Mexican Manicotti

Ingredients

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 can (16 ounces) refried beans
• 2-1/2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1-1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1 package (8 ounces) uncooked manicotti shells
• 2-1/2 cups water
• 1 jar (16 ounces) picante sauce
• 2 cups (16 ounces) sour cream
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack or Mexican cheese blend
• 1/4 cup sliced green onions
• Sliced ripe olives, optional

Directions

• In a large bowl, combine the uncooked beef, refried beans, chili powder, oregano, and garlic salt.  Spoon or pipe into uncooked manicotti shells; Put the filled shells into a greased 13 x 9 inch baking dish.  Combine picante sauce and water;  Pour over shells.  Cover and refrigerate overnight.
• Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking.  Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.  Uncover; spoon sour cream over the top.  Sprinkle with cheese, onions and olives if desired.  Bake 5-10 minutes longer or until the cheese is melted.
• **Note:  I covered it with cheese, but served the sour cream, onions and olives at the table.

Southwest Stuffed Bell Peppers

Southwest Stuffed Bell Peppers

4 very large or 6 medium sweet peppers (red, yellow, or orange)
1 Tbs salt
1 C white rice (or  brown if you want to take the time to cook it), quinoa also works
2 Tbs olive oil
1 onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 – 1 jalapeno, minced (or you could sub a small 3oz can of mild green chilies)
1 14oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 - 2 C frozen corn kernels
2 green onions, sliced
1/2-1 tsp chipotle chili powder (you can start with 1/2 and add more to taste)
1 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
1/4 black pepper, plus more to taste
1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes, preferably fire roasted
1 1/4 C jack or pepperjack cheese, divided
3-4 Tbs chopped fresh cilantro
tortilla chips, just a handful and more for serving if desired.

Preheat oven to 350.  Prepare peppers by washing, slicing tops off, and removing insides.  Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil and add 1 tablespoon salt.   Boil whole peppers for about 3-4 minutes, until they begin to soften.  Remove from water with tongs and place on paper towels to drain.

Add rice to boiling water and cook until tender, about 13 minutes.  Drain thoroughly.

Heat oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat.  Add onions, garlic, and jalapeno (or chilies) and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add corn, beans, green onions, chipotle chili powder, kosher salt, and pepper. Stir until corn and beans are heated through, about 5 minutes.  Place peppers in a baking dish.  Remove skillet from heat and add rice, tomatoes, 1 cup cheese, and cilantro.  Stir to combine well and give it a taste.  Add additional salt, pepper, and chipotle powder to your liking.  Then evenly divide mixture between peppers.

Top peppers with remaining 1/4 cup cheese (or more if you can fit it on there :) and crushed tortilla chips.

Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes.

Mexican Lasagna

1-1/4 pounds ground beef

1 medium onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 cups salsa

1 can (16 ounces) refried beans

2 cups ( 15 ounce can) black beans, rinsed and drained

1 can (10 ounces) enchilada sauce

1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies

1 envelope taco seasoning

1/4 teaspoon pepper

6 flour tortillas (10 inches)

3 cups (12 ounces) shredded Mexican cheese blend, divided

2 cups crushed tortilla chips

Sliced ripe olives, guacamole, chopped tomatoes and sour cream, optional

2 cups crushed tortilla chips

Sliced ripe olives, guacamole, chopped tomatoes and sour cream, optional

Directions

In a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Drain. Stir in the salsa, beans, enchilada sauce, chilies, taco seasoning and pepper; heat through. Spread 1 cup meat mixture in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Layer with two tortillas, a third of the meat mixture and 1 cup cheese. Repeat layers. Top with remaining tortillas and meat mixture. Cover and bake at 375° for 30 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining cheese and top with tortilla chips. Bake 10-15 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with olives, guacamole, tomatoes and sour cream if desired. Yield: 12 servings.

Beef and Green Chile Enchiladas

1 pound lean ground beef (at least 80% lean)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1/2 cup sour cream
1 can (4.5-ounce size) chopped green chiles
8 ounces shredded colby-monterey jack cheese
1 can (10-ounce size) enchilada sauce
6 (8-inch size) flour tortillas
***GARNISHES, IF DESIRED***
shredded lettuce
chopped tomatoes
additional sour cream

Directions:

Heat oven to 350F. In 10-inch nonstick skillet, cook ground beef and onion over medium-high heat until beef is thoroughly cooked, stirring frequently.

Drain. Add corn; cook and stir about 3 minutes or until corn is thawed. Stir in sour cream, green chiles and 1 cup of the cheese.

Spread about 1/4 cup of the enchilada sauce in 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish. Spread about 2 teaspoons enchilada sauce on each tortilla. Top each with 2/3 cup beef mixture. Roll up tortillas; place seam side down over enchilada sauce in baking dish.

Drizzle remaining enchilada sauce evenly over filled tortillas. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup cheese. Spray sheet of foil with cooking spray; place sprayed side down on baking dish and seal tightly.

Bake at 350F for 45 to 50 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Serve garnished with lettuce, tomato and additional sour cream.

courtesy of CDKitchen.com

Homemade Tortillas - Native Style!

To make about 8 tortillas, you will need:

2 cups flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 Tablespoon shortening

3/4 cup warm/hot water

Put cast iron skillet/plate on stover over medium heat. 

Mix flour, baking powder and salt together. Add shortening and mix with your fingers only, until consistency of ingredients is pretty uniform. Add the water (plus or minus a little - it takes practice to get the right consistency). 

Knead/smear the dough for a while (sorry, I'm not sure how long!). Then break into 8 pieces. Knead each piece a little, then roll into a ball. Flatten/smush the ball and set aside. 

Once all balls are made and flattened, roll out. Start the rolling pin in the middle and work your way out. Make 1/4 turns and keep rolling out until tortilla size. 

Cook on cast iron skillet/plate on medium for 15 seconds. Flip, and blot out bubbles with wadded up clean towel.

Repeat for more tortillas. Works best in batches of 8 tortillas at a time.

Salsa Pizza

Prep Time:15 min
Start to Finish:45 min
Makes:8 servings

1 pound lean ground beef
1 1/4 cups Old El Paso® Thick 'n Chunky salsa
2 cups Original Bisquick® mix *
1/4 cup mild salsa-flavored or jalapeño-flavored processed cheese spread **
1/4 cup hot water
4 medium green onions, sliced (1/2 cup)
1 cup shredded Colby-Monterey Jack cheese (4 ounces)

1. Heat oven to 375ºF. Grease large cookie sheet.
2. Cook beef in 10-inch skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until brown; drain. Stir in salsa; remove from heat.
3. Stir Bisquick, cheese spread and hot water until soft dough forms. Turn dough onto surface dusted with Bisquick; roll in Bisquick to coat. Shape into ball; knead 5 times. Roll into 14-inch circle; place on cookie sheet.
4. Spread beef mixture over crust to within 2 inches of edge. Sprinkle with onions. Fold edge over beef mixture. Sprinkle with cheese.
5. Bake 25 to 28 minutes or until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted.

Garnish the pizza with chopped tomato and shredded lettuce.
Substitution: Use the jalapeño-flavor process cheese spread if you prefer a spicier crust.

*We did bisquick from scratch that was half whole wheat flour. Yum!
*We didn't bother to buy cheese spread, we just used cheese, & some seasonings.

Note: If you think your salsa that you have is too spicy, I don't recommend using it in this recipe. It's just as spicy, if not more spicy. Yes, I am speaking from personal experience!

Taco Seasoning

6 tsp chili powder

5 tsp paprika

4 1/2 tsp cumin

2 1/2 tsp onion powder

2 1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 1/2 tsp cornstarch

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

Mix all ingredients. Store in an airtight container. 7 teaspoons is equal to 1 package of taco seasoning.