Shredded Chipotle Beef Tacos

There are times when I decide that I want to try a cooking technique just for the sake of trying it. I don't NEED to have freshly made corn taco shells, but I was tempted to make some so I could say I can do it. The tacos came out great, they were crunchy on the outside but also had a chewy texture. Would I do this every time we have a taco night? No, probably not. maybe if we had company over but it does take some time and it's a bit of a splurge, so it's a once-in-a-while kind of treat.

I've made the beef recipe before and it's great in pretty much everything, I use it in burritos, enchiladas, tostadas, and even as a pizza topping. It's an easy recipe because it takes just a little prep and it cooks in the crock pot all day. I love the smokey flavors of the chipotle and smoked paprika and the texture of the beef is perfect after cooking all day.

Ingredients

2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
2 lb boneless chuck roast
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1 cup beef broth
1 Tbsp tomato paste
2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, minced
1/2 large sweet onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 Cup Canola Oil
Corn Tortillas
choice of toppings – lettuce, salsa, guacamole, sour cream, etc.

Directions

1. Combine the spices in a small bowl. Rub into the beef, covering all the nooks and crannies and each side evenly.

2. In a large skillet, heat 1-2 tablespoons olive oil until shimmering. Sear the meat on each side, using tongs to flip it. Remove and place in the bottom of a large slow cooker.

3. With the skillet remaining over the heat, deglaze with the beef stock and scrape up any brown bits. Whisk in the tomato paste and chipotle peppers. Once sauce comes to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for a few minutes until slightly thickened and reduced.

4. Meanwhile, add the onion and garlic to the top of the beef in the slow cooker. Carefully pour the sauce over top. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.

5. To make the taco shells, heat the oil in an 8-inch skillet over medium heat. Slide a tortilla into the oil; use tongs to fold the tortilla in half and hold it partially open. Flip after about 1 minute. Fry for an additional minute, until the tortilla is slightly crisp. Continue with the remaining tortillas, storing the fried tortillas in the warm oven.

6. Once the meat is fork tender, remove and shred with two forks. Pour a portion of the sauce, over top of the meat and let soak to enhance flavor.

Adapted from Pennies on a Platter and The Way the Cookie Crumbles

Easy Mexican Casserole

I like a good casserole every once in a while. I especially like ones that contain beans, some veggies, and a meat that can be switched out for some lean turkey breast meat. This one is a little on the indulgent side because of the cheese and tortilla chips, but it was a delicious dinner with just enough spice and a decent amount of veggies mixed in. When I make it again, I’ll add some corn to the mix and substitute some oven-browned tortillas or brown rice for the chips.

I still find it a huge challenge to come up with a good casserole photo. They never look as good as they taste, but I can assure you, this was a yummy dinner!

Ingredients

1 pound lean ground turkey (or beef
1 can Chili Beans
1 10-12 ounce bag tortilla chips, crushed
1 can Ro-tel tomatoes
1 small onion, minced (optional)
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1 package taco seasoning
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup water
sour cream and salsa for serving

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

2. In a large skillet, brown meat and drain off fat. Stir in beans, tomatoes, onion, taco seasoning, soup and water. Simmer over medium-low heat until everything is well combined and heated through.

3. Grease a 9×13 casserole dish. Put down a layer of crushed tortilla chips, followed by a layer of the meat/bean mixture, then half of the cheddar cheese. Repeat the layers one more time.

4. Cover with foil and bake for 20-30 minutes, or until bubbly. Optional: brown cheese topping under the broiler on high for 2-3 minutes.

5. Let sit for 5-10 minutes before serving. Top with sour cream and salsa. Enjoy!

Source: Adapted from Sing for your Supper

Baked Whole Wheat Chicken Taquitos with Grilled Corn

My family loves Tex-Mex food but I hate how fattening all of the recipes are. It seems like everything is fried or covered in cheese. I found this recipe on another blog and changed it to use whole wheat flour tortillas. You can use corn tortillas as well but I've never been a big fan. To get shredded chicken, I usually boil 1 cup of chic

ken stock (1 cup water plus a bouillon cube) in a skillet, cover and simmer the chicken breasts for 7 minutes per side. They are fully cooked and shred easily when done.

I loved the way these turned out, they were really crispy on the outside and soft and melty on the inside. There was just enough cheese to make it rich without being overly fattening. We dipped them in salsa and sour cream. I served these with yellow rice and grilled corn.

Baked Whole Wheat Chicken Taquitos

Adapted from Pennies on a Platter

Ingredients

3 ounces cream cheese, softened (low fat optional)
1/4 cup salsa (green or red)1 Tbsp fresh lime juice (juice from half a lime)
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbsp chopped cilantro (optional)
2 Tbsp sliced green onions (optional)
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 cup shredded Mexican flavored cheese16 small whole wheat tortillas
kosher salt
cooking spray

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 425˚F.

2. In a large bowl, mix the cream cheese, salsa, lime juice, ground cumin, chili powder, onion powder and garlic. Once combined, stir in the cilantro and green onions. Add the chicken and cheese; mix thoroughly. (If you decided to prep this in advance, refrigerate the mixture at this point until ready to continue.)

3. Working with a few tortillas at a time, heat t

hem in the microwave between two paper towels until they are soft enough to roll (about 20 – 30 seconds).

4. Spoon 2-3 Tablespoons of the chicken mixture onto the lower third of a tortilla. Roll the tortilla as tightly as you can.

5. Place the rolled tortilla seam side down on the baking sheet. Repeat with remaining tortillas until the mixture is gone. Make sure the taquitos are not touching each other. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle wi

th kosher salt.

6. Bake for 15 – 20 minutes or until crisp and golden.

7. Serve with salsa, sour cream or guacamole.

**To freeze: Before baking, chill the taquitos on the baking sheet in the fridge. Once completely cooled, wrap each taquito individually with plastic wrap. Place in a labeled freezer bag and freeze. To bake a frozen taquito (no need to thaw first): Preheat oven to 425˚F and bake for 20 minutes

Grilled Corn

Ingredients

4 fresh cobs of corn, husks and silk removed

oil (for grates)

Salt and Pepper, to taste

1. Preheat the grill to HIGH

2. Cook corn in boiling water for 5 minutes or until cooked, but not too soft.

3. Oil the grill grates

4. Cook the corn on the grill for about 5-10 minutes or until slightly charred.

I like to cut the corn off of the cob, that's the way our family likes it. You an also leave the corn on the cob and season them with butter and salt and pepper.

Salsa Chicken in the Crockpot

I have heard a lot about how good this recipe was so I thought I’d give it a try. It was very easy to put together in the morning before I left for work. I let the chicken sit out overnight and just poured on the other ingredients in the crockpot before I left. When I got home, the house smelled great!

Pulling the chicken with a fork was very easy and I let it sit and warm while I made some black beans to go with the meal. We just spooned this chicken into some whole wheat tortillas with some toppings and we were good to go. The only change I would make is to use frozen chicken instead of thawed, the chicken was a bit burnt after 10 hours in the slow cooker.

I will definitely be making this again.

Ingredients

3 boneless, skinless frozen chicken breasts
1 cup Medium Salsa
1 package taco seasoning
1 can reduced fat condensed cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream


Directions:

1. Add chicken to the bottom of the slow cooker.

2. Sprinkle taco seasoning over chicken.

3. Mix salsa, sour cream, and cream of chicken soup; pour over chicken.

4. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.

5. Shred Chicken with two forks and mix back in with all the sauce.

Mexican Chicken Casserole

I bookmarked this recipe several weeks ago from Mrs. Sac’s Purple Kitchen. It looked like a recipe that could be modified easily to add different ingredients that I had on hand. I love enchiladas, but I don’t always like the assembly and the work it takes to make them. I also like poaching chicken and shredding it for recipes, so I gave this a try. This casserole came out really good, I added corn and black beans to the mix and used mostly stuff that I had in the fridge and pantry. This is a great, low cost meal that can be heated up the next day for lunch. I will definitely be making this again.

Ingredients:

1 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
2 (4.5-ounce) cans chopped green chiles, divided (do not include seeds/membranes or it will be HOT!)
1 3/4 pounds skinned, boned chicken breasts
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup evaporated skim milk (I used heavy cream from my fridge, it worked fine but isn’t as light that way)
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/4 cup (2 ounces) light cream cheese (I used light sour cream that I had on-hand, turned out great)
1 (10-ounce) can enchilada sauce
1 can black beans
1 ½ cups frozen corn
12 (6-inch) corn tortillas
Cooking spray
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded reduced-fat extra-sharp cheddar cheese
1 ounce tortilla chips, crushed (about 6 chips) ( I didn’t use any chips, the casserole still came out great)

Directions:

1.Preheat oven to 350°.

2.Combine broth and 1 can of chiles in a large skillet; bring to a boil. Add chicken; reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until chicken is done, turning chicken once.

3.Remove chicken from cooking liquid, reserving cooking liquid; cool chicken. Shred meat with two forks, and set aside.

4.Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 can of chiles and onion; sauté 3 minutes or until soft. Add reserved cooking liquid, milk, Monterey Jack, cream cheese, and enchilada sauce; stir well. Stir in shredded chicken, beans, and corn; cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat.

5.Place 4 tortillas in the bottom of a 2-quart casserole coated with cooking spray. Spoon 2 1/2 cups chicken mixture over tortillas. Repeat layers twice, ending with chicken mixture.

6.Sprinkle with cheddar cheese and chips. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

SPICY Chicken Tortilla Soup

My husband and Son have both been feeling a little under the weather lately so I wanted to make them some soup. Instead of making chicken noodle, I decided to make a chicken tortilla soup that would have lots of yummy broth but would also be a hearty meal. I used a recipe I saw on “Rescue Chef” and change it up a bit to make it a more balanced meal. I found the two Jalapenos to be very very spicy, so just cut out one of them or use milder chili peppers instead if you don’t like super spicy food.



•2 tablespoons vegetable oil
•1 small onion, finely diced
•2 tablespoons minced garlic
•2 jalapenos, finely diced
•6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
•1 (14.5-ounce) can fire roasted diced tomatoes (I used Hunt’s brand)
•1 (14.5-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
•1 cup instant brown rice
•3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
•2 limes, juiced, plus wedges for garnish (optional)
•Salt and freshly ground black pepper
•1 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro leaves
•1 (8-inch) flour tortilla, grilled, cut into thin strips ( I used pita, tasted just as good)

Directions
1.In a large saucepan heat the vegetable oil. Add the onions and cook for 2 minutes.

2.Once the onions have softened add the garlic and jalepenos and cook for another minute.

3.Pour the chicken broth, tomatoes and beans into the pot and bring to a boil. Once at a boil lower heat to simmer and add your chicken breasts. Cook the chicken for 20 to 25 minutes.

4.Once chicken is cooked remove from pot. When cool enough to handle, shred it and return it to the pot.

5.Add brown rice and simmer for an additional 10-15 minutes until rice is cooked.

6.Add lime juice and fresh cilantro to the pot. In a serving bowl, ladle soup over chicken and top with a lime wedge, and grilled tortilla strips.