Chicken and Sweet Potato Quesadilla

How unusual, right? Not sure what drew me to this recipe, but I made it and it was really good. The original recipe calls for ground pork, but I had bought a rotisserie chicken and needed to use it up. Oh, and I added spinach, which wasn't in the original.

Chicken and Sweet Potato Quesadilla

Adapted from The Food Network Magazine

Ingredients

1 medium sweet potato

3 tbsp butter

1/2 lb ground pork (I used 2 c rotisserie chicken)

1 1/2 tsp ancho chile powder (I used regular chile powder and a dash of cumin)

Salt

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 bunch scallions, chopped

1/2 c cilantro, chopped

4 burrito size tortillas

2 c shredded cheese

Directions

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Pierce the sweet potato a few times with a fork and microwave until soft, 7-10 min. Let cool slightly, then remove the skin and mash the flesh with a fork; set aside.

Heat 1 tbsp butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pork, chile powder, and 1 tsp salt and cook, breaking up the meat, until browned. Add the garlic, sweet potato, scallions and cook 2 more min. Add the cilantro and season with salt, if needed. Transfer mixture to a bowl.

Wipe out the skillet, add 1/2 tbsp butter and melt over medium high heat. Add a tortilla, spread 1/4 of the mixture on one half and top with 1/2 c cheese. Fold the tortilla over the filling and cook until the tortilla is golden and cheese is melted. Transfer to a baking sheet and place in the oven to keep warm. Continue with the other tortillas. Serve with hot sauce, sour cream, salsa, limes, etc. Enjoy!

Turkey and Black Bean Enchiladas

Yummy! Enchiladas are pretty much my favorite thing ever! I love enchilada sauce, actually. These were a total no brainer and I had everything in my pantry. Must try!

Turkey and Black Bean Enchiladas

Adapted from SkinnyTaste.com

Ingredients

1 lb ground turkey

15.5 oz can black beans, drained

4.5 oz can diced green chilies, undrained

14.5 oz can diced tomatoes

2 cloves garlic

1/4 c chopped onion

1/4 c chopped cilantro

2 tsp cumin

Salt

Tortillas

Mexican cheese

Can/bottled enchilada sauce

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 13x9 inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.

In a large skillet, brown the turkey and season with salt. When the turkey is brown, add onion, cilantro, cumin, tomatoes, beans, and chilies. Mix well, cover with a lid and simmer on low for 20 minutes. Remove lid and simmer another 5-10 minutes so the liquid can reduce.

Warm tortillas so they are pliable. Fill each tortilla with 1/2 c of enchilada mixture and put seam side down into your pan. Repeat until the baking dish is full. Top with enchilada sauce and cheese. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden and bubbly. Allow to cool for a few minutes before serving.

Taco Salads

The best thing about ordering a taco salad out is the crispy fried shell. However, it's not that good for you. Go figure... Anyway, I have found the solution!! I made my own crunchy taco shell 'bowl' and got all the satisfaction of a restaurant meal.

Here's what you need...

an empty tin can, rinsed and the paper removed

a tortilla

a baking sheet

Here's what you do...

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line your baking sheet with parchment or foil, if you'd like to. Place the tin can upside down on the baking sheet.

Microwave your tortilla for 10 seconds or so until its very pliable (read: bendy). Lay the tortilla on top of the can and sorta wrap it around the can. It won't stay put but you'll get a nice taco shell shape.

Bake for 10-15 minutes until crispy, not burnt so keep an eye on it. Enjoy!

Mexican Cobb Salad with Grilled Shrimp and Cilantro LIme Dressing

A great low maintenance meal for when it's hot! It's been 90 degrees around here and my house is toasty (no AC). This was a perfect light meal and easy to prepare. Plus, the dressing is great and I can use it on something else, I'm sure!

Mexican Cobb Salad with Grilled Shrimp and Cilantro Lime Dressing

Adapted from SkinnyTaste

Ingredients

(makes 1 salad with extra shrimp and dressing)

Shrimp Marinade:

12 frozen, peeled, deveined shrimp

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 lime, juiced and zested

1 clove of garlic, minced

Salad

1 c spinach

1/4 c cucumber, diced

1/4 c avocado, diced

1/4 c canned black beans, rinsed

1/4 c corn, frozen and thawed

1 tbsp red onion, diced

Dressing

1/4 c low fat buttermilk

1 tbsp mayo

2 tbsp light sour cream

1/4 c cilantro

1 clove garlic

Salt

Pepper

Directions

Combine marinade ingredients and let the shrimp sit for 30 minutes.

Chop your veggies and prepare your salad.

Mix all dressing ingredients together in a blender and let whirl until its a smooth dressing.

Heat a grill pan to medium-high heat. Cook the shrimp for 2 minutes on each side.

Assemble your salad with half of the shrimp (or so) and 1 tbsp of dressing (or so). Enjoy immensely!

Mexican Lasagna

Recently at work we had a Mexican themed potluck and I wanted to bring enchiladas, but didn't quite have the energy to pull them together. I'd seen this Mexican lasagna recipe and thought this would be much easier than making actual enchiladas. It was! I really enjoyed this and so did all my coworkers.

Mexican Lasagna

Adapted from Fortheloveofcooking.com

Ingredients

3-4 flour tortillas

Salsa

Enchilada sauce

Cheddar cheese, grated

Refried beans

Black beans

Frozen sweet corn, thawed

Black olives, sliced

Green onions. sliced

Fresh cilantro, chopped

1lb lean ground turkey breast

1 tsp olive oil

1 small yellow onion, diced

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp garlic powder

Salt and pepper

Directions

Dice and prepare all of your vegetables for the lasagna. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the ground turkey breast and break up into small crumbles. Add the onion and seasonings. Cook until the meat is done and the onion is tender, about 6-7 min. Add the minced garlic and cook for another min. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a baking dish with cooking spray. Add some enchilada sauce to the bottom of the dish. Next add a flour tortilla (trim the sides a bit so it fits nicely) or two to cover the bottom. Spread refried beans on top of the tortillas. Add cheese, ground turkey, black beans, salsa, corn, black olives, a bit of green onion then more enchilada sauce on top. Add another flour tortilla or two and repeat the process until you fill your dish.

On the final layer, add the tortilla, a thick layer of enchilada sauce and cheese, then sprinkle with black olives.

Cover and bake in the over 25 minutes then remove the tin foil and bake another 5 minutes or so until golden and bubbly. Let sit 5 minutes before slicing. Top with sliced green onions and enjoy!

*sorry! forgot to take a picture before devouring*

Chipotle Black Bean Soup

This soup is SO good!! But, very spicy!!! Those chipotle peppers in adobo aren't joking around!!! Go try it for yourself!

Chipotle Black Bean Soup

Adapted from Goya

Ingredients

3 cans black beans, drained

1 chipotle, plus 2 tsp sauce from 1 can chipotle in adobo

2 c chicken stock

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1/2 medium onion, chopped

1/2 red pepper, finely chopped

1/2 green pepper, finely chopped

2 tsp minced garlic

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 c sour cream

Directions

In bowl of blender, add 1 can black beans, chipotle in adobo and chicken stock. Puree until smooth, set aside.

Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and peppers, cook until soft, about 10 min. Add garlic and cumin, cook until fragrant, about 30 sec. Add reserved black bean mixture and remaining black beans; bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low heat and cook until thickened, about 10 min.

Serve with sour cream and your favorite toppings.

Slow Cooker Texas Chili

This was D-licious! I'm always drawn to stuff that says Texas because I firmly believe I should have been born there and this did not disappoint. It was really easy and so yummy! I love chili with cumin and big chunks of meat, and less beans. This actually has no beans, but if you miss them, feel free to add them in!

This would be great for a football party or a cold night in (hint hint, ladies ;)

Slow-Cooker Texas Chili

Adapted from Food Network Magazine

Ingredients

2 1/2 lbs beef chuck, cut into 2-inch cubes

2 tbsp packed brown sugar

Salt

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 small onion, chopped

5 cloves garlic, smashed with the back of your knife

2 4.5 oz cans chopped green chiles, drained

1 tbsp ground cumin

3/4 c chili powder

1 14oz can diced tomatoes with chiles

1-2 tbsp hot sauce

Sliced scallions, fresh cilantro and sour cream for topping

Tortilla chips, for serving

Directions

Toss the beef with 1 tbsp each brown sugar and salt in a large bowl. Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the beef in batches until browned on all sides, 4-5 min (do not crowd the pan). Transfer to a 5-6 quart slow cooker.

Reduce the heat to medium, add the onion to the skillet and cook until soft, about 5 min. Stir in the garlic, chiles, cumin and chili powder, cook 3 min. Add 1 1/2 c water and the tomatoes and simmer, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom, about 3 min. Transfer to the slow cooker, cover and cook on low for 7 hrs.

Add the remaining tbsp brown sugar and hot sauce to the chili. Serve with scallions, cilantro, sour cream and chips.

Mexican Pulled Pork

Jamie, one of my very dearest friends whom I met in college, made this for me when I visited her and her sweet husband, Justin, in Huntington Beach. It was so impressive and I thought it'd taken her forever. However, I was lucky enough to be let in on a little secret... it's probably the easiest thing you'll ever make. It only has 2 ingredients!! 2! You heard me correctly.

She and I served this with tortillas and all the burrito fixings you like. Because this is done in the slow cooker, you can make it on busy days or lazy Sundays.

Mexican Pulled Pork

Adapted from Jamie Bertain

Ingredients

1 pork shoulder (also called pork butt, or boston pork)

1 jar of your favorite salsa

Water

Salt and Pepper

Directions

Place pork shoulder in the slow cooker. Season with salt and pepper. Pour in jar of salsa and maybe 1/2 c water.

Cook for however long you have... I did high for 6 hours but you can do whatever works for you.

When it's done, pull the pork out and shred with two forks.

I put my pork back into the juices which made it pretty liquid-y, so I would recommend you add a little of the juice back to the shredded pork as you see fit.

Then serve with your favorite burrito stuff: cheese, avocado, hot sauce, beans, rice, etc...

Beef Enchiladas

Those of you who know me, may know of my obsession with enchiladas... specifically enchilada sauce. Normally, I don't make enchiladas because it's labor intensive. I typically make a burrito and drench it in enchilada sauce... ta da! However, I found this recipe in my new Pioneer Woman Cookbook and decided it was time to do it... the whole enchilada!

This is a bit labor intensive and messy, but worth it! I was so thrilled with the results. And the bonus, it made lots of sauce and filling so I froze it and can now throw together enchiladas at my hearts desire!

Beef Enchiladas

Adapted from Pioneer Woman Cookbook

Ingredients

Sauce:

1 tbsp canola oil

2 tbsp all purpose flour

1 28oz can enchilada sauce

2 c chicken broth

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

2 tbsp cilantro, chopped (plus more for garnish)

Meat:

1 lb ground beef (if you don't dig ground beef, sub your fav)

1 medium onion, diced

2 4oz cans diced green chiles

1/2 tsp salt

Rest:

10-14 corn tortillas

1/2 c chopped black olives

1 c chopped green onions

3 c grated cheddar cheese

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the canola oil and flour. Whisk together and allow to bubble for 1 minute. Pour in the red sauce, chicken broth, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer while you prepare the other ingredients.

While the sauce is simmering, prepare the meat. In a large skillet over medium heat, brown the ground beef with the onions. Drain the fat, then add the green chiles. Add the salt and stir to combine. Turn off heat and set aside.

Heat the tortillas in the oven or microwave (whatever your style is) so they are pliable. Spread 1/2 c of enchilada sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Dip each tortilla into the sauce. Set the sauce soaked tortilla on a cookie sheet.

Onto each tortilla, place some of the meat mixture, black olives and green onions. Top with cheese.

Roll up the tortilla to contain the filling and place seam side down in the baking dish. Repeat as needed.

When baking dish is full, pour desired amount of red sauce over the top and top with cheese.

Bake for 20 minutes or until bubbly. Sprinkle extra cilantro and green onions on top. Enjoy!

Chicken Tostadas

You guys are going to get so tired of me saying this, but this was delicious! I love Mexican food and this hit the spot tonight. I love the crunchy tortilla, spicy chicken and cool sour cream.

Sidebar: The recipe calls for 1-2 Serrano chiles. I thought I'd be brave and do 1 whole chile (meaning I didn't seed it- taking out the seeds and ribs- before roasting). When I tried just the sauce, it was so hot I had to put chapstick on. No joke. But when you put it all together, it really mellows out. If you're super brave, try 2!

Chicken Tostadas

Adapted from Martha Stewart Living Magazine

Ingredients

1 medium white onion

1 lb tomatoes, quartered

2 lrg garlic cloves

1-2 fresh serrano chiles, stemmed (and seeded if you want to tone down the spice)

1/2 c vegetable oil plus 2 tbsps

3 c shredded lettuce

6 lrg radishes, halved and sliced (try the radishes! they are so crunchy and delicious! do it for me)

1/2 c chopped cilantro, divided

1 rotisserie chicken, meat coarsely shredded (4 cups)

6 6-inch corn tortillas

1 can refried beans

1 avocado, diced

1/2 c Mexican crema or sour cream

1/4 c Mexican cheese

Directions

Preheat broiler. Cut half of onion in 3/4-inch wedges, then chop remainder. Toss onion wedges, tomatoes, garlic, and whole chiles in 2 tbsp oil in a sheet pan, spreading in 1 layer. Broil about 4 inches from heat until softened and charred, 10-15 minutes.

Meanwhile, toss together lettuce, radishes, chopped onion, and half of cilantro. Set aside.

Puree tomato mixture in a blender along with the serrano chile(s) and 1 tsp salt until smooth. You may need to add a tbsp water to get it going.

When blending hot stuff, take the plastic center out of your blender lid and cover that space with a dish towel so that heat can escape. Transfer puree to a bowl and add chicken, remaining cilantro, and salt to taste.

Heat remaining 1/2 c oil in a heavy medium skillet (I used cast-iron) over medium-high heat until the oil shimmers. Fry tortillas, 1 at a time, turning once or twice until evenly browned and crisp. Drain on a paper towel, then transfer to plates.

Spread the tortillas with the refried beans, then top with chicken mixture. Slice avocado over tostadas and dollop with crema or sour cream. Mount lettuce mixture on top and sprinkle with cheese.

Chicken Enchiladas

Me and Mexican food are a match made in heaven. Me and enchilada sauce are soul mates. It's the sad truth. These are quick and easy because I used a bottled enchilada sauce from Trader Joe's. If you're an over-achiever you could serve with Spanish rice and black beans.

Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients

4 whole wheat tortillas

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces

1 tsp cumin

Salt

Pepper

1/4 onion, finely chopped

4 mushrooms (I like mushrooms in everything, but you can leave out)

2 tbsp sour cream

1 green onion, diced

1/2 c shredded cheese

1 tbsp cilantro

1 bottle Trader Joe's enchilada sauce

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Season diced chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat in a large skillet with a bit of canola oil. Season with cumin. When cooked through (only 5 minutes or so), put in a bowl to the side. Add onions and mushrooms to the skillet and saute lightly. When softened, add chicken back into the pan. Add green onion, sour cream and a couple tbsp of enchilada sauce.

Spoon the mixture into flour tortillas and put in your baking dish. Top with desired amount of remaining enchilada sauce and shredded cheese. You could also top with olives, if you had some. Bake until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbly, about 20 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve with your favorite toppings (sour cream, hot sauce, etc).

Shrimp 'Ceviche'

So ceviche is a term loosely used in this recipe... because we actually cooked the shrimp first. This is a great one to use if you don't have time to let the shrimp get 'ceviche'd' or cooked in lime juice like in real ceviche. Between myself and the other 5 ladies who dined with me, we all decided this was fantastic!

Shrimp 'Ceviche'

Adapted from www.barefootwine.com

Ingredients

1 lb uncooked shrimp, peeled deveined and tails off

2 tbsp butter

1/2 c pinot grigio

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 avocados, diced

2 tomatoes, diced

1/2 onion, diced

Juice of 2 limes

Salt

Pepper

Cilantro

Hot sauce

Tortilla chips

Directions

Wash shrimp in a bowl and drain. Place shrimp, 1/2 c pinot grigio and butter in a pan. Turn to low heat and simmer. Add 1 tsp salt and one clove finely chopped garlic. Simmer for 10 minutes or until wine has evaporated. Finely chop tomatoes, avocado, onion and shrimp once cooked. Add remaining clove of garlic. Add ingredients plus pepper, desired hot sauce and cilantro. Finally, add juice from 2 limes. If it's not lime-y enough, add more juice. Serve with tortilla chips.

Mexican Pizzas

I'm always craving Mexican food and made this for Kasey and I last night for dinner. It was so easy because really it's just all assembling and eating. I loved it and will be making this again and again.

Mexican Pizzas

Adapted from For the Love of Cooking

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef

1/2 yellow onion, diced

1 can diced green chilies

1 package taco seasoning

3/4 c water

flour tortillas

salsa

sour cream

refried beans

avocado

hot sauce

cheese

cilantro

Directions

Brown ground beef in a skillet and drain excess oil, if necessary. Add taco seasoning, water, onion and green chilies. Simmer for 5-7 minutes until mixture thickens and onions soften.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place one flour tortilla on a baking sheet and layer with refried beans then beef mixture and top with another flour tortilla. Bake 10 minutes.

Remove from the oven and top the tortilla with salsa and cheese. Return to the oven until cheese melts. Top with your favorite ingredients; sour cream, cilantro, avocado, hot sauce, etc.

Scallop Ceviche

This was probably the recipe that I was most excited about trying. I enjoy ceviche but had never dared to make it. This was AMAZING! It was so easy and delicious. The texture of the scallops is silky and the other ingredients give it a great salsa feel. Try this!

Ceviche
Adapted from Emeril Lagasse

Ingredients

1 pound fresh scallops (when you buy them, make sure they smell like the ocean- not fishy)
1 cup fresh lime juice
1 cup diced avocado
1/2 cup minced red onion
1/2 cup finely chopped seeded tomato
1/4 cup cilantro
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons minced jalapeno
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon cumin

Directions

Pat the seafood dry and place in a glass bowl. Cover with the lime juice and let marinate until opaque, about 3 hours, refrigerated. Place the seafood in a clean bowl, and reserve the lime juice.

Add the remaining ingredients to the seafood, gently stirring to mix. Add reserved lime juice to taste. Refrigerate for 1 hour and serve.

Gallo Pinto (aka Beans and Rice)

So, my dear friend Kasey spent several months in Costa Rica and recently we were reminiscing about our trips there. I thought it would be fun to have a Costa Rican themed dinner party and make some dishes we remembered from there. The three recipes below are what I served at my fun little dinner party and it was a hit!

Gallo Pinto is a staple in Costa Rica and other parts of Central America. It's eaten at pretty much every meal and served with eggs for breakfast or chicken/fish for dinner. It's really easy to make and delicious. We ate it as the main dish but it'd be great served with tacos or enchiladas or even in a breakfast burrito.

Gallo Pinto
Adapted from www.costaricaguide.com

Ingredients

1 lb black beans, dried
8-10 sprigs cilantro
1 small onion
1 red bell pepper
3 c chicken broth or water
2 c white rice
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1-3 tbsp oil to fry the gallo pinto

Directions

If beans are dried, cover with water and soak overnight. Drain the beans and add fresh water to an inch above the top of the beans, salt and bring to a boil. Cover the pan and reduce the heat to a very low simmer until the beans are soft (about 3 hrs).
When beans are done, reserve 1 cup of the 'black water' for the rice.

Finely chop cilantro, onion and pepper. Add I tbsp oil to a large pan and saute the dry rice for 2 minutes over medium high flame then add half the onions, peppers and cilantro and saute another 2 minutes. Add the water or chicken broth, bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to a simmer until rice is tender (20-35 min).

Once the rice and beans are cooked, saute both with the left over vegetables and black water in vegetable oil for a few minutes. Sprinkle with fresh chopped cilantro right before serving.

Black Bean Soup

Feeling under the weather the other day, I decided I wanted to make soup. Not being a huge fan of chicken noodle, I decided to try to recreate a black bean soup I've had at restaurants before. This was supremely easy and so delicious! The original recipe says don't drain the beans, but I don't enjoy the starchy liquid they come in so I just added more chicken stock to make up for it. It was just what the nurse ordered!

Black Bean Soup
Adapted from epicurious.com

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tsp ground cumin
1-2 tsp chopped jalepeno (if desired)
2 15-16 oz cans black beans, drained
1 15 oz can petite dices tomatoes, in juice
2 c low-sodium chicken broth (or veggie stock, if you prefer)
Toppings: sour cream, cilantro, feta or other cheese

Directions

Heat oil in a large, heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrot, and garlic. Saute until veggies soften, about 6 minutes. Mix in cumin and jalepeno (if desired). Add beans, tomatoes with juice and broth; bring soup to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, cover and cook until carrots are tender; about 15 minutes. Transfer soup to blender or food processor and puree until smooth. (If you like your soup to have more texture, don't transfer all of it, just some). Return to pot and simmer until slightly thickened. Season with salt and pepper and jalepeno, if desired. Top with your favorite sides and enjoy!