Guacamole, Tacos, and Such

I feel like I've only posted Mexican recipes on this blog, but for a good reason -- David and I love Mexican food!

I love love the spices -- cumin, cilantro, chipotle, chili, garlic -- so good! Soft and warm tortillas are the perfect vehicle for lots of spicy meat and veggies. Also, I don't feel like I improvise in the kitchen very well, but I find it a little easier with Mexican food. Add some black beans to make tacos more filling, chipotle pepper to make it zippy, and cilantro and lime always add a fresh punch.

Here are a few recipes I like to use for our fiesta feasts!

• Last time tacos were requested by the husby, I didn't have a taco seasoning packet, so I was happy to find this recipe. It's great because you can add more or less of each spice. More cumin for me!

• My favorite guacamole recipe. (good job, Alton Brown)

• IGE has a great way to make the sides (rice, black beans, pico de gallo) for a very filling burrito -- just like Chipotle.

• Posted this recipe before but it's a huge household favorite -- pork carnitas!

• Haven't tried these yet, but every single Latin recipe on Gina's blog looks amazing. Especially the Lime, Shrimp, and Avocado Salad!

• Made this mango salsa this week...wow! Fruity + zippy = amazingness. We ate it with Trader Joe's Chili Lime Chicken burgers on hamburger buns, and it hit the spot.

Happy eats! And please share any of your favorite Mexican recipes!

Speedy Chicken Stir-Fry

I love this recipe because it uses my new favorite dressing!

Kraft Light Asian Toasted Sesame is really yummy -- less gloopy than some of the creamy dressing and really flavorful! It tastes great in a spinach salad, with some sliced almonds and mandarin oranges.


Like the recipe name says, this was super-speedy! I loved the dressing which had a little kick from the red pepper and some crunch from the peanuts. Next time, I will add more veggies -- maybe use a bag of frozen stir-fry veggies.

The sodium content is a little high for this recipe, but substituting with the light version of the dressing and low-sodium soy sauce, you could cut it down a little. In any case, it's definitely lighter than take-out!

source

Ingredients

1/2 lb. angel hair pasta (capellini), uncooked

2 cups small broccoli florets

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips

1/2 cup KRAFT Asian Toasted Sesame Dressing

2 Tbsp. soy sauce

1/4 tsp. each ground ginger, garlic powder, crushed red pepper

1/3 cup chopped PLANTERS Dry Roasted Peanuts

COOK pasta in large saucepan as directed on package, adding broccoli to the boiling water for the last 3 min.
MEANWHILE, spray large nonstick skillet with cooking spray; heat on medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 6 to 8 min. or until done, stirring occasionally. Stir in dressing, soy sauce and seasonings; cook 1 min., stirring occasionally.
DRAIN pasta mixture; place in large bowl. Add chicken mixture; mix lightly. Serve topped with nuts.
Go get this dressing and enjoy!

Baked Potato Soup

David and I devoured this tonight!

All the great flavors of this....

source

...in a warm and yummy bowl of soup!
Sorry, Sara....I would like to say this is a healthy recipe to go along with your roasted cauliflower, but I don't think it is! :) Although David and I decided that any recipe that includes the phrase "reserve the bacon fat" is going to be a tasty one!

This is another great recipe from Iowa Girl Eats... I feel like I'm getting all my recipes on this blog these days, but they're all so good! Haven't had a bad one yet... If you're looking for a comforting and flavorful soup, give this a try!


Baked Potato Soup
Ingredients:
4 large baking potatoes
5 slices bacon
1/2 cup butter
1 large onion, diced
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
6 cups milk
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese, divided
1 cup sour cream

Directions:
1. Scrub and prick potatoes with a fork then bake until soft in a 400 degree oven for 1 1/2-2 hours. Remove from oven and let cool. Let cool, cut in half lengthwise and scoop out potato pulp. Set aside and discard skins.*
2. Cook bacon in a large soup pot until crisp. Remove bacon, drain, then crumble – reserving bacon fat in pot.
3. Turn the heat down to low, melt butter in bacon fat, then add onion to the pot. Saute for 4-5 minutes until soft. Stir in flour until well combined, then cook for several minutes, but do not let it brown. Slowly whisk in milk and bring to a boil, stirring constantly, until thickened. Add potato pulp, salt, pepper, crumbled bacon and 1 cup cheddar cheese. Stir and cook until cheese has melted, then stir in sour cream. Add extra milk, if necessary, until desired thickness is reached.
4. To serve, ladle into bowls or bread bowls and top with remaining cheddar cheese, extra crumbled bacon, sour cream or green onions!

*I microwaved the potatoes instead -- worked just fine and was a lot faster! Scrub potatoes and then prick with fork in several places. Place on paper towel. Microwave 3-5 minutes, turning over halfway through. (Add 3 minutes or so for each additional potato.) When potatoes are soft to the touch, put in aluminum foil and let stand 5 minutes. Remove, let cool a little while, then peel the skins and cube the potato pulp.

I didn't make the Corny Cornbread as a side, but I was tempted to give it a try!

Life-changing snack recipe!

This seriously made my night.

I found this on a blog I have been following lately -- Iowa Girl Eats. It's a fun blog about cooking, exercising, and traveling. I can really relate to how the blogger likes experimenting and making yummy, healthy stuff but also has a huge sweet tooth! :) She has an 80/20 philosophy for eating -- eating healthy 80% of the time and splurging the other 20%.

I think this recipe falls in the lovely 20%. :)

Single Serve Cookie Dough
from Cut Out + Keep

I think this obliterated my Monday blues AND blizzard blues.... Just happy after a quick and easy chocolate fix!

Tex-Mex Beef Tacos

Just finished eating this for supper...yummy! David had four helpings and told me to post it here on the blog....so I'm sharing it with you!


I like this recipe a lot because it is eeeeasy -- just some quick cooking and simmering. I liked the healthy fillers like black beans and corn. The best part is the chipotle chiles...I used three and they added a lot of zip! (I halved the recipe which made five good-sized tacos.)

Ingredients

• Cooking spray
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 pound ground sirloin (I used ground beef)
• 1 cup whole-kernel corn
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 to 3 drained canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, chopped
• 10 (8-inch) fat-free flour tortillas

Preparation

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion, garlic, and beef; cook 6 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble beef. Stir in corn and next 6 ingredients (corn through chiles). Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes. Warm tortillas according to package directions. Spoon 1/2 cup beef mixture into each tortilla.
Serve with your favorite taco toppings: guacamole, sour cream, fresh cilantro, salsa, or sliced green onions.
Cooking Light, MAY 2004

Spicy Italian Sausage & Penne Pasta

We just had this for a very yummy supper. It is a pretty simple recipe, and not too many ingredients. For the sausage, I got HyVee's ground italian pork sausage. I opted for the spicy kind, and it did have some zip to it! Also, I took a couple handy shortcuts. For the broccoli, I got a bag of broccoli florets -- cut, washed, and ready to go. For the garlic, I used a teaspoon from a jar of ready-to-use minced garlic.

8 ounces uncooked penne
1 pound hot italian sausage
1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans (14 oz. each) seasoned diced tomatoes
3 cups broccoli florets
1/2 cup shredded cheese (Asiago, Romano, or Parmesan)

Cook penne according to package directions; drain. Return to saucepan; keep warm.

Meanwhile, place sausage and onion in large skillet. Cook and stir until sausage is no longer pink, stirring to break up meat; drain fat. Add garlic; cook 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes and broccoli. Cover; cook 10 minutes or until broccoli is tender.

Add sausage mixture to penne; toss well. Sprinkle with cheese.

Great with garlic bread or rolls! Makes 4-6 servings.

One-Bowl Chocolate Cupcakes

We used this recipe for our wedding cupcakes...so nice and easy and really good! This would be a good recipe to experiment with different kinds of frosting. Here's a link to some more Martha Stewart cupcakes that look amazing!

Martha Stewart's One-Bowl Chocolate Cupcakes
Makes 2 dozen

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salf
2 large eggs
3/4 cup warm water
3/4 cup buttermilk
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pans with liners; set aside. In a large mixing bowl, sift together cocoa, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add the eggs, warm water, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla; mix batter until smooth, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of bowl to assure batter is well mixed.

Divide batter evenly among liners, filling each about one-third full. Bake until tops spring back when touched, about 20 minutes, rotating pan once if needed. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely.

Southwestern Chicken Salad

David and I love this dish for three reasons:

1) Healthy Mexican food!

2) Easy to make

3) Makes a big batch that warms up really well

Also, I like it because it looks pretty! :) The recipe suggests serving this cold over salad greens or in a pita, but David and I like to heat it up in the microwave, and put it in a warmed tortilla with some guacamole. Enjoy!

4 cups cubed rotisserie chicken

2 cups frozen corn, thawed

*1 cup chopped roasted sweet red peppers

1 cup chopped red or sweet onion

1 cup fresh minced cilantro

Dressing:

3 Tbsp. lime juice

3 Tbsp. olive oil

4 tsp. honey

2 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. chili powder

1/2 tsp. coarsely ground pepper

Tortillas, and avocado slices or guacamole

In a large bowl, combine the first five ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk the dressing ingredients; pour over chicken mixture and toss to coat. Refrigerate until serving. Serve as desired.

*It's pretty easy to make your own roasted red peppers, and there are some good recipes for that online.