Tater Tot Nachos!

We are always looking for quick, easy meals that taste good, right? And ones that are familiar, but just a little bit different from the "same old, same old" combinations that we eat week after week.

I found a great balance of both those qualities! I really enjoy nachos, taco, burritos, pretty much anything that comes from the Latin culture finds happiness in my belly. Because of that, I literally could make Mexican or Latin inspired food every night of the week. Not everyone in my house would be okay with that... lol.

In an effort to mix things I love with a more American cuisine, I stumbled upon a recipe for Tater Tot Nachos on Half Hour Meals website. As with most dishes, the ability to be flexible and change it to suit your family is always a good option to have. Some dishes lend well to that, while others do not. This one is super flexible!

Tater Tot Nachos (adapted from Half Hour Meals)
Ingredients:

32 oz (or more) bag of frozen tater tots
2 lbs. ground beef
Taco seasoning
1 onion, chopped
1 1/2 (or so) black beans (if you're using dried beans, be sure they are cooked first - perfect for leftovers. Or use 1 can, drained)
fresh shredded cheese
chopped tomatoes
lettuce
salsa
sour cream

Cook:
Prepare the tots according to the package directions, though I did cook mine for a bit longer because I wanted them to be nice and crunchy and not soggy under all the toppings. While those are cooking, toss your ground beef and onion into a hot skillet and brown. Of course, add some salt and pepper. Once that's all browned up, drain it. Good job! Almost done. Isn't this easy?! Add the black beans. I would've added some corn too. There are non-corn lovers at my house. Can you believe it?! Now add some taco seasoning - I use about two palmfuls and then I add in some water and mix it all in really good. Return to high heat and let it come to a boil for about 3 minutes, then turn it down to simmer for about 5 or 6 minutes. All done!

By now, the tots should be done. To serve, put the tots on the bottom and take it from there. Just lay out all the ingredients and toppings and everyone can make them however they want to eat them. It really was a simple, enjoyable meal.

Nothing glamorous. Just easy, quick, and good. Enjoy!

Homemade Enchilada sauce.

I cooked the entire day yesterday. Well, I took some time out mid-morning, after the bacon cups and before the dinner began... Once I was back in the kitchen, though, it felt good! And I felt so resourceful yesterday!

It was Sharleen's birthday, so we wanted to have a nice birthday dinner. The only thing she requested I make was my banana puddin - and I did! It didn't at all match the rest of dinner, but it's what she wanted.

On the menu was some spicy bean salsa with chips, Mexican red rice, refried beans, chicken chimichangas, and, of course, the banana puddin!

In order to make all this happen from scratch, it meant starting early and using every bit of everything. Including the bacon grease from the mornings Bacon Egg cups.

One of the things I made was enchilada sauce from scratch - I've never done that before! It was so easy. I found the recipe here and I didn't really change anything about it.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil (I used Olive oil - it's what I had)
1 cup diced onion
3 tablespoons chopped garlic
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
5 tablespoons hot chili powder (I didn't have hot, so I just used regular chili powder)
4 1/2 cups chicken broth (homemade!)
1/2 (1 ounce) square semisweet chocolate (I used the whole square, I'm a rebel!)

Directions:

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high high heat. Saute onion until tender. Stir in garlic, oregano, cumin and cinnamon; saute for a few minutes. Stir in flour and chili powder and make sure it's all mixed together. Slowly whisk in chicken broth; reduce until sauce reaches desired consistency. Stir in chocolate until melted and well blended. 

Here's what you get!  

Roasted Garlic & Herb potato and Black Bean Quesadillas

I saw this recipe originally made with all processed foods, or mostly, but it sounded so yummy! I adapted!

Ingredients:
4 medium size potatoes
Rosemary
Thyme
Salt & pepper
Olive oil
Garlic
4 oz. can green chilies, chopped
about 2 cups black beans (can use one can, but I soaked some dried beans for this)
2 cups shredded cheese (taco shredded or fresh shredded cheddar and monterey jack - however you roll is fine with me)
8 large flour tortillas
Sour cream/salsa (optional)

Warm oven to 450. Dice potatoes and toss with garlic, rosemary, thyme, salt, pepper, and olive oil in a bowl. Place on a baking sheet and roast for about 45 minutes or until tender. Remove from oven, add the can of chilies and the black beans and mash lightly with a potato masher.Return to oven to heat through, about 5-7 minutes.

Heat a skillet over med-high heat and place one tortilla down. On half of the tortilla add a generous amount of the potato/bean mixture, about 1/4 c cheese, and then fold in half. Cook until cheese is all melty and stuff. Top with salsa and/or sour cream, if you like, or just eat it as is! Cut with a pizza slicer and there you have dinner! =]

Mexican Fiesta!

One of my all-time greatest joys in this world (other than Jesus)(Oh, and other than my son)(And my family)(And the family Christ has given me)(You get the picture) is cooking for other people. It makes me happy all the way down to my toenails! Today I get to cook for another family, which means I am completely in my element. The boy is gone to work, I'm in the kitchen with the radio blaring some old school R&B... Right this second it's some Rachelle Ferrell and Will Downing... OH! Love.

Since I love Mexican food and I want everyone to love it as much as I do, that's the theme I choose. Here's is what's on today's menu.

Black bean and Mango Salad, Black beans with cilantro basmati rice, carne asada tacos.

Black bean and Mango Salad (I don't remember where I originally saw this-been making it for years now):

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

2 cups diced frozen mango, thawed

1 red pepper, diced

6 green onions, sliced

1/4 c cilantro, chopped

1/4 c fresh lime juice

1 T olive oil

1 seeded jalapeno pepper, small dice

salt

Add all ingredients into a bowl, toss lightly. Done.

Basmati rice:

Cook rice according to package directions for the amount you'd like. Toward the end, squeeze the juice from 1/2 lime and add some chopped cilantro and recover to let it finish cooking.

Black beans:

2 cans black beans (do NOT drain)

1 onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

3 T cilantro, chopped

cumin, to taste

cayenne pepper, to taste

salt, to taste

Squeeze of lime, optional but good! =]

Saute the onion until translucent, add garlic and cook for 1 minute or so. Add the beans and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Season with cilantro, cumin, cayenne, and salt. Squeeze a little lime juice and let it cook for about 5 minutes. Tada.

Note: I've made HUGE batches of this and let it cook for up to an hour, just make sure you're stirring it so it doesn't stick. The flavors just come together so well!

Carne Asada Tacos:

3-4 lbs. chuck roast

3 dried chile peppers, rehydrated (see note below)

1 small can diced, green chilies

1 onion, sliced

kosher salt

pepper

cayenne pepper

garlic powder

cumin

chili powder

hot sauce

flour tortillas, medium size

tomatoes, diced

shredded lettuce

shredded cheese

Season the roast with salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, cumin, chili powder on both sides and plop it into your slow cooker on high. On top of the roast, add onions, rehydrated peppers, chile peppers, and hot sauce. Add water to cover the bottom third or so of the roast. Cover and cook for about 6 hrs. By this time, it should be ready to shred. Once shredded (use two forks to pull the meat apart--you can do it in the slow cooker or take it out to shred, discard large pieces of fat that you find), add it back to the slow cooker for about an hour. Assemble your tacos with the toppings you choose. I like the meat to be the star so I don't like to add too many other things. I add tomatoes, lettuce, and cheese.

Now, Mr. Do Right by Jade is playing. I love this song.

Oh, do you want to know how to rehydrate chili peppers? This is how I do it. I choose peppers that aren't broken and have a slight bendability (I'm not sure if that's really a word) to them. Cut the tops off, slice down the peppers to open and get all the seeds and veins out. Place the peppers in a pan thats been heating over medium heat to roast them for just a few minutes. Turn them a lot so they don't burn. Then, place them in a bowl of hot water for about 20 minutes. Slice and add to the slow cooker. FYI - taste the water they were soaked in, it should be a brownish color and if it doesn't taste bitter, use that as your water for the roast. If it's bitter, throw it away. You can always save it for something else too... maybe add some in for the rice water (what a great idea! I think I'll do that!). It's really packed with flavor and I'd hate to waste it if it can be used for something else!

And now I have some Isley Brothers playing... oh. I heart old school R&B!!

Queso Blanco Dip

Oh yummie in the land of all things yummie! This super easy dip can be used for so many things!

1 1/2 lbs Land o' Lakes white American cheese
2 (4oz) can diced green chilies, undrained
1/2 - 1 c. light cream

Ok.. so the cheese you can get from any deli, ask them to cut the 1 1/2 lbs in about 3 chunks. It will make it easier for you once you get home. Cut the cheese into square chunks and plop them into a good sized sauce pan, add the chilies, and a small amount of cream. Simmer all together, and add the cream until you have the desired thickness for the sauce.

Now, this sauce can be used for plain ole tortilla chip dipping, or you can pour it over empanadas, enchiladas, quesadillas... just about anything. It's fairly mild and SUPER yummie (I know I already said that, but I thought it important to let you know one more time).

Mexican Burger Sloperific!

For some reason I noticed a mass amount of burger in my freezer this weekend, so I was trying different things

1 lb burger
1 packet taco seasoning
1 can corn (drained)
1 can black beans (rinsed and drained)
seasonings of your choosing
frozen shredded potatoes (about 1 serving or more if you're feeding a larger group)

loaf of cornbread (any kind you like)


Start your loaf of cornbread. Brown the burger. Drain. In the same skillet add some butter or margarine and cook the frozen potatoes. I just added them to give the meat some texture, so I didn't use a lot. Add the meat back into the pan along with the packet of taco seasoning and some water (by some I mean about 3/4 cup. I just put some water in the empty seasoning packet and dump it into the pan, but you can measure it however you like). Add the corn and black beans. You may need to add more water... you just have to keep an eye on it. Cover and let it heat through while the cornbread finishes. We ate it with a piece of cornbread in a bowl and the meat mixture on top of it.

Chicken quesadillas

3-4 cooked, chopped chicken breast (an easy adaption is frozen fajita seasoned chicken)
1 can corn
chopped jalapeno (to taste, I use about 1/4 cup)
1/2 red onion, diced
2 Roma tomatoes, diced
1 can black beans, rinsed
2 roasted red bell pepper pieces, diced
salt
black pepper
ground cumin
freshly chopped cilantro (to taste)
mexican blend cheese, shredded
10 flour tortillas

Preheat oven to 350. In large pan pour a bit of olive oil, add onions, jalapenos, and black beans. Cook until onion is translucent. Add chicken, tomatoes, red peppers, and corn. Cook for about 5 minutes. Add seasonings and cilantro and mix. Remove from heat, set aside. Let it rest for just a few minutes. Lay out 5 tortillas on large cookie sheet. Add chicken mixture evenly over each tortilla, top with cheese. Add second tortilla to cover. Bake for about 10 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the quesadillas are heated through. Serve with sour cream or salsa, or both!