Red Chili Enchilada Meat Loaf

Ingredients:
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup salsa
2 Tablespoons chili powder
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pound ground beef
1 8.5oz package corn muffin mix
2 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, sliced
salsa (optional)
tortilla strips, fried (optional)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl combine egg, onion, sasla, chili powder, garlic, and salt; add meat; mix well. Shape into a ball. Place mixture in a 9-inch pie plate; push to flatted all the way out to the sides of the dish.
2. Prepare corn muffin mix according to package directions. Spread corn muffin batter over meat in pie plate. Bake 50 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into side of meat loaf registers 160 degrees. Remove from oven. Halve cheese slices and arrange on top of corn muffin mixture. Cover loosely; let stand 10 minutes before serving. If desired, serve with additional salsa and fried corn tortilla strips.

Quick Chicken Tortilla Bake

Ingredients:
2 cans cream of chicken soup
10 oz can diced tomatoes with green chiles, undrained
12 6-inch corn tortillas, cut into thin strips
3 cups cubed cooked chicken
1 cup shredded monterey jack and/or cheddar cheese

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine soup and undrained tomatoes; set aside. Sprinkle one-third of the tortilla strips over the bottom of an ungreased 3-quart rectangular baking dish. Layer half of the chicken over the tortilla strips; spoon half of the soup mixture evenly over top. Repeat layers. Sprinkle with remaining tortilla strips.
2. Bake, covered, about 40 minutes or until bubbly around edges and center is hot. Uncover; sprinkle with cheese. Bake about 5 minutes more or until cheese is melted.

Caramel Apple Cream of Wheat

Mexican Pork

This was VERY GOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!! TONS of flavor packed in!

Ingredients:
2 teaspoons ground chile pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
2 Tablespoons orange juice
1 Tablespoon adobo sauce (from canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce)
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon lime juice
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
3 pound pork shoulder (bone in or boneless)

Directions:
1. In a small bowl; combine chile pepper, salt, oregano, coriander, cumin, black pepper, cinnamon, and allspice. Stir in orange juice, adobo sauce, garlic, lime juice, and oil until a paste forms.
2. Trim fat from roast. Using a small knife, make small slits all over the roast. Rub paste all over meat. If possible, place in a large ziploc bag and let marinate in the refrigerator for 4 to 24 hours. If not, place in large baking dish. Pour about 1/2 cup water into the dish. Cover with foil, and cook at 350 degrees for approximately 4 hours, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in center of meat should register at least 170 degrees.

We made this into tacos with black beans, rice, tomatoes, cheese, and sour cream...SO GOOD!!!!

Triple Decker Taco Bake

Ingredients:
15 oz canned beans (I used refried black beans)
1 cup salsa
12 - 6-inch corn tortillas
3/4 cup frozen corn
1/2 cup shredded monterey jack or cheddar cheese
avocado, as desired
1 Tablespoon cilantro, (optional)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Lightly coat a 9-inch pie plate with cooking spray; set aside.
2. Spoon 1/4 cup salsa into bottom of prepared pie plate. Layer ingredients in the following order: three of the tortillas, half of the beans, 3 more tortillas, all of the corn, 1/4 cup of cheese, 1/4 cup salsa, another three tortillas, the remaining beans, the remaining tortillas, and the remaining 1/2 cup salsa.
3. Cover with foil; bake about 12 minutes or until heated through. Remove foil. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup cheese.
4. Bake, uncovered, about 3 minutes more or until cheese melts. Top with avocado, and cilantro (if desired).

Huevos Rancheros

We had this in a restaurant in Guatemala (at the Men's Bible study)...it was so good!
The kids needed to be talked into this a lot, but Belle and Derek ended up eating every bite! Julie ate about half of it, but she's still having issues with egg allergies (although the doctor insists she is no longer allergic...she has a rash and eczema today) :(

Ingredients:
3 Tablespoons olive oil
5 6-inch corn tortillas
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
14.5 oz can diced tomatoes, drained
1 or 2 chile peppers from can of chipotle chile peppers in adobo sauce
2 Tablespoons snipped cilantro
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
8 eggs
1 Tablespoon water
1/2 cup shredded monterey jack cheese or queso fresco

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a large skillet, heat 2 Tablespoons of the oil over medium0high heat. Dip tortillas, one at a time, into oil just until hot. Drain on papertowels (do not stack), reserving oil in skillet. Keep four of the tortillas warm on a baking sheet in oven. Set aside remaining tortilla.
2. For salsa, add onion and garlic to the skillet; cook over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes or until tender. Stir in tomatoes, chile peppers, cilantro, and cumin. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Transfer mixture to a blender or food processor. Tear reserved tortilla into pieces; add to blender. Cover; blend or process until mixture forms a coarse puree. Keep warm.
3. In the same skillet, heat the remaining 1 Tablespoon oil over medium heat. Carefully break eggs into skillet. When whites are set and edges turn white, add the water. Cover skillet and cook eggs to desired doneness (3 to 4 minutes for soft-set yolks, or 4-5 minutes for firm-set yolks).
4. To serve, place a warm tortilla on each of four serving plates. Top each with two fried eggs. Spoon warm salsa over eggs; sprinkle with cheese. If desired, garnish with green onions.

Zucchini and Corn Tortitas

These were so good! I made them for lunch yesterday and served with a little sour cream and salsa mixed together!

OH, and I didn't have any zucchini's from the garden yesterday, so I made with yellow squash...so good!

And I bet these would be great with jalapenos too!

Ingredients:
1 large zucchini (or squash)
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups Monterey Jack cheese
2/3 cup flour
1/3 cup chopped green onions
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup corn
1/4 - 1/2 cup canola oil

Directions:
1. Coarsely shred zucchini (you should have about 1 cup shredded zucchini). Drain on several layers of paper towels, patting dry.
2. In a large bowl, stir together eggs, cheese, flour, green onions, cumin, oregano, and salt. Stir in zucchini and corn.
3. In a large skillet, put enough oil to cover bottom. Heat over medium-high heat. Take large spoonfuls of batter and make it into a hamburger shape. Carefully drop into hot oil; cook for 4 minutes or until golden brown, turning once. Drain on paper towels. Repeat with remaining zucchini mixture, adding oil as needed.

Caldo de Pollo (Chicken Soup)

It's Mexican Week at our house! :) We're eating only meals that they eat in Hispanic cultures for breakfast, lunch, and dinner! Trying to get the kids to not only eat less sugar (i.e. - American breakfasts!), but also to expand their food preferences and see that the rest of the world is a lot different from us!

So, on today's lunch menu? Caldo de Pollo (Chicken Soup...or I believe "Soup of Chicken")

It's still cooking, but it's AWESOME!

I actually cooked chicken tacos last night, so I cooked up a rotisserie chicken in the crock pot, changing up the spices by only using garlic powder, garlic salt, and cumin, and then made all the chicken into the chicken lime taco recipe...and am using that chicken in the soup today!

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 large tomatoes, peeled (if desired), and chopped
2 32-oz boxes low sodium chicken broth
1 pound cooked chicken, pulled apart
15 oz canned beans, drained
(recipe called for garbanzo, but I used Great Northern...would try black too)
1 Tbsp lime juice
1 pepper from can of chipotle chile peppers in adobo sauce, finely chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1 medium avocado, chopped (I didn't have any today)
8 medium radishes, thinly sliced (optional)
1/2 cup shredded Cotija cheese or anejo enchilado cheese (I used monterey jack)
1/4 cup fresh cilantro (optional)
6 corn tortillas (optional)

Directions:
1. In large soup pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cook for about 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in tomatoes; cook for 5 minutes more or until tomatoes are soft and mixture begins to thicken, stirring constantly. Add broth; bring to boiling.
2. Add chicken. Return to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, about 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through (if using raw chicken breasts). If needed, remove chicken from soup, wait til it cools enough to handle, and remove bones and pull apart.
3. Add shredded chicken back into soup. Add beans, lime juice, chile pepper, cumin, and salt to soup. Heat through.
4. If desired, cut corn tortillas into strips. Heat in 400 degree oven until toasted.
4. Top each serving with avocado, radishes (if desired), cheese, and cilantro (if desired). Add toasted tortilla strips if desired.

Mexican Kiss Cocktail

Spicy Shrimp & Scallop Tacos

We made these to celebrate our 10 year anniversary and they were AWESOME


Ingredients:
1 pound shrimp
1 pound scallops


guatemalan style black beans
cheddar cheese, shredded
sour cream mixed with little lime juice
salsa

Guatemalan style black beans

I know, I know...these are not from scratch...I plan to do that eventually, but life's too crazy right now :)

Ingredients:
1 can refried black beans
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1 - 2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 Tbsp lime juice

Directions:
1. In small skillet, heat olive oil over medium high heat. When hot, add garlic, and saute until just starts to brown. Add beans. Mix through until well blended and hot. Add cumin and lime juice. Stir. Serve as side dish or as part of a taco/buritto

Homemade Corn Tortillas

I FINALLY broke down and made homemade corn tortillas last night, to celebrate our 10 year anniversary! They were SO easy and very yummy! Just like the ones we eat in Guatemala! :)

Ingredients:
2 cups masa harina (make sure it only has corn and lime - the lime is important!)
1 1/4 cup water

Directions:
1. Mix together masa harina and water until dough starts to form. I ended up having to add a lot more water than this...not sure why...but I just kept adding water until the dough came together.
2. Pull dough together into disk/ball shape. Let dough sit for 15 minutes.
3. For each tortilla, pull off handful of dough, roll between two pieces of wax paper, and heat on skillet over high heat for about 30 seconds to 1 minute for each side, until it starts to lightly brown.

Taco Salad

This was my own little creation...and we love it so much we've had it twice in the last week! :)
Super quick and easy and really tasty!

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 small onion, diced
1 packet taco seasoning
15 oz can diced tomatoes (no salt)
15 oz can black beans, rinsed
bagged salad (or make your own!)
1 avocado, diced
jalapeno flavored tortilla chips
cheddar cheese, shredded
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped
Ken's ranch dressing

Directions:
1. In large skillet, brown ground beef, garlic, and onion. Pour off fat. Add taco seasoning, tomatoes (with juices), and black beans. Heat through.
2. To serve, put salad on each plate. Top with beef mixture, avocado, crushed tortilla chips, cheddar cheese, jalapeno pepper, and ranch dressing.

Chili Nachos

1 pound ground beef
1 small onion, diced
1 large can chili beans
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
2 cloves garlic
1 jar cheeze whiz
1 bag tortilla chips
1 jalapeno pepper, diced (optional)
sour cream (optional)
salsa (optional)

Directions:
1. In large skillet, brown ground beef and onion over medium high heat. Drain fat. Add chili beans, tomatoes, and garlic. Cook on low heat for about 20 minute until warmed through and flavors come together.
2. Heat cheese whiz in microwave.
3. Serve tortilla chips with chili mixture poured over top, and top with cheese. Sprinkle jalapeno peppers on top, if desired. Serve with sour cream and/or salsa if desired.

Horchata - Guatemalan

This was a drink we got to have in Guatemala, and it was SO good that I had to find a recipe for it! It turned out great! Super easy, and the kids loved it! They were all unsure of it when I first offered it to them, but they all asked for more! :) I'm not sure if it tastes EXACTLY the same as what we had, but it's very good! I can't remember how the other one tasted...other than amazingly good!
I got this one from Better Homes and Gardens Special Issue called Ultimate Mexican...funny that I had this recipe for a year or so! LOL!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup long grain white rice
1 1/4 cups warm water
1 cup blanched almonds or raw cashews (I left this out b/c of nut allergies)
3 inches stick cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon finely shredded lime peel
4 cups water
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
ground cinnamon, optional

Directions:
1. Place uncooked rice in a blender; cover and blend until powdery (some of the rice will look finely chopped). In a medium bowl combine blended rice, the 1 1/4 cups warm water, almonds, stick cinnamon, and lime peel. Cover and let stand at room temperature over night.
2. Transfer mixture to a blender. Add 2 cups of the 4 cups of water. Cover and blend until mixture is smooth.
3. Line a fine-mesh strainer with 2 layers of 100 percent cotton cheesecloth. Pour rice mixture through cheesecloth. When liquid has passed through, gather up the cheesecloth and squeeze remaining liquid into the bowl. Discard solids.
4. Transfer strained liquid to a pitcher. Stir in remaining 2 cups water, sugar, and vanilla. Serve immediately over ice. If desired, garnish with extra ground cinnamon (I added whipped cream). To serve warm, omit serving over ice and transfer to medium saucepan; cook over medium heat until heated through.

Can make and store in fridge up to 3 days before serving.

Makes 4 servings.