on top (optional) and serve!

Mini Taco Pies - total time 40 minutes

Another mini, individual serving meal... this may become one of our go-to, easy meals. Taco/fajita night used to be a staple in our house... at least every other week. But because of Pinterest, I have been trying new and different things most nights. We haven't had a taco night at home in a while. Well, it's back! These little guys would be cute as an appetizer too.

1 pound ground turkey

3 torillas

1 cup tomatoes, chopped

1 cup bell peppers, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

1.5 cup shredded cheese

chili powder

red pepper flakes

salt & pepper

dollops of sour cream

green onions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook ground turkey. Add onion, tomato, pepper, chili powder, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper and cook for seven minutes. Add in half the shredded cheese; melt and incoorporate.

2. Cut tortillas into smaller circles using a jar or container as a guide. Spray muffin tin with oil and then tuck each tortilla into each cup. Scoop meat/veggie mixture into each up. Top with remaining cheese. Bake for 15 minutes.

3. Top with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of green onions. Eat with your hands! They are tacos afterall!