Amazing Taco Salad Dressing

I had the pleasure of feeding a bunch of men last night. They helped removed some trees so I figured I could at least feed them something other than the 'hotdogs' that were suggested. I decided to try out some Taco Salad on them. I had a recipe for a dressing that I really wanted to try. It passed the test with flying colors. ALL of the guys complimented me on it and my picky eating brother ate 2 helpings of SALAD because of it.

I found the recipe here.
Meatless Taco Salad

Here is what I did.

Ingredients for Dressing
1-1/3 cup of mostly squashed Avocado
1 cup Sour Cream
3 Tbs finely chopped Green Onions
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Chili Powder
Dash of Pepper

Mix all of those together and then set in the fridge so the flavors can mingle.

Our Taco Salad consisted of 1 lb of browned Ground Beef mixed up with the Western Family Taco seasoning packet (prepared as the packet suggests). I added 2 cans of Kidney Beans that had been rinsed thoroughly to the meat and put it in a crock pot to keep it warm while the guys worked.

We had lots of Red Leaf lettuce, cherry tomatoes that were quartered, sliced olives, freshly chopped cilantro, and grated cheese. (Corn Chips optional)

I had some Mexican Rice that I had meant for a side dish, but the guys put it in the salad and it really added to the dish. Very delish!

I just made up this kind.


Anyway, it was a very good dinner. Everyone loved it. I can't wait to eat some leftovers.

Taco Soup - TexMex Style

I'm back to trying out some delicious products done by My Personal Pantry. This recipe was a spur of the moment "Ah-Ha" type of thing. I wanted to mix together some Taco Soup (don't you love Soup Weather?). My one dilema here is that I'm never prepared with a list of spices to throw in. I was about to go look something up when I remembered the small little can waiting for me.

It was all very easy from there.

Ingredients

3 cans of beans (I used Black, Kidney, and Pinto)
1 lb of cooked ground beef (I used canned because I was really feeling lazy)
1 bag of freezer corn
4 cups of water
1 cup of TexMex Tomato Soup Mix
Anything else Taco Soupy

1. Rinse your beans really well

2. Pour all of your ingredients in a decent sized pot. Heat over medium to medium-high heat until your soup is boiling. Lower heat to a simmer until you are ready to eat.

3. Top with things like sour cream, cheese, olives, etc.

So Easy! Very delicious!!!

Quinoa with Black Beans

I've been playing around with the idea of trying Quinoa for awhile. I have two friends that have been really good at promoting it on Facebook. Thanks Adree and Tricia! It really is delicious and has lots of benefits. It is pretty much a substitute for things like rice.

Both of my friends recommended this recipe. I did it just like it said (except I didn't have any broth at all so I ended up using chicken noodle soup juice watered down until I had enough). One friend doesn't use the cayenne because she feeds it to her kids (and they like it). I tried it with. It had a fun kick!

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/quinoa-and-black-beans/

Turkey-Stuffed Bell Peppers

I've started participating in Bountiful Baskets again. I figure it will force us to eat more healthy foods. I'm pretty excited about it. If you don't know much about Bountiful Baskets check out their website and see if they have something set up in your area.

When looking in my fridge last week I had a scrumptious idea to make some stuffed peppers. My neighbor brought us some last fall and they were delicious. I went on a hunt.

This recipe was found on the Taste of Home website. It was wonderful!!!

Ingredients
5 medium bell peppers
1 large onion, chopped (I used some onion powder instead)
2 teaspoons of olive oil
1-1/4 pounds ground turkey
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (I used Pampered Chef)
1 garlic clove, pressed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 cup shredded cheese (I chose Colby Jack)
2 medium tomatoes, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups rice (their recipe calls for soft bread crumbs)
1/4 teaspoon paprika (I skipped)

Directions
1. Cut peppers in half lengthwise and discard seeds. In a large pot, cook peppers in boiling water for 3-5 minutes. Drain and set aside.

2. in a large skillet, saute onion in oil until tender. Add the turkey, cumin, Italian seasoning, garlic, salt and pepper; cook and stir over medium heat until meat is no longer pink.

3. Transfer to a large bowl; stir in the cheese, tomatoes and rice. Spoon into pepper halves. Place in a baking pan and sprinkle with paprika.

4. Bake uncovered, at 325 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until heated.

Tomatillo Chicken Soup

A BIG thanks to my friend Kate Desmond for sharing this recipe with me. It's one of my new favorites!

Kate’s Tomatillo Chicken Soup

Saute the following in big stock pot approx 10-15 min:
1/2 large onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb tomatillos, diced (about 5 medium size, don’t forget to remove the husk and wash)
1 tablespoon cumin

add the rest & simmer approximately 15-25 minutes:
3 chicken breasts, cooked & shredded
1 49 1/2oz chicken broth can
1 16oz fresh salsa from the grocery store deli
1 15.5 oz cans yellow hominy (drained)
1 15.5 oz cans white hominy (drained)

**serve with:blue or white tortilla chips
avocado chunks
white rice
shredded cheese
sour cream
fresh lime juice

*Tomatillos without the skin stuff vs. with it.

*Here is my chicken in the pot. I use the wooden spoon trick over the top to keep it from boiling over. It TOTALLY works!

Santa Fe Chicken

This was inspired by some Pinterest Recipes I’ve seen floating around. I didn’t have everything on hand that I wish I had, but it was still really good.

Ingredients:
2-3 Chicken Breasts
1 can Black Beans
1 can Kidney Beans
1 bottle Salsa
1 bag Freezer Corn (Canned corn would work too)
Southwestern Seasoning

Wish I had had:
1 bunch of Green Onions, diced
1/2 bunch of Cilantro (or more depending on if you like it a lot)

1. Cook your chicken up (170 degrees internal temperature) with some of your favorite Mexican-like seasoning. Mine is Pampered Chef’s Southwestern Seasoning. Once it’s cooked, dice it up and throw it in your crockpot.

2. Drain and rinse your beans.

3. Add the rest of the ingredients into your crockpot. Where everything is already cooked or safe to eat you are mainly letting things simmer and heat up. The mixture of flavors…. yum! Cook it on HIGH for 1-2 hours or LOW 3-4. Make sure to put it on high for the first little bit either way so that your food can all get to the safe food temperature fast, then turn it down if you are using your low setting.

If I had had Green Onions and Cilantro I probably wouldn’t have put them in, but left them for a topping afterward.

This was really good over rice. It would also be good on salad.

Chicken and Black Bean Wrap

While trying to lose some weight lately I’ve been focusing on some fairly simple and healthy recipes.

Ingredients:
2-3 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
1 can Black Beans
1 cup Freeze Dried Green Bell Peppers
1/2 cup Freeze Dried Onions

1. Get your bell peppers soaking so they can hydrate. Make sure that they are covered in water and then let them sit.

2. Cook your chicken in a skillet deep enough to prepare everything in. (Don’t you love one pan meals!) Once some of the juices and oils from the chicken start working around in the pan go ahead and throw in your Freeze Dried Onions. I didn’t reconstitute mine because I often like to just use the natural juices from the meats to do that. You can reconstitute them if you’d rather.

3. Once your chicken is cooked through and the temperature is at least to 170 degrees go ahead and slice it up. I don’t have a nylon knife that is safe to use in my non-stick pan so I forked them out and cut them into strips on my cutting board.

I guess I added the beans and drained peppers before I cut it. It really doesn’t matter.

4. Add your peppers and beans to your hot pan so they can get warmed up.

5. Serve over some rice or in a tortilla

Yes-a Yes-a Taco

Okay, this is kind of a family joke. It is the come back to “Nada Nada Enchilada”. That’s probably as much as you need to know.

We were having a dinner-time dilemma the other night. I had been called into work and hadn’t planned dinner accordingly. I had pulled some beef out in preparation for something, but hadn’t quite decided what. When I got home my husband had browned that beef (thank you!), but didn’t really know what to do after that (my fault since I didn’t have a plan).

So here is where the impromptu, it’s late and we’re hungry, taco night came into play. We didn’t really have all of the stuff fresh and ready that we usually like, so we decided to try out the freeze dried food we had.

So here you go, pretty much everything on this taco (minus the beef, the tortilla, and a little salsa that I added) can come from the dry food storage. It was all good too.

Ingredients:
Ground Beef, cooked and drained (I did ad some of my favorite seasonings to mine. Pampered Chef Southwestern Seasoning and Chipolte Lime Rub)
Tortillas
Cheese, reconstituted
Onions, reconstituted or thrown in while the beef is cooking. We used about 1/4 cup
Green Bell Peppers, reconstituted
Sour Cream, reconstituted (2 parts powder, 1 part water)
Tomato Cubes, reconstituted

You could also include olives, beans, or any other topping that you’d like. I just appreciated the fact that we could hurry and eat something without having to have had it fresh

Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas

Do you ever find yourself an hour away from dinner (or closer) and you still have no clue as to what you should make? I know that occurs way to often at my house. This recipe went together very smoothly. Not only was it easy, but it was good. The left-overs didn’t stick around for very long.

Ingredients:
2 cups of chicken (I used canned)
1/4 cup chopped freeze dried onion
4 cups freeze dried shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup dehydrated sour cream
8 flour tortillas
1 1/2 cups chopped freeze dried tomatoes
1 can black olives

1. Reconstitute your sour cream by mixing 1 cup of the powder with 1/2 cup of water. Whip together until everything is mixed in. Stick in the refrigerator to help it set up a little more.

2. Reconstitute you onions, cheese, and tomatoes by covering in water and letting sit for 5 minutes. Slice your olives.

3. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

4. In a medium bowl, mix your chicken, onion, 1 cup cheddar cheese, half of your olives, and 3/4 cup sour cream.

5. Spread mixture onto your tortillas. Roll into enchiladas, arrange in a 9x13 baking dish.

6. Pour your remaining 3 cups of cheese and the rest of your sour cream into a saucepan. Melt the cheese/sour cream over low heat.

*I skipped the melting step with mine. I spread the remainder of the sour cream over my enchiladas and then sprinkled the cheese evenly over the top

7. Top with tomatoes and the rest of your olives.

8. Bake 20-30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

 

The next time I make this I will probably try melting the cheese and see how it turns out. If I don’t have time for that I would probably double the amount of sour cream that I use and cut at least one cup of cheese out. It did turn out really well though. It would be easy to tweak a little here and there, but is good how it’s written too. Think about adding some more vegetables. Corn would be very good in it or on the side along with some rice.

Café Rio Chicken

I hate to say that I’ve never actually had Café Rio chicken, but I haven’t. Because of that I can’t tell you how true the name of the chicken is to the original. Someone with that knowledge will have to let me know.

This really was a great recipe though. I am always up for an easy recipe (especially crockpot). Thanks to my friend Katelyn for passing this one on to me!

Ingredients:
1 cup Italian dressing
1 Tbsp cumin
1 Tbsp chili pepper
3 cloves minced garlic
4 chicken breasts, thawed

1. Pour your Italian dressing into your crockpot. Stir in your spices and garlic. Make sure everything is mixed well. Add your chicken and turn over a couple of times to ensure that everything is coated well.
2. Cook 6-7 hours on low. Make sure to check the temperature of your meat!

I’ve been looking into some different food safety and cooking tips when it comes to using a Crockpot. I found a couple of good articles that are very worth checking out. I learned a few important tips and was reminded of things that I had forgotten.

Enjoy!

Bottling Chunky Salsa

I am a huge salsa fan! It is sad to admit, but I could sit down and eat a whole bottle of Pace salsa by myself in one sitting. I try and control myself, but sometimes I can't help it. Now you know my Achilles Heel. Growing up my mom would bottle salsa every couple of years. Some years were great batches, others were a little funky... Since I've moved out of the house I haven't really had much of the homemade bottled stuff. We'll play around with fresh a few times each summer, but I think the last batch of funky salsa made my mom give up on pleasing us.

Last year my sister in law made some awesome salsa. I've had the pleasure of trying it a few times while I've been over at her house. It is delicious! This year I asked her if I could get her recipe for it. She gladly shared. Thanks Laura! :) (This is a modified recipe from cooks.com)

*Note - This recipe makes about 1 quart. It is easily multiplied and can be used to make a huge batch. You can estimate how many times you want to multiply it by how many tomatoes you have, or jars you want to make. You can also adjust the heat by adding (or subtracting) jalapenos. This recipe is mild.

Ingredients:
3 cups tomatoes, peeled and chopped (I like to chop them in advance and put them in the fridge, then drain the juice off in order to make the salsa more chunky)
3/4 cup white onion, chopped (I used my Food Chopper)
3-4 jalapenos (or 3-4 Tbsp. chopped jalapenos) (I used my Manual Food Processor).
* WEAR GLOVES when handling jalapenos! Also, do NOT touch your face at all. Be careful!
3 cloves garlic, minced (or 3/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp. salt (you can use canning salt if you want your color to stay extra bright)
1/3 cup vinegar

Combine all ingredients and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Put into hot jars and process in water bath canner or steam canner for 20 minutes.

Tips: Pretty much everything can be chopped in advance. That way it's easy to start and stop as you need to.

Taco Soup!

I had a hankering for some Taco soup the other day. It was probably the big thunderstorm and the buckets of rain. Or it could be that I'm just super excited for Fall to be here! I love cold weather and I especially love all of the foods that are directly related and linked to the season!

I did something a little different with my soup today that turned out pretty good (if I do say so myself, and I do). I tried it on my husband. He approved. So I took it to my parents' house and made them and my siblings try it. They also liked it. I have a brother that is a pretty picky eater. He didn't even want to try it, but I twisted his arm (not literally). He had one spoonful and admitted that it was good. His excuse for not eating was that he already had the bread out for the PB&J that he was going to make. Weirdo. It was good. So... statistics say 7 out of 7 like it (but only 6 will eat a bowl).

Ingredients:
2 quart bottles of tomatoes (you could also do canned stewed tomatoes)
4 cans of assorted beans (I used red, kidney, black, and pinto)
1 bag of freezer corn (canned would work also), thawed
1 red bell pepper, diced.
1 lb of cooked hamburger
2 cups of water
1 envelope of Hidden Valley Fiesta Ranch

1. I started by putting my tomatoes in the crock pot, undrained. Next went the beans. Make sure to drain them into a colander and then rinse them really really well. Then comes the corn, pepper, and your cooked hamburger. When you add your water judge according to your crock pot. I just added the water until I was happy with the height. You don't want it too full. After you get the height you want then add the ranch envelope. Stir everything well to mix it around.

2. Start your crock pot out on high until it gets up to temperature. Once I saw it was bubbling, I went ahead and dropped it down to low. Where everything cooked (or didn't need to be) you are really just needing to warm it and let the flavors simmer around. I did 3 hours on high and then it probably was on low for 2. We did eat a little after the 3 though.

3. Serve with your favorite toppings. We had tortilla chips, sour cream, cheese, and olives.

*If you didn't notice I've used this Ranch packet before. It is one of my new favorites. I love the extra kick that it gives to stuff, but in this case I love having that kick with a touch of ranch. It worked out great!

Pineapple Salsa

This is a Pampered Chef recipe tweaked by a friend. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 Large Pineapple
1 Medium Red Onion
1 Cucumber peeled and seeded
1 Bunch cilantro
2 jalapeno peppers
2 Tbs lime juice

1. Chop everything up into small bite size pieces so you get a good mix of the salsa when you eat it.

2. Pour over the lime juice and mix it all up.

Serving options:
Would be great with Teriyaki chicken and rice! You could also try cooking your chicken in this for some great flavor!

Enchiladas

We had left over shredded chicken so I created some delicious enchiladas tonight!

Chicken
1. Cook your chicken up in your favorite salsa. Turns out best if it is cooked covered so the moisture stays in.
2. Shred or cut your chicken how you like it in your enchiladas.

Enchiladas

Ingredients:
Chicken
Campbell’s Fiesta Nacho Cheese Soup
1 can of Olives (sliced and divided)
2 Roma tomatoes (diced and divided)
6 tortillas
Sour Cream
Cheese

1. Cut your olives and tomatoes. Make sure to leave enough olive slices to go on top as well as one of the tomatoes.

2. Mix your chicken, soup, olives and tomato

3. Scoop into your tortillas and roll.

4. Spread a thin layer of sour cream over the top. Cover with cheese and garnish with remaining olives and tomato

5. Bake at 400 degrees for 40-50 minutes (or however long it takes it to warm through). I left mine uncovered because I like it a little crisper. It would be fine to cook it with foil on it if you don’t like the crunch.

Shredded Chicken Taco (optional salad)

This was super easy and turned out delicious!

1. Cook your chicken in your favorite salsa. You can either cook it in your crockpot  or fry it up in your pan. I’m not sure on the cooking time. You’ll have to play with it depending on the method. I ended up doing half and half….  Anyway, cook your chicken in a covered method so it will stay moist.

2. Since we aren’t sure on the cooking time make sure that you measure the temperature and that it reaches the appropriate heat inside.

3. Shred your chicken!

4. Put it all together and enjoy.

We had chips and tortillas available so we ate it a little differently. I turned mine into a Taco Salad with chips on the bottom, greens, peppers, tomatoes, the shredded chicken, cheese, and ranch dressing. Phil ate his taco style (pretty much the same toppings except the chips and inside a tortilla). They were both excellent.

South-Western Pasta Salad

Glenda, bless you forever for sharing this recipe with me! It is DELICIOUS!!!!

Sorry for the lack of a photo. Pasta salad isn’t really photogenic. So I didn’t even try. Just know that is one of the best pasta salads I have EVER had! Try it out. You won’t be sorry!

 

Ingredients:

1 box/bag of Rozini Pasta (the curly noodles)
1 Green Bell Pepper
2 Roma Tomatoes
1 can Black Beans
1 can Kidney Beans
1 can Corn (I used a bag of frozen corn)
1 can Olives
1/2 Red onion (give or take depending on how much you like onion)

Dressing:
2 cups Mayo (Do NOT use Miracle Whip)
2 cups Butter Milk
1 dry packet Hidden Valley Ranch – Fiesta flavor

1. Get your noodles cooking.

2. Meanwhile start washing and cutting your vegetables. Rinse the canned goods. Once your noodles are done put everything together in one pot.

3. In a small mixing bowl measure out your Mayo, then pour in your Buttermilk. Add your Fiesta packet and whip together. Pour over the top of your salad and mix.

 

You should be able to find the Dressing packet in the same area as your other salad dressings. I was not able to find it at either of the Kent’s Marketplaces here. It was at the Ridley’s though. Next time

I’m in Walmart and Smith’s I will check there. It seriously is the best dressing though. The flavor reminds me of Bajio. I ended up adding some celery to mine because my bell pepper tasted bad and I needed some crunch in it. Feel free to add or subtract any ingredients that you feel would make it better. Just think of what you usually have with your Mexican dishes and you won’t be able to go wrong. I think next time I make it I might try adding some grilled chicken.

Anyway, try it out. It is awesome! Don’t bring it to any events that I’ll be at though. I will already be making it!

Teriyaki Tenderloin

A BIG thanks to my wonderful Aunt Nikki for sending me a bunch of her favorite recipes. I’ve been so excited to try them out.

In her email to me she explained that this recipe is amazing with all sorts of meats. She has used it a lot when cooking with deer and elk. Even the family members who are picky eaters when it comes to the game meat loved the taste that this marinade gave it.

One word of advice that Nikki offered was to use Aloha Shoyu Soy sauce. She said it is amazing! I haven’t had a chance to pick any up yet, but I’m planning on it! She said she found some at Winco and online Walmart says that their stores carry it. Anyway, here we go!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Soy Sauce
1/4 cup Brown Sugar
2 Tablespoons Ketchup
1 pork Tenderloin or any other meat of your choice
1 plastic bag or sealed container that can be flipped onto it’s top.

1. Combine the soy sauce, brown sugar, and ketchup together and place in a plastic bag. Then add your meat. Seal the bag and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight. Flip the bag or container every couple of hours so all of the meat gets marinated very well.

2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place meat in a greased 13x9 glass pan uncovered. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes then let stand for 5.

When cooking Steaks put the meat in a frying pan with the marinade. Cover the pan and let the meat cook. The marinade will start to boil and cook the meat. Cooking time depends on how you like your steaks done and how thick they are. This method will really make your meat tender.

*Side Note: Yes those are Nachos on the plate. When I think Teriyaki it makes me think of jerky, which then makes me think of South-Western cooking. I think they fit together great. I only wish I had remembered to start some rice sooner. It would have at least made meat stand out better in the picture.

Quesadillas!

One of our favorite quick meals that we like to do is a ‘Deeah’ (as our little boy likes to call it). These have a plethora of options. We throw it together and then nuke it in the microwave for one minute. Here are some of our favorite toppings!

Cheese (obviously)
Lunch Meat (Ham, Turkey, or Chicken)
Ranch Dressing
Crumbled Bacon
Olives

We haven’t played around much past that yet. I can see it happening though. Mix and match to your hearts delight! We like to put a light layer of cheese, add the meat, and then put a little more cheese to help it stick. You can also heat them up in a frying pan to give it a little more crunch (probably more authentic, too).

Jerk Chicken Nachos

Pampered Chef

Ingredients

6 cups tortilla chips

3 cups diced or shredded cooked chicken

2 cups (8 oz) shredded Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese

2 Tbsp Jamaican Jerk Rub, divided

1 small yellow or red bell pepper or combination

1 lime

2 Tbsp snipped fresh cilantro

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Arrange tortilla chips in an overlapping layer on pan.

2. In a mixing bowl, combine chicken, cheese, and 1 tbsp of the rub; mix gently. Sprinkle chicken mixture evenly over tortilla chips. Bake 5-7 minutes or until cheese is melted; remove from oven.

3. Meanwhile, dice bell pepper. Cut lime in half crosswise. Juice half of the lime into a small bowl. Add bell pepper and remaining rub and mix well.

4. Snip cilantro and set aside. Slice remaining lime half thinly and cut slices in half.

5. Spoon bell pepper mixture over nachos; sprinkle evenly with cilantro. Serve with sour cream and garnish with the lime slices.

Jamaican Jerk Rub is available through Pampered Chef. It is amazing!!!! If you want to make this without the rub I’m sure it will still be super yummy!

Homemade Tortillas

Thank you Grandma! :)

Ingredients

3 cups Flour

3 Tbsp Veggie oil

1 tsp salt

1 cup warm water

1. Mix all ingredients with a fork. Once a ball is formed knead with hand a few times. Let it rest 5-10 minutes.

2. Pinch off dough just larger than a golf ball. Roll out extremely thin and round.

3. Cook on a hot ungreased griddle or pan. First one side until golden, then the other.