5 way Chicken Santa Fe

I got this recipe from a really great friend over at The Hungry Mamma (Hi Chels!) her sister in law made this for a party we had around christmas time, and I fell in LOVE! 

4 large Chicken breasts

1 jar of medium salsa

1 can Black Beans, drained

1 can Corn, drained

5 TBS taco seasoning (or 1 package)

1 (heaping) cup of shredded cheese

Spray crock pot with cooking spray.

Place chicken on bottom of crock pot.

In a small bowl, add salsa, black beans, corn and taco seasoning and mix well. Pour over chicken and cook on high for 4-5 hours.

When chicken is done, shred and add cheese. continue to cook until cheese is melted.

This filling is SO versatile! You can basically use it for anything... but here are the 5 ways we've used it.

DIP: This is the easiest way! Top with sour cream and cilantro, and use as a dip for tortilla chips!

TACOS: Spoon into taco shells, add lettuce and sour cream.

BURRITOS: Spoon into tortillas and fold up to close. Cover with enchilada sauce and cheese. Top with sour cream.

NACHOS: Dollop filling over corn chips, and cover with cheese. Bake at 300 for 10 min or until cheese is melted.

ENCHILADAS: Spoon into corn tortillas and roll up. Place into a 9x13 pan and cover with enchilada sauce and cheese. Bake at 350 for 10-20 min.

Spanish Rice in the Rice Cooker

• I never realized how incredibly easy it was to make your own spanish rice! It takes literally no time or effort and you end up with something thats way better for your family!
• 2 cups rice
• 1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes, with juice
• 3 1/2 cups water
• 1 small onion, diced
• 3 bullion cubes or 3 tsp. Better than Bullion
• 3 T. chili powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder

Combine all ingredients in your rice cooker, and cook according to rice cooker's directions.

Taco Salad :: 101

I have a thing for Taco Salad. It's one of those go-to meals for me, that I can make just for me, or for the whole family! I know that every family makes Taco Salad in a different way, so I thought I'd share mine!

1. A layer of crushed tortilla chips.

2. lettuce, lots and lots of lettuce. I like chopped romaine the best.

3. Shredded Chicken.

4. Cheese. Colby Jack to be exact.

5. A drizzle of ranch dressing.

6. A few spoonfulls of salsa. I like Walmart's corn and blackbean salsa.

7. Veggies/Toppings. Today was carrots and red bell pepper, but I also like any combination of kidney beans, black beans, onion, tomato, broccoli, etc.

8. Avacado. This one is not optional. ;)

9. A big ol' dollop of sour cream.

 

Not too hard, right?

How do YOU make your taco salad? Am I missing anything that would be amazing!?

Smothered Beef and Bean Burritos

We are all home sick today. Boo. I seriously hate it when my family doesn't feel good! Anyways, I needed something fast, and filling for lunch, and burritos sounded absolutely amazing! So I raided he freezer and pantry, and these babies came to be! It's a combination of a few recipes I've come across on pinterest, but I didn't follow a recipe at all... so you don't have to either! Just take this as an idea and run with it!

1/2 yellow onion

1 lb. ground beef

1 can pinto beans

2-3 TBS taco seasoning

1 can enchilada sauce

4 large burrito size tortillas

shredded cheese

sour cream

In a skillet, sauté onions until translucent. Add ground beef and cook until no longer pink. Drain pinto beans of about 1/2 of the canning liquid, and then in a shallow dish, mash beans and liquid until almost completely mashed, leaving a few chunks of beans. Once the meat is done, add taco seasoning, stir, and then add beans. Heat through. 

 

No too glamorous... but OH SO yummy!

Microwave your tortillas for 20 seconds to soften, and fill with about 2/3 cups of filling. Add cheese and roll. Top with enchilada sauce and cheese, microwave to melt cheese and top with sour cream.

Baked Chubby Chicken Flautas

I made these for lunch today and after my first bite, I couldn't WAIT to get the recipe up! These were so darn easy and yummy!

 

2 cups shredded chicken

1 can pinto beans- drained and rinsed

1 small can of green chilies

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 cup salsa

1/2 cup shredded cheese

10-12 fajita size flour tortillas

 

Preheat oven to 400.

In a bowl, add all ingredients and mix well. Spoon 2 spoonfulls of filling into softened tortillas and roll tightly, place onto a greased baking sheet SEAM SIDE DOWN.  Spray tops with a good amount of coming spray and bake about 20 minutes until golden brown.

{Easy} Crockpot Chicken Tacos

I am always looking for an easy weeknight meal that doesn't require much thought! We have tacos a lot in our house, and this has to be my favorite variety!! The filling could actually be used for a lot of dishes; enchiladas, burritos, taco salads... but the tacos seem to be our favorite!

4 chicken breasts

4 cups chicken broth

Seasonings: garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, parsley...

Throw your chicken into the crockpot and cover with broth, sprinkle with seasonings and cook on high for 4-5 hours or low for 7-8

 

When then chicken is almost done cooking, add 2 TBS of Taco seasoning, 1/2 sup salsa, a can or beans (I chose red kidney) and a can of sweet corn. Stir and allow to heat all the way through.

 

We like these on corn tortillas, with lettuce, spanich rice, salsa, and sour cream.

Black Bean Confetti Tacos

Thank you for all the sweet comments! We are loving life with our chunky baby girl!

And speaking of... ahem... chunky... :)

I am still trying to drop this stubborn 10 lbs of 'chunk' to get down to my pre-baby weight!

So heres a very filling, healthy recipe from me to you!

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can sweet corn

2-3 TBS salsa

1 TBS taco seasoning

1 TBS chopped cilantro (optional)

8 fajita size flour tortillas

garnishes: cheese, lettuce, salsa, avacado, sour cream, etc.

 

In a saucepan combine blackbeans, corn, salsa, cilantro and taco seasoning, simmer until heated through. Warm tortillas and prepare contiments. Assemble tacos and enjoy!!

 



Crispy Chicken Ranchero {Taco Time copy cat}

I worked at Taco Time for quite a while in my teenage years. And still to this day, I love their food, but this has to be my favorite thing on the menu! I love chicken strips anyways, but wrap them in a tortilla, with ranch and cabbage!? Uh, YUM! They are even better made at home too, because you dont have all the fry oil and who-knows-what-else that goes in fast food! We had these for much the other day with leftover spanish rice and it all came together really quick!

 

Makes 2 Burritos

2 large flour tortillas

4 frozen chicken strips, cooked (I used baked popcorn chicken)

1 cup prepared spanish rice

shredded cheese

shredded cabbage

ranch dressing

pico de gallo (I left this off because my husband hates it)

 

On your tortilla, place half the rice, 2 of the chicken strips and cheese. Nuke in the microwave for only about 15 seconds.

Top with cabbage and salsa, drizzle with  ranch. Roll and serve!

3 Bean Enchilada Soup

I love soup on a cold winter day! This soup is a perfect mix of mexican flavors and comfort food!

 

1 Large can green enchilada sauce
1 small can diced tomatoes
1 can black beans
1 can pinto beans

1 can light red kidney beans
2 cups frozen corn
1 teas. cumin
1 tsp onion powder
2 teas. garlic (in the jar)

Garnish options: shredded lettuce, sour scream, cilantro, fried tortilla strips.

 

Dupm everything (except garnishes) into a crock pot or large pot. Bring to a simmer and allow to cook on low for around 20 minutes. Theres no meat, so you just want everything nice and hot!


Easy Oven Nachos

This has to be the worlds easiest recipe, and I'm pretty positive everyone already knows it or at least has their own version! However, Everyone does things a little different, so I thought I'd share my way! We love eating this while watching movies, or as a quick dinner!

 

1 bag of corn tortilla chips

1 can of olives

1 can of yellow corn (drained)

1 can of refried beans

3-4 cups of shredded cheese

jalapeno slices

Toppings: salsa, sour cream, guacamole etc.

 

In a large casserole dish, add a layer of chips to just cover the bottom. Dollop refried beans all over, sprinkle sliced olives and some corn. Repeat with 2 MORE layers. Top with jalapeno slices.

Bake in the oven at 350 for about 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Top with toppings and serve immediately.



Sweet Corn and Chicken Enchiladas

These are the Enchiladas I made when I used the previous enchilada sauce recipe. They were SO good! the corn was a great addition! I'll definetly be making these again!

 

6 corn tortillas

1 cup shredded chicken

1 cup sweet prozen corn

2 cups shredded cheese (divided)

2 cups (or 1 can) enchilada sauce

sour cream (for topping)

 

In a bowl, mix chicken, corn and 1 cup of cheese.

Spoon a few ladels of enchilada sauce in the bottom of an 8x8 casserole dish to prevent sticking, and pur the rest of your enchilada sauce into a shallow bowl or a pie plate.

Wrap tortialls in a damp paper towel and microwave for 1 minute to soften. Once they are softened, one by one, dip a tortilla in the enchilada sauce, coating completely, then fill with chicken and corn mixture and rolld up, placing seam side down in the casserole dish. It's messy, but SO worth it! Repeat with all tortillas. Bake at 400 for 10-15 minutes, then remove and top with cheese and bake until cheese it melted.

Homemade Red Enchilada Sauce

Usually when we go out to a Mexican resturant for dinner, more times than not, I'll order enchiladas. They are by far my favortie. Mostly for the sauce, I love resturant enchilada sauce so much more than the canned stuff! I had never tried making it homemade, but after researching a little I decided it didn't look too hard, and it wasn't! In fact, I may never use canned again!

 

recipe adapted from Budget Bytes

 

 1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1/4 cup chili powder

4 cups chicken broth (or water)

6 oz can of tomato paste

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tsp salt

1 TBS franks red hot sauce (optional)

 

Add the vegetable oil, flour, and chili powder to a medium pot. Turn the heat on to medium and whisk the ingredients together. Continue to whisk as the mixture begins to bubble. Whisk and cook the mixture for one minute once it begins bubbling.

After one minute, whisk in the broth, tomato paste, cumin, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper until smooth. Allow the sauce to come up to a simmer. Once it reaches a simmer it will begin to thicken slightly.

Starting with a 1/2 teaspoon, add salt to taste. The sauce is now ready to use!
 

I used this sauce over Sweet Corn and Chicken Enchiladas (recipe to come), but you can use it over anything! Burritos, Chimichangas, salads... the options are endless!


Mexican Lasagna

Lately, for every meal I've had family favorites on my mind! This pregnancy is making me nostalgic ;)

This is a meal that I remember having often at home, it was how my family actually did enchiladas! No stuffing and rolling for us! My mom stacked ours! So, I had never really heard it called Mexican Lasagna until I joined the blog world! But it really is the best description! This is a great family style dish, and you can make a TON depending on how high you stack it!  

This amount of ingredients feeds 4-5 people

Corn tortillas-start with 10, but you may need more

1 can enchilada sauce

1 can corn

1 can black or kidney beans

2 cups ground beef- precooked and seasoned with taco seasoning

2 cups shredded cheese

In a bowl, mix your ground beef, beans, corn and 1 cup of the cheese.

In the bottom of an 8x8 casserole dish, spread 1/4 cup enchilada sauce and layer tortillas until mostly covered. Spread about 1 cup of meat/bean mixture, and the repeat... enchilada sauce, meat/beans, tortillas. Once you have as many layers as you want, or have enough food for, (I usually do 3) top with any remaining enchilada sauce, and bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until sauce is bubbly. Remove and top with cheese, return to oven and continue to bake until cheese is melted.

Top with sour cream.



Momma's Taco Casserole

First of all, I want to say THANK YOU to all your sweet comments and emails! We are so excited for this new sweet addition to our family! I have been feeling slightly more human over the past few days and I thought I'd share a recipe with you!

I adore my mom's cooking. I know everyone says that. But it's so true. Every year for my birhthay, instead of going out to eat, I ask my mom to cook dinner. Seriously, I love it that much. This is one of my very favorite recipe's from her. I'm not sure if she got it from someone, or made it up herself, because she was SO good at doing that! She was one of those mom's who could go in the pantry, grab 10 random things, and make the best dinner ever!

Anyways, back to the recipe!...

1 lb. ground beef

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 packet taco seasoning

1 can light red Kidney Beans

1 can of olives- sliced

1 can yellow corn

**1 can of tomato soup (10 oz) plus a little water OR 2 small cans of tomato sauce (8 oz)

1 cup slightly crushed tortilla chips

1 cup shredded cheese

 

In a pan, brown ground beef and drain fat (if any). Add the cans of beans, tomato sauce or soup, olives, corn, and the seasonings. Simmer for 5-10 minutes. Add chips and simmer for a few more minutes until chips are slightly softened. Top with cheese, melt and serve.

 

** If you use the tomato soup, you need to add a little water to make up for the extra moisture you would get from the extra tomato sauce. Just a 1/4 cup or so. The tomato soup (my favorite to use) will make the casserole sweeter. The tomato sauce will give it a more tomato-ey taste. Both are way good, but I like the soup better.

Loaded Enchilada Bowls

Loaded Enchilada Bowls

2 cups cooked rice

1 can pinto beans (or black beans, kidney beans just whatever you have)

1 can corn

1 small can Enchilada sauce

1 cup ground beef (cooked)

1 tsp Taco Seasoning

1/2 cup Cheddar cheese plus some for topping

Add all ingredients except cheese in a sauce pan and heat on low until warmed through. Add cheese and stir. Top with more cheese.

Easy huh! And it's SO good!

Bean and Cheese Taquitos

Remember these taquitos? I actually made these the same night! They are a lot like Taco Time's crisp bean burritos! SO yummy!

Bean and Cheese Taquitos

4-6 fajita size flour tortillas

1 can r fried beans

1/2 cup shredded cheese

1 tsp taco seasoning

vegetable oil for frying

Mix beans, cheese and seasoning and spoon into tortillas. Roll tightly and secure with a toothpick. Heat oil to frying temp and fry taquitos seam side down until golden brown, flip and repeat on the other side.

Dip in Salsa, or even better, Guacamole!

Cheesy Beef Taquitos

Have you ever been to Taco Time? I love that place. I love it so much I worked there for 3 years. Okay so I didn't work there for that reason.

 But I never ever got sick of the food! We still go there now! In fact, we went there for lunch 2 days ago. :)

So at Taco Time they have these crisp meat burritos. You know what I'm talking about. Deep fried, yummy, hot, meaty goodness. Well these are a LOT like them! I switched up a few things, and I honestly think they are better! Not healthier however, oh well, ya gotta live a little sometimes! ;) These are SOO yummy!

Cheesy Beef Taquitos

makes about 8-10

1 1/2 cups cooked ground beef (warmed)

3 TBS low fat cream cheese

1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/8 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp taco seasoning

2 TBS picante sauce (or thick salsa)

8-10 corn tortillas

vegetable oil (for frying)

Mix your pre-cooked ground beef, cheeses, salsa and seasonings in a bowl until well combined.

Heat about 1/4 inch of oil over med/high heat until it sizzles when you dip a tortilla in it. Quickly dip each tortilla (about 2 seconds) into the oil to soften for easier rolling.

Spoon a few tablespoons of the filling into the tortilla, roll and secure with a toothpick. Repeat until all tortillas are filled.

Place taquitos seam side down in frying oil. allow to fry until golden brown, flip and repeat on the other side.

Repeat with all taquitos, and allow to cool slightly on paper towels.

Dip in salsa or sour cream.

Quick and Easy Beef Enchiladas

I know that whenever my husband sees enchiladas on the menu for dinner, he is holding his breath for this kind. They are his all time favorite! I usually make these when I make enchiladas, so for lunch yesterday, I decided to treat him to the kind he loves!

Quick and Easy Beef Enchiladas

makes 4

4 corn tortiallas

1 cup cooked ground beef

1tbs water

2 TBS taco seasoning

shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 can Old El Paso Mild Red Enchilada Sauce (my personal fav, but use your favorite)

In a pan, cook your ground beef (or reaheat from frozen if you're like me!) and add water and taco seasoning. warm through.

Soften your tortialls by wrapping them in a damp paper towel and heating them in the microwave for about 30 seconds.

Place 1/4 cup of ground beef and a little cheese in the tortialla and gently roll. Place seam down into a small baking dish. repeat with all 4 enchiladas. Pour 1/2 the can or enchilada sauce (or more is you like more sauce) and sprinkle generously with cheese. Bake in to oven at 400 until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Green Chili Beef Street Tacos

1 cup shredded beef (you could also use chicken)
2tsp taco seasoning
1 can chopped green chiles
1TBS water
6 corn tortillas
lettuce
taco sauce
cheddar cheese

In a skillet, heat precooked (I used some roast I had in the freezer) beef, add water, taco seasoning and green chiles and heat through. Spoon onto steamed corn tortillas. Top with lettuce, cheese, and taco sauce.

Beef and Bean Chimichangas

Mexican food is BIG at our house, and my poor husband gets tired of the same routine of tacos, taco salad, enchiladas. So I decided to be ambitious and try Chimichangas! I worked at Taco Time for YEARS and made them all the time, but I had never tried them at home! They are EASY PEASY! and If you have the meat already cooked, they are super quick!

Beef and Bean Chimis

4 flour tortillas

1 cup shredded beef (i used leftover roast)

1 TBS taco seasoning

1 can refried beans

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

vegetable oil

Toppings: sour cream, cheese, taco sauce, guacamole etc.

Warm the shredded beef in a pan with a little water, just enough to moisten the meat, you could also add a bit of beef broth. Add taco seasoning, mix well and set aside. on the tortilla, spread a spoonfull of beans across the center. Add a little cheese, and a spoonfull of the meat. Roll* up tightly, and repeat with the remaining tortillas. In a large skillet, heat 1/4 inch of vegetable oil until bubbles form around a small piece or tortilla dropped in. Fry your chimis for about a minute on all 4 sides. Top with anything you'd like and enjoy!

 *I learned how to roll burritos at Taco Time, but if you don't know how, heres a simple explanation,

With your bean and meat line going ACROSS, fold the bottom of the tortilla up to the middle. then fold the sides in about an inch, and roll the whole thing up tightly! If you are still confused, there are lost of youtube demonstrations!