Mexican Lasagna

There are a few dishes that I have tried over and over again in order to find the perfect combination to the perfect dish- and Mexican Lasagna is one of them... but I believe I have finally found THE recipe- a healthy combination that we all enjoyed over at my house! Hope you like it too!

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef or turkey

1 sweet onion, chopped

2 clove garlic, minced

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can black beans

2 cans tomato paste

1 cup water

1 cup frozen or fresh corn kernels

1-2 cups shredded cheese (cheddar or jack or combo)

1.5 tsp cumin

2 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

12 corn tortillas, cut into quarters

cilantro for garnish

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350. Chop your onion and mince your garlic and brown them both with a drizzle of Grape Seed oil in a large skillet. (If using beef, drain your fat). Then add your tomatoes, water, seasoning, beans and corn and mix well cooking for 3-5 minutes until everything is well blended. Get out a 9 x 13 glass dish, spray the bottom, them add some of your meat/tomato mixture in a thin layer, then add a layer of cheese, then a 4 of your quartered corn tortillas (the tortillas will over lap one another). Repeat so you have 3 layers on ingredients. Then cook for 15- 20 minutes. I turned my broiler on for the last few minutes to get the top of it bubbly and gooey. Remove from oven, garnish with fresh cilantro, cut into squares and serve!

This is a gluten free recipe!

Tostada Bowls and Nacho Feasts!

So the other day I threw some chicken breasts in the crock pot with a splash of Chicken broth, s & p, and some garlic powder to cook up while I was gone. All day I contemplated what I was going to do with it, I knew I was in the mood for something crunchy... so here's what I came up with.... Tostadas, Tostada Bowls, and Nachos!

Just for fun, I tried to turn my brown rice tortilla into a tostada bowl without frying it... and to my surprise, my attempt was successful! I put an oven safe bowl face down on a cookie sheet, then I laid a tortilla over the bowl, and laid another bowl face down on top- so the bowls sandwiched the tortilla in between. Then I baked it for about 5 minutes on 400, took the top bowl off and baked it another 5 minutes or so until it was golden and crunchy! Then I loaded it up with black beans, shredded chicken, salsa, lettuce, cheese, sour cream, avocado and a little cilantro. It was delicious!

My hubby didn't want to wait for my crazy tostada bowl experiment so he just popped his brown rice tortilla in the oven (on a cookie sheet) for a few minutes until it brown up. Then he added the same toppings for the same delicious results! (His was a little harder to eat though.... maybe next time he'll be up for my experiment!)

And the following day, we had left over yumminess, so I grabbed some tortilla chips and made myself some Nachos! There are so many good options for chips out there- my favorite chips at Trader Joe's are their "Blue Corn" Tortilla chips but I also love a "Black bean and Garlic" chip that I found at our local health food store, Lassen's. There are lots of alternatives to corn chips, so take some time to look around and "test taste" some different options!

Crunch on my friends!

Superbowl Snack

Bean Tacos (or Burritos or Nachos)

Don't forget about this tasty option for the Superbowl this weekend! It is so, so good and only takes about 15 minutes to make!!! I am going to serve it in a bowl along with corn chips and let people snack on it like a dip- it's healthy and filling and will be the newest addition to my Superbowl cravings!

Here's another great recipe, super easy, passed on to my from my sister. Honestly, this meal has such little prep and comes together so quickly it's a great last minute choice. You can prepare your own beans from scratch (by soaking them over night and boiling them the next morning) or you can used canned.

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked pinto or black beans

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 cup salsa (I used Trader Joe's chunky jarred salsa)

1/2 cup onion, diced

1 cup frozen corn

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp fresh cilantro, chopped

corn tortillas

Directions: Chop and dice your onion and green pepper, throw them in a pan with a little grape seed oil and saute them for about 3-4 minutes. Then add in your beans, salsa, cumin, and corn. Stir and cook for about 3 more minutes. Remove your pan from the heat, add your chopped cilantro, give it a final stir and scoop a portion into a warmed tortilla! Easy as can be and as tasty as all get out!

*** Make sure you use a salsa that you like, jarred works better than fresh, but use your favorite because it will make or break the recipe. Also, this makes great left overs "nacho style"- scoop it up with a crunchy tortilla chip for your lunch or a quick snack!

Crock Pot Salsa Chicken...

Here's an updated post, an old faithful that we have been using a lot as this baby is getting near and my cooking days are are wanting to be done! My trusty Crock Pot has come to the rescue again!

Ingredients:

2-3 chicken breasts

1 jar salsa

1 can black beans, drained

Directions:

So simple... take your package of chicken breasts, wash them, put them in the crock pot, pour in a jar of salsa. I use Trader Joe's Chunky Salsa and cook it on low for 8 hours or until done (mine was sooner than that, so peek in on it to see). When it's done take 2 forks and shred it in the crock pot, stir it around to soak up a little more salsa goodness and add a can of drained black beans to add some extra hardiness and flavor. Leave it on warm until you are ready to serve it. How's that for easy???

You can use these for chicken soft tacos, tostada pizza, burritos, or enchiladas.... and much more! Enjoy!!!

Black Bean and Corn Salad

Here's a great recipe for summertime.... It is quick, easy, and simple.... my favorite kind! I made it with "Chili Lime Chicken Kabobs" and it made for a great complimentary side dish!

Ingredients:

4 cups cooked black beans

1 red bell pepper, diced

1/4 cup red onion, diced

1 & 1/2 cups corn, fresh or frozen

1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

** a handful of cherry tomatoes??? If you are a tomato lover, this would probably be a great accent to the salad... I am not a lover, so I didn't include them in the mix!

Dressing:

2 TBSP olive oil

1 lime, juiced

1 tsp cumin

s & p to taste

Directions:

Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl, pour dressing over top and season with s & p to your liking. If it seems like it needs a little sweetening for your liking, add a pinch of sugar. Set aside or refrigerate to allow flavors to blend. This salad can be served at room temp or refrigerated and will last up to 5 days stored in an air tight container.

Chili Lime Chicken Kabobs

Sometimes I feel like I get stuck in a "flavor rut", so I am trying to branch out to things I wouldn't automatically gravitate towards... here's my newest find, it was really tasty and out of the box for me. Let me know if you give it a thumbs up or down....

Ingredients:

1 lb. chicken breasts

3 TBSP olive oil

1.5 TBSP red wine vinegar

1 lime, juiced

1 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/8 tsp pepper

shake of cayenne pepper (if you like it spicy!)

Skewers

Directions:

Wash and cut your chicken into cubes. Put them in a large ziplock bag (or shallow dish). Whisk ingredients for marinate together in a bowl and pour over the chicken. Let marinate in the fridge for 2-3 hours. Skewer them on a kabob sticks and BBQ over med- high heat for 10- 15 minutes. I served this with Black Bean and Corn Salad and the flavors blended perfectly together!

Black Bean, Rice, and Cheese Enchiladas...

These were super yummy, bursting with flavor and a really filling meatless option for your menu! There are lots of ways to tweak the recipe, so add or take away depending on your taste buds!

Ingredients:

1/2 onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 TBSP Grape Seed Oil

2 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. cumin

1 16 oz. jar of chunky salsa (I used Trader Joe's Chunky Salsa with the black label)

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1/4 cup water

1 cup cheese

2 cups brown rice, precooked

3 TBSP cilantro

8 flour tortillas

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350. Get your brown rice cooking. Saute your onion, garlic, and green pepper in your Grape Seed Oil for a few minutes. Next add your black beans, cumin, chili powder, water and 1 cup of salsa to the pan and let that heat until it simmers, stirring it occasionally (depending on the salsa that you choose, you may need to add more or less water to get the consistency right, just eyeball it) . Next add your cooked rice and let that cook for another minute or two to blend the flavors (I also added a sprinkle of grated cheese to the mix so that the inside of the enchiladas would be cheesy too!). Spray your 9 x 13 pyrex dish. Scoop your rice and bean mixture into your tortillas, roll them up, and place them in your baking dish. Spoon another cup of salsa on the top of the enchiladas, then cover the top with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover them, add your cheese and cilantro and bake for 2 -3 more minutes until the cheese has melted. Serve as is or with sour cream and guacamole! Enjoy!!!

TIPS: Depending on the salsa that you use, judge how many onions you want to saute. My salsa had chunks of onions in it, so I went with less chopped onions. Also, I used green onions to top the dish because I didn't have cilantro, and next time I will skip the green onions and hold out for the cilantro because I think it would add a better flavor.... but fix it to your families likings! Oh and one more thing, rice freezes really well, so next time your making a serving of it, make an extra cup or two and stick it in the freezer for recipes like this one to cut down on the prep time!

Homemade Salsa...

Here's a super quick and crowd pleasing recipe for homemade salsa that we've used in our family for a long time. We have tomatoes coming out of our ears over here, so we've been making lots of tomato filled recipes this summer. The easiest way to make this salsa is to dump it all in your Food Processor and let IT do the work! (In the photo I gave it a whirl in my Vitamix, which sad to say- didn't turn out too well, it was a little frothy and unevenly chopped, but you never know until you try! Stick to your Cuisinart!)

Ingredients:

2 lbs. tomatoes

3 cloves garlic

3 green onions

1/2 bunch cilantro

1 TBSP Red Wine Vinegar

2 tsp sugar

2 tsp lime juice, fresh

1/4 tsp onion powder (I didn't have so I omitted)

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

FOR THE KICK, depending on how heated you like things choose ONE of the following options:

• 2 roasted jalapeno peppers OR
• raw jalapeno peppers, seeds removed OR
• 1/2 a can of green ortega chilies OR
• nothing extra, still delicious!

Directions:

Put all of the ingredients in your food processor (I chopped my tomatoes in half, as well as my green onions and I minced my garlic first) then just pulsate it until it's the consistency that you like! Enjoy with some tortilla chips!

Crispy Quesadilla

Now, I have to admit, I am not the biggest quesadilla fan in the world.... well, maybe that is until now! I found a great way to incorporate some different ingredients and get a really crispy crunch to it, and now, I think I am in love! I would have to say this is one of the easiest recipes you can chose when you are in a time crunch and you need a quick bite to eat- perfect for someone on the go!

Ingredients:

tortillas

cheese (I used Monterey Jack)

roma tomatoes

4-5 leaves of basil

grapeseed oil

pepper or other seasoning

Directions:

Heat about 1/2 tsp. grapeseed oil in a frying pan, lay your first tortilla just long enough for air bubbles to form underneath, then flip it (it should start to get lightly toasted) repeat this 3-4 times. Then do the same thing with the second tortilla (if you are making a whole). Then place one of the tortillas in the pan, add some shredded cheese (or mine was thinly sliced), some chopped tomatoes, finely chopped basil (you could use spinach too) and sprinkle with pepper. I also added some left over chicken slices to mine. Then I placed the top tortilla on, over medium heat and let it cook for just a bit. Then with a big flipper-thing (and my fingers) I carefully flipped it over. You could also opt to only cover half the tortilla with toppings and then just fold it in half. That would be much easier than flipping, you decide!

Get creative- try mushrooms, spinach, beans and olives or different cheeses to mix it up!

Homemade Taco Seasoning...

I was talking to my sister in law tonight and we were talking about the yummy goodness of homemade taco seasoning (not to mention the nutritional benefits) so I thought I would post my recipe for it separately (it is posted with my Taco Soup recipe) but just for quick reference, here it is!

Homemade Taco Seasoning: make and store this in an air-tight jar

6 teaspoons chili powder

5 teaspoons paprika

4 1/2 teaspoons cumin

3 teaspoons onion powder

2 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder

1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Taco Soup

Here's an easy one- you can serve it as soup or use a slotted spoon and serve it over chips as nachos.

Ingredients:

1- 1.5 lbs. ground turkey/beef

1 can pinto beans

1 can black beans

1 can corn * optional

1 can diced tomatoes

2 cups beef broth (reduce to 1 cup if you are making this for nachos)

taco seasoning- make your own (directions below) or use a packet

Toppings:

sour cream

shredded cheese

olives

avocado

tortilla chips

Homemade Taco Seasoning: make this in a separate jar, it will make more than you need, so you will have leftovers for next time. Use about 3 tsp. and add more if desired after tasting.

6 teaspoons chili powder

5 teaspoons paprika

4 1/2 teaspoons cumin

3 teaspoons onion powder

2 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder

1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions:

This is a change to the original recipe- I originally made this recipe in a crock pot, but the second time around, when I tried it in the crock pot again, it turned out with a really unusual texture. So, here's a change to the directions, brown your meat first in a big pot, then add your seasoning to the meat, and then pour in the rest of the ingredients. Let it simmer for 20 minutes in the stove and serve it with all the listed toppings.

HOLY GUACAMOLE!

Here we go, good ol' classic guacamole... I make this all the time whether it's for an appetizer, to munch on, to go on burgers, burritos, or sandwiches, or whatever else you can think of! It's an easy and tasty spread for all to enjoy! I like to keep it simple with ingredients you are likely to have around at any time, double it up for large groups because it goes fast!

Ingredients:

4 avocados

1 fresh lemon (approximately 1 TBSP)

1/2 tomato, diced

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp garlic powder or 1 fresh clove, minced

3/4 tsp salt

Directions:

Peel and pit your ripe avocados (save one pit), put the avocadoes in a glass mixing bowl and mash them up with a fork, potato masher, or pastry masher (like the one in the picture). Add your lemon juice and seasonings and mix thoroughly with a fork or spatula. Add your tomato chunks and gently mix those in. Put one of the pits back in the dish to help if from turning brown so quickly. Cover and chill until serving or eat right away! (Don't make this dish too far in advanced because it will brown with time and heat).

*Always taste before serving and add a little of this, and a little of that to your likings!

Beer Can Burritos

Well, when I posted my Salsa Chicken recipe I remembered this recipe I used to make with a jar of green salsa (thanks to Jocelyn's comment!) and so I thought I would post this recipe as well! 

Ingredients:

3 chicken breasts

1 jar green salsa ( I use Trader Joe's Authentic Verde Salsa)

1 bottle of beer (light is better- I use Corona or "Trader Jose"!)

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

tortillas

cheese, shredded (jack or cheddar)

avocado

other toppings???

Directions

Wash your chicken and place it in your crock pot. Pour the salsa over the top, then add the bottle of beer and turn on low for 8 hours. Anywhere from 1 hour before to 15 minutes before serving, shred your chicken with 2 forks and add your drained black beans to heat them up. (If you add them too early they will overcook and break down into mush! ) This chicken is super moist and juicy- thanks to the beer- so serve it with a slotted spoon before scooping it onto a tortilla. Add your toppings and enjoy!

Fiesta Fajitas from Scratch

You can make these yummy fajitas with chicken or beef- your choice- they are quick and easy and a real crowd pleaser! This recipe was borrowed from my sis- Danika Stokes! I love this recipe because you will most likely have all the spices in your cupboard already- so no seasoning packet is need!

Ingredients:

2 lbs. chicken or beef, cut into long, thin strips

1 red bell pepper, cut into long, thing strips

1 green bell pepper, cut into long, thin strips

1 red onion, thinly sliced

1/2 cup water

1/2 tsp. oregano

1/2 tsp. cumin

2 TBSP salsa

2 cloves garlic

salt & pepper to taste 

tortillas

**Optional toppings: grated cheese, sour cream, guacamole, cilantro...

Directions:

 Heat up your frying pan with a little olive oil, then add your meat (chicken or beef) until browned. Set the meat aside on an extra plate while you heat up a little more olive oil and cook your bell peppers and onions, adding your seasoning, garlic, and water and salsa. Mix it around, add your meat back to soak up the flavors. Let simmer for 5 minutes uncovered. Warm up your tortillas, dish some fajita yummies onto the tortilla, add your toppings and enjoy!

Serve with: I serve these fajitas solo sometimes, they are really filling and it makes a lot. You could serve them with some black beans, spanish rice, or a side salad if you're an over-achiever.

Taco Salad

This is an old classic for me, tried and true. It's a yummy way to get some good nutrients- lots of beans and fresh veggies- and you choose ground turkey, shredded chicken, or ground beef!

Ingredients:

Romaine lettuce, chopped

red bellpepper, chopped

kidney beans, rinsed and drained

black beans, rinsed and drained

1 - 2 lb. ground/shredded meat w/ taco seasoning

avocado, sliced

* tomatoes

* green onion

* olives

* corn, drained

*cilantro

Cheddar cheese, shredded

tortilla chips, crushed

(All of the * ingredients are optional ideas, depending on your taste buds and depending on what's in your fridge! The other ingredients are a must in my opinion!)

Directions:

Pretty straight forward, depending on how many you are serving (this is a great recipe for big groups) but you just need to wash and chop your lettuce, add your bell pepper, rinse your beans, and cook your meat. Shred some cheese, slice your avocado, and crush some chips on top and then add your favorite dressing and your done! Easy as that! Sometimes I just drizzle some olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, and garlic powder before serving and other times I use the Balsamic Vinegar Dressing, then I toss it all together. You can get away with a simple dressing on this salad because there are so many different flavors with the wide variety of ingredients!