Chicken Tortilla Soup
½ cup chopped onion
1-16 oz can of tomatoes
4 cups chicken broth
1-4 oz can green chilies
1 cup cooked shredded chicken
1 Tbsp lime juice
Salt and pepper to taste
Tortilla chips
In a large sauce pan, sauté onion, add liquid from tomatoes. Mash the tomatoes or chop in food processor, and to onions. Add broth, chilies, including liquid, chicken, lime juice, salt and pepper.
Heat through. At serving, place a handful of tortilla chips on top, and a slice of lime in the middle.
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Aztec Pie
2 cups chopped onion
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 lb ground beef
2 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1 can (16 oz) chopped tomatoes, undrained
1 can (4 oz) chopped green chilies
1 8 oz bag unsalted tortilla chips
Q cup thinly sliced green onions
1 can (6 oz) sliced black olives
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Saute onion in oil in largeover-proof (I use cast iron) skillet, until soft, about 5 mins. Add garlic, continue cooking 1 more min. Transfer to a small bowl.
Crumble beef into skillet. Cook without stirring over med-hi heat until bottom is well-browned. Stir and cook until meat is no longer pink, about 8 mins. Return onion and garlic to pan with beef. Stir in seasonings and cook 2-3 minutes more. Add tomatoes, chilies, green onions and olives, heat through.
Remove 2/3 of the meat to a bowl. Set aside. To the skillet that still has 1/3 of the meat mixture, add a layer 1/3 of the tortilla chips, slightly crushed, then 1/3 of the cheese, then another 1/3 of meat, 1/3 of tortilla chips, 1/3 of cheese, lastly 1/3 of meat, then tortilla chips, then cheese. Decorate with a few of the olives. Bake for 20 mins in 400 degree oven.
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Gringo Chili Relleno Casserole
1 lb. Cheddar cheese, grated (4 cups)
4 4-oz. cans chopped green chilies, drained
1 lb. Monterey Jack cheese, grated (4 cups)
3 cups half-and-half
4 eggs, beaten
¼ cup cornmeal
1 tsp salt
1 tsp Worcester sauce
1 cup salsa for garnish
Preheat oven 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 pan. Sprinkle grated Cheddar over bottom of pan, top evenly with green chilies and then with Monterey Jack.
In large bowl, beat together the half-and-half, eggs, cornmeal, salt, Worcester sauce. Pour over cheeses and chilies. Top even with salsa. Bake for 40 minutes. Let cool slightly; cut into small squares to serve.
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Milanesas
These Mexican sandwiches are often overlooked on menus, but they are SO worth trying. Just a delicious hot mess. Introduced to me by my cousin, David and his wife, Kirsten, in Portland, I was immediately hooked. Find the meat at Mexican markets. I think the best Tortas rolls are at Costco.
3 lbs beef steaks, very thinly sliced (1/8” thick)
2 Tbsp lemon juice
3 cloved crushed garlic
1 tsp chili powder
3 eggs, beaten
Salt and pepper to taste
Flour
Oil for frying
In a bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, garlic, and chili. Marinate the meat for at least 2 hours in the mixture. Heat the oil over medium heat. Add a drop of egg to the oil, if it bubbles and floats, the oil is ready. If it sinks, the oil is NOT hot enough.
Add salt and pepper to the flour. Dip the meat into the beaten eggs, then into the flour, set them in the pan to fry. Don’t crowd the pieces of meat. They need to cook only a couple of minutes on each side, due to the thinness.
Serve immediately on sliced Tortas rolls or bolillos rolls, which have been buttered.
To the roll, put heated refried beans on the bottom half of roll, then meat, cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion. Spread guacamole on the top half of the roll, place it on the sandwich.
These don’t keep. Serve and eat immediately with lots of napkins.
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Southwest Chopped Salad
We’ve fallen in love with chopped salads; they are so versatile and you can use whatever you have on hand to make a really great “center of the plate” dish or side dish. Serve with flatbread or tortillas.
Large head Romaine
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 large orange bell pepper, diced
1 pint cherry tomatoes
2 cups corn (canned is fine if fresh is out of season)
5 green onions, sliced
1 avocado, diced (or reserve ½ for dressing)
Dressing:
1 cup loose packed cilantro
½ avocado or Greek yogurt
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1 clove garlic
¼ cup olive oil
1 ½ tsp white wine vinegar
1/8 tsp salt
Mix and serve over Chopped Salad.
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Tex-Mex Turkey Enchiladas
This is a great Thanksgiving leftover. Really goes a different direction than most leftovers.
1 ½ cups shredded or chopped cooked turkey
1 cup picante sauce
3 oz pkg of cream cheese, cubed
½ cup sliced green onions
¾ tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp oregano leaves, crushed
1 ½ cups shredded Monterey Jack or cheddar or Colby cheese
8 flour tortillas
Shredded lettuce
Radish slices
Sliced olives
Combine turkey, ¼ cup picante sauce, cream cheese, green onion, cumin and oregano in skillet. Place over low heat until cheese is melted, stirring occasionally. Stir in ½ cup shredded cheese. Spoon a scant 1/3 cup of mixture down the center of each tortilla; roll up and place seam side down in a Pammed 7x12 baking pan. Spoon the remaining picante sauce over the enchiladas, spread evenly. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until heated through. Garnish with lettuce, radish, and olives, as desired. Serves 4.
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Beef Enchiladas
Another hit from my sister-in-law, Jen Garn. She raised five healthy kids on this and they all claim it as one of their favorites.
1 lb ground beef
1 4 oz can green chilies, chopped
1 28 oz can refried beans
1 8 oz cans tomato sauce
2 pkg enchilada seasoning mix
3 cups water
1 lb grated cheddar cheese
Sour cream for garnish
Mix tomato sauce, seasoning mix, and water in a saucepan and heat on med setting until it looks like enchilada sauce. Brown burger, add chilies and ½ of the sauce.
Put about 1 cup of sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 pan, spread it around. Spread beans, then cheese (using ½ of the total cheese), then meat into the tortillas and roll up. Place seam side down in the prepared pan. Put remaining sauce on top, then sprinkle on the other ½ of the cheese. Bake for 35 minutes at 350 degrees.
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Mayan Hot Chocolate
This is an outstanding beverage! It delicious and nutritious! We had some leftover and refrigerated it overnight. The squash kept absorbing the liquid and in the morning it was like Chocolate Pudding. YES!
1 small butternut squash, halved, placed cut side down in a roasting pan, 1” water added to pan, roasted in oven at 375 for about 30 mins or until tender. Discard seeds and scoop out flesh of squash.
2 ½ cups low-fat milk
6 oz semi-sweet chocolate (half a large bag of chocolate chips)
½ tsp cinnamon
Large pinch nutmeg
Large pinch cardamom
Finely grated chocolate for garnish
Using 2/3 cup of the squash, puree in blender with ½ cup milk (low fat is fine) until tender.
In a large saucepan, mix 2 cups milk, chocolate, and spices. Heat in a heavy-bottomed pan (to prevent scorching, as milk scorches easily) or in microwave until chocolate is melted and creamy.
Remove from heat and whisk in pureed squash. Reheat gently. Pour into 4 mugs and garish with the grated chocolate or a dash of cinnamon.
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