Slow Cooker Black Beans

I found this at budgetbytes.blogspot.com.

This worked really well, the last time I did this.  I love that I can freeze them and they are ready to use when I need them and I don't have to use salt-infused canned beans from the store.

Here is how it's done:

STEP 1: Pour one pound (2 cups of dry black beans) (or two for an extra large batch) of beans out onto a baking sheet and sort through to remove any stones or debris. Transfer the beans to a colander to rinse off any dust.

STEP 2: Place the cleaned and sorted beans in a slow cooker and add 6 cups of water for every pound of beans. Put the lid on, set the cooker to HIGH and let her go. Beans that have not been presoaked will take 4-6 hours to cook on HIGH.

STEP 3: Once the beans are tender, pour them into a colander and give them a quick rinse. Divide the beans into containers (re-sealable or zip top freezer bags), label, date and freeze until ready to use! Easy as that.

One pound of dry beans will yield about 6 cups of cooked beans, equal to about 3 cans.

*one comment recommended adding 1/8th tsp of baking soda if your water is heavily calcified to help soften them.  I didn't do that one time and the beans never became soft and I have added the baking soda in my last two batches and the beans were perfect.  So I will be doing that from now on!

Homemade Taco Seasoing

I've been making homemade taco seasoning for a while now.  I thought I'd give a different recipe a try.  Found this recipe on smells-like-home.com.

1/4 cup ancho chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 to 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (to taste)
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp paprika
2 tbsp ground cumin
3 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Store in an airtight container.

To use: Use 2 to 2 1/2 tablespoons of taco seasoning in place of a packet of store-bought taco seasoning. Combine 2 tbsp cornstarch with 1 cup cold water and stir to dissolve cornstarch. In a large saute pan set over medium-high heat, brown 1lb ground beef, turkey or chicken, add seasoning and cornstarch-water mixture, and simmer over low heat until liquid has thickened.

Cafe Rio Chicken and Salad Dressing

My awesome sister in law sent me these recipes.

Café Rio Salad Dressing

1 buttermilk ranch dressing packet (make as per recipe)
2 tomatillos (tomato like vegetable with a husk around them)
½ bunch of cilantro
1 clove garlic
Juice of 1 lime
1 jalapeño (Use the seeds too if you like it spicy. You could substitute a few drops of green tobasco for the jalapeno.)

-Use a food processor to blend all the ingredients well. Refrigerate.

Cafe Rio Chicken
1 small bottle Kraft Zesty Italian Dressing
1 T chili powder
1 T cumin
3 cloves garlic—minced
5 lbs chicken breast

-Cook all together in a crock pot for 4 hours, shred meat and cook 1 additional

Mexican Lasagna

I took a how to can tomatoes class at the Utah State Extension and they served this.  I thought it was good.  They adapted it from:  http://www.tasteofhome.com/.

Serving size:    12 servings

Prep time:        45 minutes

Bake time:       30 minutes + 15 minutes standing time

Ingredients:

            1-2 pounds ground turkey

            1 medium onion, chopped

            1 garlic clove, minced

1 can (14.5 ounces) stewed tomatoes, undrained or

1 pint jar home canned tomatoes*

            1 can (10 ounce) enchilada sauce

            1 to 2 teaspoons ground cumin

            1 egg, beaten

            1 ½ cups (12 ounces) cottage cheese

1 ½ cups (12 ounces) shredded Mexican cheese blend

            8 flour tortillas (8 inches), cut in half

1 ½ cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

·         In a large skillet, cook the turkey, onion and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain.  Stir in tomatoes, enchilada sauce and cumin.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; simmer uncovered, for 20 minutes.

·         In a small bowl, combine egg and cottage cheese; set aside. Combine shredded cheeses; set aside.  Spread a third of the meat sauce into a greased 13-inch x 9-inch baking dish.  Layer with half of the cheese blend, tortillas, cottage cheese mixture and remaining meat sauce.  Repeat layers.  Sprinkle with cheddar cheese.

·         Cover and bake at 350° F. for 20 minutes.  Uncover; bake 10 minutes longer or until bubbly.  Let stand for 15 minutes before cutting.

Mushroom Quesadilla

Found the recipe closetcooking.com.

 

*makes 1 quesadilla

 

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon oil
1/2 small onion (sliced)
4 ounces mushrooms (cleaned and sliced)
1 clove garlic (chopped)
1/2 teaspoon thyme (chopped)
2 tablespoons white wine (or broth)
1 tablespoon parsley (chopped, optional)
2 handfuls cheese such as mozzarella, swiss, monterrey jack, etc. (grated)
2 tortillas

Directions:
1. Heat the oil in a pan.
2. Add the onion and mushrooms and saute until caramelized, about 20-30 minutes.
3. Add the garlic and thyme and saute until fragrant, about a minute.
4. Add the broth, deglaze the pan and saute until the liquid has been absorbed.
5. Remove from heat and mix in the parsley.
6. Melt a touch of butter in a pan.
7. Place a tortilla into the pan, swirl it around in the butter and repeat with the second tortilla.
8. Sprinkle a handful of cheese on the tortilla followed by the mushrooms and onions and top with the remaining cheese and finally the other tortilla.
9. Cook until the quesadilla is golden brown on both sides and the cheese is melted.

Tip: Place a plate onto the quesadilla and flipped it from the pan to the plate and then slide it back into the pan to flip the quesadilla.

Mushroom and Zucchini Enchiladas

I found this recipe on closetcooking.com.

 

Ingredients:
2 tablespoon oil
1 large onion (sliced)
1 pound portobello mushrooms (diced)
1 pound zucchini (diced)
2 cloves garlic (chopped)
1 teaspoon cumin (toasted and ground)
1 teaspoon oregano
3 cups salsa verde
12 small corn tortillas
1 cup jack and cheddar cheese (shredded)

Directions:
1. Heat the oil in a pan.
2. Add the onions and cook until tender, about 5-7 minutes at medium-high heat.
3. Add the mushrooms and cook until they release their moisture and it has evaporated, about 10-15 minutes.
4. Add the zucchini and cook until just tendder, about 4-5 minutes.
5. Add the garlic, cumin and oregano and cook until fragrant, about a minute.
5. Remove from heat and mix in a cup of the salsa verde.
6. Spread 1/4 cup of the salsa verde over the bottom of your baking dish.
7. Fill the corn tortillas with filling, roll them up and place them in the baking dish with the seam on the bottom.
8. Pour the remaining salsa verde over the tortillas and sprinkle on the cheese.
9. Bake in a preheated 350F oven until the cheese is nice and bubbling and starts to brown, about 20 minutes.

Baked Chipotle Beef Taquitos

I love the baked chicken taquitos from ourbestbites.com, so I bet this recipe is awesome as well!

3 C cooked, shredded beef roast*
4oz green chilies, undrained
1/4-1/2 t minced chipotle pepper in adobo sauce (I use 1/4 t for mild heat.  See note below)
3 t adobo sauce from the canned chipotle peppers
1 t garlic powder
1 t coriander
1/2 t cumin
1 t chili powder
zest from one lime
1 T fresh lime juice
1 package Queso Fresco (about 12 oz)
white corn tortillas 6" inch
olive oil or cooking spray
kosher salt

Note:  If you don't want to work with the chipotle peppers, or can't find them, try adding some Chipotle Chili Powder.  You can find it by the other spices in the grocery store. It will still give you a smoky spice, so start with a little and increase to taste.

*I created this recipe to use up left over roast from things like pot roast and french dip sandwiches.  If you're cooking a roast strictly for use in these taquitos, then just mildly season it with things like salt, pepper, onion, and garlic before cooking.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Slice any larger pieces of roast across the grain so the beef is shredded into 1/2-1 inch pieces.  Combine chilies, chipotle pepper, adobo sauce, garlic, coriander, cumin, chili powder and lime zest and juice in a bowl.  After stirring to combine, gently toss together with shredded beef. 

Wrap a pile of about 10 tortillas in damp paper towels and microwave for 1 minute to soften. (after those are used, do the next 10)  Working with one tortilla at a time, crumble about 1T queso fresco in a line across the center of the tortilla.  Top with 1-2 T shredded beef mixture.  Tightly roll and place seam-side down on a lightly sprayed baking sheet.  Continue to roll until all of the tortillas are filled. 

Use cooking spray, olive oil spray, or lightly brush olive oil on the top of each taquito.  Sprinkle with kosher salt.  Place in the pre-heated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown on the edges. 

Serve warm with sour cream and guacamole.  Makes about 20 taquitos.

Freezer instructions:  Make as noted through the step where you sprinkle the tops of the taquitos with salt.  Place in a dish a single layer, not touching each other and set in the freezer.  After frozen, place in zip-top bag, foodsaver bag, or any other air tight container.  To cook, preheat oven to 425.  Place taquitos on a baking sheet in a single layer and bake until edges are golden brown.  (Usually about 30 minutes)

Easy Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas

This recipe is from www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com.  She seems to have a lot of yummy things on here!

Easy Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas

2 pork tenderloins (about 1 pound each)

1 (15-18 ounce) jar of your favorite salsa verde

1 (10 ounce) can Rotel tomatoes

1 (4 ounce) can diced green chilies

1 white onion, chopped in large pieces

1/2 teaspoon cumin

Place all of the ingredients in a crockpot and cook on low for 8-10 hours or until pork easily forks apart. Serve buffet-style with flour tortillas, cheese, cilantro, avocado, tomatoes, lettuce, sour cream and a squeeze of lime. Make sure to get some of that yummy sauce the pork is in inside your tortilla. Add a side of Cilantro Lime Rice and black beans.

Skinny Taco Dip

This recipe is from www.skinnytaste.com

• 8 oz 1/3 less fat cream cheese
• 8 oz reduced fat sour cream
• 16 oz jar mild salsa
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• 2 cups iceberg lettuce, shredded
• 2 large tomatoes, diced
• 1 cup reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese
• 2.25 oz black olives,

In a large bowl combine cream cheese, sour cream, salsa and taco seasoning and mix well with an electric mixer. Spread on the bottom of a large shallow glass dish. Top with shredded lettuce, tomatoes, shredded cheese and black olives. Serve with baked tortilla chips.

*I would change out the iceberg lettuce for a different lettuce to make it healthier, such as red or green leaf, romaine or maybe lettuce from spring mix bag.  Iceberg lettuce has no nutritional value.

*Someone suggested adding black beans to add some protein.  I think that sounds yummy!

Taco Chicken

Recipe by OurBestBites.com

1 lb. chicken breasts or thighs
A couple of juicy limes
A splash of red wine vinegar
2-3 cloves garlic, pressed or coarsely chopped
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper

Juice the limes and combine with a couple splashes of red wine vinegar. Add garlic. Pour over chicken. This will not completely cover the chicken; just turn it occasionally as needed. Marinate for at least 4 hours, no longer than 8.

Heat an outdoor grill (you can also use a grill pan inside. Or your broiler in your oven.) Combine salt, chili powder, cumin, and black pepper in a small bowl. Remove chicken from marinade and rub the spices all over the chicken.

Grill about 7 minutes per side.

Remove from heat and allow to stand a few minutes so it doesn’t lose its juiciness. You can either eat the chicken as it is, maybe with Mexican rice and beans, or use slice it up and use it as you would taco meat. Can also use in Baked Creamy Taquitos

Three other ways that this chicken can be cooked:

1 -Place your chicken on a broiler pan, or a foil-lined baking sheet. To avoid burning, I would set the broiler temp to medium (if you have that option) or move the chicken down a rack so it's not right below the heating element. Broil for 5-6 minutes on each side, although timing will depend on the thickness.

2 - Heat up a skillet and saute the chicken that way.

3 -  Put all the ingredients in the slow cooker at the same time and cooked it all on low for 3-4 hours.

Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad

This recipe is from Ourbestbites.com.

*Makes 4-6 meal-sized servings and 6-8 side-dish or party-sized servings.

SALAD:

4 c. chopped Romaine Lettuce
2 c. chopped grilled chicken (you could use Taco Chicken if you want)
1 c. cherry or grape tomatoes, washed
1/3 c. vertically-sliced red onions
1 avocado, cubed
1 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 8 3/4 oz. can corn, rinsed and drained Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad

DRESSING:

DRESSING:
1/3 c. chopped fresh cilantro
2/3 c. light sour cream
1 1/2 + tsp. adobo sauce from canned chipotle chilies
1 tsp. chili powder
4 tsp. fresh lime juice
¼ tsp. salt

OPTIONAL:
Tortilla Strips

Make sure all salad ingredients that need to be washed or rinsed have been. Combine lettuce, chicken, beans, corn, onion, and tomatoes in a large bowl and gently mix with your hands (which you have obviously and thoroughly washed, of course! :) ). Set aside.
Mix dressing ingredients. I say to start with 1 1/2 tsp. of adobo sauce and then go from there, probably 1/4-1/2 tsp. at a time. If you're serving this for a crowd, it's probably better to err on the side of not spicy enough rather than too spicy, but if you're just making it for your family and you have taste buds of steel, have at it. You could even chop up one of the chilies and toss it in there if you're feeling super-brave. Then taste the dressing and you'll know what heaven tastes like. Set dressing aside.

If you're making tortilla strips, fry those puppies up now. I didn't make them here because I'm trying my darndest not to be naughty nutritionally, but if I make this salad for some kind of festivity, I always make the tortilla strips. Allow them to cool.

When you're ready to serve, add avocado, tortilla strips, and dressing. Gently combine with your hands and serve.

Mexican Rice

This recipe from melskitchencafe.com.  Sounds yummy, but I will have to change a few things so the whole family might possibly eat it.  Like use less cloves of garlic (like 1 or even just garlic powder)  and maybe substitute parsley for the cilantro.  Also, I usually use brown rice instead of white rice.

*Serves 4-6

1 cup of long grain white rice

2 cups of low-sodium chicken broth

1 tablespoon of olive oil

1 small yellow onion, diced

4 cloves of garlic, finely minced

1/4 cup of tomato paste

1 tablespoon of lime juice, from about 1 lime

1/2 cup of freshly chopped cilantro

2 teaspoons cumin

Salt to taste

In a medium-sized pot, add rice and chicken broth. Bring to a boil over high heat. Stir. Cover the pot, lower the heat to low and simmer for 17-20 minutes. Remove from heat and keep the pot covered for 5 more minutes.

While the rice is cooking, heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook the onions in the hot oil for 10 minutes, until translucent and starting to brown. Add the garlic to the skillet and cook for one minute, stirring constantly. Stir in the tomato paste and cumin and cook for another minute or two. Mix in hot, cooked rice, lime juice and cilantro. Mix until well combined. Season to taste with salt. Serve immediately.

Slow Cooker Chicken Nachos

A friend posted this on her facebook page.

3 frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 can drained corn(or 1.5 cups of frozen corn)
1 can black beans, rinsed (or 1.5-2 cups of black beans, if you cook them from scratch, like I did this time)
2 - 10oz. can of Rotel (tomatoes with chilies)
8 oz cream cheese (lowfat worked just fine!)
Tortilla chips
Cheddar cheese, shredded

Place chicken, corn, black beans and salsa in crockpot on high for 4-6 hours. When it is 30 minutes before serving, put in cream cheese and shred the chicken. Serve on a bed of tortilla chips and cover in shredded cheese.

REVIEW:  I have changed the recipe to how I fixed it yesterday.  It definitely smelled soo yummy when we came in the door after church.  I tasted pretty good.  But I think it needed more than just sitting on top of some of tortilla chips.  Maybe it would of been better with all the fixing for nachos, like lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, avocados, rice?  Hmmm.  I'll try that next we eat it.  Which will be soon b/c it made a lot!  I'm going to try freezing some of it, to see if it freezes well.

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

Okay something other than strawberries.  I think I'm going to have to make this for dinner this week.  We love enchiladas!  and this looks scrumptious!

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

6 Tbsp honey

4.5 Tbsp lime juice

1 Tbsp chili powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 lb cooked chicken, shredded (you can also use shredded pork. That's what I did here.)

flour tortillas

colby or monterey jack cheese, shredded

10 oz. can green enchilada sauce

Mix first 4 ingredients together and toss with shredded chicken. Let it "marinate" for at least a half hour. Pour some green enchilada sauce on the bottom of a 10x10 casserole dish or 9x13 pan. Fill flour tortillas with chicken and shredded cheese. Pour the rest of the can of green enchilada sauce over enchiladas then sprinkle with more cheese. (When using a 9x13 I like to use 1 1/2 10 oz. cans) Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. (Put it under the broiler at the end to make the cheese brown and crispy on the top.) 

REVIEW (6/29/11):  Made this last night.  It was good but a little too sweet for us.  But we're not big sweet meat people.  Also, we could not taste the hotness of the chili powder at all.  So next time, I think we will double the chili powder or add Tabasco sauce  or something to make it more spicy to counteract the sweetness.  I used chicken but I'm sure it would be good with pork too, as she suggested.

Mexican Casserole

 I found this recipe on sisterscafe.blogspot.com.

 

1 lb. ground turkey or lean ground beef
1 large onion, chopped

1 packet Taco Seasoning mix (1/4 cup)

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1 can cream of mushroom soup
8-10 corn tortillas (12 oz package)
3-4 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
Haas avocado, sliced
sour cream

fresh cilantro

 

Brown meat with diced onion over medium heat. Add chili powder, black beans, tomatoes, and cream of mushroom soup. Stir to combine and warm through. In 9x13 inch pan, place a small amount of meat mixture on bottom (so tortillas won't stick). Place a layer of corn tortillas down, then a layer of the meat mixture, and sprinkle on a little cheese. Repeat with another layer of corn tortillas, a layer of meat mixture... and top with remaining shredded cheese. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Serve topped with sliced avocado, sour cream, and fresh cilantro.

Taco Seasoning

I got this recipe from allrecipes.com.  I love that website, you can find just about anything that you are looking for and reviews are awesome b/c they usually tell you about tweaks to make the dishes even yummier! or know which recipes to avoid!

Anyways, I used this season our taco meat a couple of nights ago and it was yummy!  I loved it was ingredients that I already had and minus all the sodium from the mixes in the store.

1 tablespoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon sea salt (I left this out b/c I didn't have any. and we didn't even miss it!)

1 teaspoon black pepper

In a small bowl, mix together chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper flakes, oregano, paprika, cumin, salt and pepper. Store in an airtight container.

I also add some flour to the mixture before adding it to the meat and I added some water to the meat when I was cooking, to make the meat a little saucey.

Mexican Rice & Bean Burritos

This recipe is from allrecipes.com.  Sounds yummy and better than buying those packages from the store that are loaded with sodium and other things.  I hope its yummy and that my kids will eat it.  Okay, I hope I can at least think its yummy.....

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup uncooked long-grain rice
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup tomato sauce
2 cups chicken broth

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and add rice. Cook, stirring constantly, until puffed and golden. While rice is cooking, sprinkle with salt and cumin.

Stir in onions and cook until tender. Stir in tomato sauce and chicken broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

*Some recommendations/comments in the reviews section (that's why I love allrecipes!)

-Tried it as written, just with the cumin, and it was not nearly as good as it was when I did it a second time using Taco Seasoning I (from allrecipes.com site). I just sprinkled in what looked like enough, about 1-1/2 tsp.

-Cook onions before browning rice, so onions are more soft and not crunchy (which is very yucky in my opininon!)

-Don't worry about puffing the rice, just brown it.

-Use fresh garlic instead! saute with onions...before adding rice

-Use a rice cooker instead.  Saute the onions, minced garlic and cumin in a skillet, then throw it into the rice cooker along with the 1 c. rice, 1-1/2 c. chicken broth and all the other ingredients, omitting the garlic salt.

-Use sea salt (to taste) instead of garlic salt and added 2-3 cloves of garlic (crushed) - (In my family 1 clove might be enough)

-Didn't have any tomato sauce so I used a 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes with the juice. I still used the same amount of water and it worked out perfectly

-Omit the salt and just used fresh minced garlic instead and add some green onions along with the regular onions, also use olive oil instead.

-Add 2 TBLS of picante sauce to bring out the mexican flavor a little better and cut that garlic salt by half.

-Omit the tomato sauce and add "Rotel" in its place.

-Use tomato paste mixed with water when don't have any tomato sauce on hand.

-add just a pinch of saffron at the end for another wonderful layer of flavor

Bean Burritos

I was referred to the Mexican Rice from hip2save.com because she puts that rice in her burritos.  The basic recipe for the burritos is cooked black beans, shredded cheese and the rice rolled in a burrito/taco shells.  Then she wraps them up in foil and freezes them.  Then when you want to eat them just take of the foil and pop them into the microwave.  Great for a quick lunch or dinner!

Chili's Salsa

I ate this salsa recipe at my sister-in-law's baby shower.  It taste just like Chili's salsa. YUM!!!  I got the recipe from her sister.  Thanks!

CHILI'S SALSA RECIPE

1/4 Cup yellow onion, diced
1 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. diced jalapenos
Mix together just a little in a blender

Add in blender:
1 - 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes with green chiles
1 - 14.5 oz. can whole peeled tomatoes
3/4 tsp. garlic salt
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. sugar

Blend together just a little, not pureed....then stir to blend everything
together a little more before pouring into a jar. Refrigerate.