Mexican Corn

Mexican Corn

Prep 10m
Cook 10m
Ready in 20m

Ingredients
2 (15 oz) cans whole kernel corn, drained
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese
1/4 cup butter
10 jalapeno peppers, chopped (I used one small can of jalapenos)
1 tsp garlic salt

Directions

1. In a medium saucepan combine corn, cream cheese, butter, jalapeno peppers, and garlic salt.  Cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes or until heated through, stirring constantly after cream cheese begins to melt.

NOTES
*This is creamy and also spicy and goes well with tacos and enchiladas.  I'm sure it'd be good as a side with bbq or sliders. 
*I felt like there was too much cream cheese compared to the corn, but I don't usually like a ton of sauce.  When I make it again, I'll cut back on how much cream cheese I use.

Peachy Fresh Salsa

1 T red onion, minced
1 T jalapeno, minced
1 T cilantro, chopped
2 T red pepper, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 C fresh peaches, diced
2 ears of corn, kernels sliced off cob
1 C tomato, diced
1 avocado, diced
1 lime's worth of juice (approx. 2 T)
1 15 oz. can black beans
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp black pepper

Mix everything together.  Adjust spices to taste.  Serve immediately or refrigerate up to 48 hours.

The Best Ground Beef Tacos

author mel's kitchen cafe

yield 4-6 servings

Note:  I made these tonight and loved them!  Maria

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef or ground turkey
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup chopped white or yellow onion
• 1 to 3 garlic cloves, finely minced, or 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 8-ounce can tomato sauce
• 1 jalapeño, seeded and finely minced (optional)
• Taco shells
• Taco toppings of choice

Instructions

1. In a large skillet over medium heat, add the ground beef or turkey, onion, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often and breaking the meat into small pieces, until the meat is cooked through, 5-7 minutes.
2. Off the heat, drain any excess grease, if needed.
3. Return the skillet to the heat and stir in the garlic, chili powder, cumin, coriander, salt and pepper. Cook for about 30 seconds until the mixture smells fragrant.
4. Add the tomato sauce and minced jalapeños, if using. Simmer the mixture for about 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper, if needed.
5. Serve in taco shells with your choice of toppings (makes great taco salad, too!)  

Southwest Chicken Wraps

From: Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Note: This is one of the most adaptable recipes on here (reading through the comments will prove that – your variations sound amazing!). Feel free to up the cilantro, add in a different meat of your choice, eliminate the pepper, add green chilies – seriously, the options are endless.

Maria's note:  I did eliminate the pepper and added 1 can green chilies.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup cooked rice, warm or at room temperature
• 1 cup cooked, shredded chicken (or other leftover meat, like shredded pork or beef)
• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 green onion, finely sliced (white and green parts)
• 1/2 red or green pepper, diced
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• juice of 1 lime
• 1/2 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
• 2 cups shredded cheese (I use a combination of Monterey jack and sharp cheddar)
• Sour cream (optional)
• 6 burrito-sized flour tortillas

DIRECTIONS

1. Mix rice together with chili powder, cumin and garlic salt. Add remaining ingredients except for cheese and sour cream. Sprinkle cheese over tortillas, leaving 1/2-inch border around edges, then arrange chicken and rice mixture down the center of each tortilla. (Optional: I like to dollop little bits of sour cream over the cheese before arranging chicken and rice mixture down the center – it makes the wraps delightfully creamy.) Roll stuffed tortillas, leaving edges open and slightly flatten the wraps with the palm of your hand. Spray seam-side of the wrap lightly with cooking spray.
2. Heat a large non-stick skillet (or griddle) over medium heat for 1 minute. Arrange wraps, seam-side down, in pan or griddle and cook until golden brown and crisp, about 2-3 minutes per side. Cooking them seam-side down first helps seal the long edge so they don’t fall apart. Transfer to a plate and repeat with remaining wraps. Serve warm.

Sweet Cafe Rio Pork

Time: 5-8 hours slow cooking

Yield: 8 servings 

1   3 lb pork loin roast (be sure the roast is completely thawed)
1   16 oz jar salsa (2 C salsa)
1 can green chilies
½ C brown sugar
1 can black beans, undrained
Tortillas
Cheese
Lettuce
Tomato

1. In the bottom of a large crock pot mix salsa, green chilies, brown sugar, and black beans.
2. Add the pork roast and cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 7 hours depending on how hot your crock pot cooks things.  
3. Take the meat out of the Crockpot and shred it up with a fork.
4. Return meat to the Crockpot and cook 1 more hour.
5. Serve on tortillas with cheese, lettuce and tomatoes.

Guacamole

3 avocados - peeled, pitted, and mashed
1 lime, juiced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup diced onion
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 roma (plum) tomatoes, diced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 pinch ground cayenne pepper (optional)

In a medium bowl, mash together the avocados, lime juice, and salt.  Mix in onion, cilantro, tomatoes, and garlic, Stir in cayenne pepper.  Refrigerate 1 hour for best flavor, or serve immediately.

Copy Cat Tomatillo Dressing

1 1/2 C sour cream
3/4 C Mayonnaise
1 bunch cilantro
juice of 2 limes
1 package ranch dressing
4 T salsa
2 cloves garlic
1/8 tsp tobasco

Blend together in blender until smooth.
* I have halved this recipe many times.

Crock pot chicken for tacos

1 1/2 C brown sugar
1 1/2 C medium salsa
4 boneless/skinless chicken breasts

Put chicken in bottom of crock pot. Pour sugar and salsa mixture over the chicken. Cook on low 6-8 hours until chicken shreds easily. Serve in soft tortillas with all the fixings for a taco. Really good with the Copy Cat Tomatillo Dressing.

Fast Fiesta Tacos

1 lb lean ground beef
1 can 14.5oz Diced tomatoes with chilies and peppers
3/4 C salsa
1 can 15.25 oz Fiesta Corn

Brown meat in skillet, drain. Add tomatoes and salsa; cook over medium heat 7 to 9 minutes. Add corn, cook 2 more minutes.

Spoon into hard taco shells. Serve with sour cream, cheese etc.

Santa Fe Chicken and Rice

1 cup cooked rice
1 pound chicken tenders
1 cup salsa
1 (11 oz) can Mexicorn
15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed

Prepare 1 C rice.  While rice is cooking, spray skillet with cooking spray.  Add 1 pound chicken tenders.  Cook until no longer pink.  Add cooked rice, salsa, Mexicorn, and cheese.  Heat through until cheese melts.  Serve plain or in tortillas with sour cream and additional salsa.

In place of chicken tenders, I use one pint of canned chicken.

Red Chile Sauce Chicken Enchiladas

from melskitchencafe.com

*Makes 12 enchiladas

INGREDIENTS:

1 medium onion, chopped fine

1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped fine

1 teaspoon canola oil

3 medium cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons chili powder

2 teaspoons ground cumin

3 teaspoons sugar

2 (8-oz) cans tomato sauce

1 cup water

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 3 large chicken breasts)

1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1 cup shredded Monterey jack cheese

1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro

12 (6-inch) soft corn or flour tortillas (fajita-size for flour tortillas)

cooking spray

salt and ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS:

In a large saucepan, combine the onion, jalapeno, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and oil. Cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, until the onions and peppers have softened, 8-10 minutes. Stir in the garlic, chili powder, cumin, and sugar, and cook until fragrant, less than 30 seconds. Stir in the tomato sauce and water. Bring to a simmer.

Nestle the chicken into the sauce. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until chicken is cooked through, about 12-20 minutes, depending on the size and thickness of the chicken breasts you are using. Transfer the chicken to a plate, and set aside to cool. Continue to simmer the sauce over medium heat until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.

Strain the sauce through a strainer into a medium bowl, pressing the onion mixture to extract as much liquid as possible. Season sauce with additional salt and pepper to taste. Transfer the leftover onion mixture from the strainer to a large bowl and set aside.

Shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Add to the onion mixture in the large bowl. Also stir in 1/4 cup of the enchilada sauce, 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup Monterey Jack cheese and the cilantro. Toss to combine.

Stack the tortillas on a plate and cover with plastic wrap; Microwave on high until warm and pliable, 40-60 seconds. Spread the tortillas on a clean work surface, and spoon 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture evenly down the center of each. Tightly roll each tortilla and lay seam-side down in a greased 9x13 inch baking dish.

Heat oven to 400 F. Pour the enchilada sauce evenly over the top of the enchiladas. Top with the remaining cheese. Cover dish with foil and bake 20 minutes, or until heated through.

Remove foil and bake another 5 minutes, until cheese browns. Remove from oven and let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Serve with sour cream, guacamole, salsa, additional cilantro, if desired.

The Best Chicken Fajitas

*Serves 4-5

*Note: liquid smoke may seem like an unnecessary, optional ingredient but I promise it adds an irreplaceable flavor and smokiness - I keep a bottle of liquid smoke on hand in the refrigerator just to make these fajitas.

Marinade:
¼ cup fresh lime juice (about 3-4 limes)
1/3 cup water
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons apple cider or red wine vinegar
2 easpoons soy sauce
½ teaspoons chili powder
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon liquid smoke
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon onion powder

Fajitas:
1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts (about 3 large chicken breasts)
1 yellow onion, cut into thin strips
1 green pepper, cut into thin strips
1 red (or orange) pepper, cut into thin strips
8 ounces fresh mushrooms, quartered
1 teaspoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons water
½ teaspoon fresh lime juice (a quick squeeze of a cut lime)
dash of salt and pepper

Combine all marinade ingredients in a small bowl. Place chicken in a ziploc bag and pour the marinade ingredients over the top. Seal the bag and place in the refrigerator and let marinate for 2-3 hours.

After marinading, take chicken out of the bag and discard the marinade. Grill or broil the chicken 4-5 minutes per side (I use my indoor grill pan usually). Remove from pan and tent with foil to keep warm.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat and add the onion, mushrooms and peppers. Stir fry until softened but still crisp tender. Add soy sauce, water, lime juice and salt and pepper. Cook another 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently. Slice chicken thinly on the diagonal and toss with the vegetables in the skillet. Serve immediately with flour tortillas and top with tomatoes, lettuce, guacamole, cheese, sour cream...the options are endless!

Chicken Tortilla Casserole

Chicken Tortilla Casserole

*Notes: Keep the corn tortillas wrapped in plastic or covered with a damp kitchen towel until ready to use – they will dry out quickly. The casserole can be made and refrigerated for up to 2 days. To bake, cover tightly with foil. Bake about 1 hour. Remove foil and bake until cheese has browned, about 10 minutes longer. Cool for 10 minutes.

*Serves 6

2 tablespoons canola oil
1 large onion, chopped fine
2 red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and diced medium
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
¾ teaspoon salt
3 medium garlic cloves, finely minced
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 cups low sodium chicken broth
2 canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, chopped with 2 teaspoons sauce (decrease the amount of sauce to 1 teaspoon if you want it less spicy)
2 (15.5 ounce) cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 (14.5 ounce) cans diced tomatoes, drained
2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts trimmed of fat and cut into bite-size pieces
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons lime juice
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
18 (6-inch) round corn tortillas
Vegetable cooking spray
6 ounces cheddar cheese shredded (about 2 cups)
6 ounces Monterey jack cheese shredded (about 2 cups)

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 450 degrees. Heat the oil in a dutch oven or large pot over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion, bell peppers, cumin, chili powder, and salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft and the onions are golden, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until golden, about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the chicken broth and bring to a simmer, whisking often. Add the chipotles with adobo sauce, beans, and tomatoes; simmer until the flavors have blended about 5 minutes. Add the chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until no longer pink, about 4 minutes. Stir in ¼ cup cilantro, the lime juice and pepper.

Place a damp paper towel on the bottom and top of the corn tortilla stack. Microwave for 45 seconds to 1 minute until they are soft and pliable.

Toss the cheeses together in a medium bowl. Spread 1/3 of the chicken mixture in a lightly greased 9X13 inch dish. Layer 6 tortillas on top of the filling, overlapping as needed, and sprinkle with 1 ½ cups of the cheese. Repeat the process to form a second layer.

Spread the remaining filling in the baking dish. Cut the remaining 6 tortillas into quarters and arrange over the top and finish off with the remaining cheese. Bake until the cheese is golden brown and the casserole is bubbling, about 15 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons cilantro before serving. Serve with additional accompaniments, such as salsa, diced avocado, sour cream or sliced green onions. The casserole can be made and refrigerated for up to 2 days. To bake, cover tightly with foil. Bake about 1 hour. Remove foil and bake until cheese has browned, about 10 minutes longer. Cool for 10 minutes.

Mexican Lasagna

from melskitchencafe.com

*Note: this lasagna isn't super heavy on the sauce, just enough to plump up the pasta noodles perfectly and help everything hold their shape (not dry...just not overly saucy). I split all the ingredients (sauce, cheese, noodles) into three layers but feel free to simplify and just halve everything and do two layers only. Less noodles, more sauce. It's up to you. Also, the ingredient list looks long, but it comes together quickly, especially with the no-boil lasagna noodles.

*Serves 6-8

1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef or turkey
1 yellow onion, coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
dash of ground cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 ½ cup frozen corn kernels, white or yellow
1 (6 ounce) can olives, chopped
9-12 no-boil lasagna noodles (I love the Barilla brand), or boil and drain regular lasagna noodles
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup sour cream, light or regular
8 ounces cream cheese, light or regular


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9X13-inch pan and set aside.

In a large 12-inch skillet, brown the ground beef or turkey and onion over medium heat until the meat is no longer pink. Drain the grease. Add the minced garlic and tomato paste. Stir to combine well and cook for about a minute. Stir in the chili powder, cumin, cayenne, oregano and salt and pepper. Mix well. Add the diced tomatoes and tomato sauce. Stir to combine. Add the black beans, corn and olives. Mix well and heat through, about 5 minutes.

Remove the skillet from the heat. Spread 1/2 cup sauce in the bottom of the prepared pan. Layer three (or four, depending on the brand of noodles you use) noodles over the sauce. Spread 1/3 of the sauce over the noodles. Dollop 1/3 of the sour cream and 1/3 of the cream cheese (just pinch off chunks and toss them on top) across the sauce. Sprinkle with 1/3 of the cheeses. Repeat the layers two more times until all the ingredients are used.

Cover the lasagna with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Uncover and bake 10-15 minutes more, until the lasagna is hot and bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting into and serving.

Honey Lime Enchiladas

I am really picky about enchiladas. Maria keeps using this blog, so I thought I would get on and try some of the recipes. These were so good. However, I think you could use half the amount of cheese.

www.mykitchencafe.blogspot.com

6 tablespoons honey
5 tablespoons lime juice (1 large lime)
1 tablespoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 pound chicken, cooked and shredded (about 3 small chicken breasts)
8-10 flour tortillas
1 pound monterey jack cheese, shredded
16 ounces green enchilada sauce
1 cup heavy cream (to lighten them up, you can substitute sour cream)

Mix the first four ingredients and toss with shredded chicken. Let it marinate for at least 1/2 hour. Pour about 1/2 cup enchilada sauce on the bottom of a 9X13 baking pan. Fill flour tortillas with chicken and shredded cheese, saving about 1 cup of cheese to sprinkle on top of enchiladas. Mix the remaining enchilada sauce with the cream and leftover marinade. Pour sauce on top of the enchiladas and sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes until brown and crispy on top.

*Freezable Meal: Freeze prior to baking. To bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake enchiladas, covered (without thawing first) for 1 hour. Uncover and bake 30 minutes longer, until brown and crispy on top.

Just Like Cafe Rio Shredded Pork

This is another Cafe Rio knock-off. I don't think it is as sweet as others I've tried. Leftovers freeze really well.

4 lbs. bone-in picnic pork roast
2 T. brown sugar
2 tsp. paprika
1-2 tsp. crushed red pepper
2 tsp. kosher salt
2 tsp. cumin
2 cloves minced garlic
1 sliced onion
1 cup chicken stock
1 can (12 ounces) Coke

Combine brown sugar, red pepper, salt, cumin and paprika. Rub over the roast covering it completely. Put in a crock pot. Add onion, garlic, chicken stock and Coke. Cook on low for about 8 hours. I usually do it in the oven at 250 degrees.

Shred roast. Strain drippings. Combine and simmer on cooktop for about 30 minutes until some of the liquid is reduced.

We like this meat in tacos, burritos and quesadillas.

Dan Trimble's Magic Frijoles

I cut out this recipe from our Arizona newspaper a few years ago. We like to eat the beans whole like soup and also mash up others for refried beans. They are a favorite. Warning: They are rather spicy!

5 cups dried pinto beans
3 smoked ham hocks
1 chopped onion
5 pickled gueritos (small white chile peppers)
1/2 T. black pepper
1/2 T. garlic powder
Water
2 tsp. salt

Sort beans to remove rocks and dirt clods. (This is a very important step!) Rinse well. Soak beans overnight in water to cover. Drain, discarding water.

Combine beans, ham hocks, onion, peppers, pepper and garlic powder in a large soup pot. Add water to cover. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Continue to boil for 30 minutes, then lower heat, cover and simmer for 3 hours, until beans are tender. Add the salt now. Remove peppers.

For refried beans, mash beans with potato masher and allow to simmer until liquid is reduced and the beans are the desired consistency.

These freeze really well. I often double the recipe and freeze the beans while still whole in individual bags. I then heat the beans and mash for refried beans. They are really yummy.

Bean N' Beef Quesadillas

1 1/2 C chunky salsa
1/4 C minced fresh cilantro
juice from one lime
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 C frozen corn, thawed
2 C julienned cooked roast beef
2 C shredded Monterey Jack cheese
8 flour tortillas (10 inches)
1 to 2 T vegetable oil

In a small bowl, combine the salsa, cilantro and lime juice. In another bowl, combine the beans, corn and 1/2 cup salsa mixutre. Set remaining salsa mixture aside.

Place beef, cheese and bean mixture on half of each tortilla; fold over. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook quesadillas in 1 T oil for 1-2 minutes on each side or until cheese is melted, using additional oil as neded. Cut into wedges. Serve with reserved salsa mixture. 4-6 servings.

Chicken & Rice Tacos

1 C cooked rice
1 1b chicken, cooked and chopped
1 C salsa
1 (11 oz) can mexicorn
1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 C cheddar cheese

Mix all ingredients and heat through. Serve with sour cream and additional salsa in warm tortillas.

Black Bean Enchilada*

Another meatless dish that is REALLY good.

1 can black beans rinsed and drained
2 c. frozen super sweet corn
1 c. stewed tomatoes
1 c. salsa
12 corn or flour tortillas
2 c. cheese (pepper jack, Monterey jack, cheddar)

Combine first 4 ingredients. Place 4 tortillas in bottom of 9x13 pan. Top with bean mixture and cheese. Repeat 2 more layers. Top with foil. And bake in a 350˚ oven for 35-40 min. Uncover for the last 15 min. for crispy tortillas.