Category Archives: Mexican

Taco Salad Dip

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Happy 4th of July! (And Happy Birthday to me…) Are you looking for a recipe to take with you to a pool party or pre-firework’s bash?  This one is a great pick!  And super easy!

Last week, Mike was motivated to make this yummy taco salad dip.  Life has been a bit chaotic – we had a large garage sale and all of the setup and house cleanup that comes with it – combined with three small children and a full-time job (plus a few side jobs) mean that I haven’t had much time in the kitchen recently.

On Saturday, while I was outside working the garage sale, Mike took the kids to the grocery store and bought the ingredients for this dip which he made on Sunday.  It’s tasty!  We ended up eating it for dinner but it would be a great dish to bring for a picnic or potluck — or even just to serve as an appetizer.

I took the leftovers in a small container on a picnic with the trio on Tuesday.  The kids wouldn’t touch the stuff — but that just meant more for me!

Kudos to Mike for this yummy dip.  And from rescuing us from another meal of foraging through the pantry. 🙂

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Taco Salad Dip
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Serves: 8
 
Ingredients
  • ½ lb. hamburger, browned
  • 1 - 15 oz can refried beans
  • 8 oz tomato paste
  • 1 package taco seasoning
  • ¼ cup chopped white onion
  • 2-3 drops tabasco sauce
  • ½ tsp. garlic salt
  • ½ cup sour cream
  • ¼ tsp. chili powder
  • 1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese
  • 1-2 cups shredded lettuce
  • 1 small tomato, diced
Instructions
  1. Brown hamburger and drain. Add refried beans, tomato sauce, taco seasoning, chopped onion, tabasco, and garlic sauce. Simmer until heated through and bubbly. Spread into a 9x13 pan. In a small bowl combine the sour cream and chili powder. Spread over the meat mixture. Top with cheese, lettuce, and diced tomato. Good served hot or cold with tortilla chips or corn chips.

 

Mexican Lasagna

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I originally made this recipe about 4 years ago and Mike wasn’t a fan.  I made it again last week and he thought it was great.  Someone’s palate is expanding.  Thank the Lord!

This recipe is a great alternative to the traditional “taco night” – basically it’s a combo of enchiladas and tacos in lasagna form.  It tastes great and reheats very well for leftovers.  I ate it for breakfast the next morning.  I actually ate this four times — two dinners, once for lunch, and once for breakfast.  It’s delicious.  We served it with Mike’s infamous BLT guacamole.

Definitely a winner — and a recipe that I’ll be adding to our regular rotation.

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Mexican Lasagna
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Serves: 8
 
Ingredients
  • 1 lb hamburger
  • 10-15 corn tortillas
  • 1 large can enchilada sauce
  • 1 can fat free refried beans
  • ½ cup chopped onion
  • ½ cup chopped green pepper
  • 1 bag shredded Mexican blend cheese
  • diced tomatoes
  • lettuce shreds
  • sour cream
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350. In a skillet, brown hamburger, onion, and green pepper. Drain. Add enchilada sauce and refried beans and cook until bubbly. Spray a casserole dish with Pam and place tortillas in the bottom (I broke some of them in pieces to mostly cover the bottom. Pour ⅓ of the hamburger mixture over the top of the tortillas and then ⅓ of the bag of shredded cheese. Repeat layers 2 more times. Bake for 20-25 minutes until bubbly. Top with diced tomatoes, lettuce, and sour cream.

 

Mango Guacamole

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In continuing our love affair with Mexican food – we’ve been eating a Mexican meal at least one or two nights a week – usually paired with guacamole of some sort.  While the BLT guacamole is still my favorite, this mango guacamole is a great change of pace and still very delicious.

While the trio loved avocado when they were babies, none of them will touch it now.  They are quick to say, “Guacamole!!  Yuck!”  Bo started it and of course the girls copy him.  They don’t know what they are missing — and until they figure it out, Mike and I will just have to choke down the entire recipe by ourselves at each meal.  Oh, the humanity. 😉

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Mango Guacamole
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Serves: 4
 
Ingredients
  • 3 ripe avocados
  • ½ small red onion, chopped
  • 1 fresh serrano chile, chopped
  • 2 Tbsp. cilantro
  • 1 Tbsp. lime juice
  • 1 large ripe mango, chopped
  • salt
Instructions
  1. Mash the avocado. Rinse the red onion and add to the avocado with the chile, cilantro, lime juice, and mango. Stir to combine and taste and season to taste with salt. Serve with tortilla chips. Delish!

Chicken Tortilla Soup {Crockpot}

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Yesterday, we we went for a family walk after our Thanksgiving dinner and it was beautiful outside.  The temperature was nearly 60 and just gorgeous.  Today, winter has set in with temperatures in the low 30’s and wind chills in the teens here in the Midwest.  I can’t say I’m thrilled (I told Mike today I wanted to live in Florida) but at least I can have warm soup for dinner while curled up by the fire (if I can convince Mike to light one…) 🙂

Continuing with our Mexican kick, I threw together (literally) chicken tortilla soup.  I’ve made several versions, but this quick and easy crockpot recipe wins out often because it is so painless.  It makes a lot, freezes well, and is good for leftover lunches.  I’m not sure where the base recipe originated from but it’s probably somewhere in cyberspace.

I threw this soup together while the trio was eating breakfast and it was ready to go by lunchtime with thawed chicken breasts.  I’ve also made it using frozen chicken breasts, which I’d recommend if you plan to make it in the morning and serve for dinner.  This soup pairs well with BLT Guacamole and chips.

If you have some leftover turkey that you’d like to throw in instead of chicken, I think it would be just as good.  I’d reduce the cook time to 2 to 3 hours since the turkey is already cooked.  I don’t see anything wrong with adding a bit of Mexican flair to your Thanksgiving leftovers!

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Chicken Tortilla Soup {Crockpot}
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Serves: 10
 
Ingredients
  • 4 boneless chicken breasts (can be frozen)
  • 1 - 4 oz can green chilies, drained
  • 2 tsp. minced garlic
  • 1 yellow onion, diced
  • 2 - 15 ounce cans of Rotel tomatoes with green chilies
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • salt and pepper
  • 4 corn tortillas, sliced into ¼ inch stripes
  • 2 Tbsp. cilantro
  • ½ cup shredded Monterey jack cheese
  • lime juice
  • avocado (optional)
Instructions
  1. Place chicken in crockpot and toss in the chilies, garlic, onion, Rotel, broth, cumin, and salt and pepper on top. Stir occasionally while cooking to shred chicken as it cooks. For frozen chicken cook on high for 8-9 hours. For thawed chicken, cook on low for 4-5 hours. Just before serving, add tortillas and cilantro. Serve by topping each bowl with shredded cheese, diced avocado, and a squeeze of lime.

 

BLT Guacamole

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Within the last year, Mike has discovered the beauty of guacamole.  Before, he wouldn’t touch the stuff, now he can’t seem to get enough.  During his Monday cooking spree last week, he attempted a version of Rick Bayless’ guacamole from the “Fiesta at Rick’s” cookbook.

Mike and I are huge Top Chef fans (we’ll be cruising with Top Chef stars in April!) and discovered Rick Bayless when he was on Top Chef Masters.  When we went to Chicago a few weeks before my 30th birthday we ate at Frontera Grill and I received Rick’s cookbook from Mike for my birthday.  It’s one of those books we’ve looked at longingly for awhile but now we’re finally venturing to try some of the recipes.  Especially since we both seem to want to eat Mexican food every day!

This guacamole is delicious.  It’s spicy with a bit of kick without being overpowering and the bacon adds a smokey goodness that elevates guacamole to a whole new level.  This recipe is a keeper — and one we’ll be making again and again!

We did have to venture to the Mexican market for the chipotle chiles en adobo, which are essential for this recipe.  For those of you that are even more rural than we are, I did find them on Amazon.  One can would make several batches of guac.

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BLT Guacamole
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Serves: 6
 
Ingredients
  • 5 strips thick cut bacon, cooked until crisp and crumbled
  • 3 large, ripe avocados
  • ½ medium white onion, finely chopped
  • 2 or 3 canned chipotle chiles en adobo, removed from canning sauce, stemmed, slit open, seeds removed and finely chopped
  • 1 large tomatoes cored and finely chopped
  • ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • salt
  • 1 to 2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
Instructions
  1. Scoop the flesh from the avocados into a large bowl. Using a potato masher or large fork, mash the avocados. Add the onion, chiles, tomatoes, cilantro, and about ⅔ of the bacon. Gently stir to combine. Taste and season with salt and lime juice.
  2. Use plastic wrap to cover the surface of the guacamole until ready to serve. Sprinkle with remaining bacon and a bit of cilantro and enjoy!