Crockpot Taco Bowls

As requested by some people at work- here is the taco bowl recipe- again from Budget Bytes. We did this without the chicken and it was yummy. When serving we put brown rice on the bottom of our bowls and topped it with sour cream and cheddar cheese. It kind of tasted like chili. Really hearty and satisfying for those fall days :). Happy cooking!

Click here for the original post and pictures.


Prep time: 10 min. Cook time: 8 hrs. Total: 8 hrs. 10 min.

INGREDIENTS
1.5 lbs.	chicken breasts
1 (16 oz.) jar	salsa
1 (15 oz.) can	black beans, drained
1/2 lb. (8 oz.)	frozen corn
1 Tbsp	chili powder
1/2 Tbsp	cumin
1/2 Tbsp	minced garlic
1/2 tsp	dried oregano
1/4 tsp	cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp	salt
to taste	cracked pepper
2 cups	dry rice
8 oz.	shredded cheddar
1/2 bunch	cilantro (optional)

STEP 1: Add everything except the rice, cheese, and cilantro to the slow cooker along with 1/4 cup of water (for good measure). Give everything a good stir and make sure the chicken is covered in the mixture.

STEP 2: Secure the lid on your slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hrs.

STEP 3: Near the end of the cooking time, cook the two cups of rice according to the package directions (Bring the rice and 3 cups of water to a boil in a medium pot with a lid in place, as soon as it reaches a boil, reduced the heat to low and let simmer for 20 minutes. Fluff with a fork before serving).

STEP 4: After 8 hours of cooking, carefully remove the lid of the slow cooker. Stir with a fork to shred the chicken (it should be super tender and will shred easily). Build the taco bowls by placing rice on the bottom, then the taco chicken mix, shredded cheese and fresh cilantro.

Black Bean Quesadillas

Ok so this one I did on my own. I was inspired by the sweet potato enchiladas with the combination of black beans and corn so here you go.

Ingredients

1 small onion
2 tbsp lime juice
1 tsp butter
1 (15oz) can of black beans (drained and rinsed)
1 and 1/2 cups corn (I used frozen and cooked it ahead of time)
about 8-10 cherry tomatoes- sliced (though you could probably use any kind of tomato)
a few sprigs of cilantro
salt
pepper
1/2 tsp to start- garlic powder
1/2 tsp to start- paprika
Tortillas
Butter

Directions
1) Start a medium saucepan with the lime juice, onion, and butter. Cook until the onions start to turn translucent. Warm a separate skillet for the tortillas.
2) Add the black beans and corn to the lime/onion mixture.
3) Then add garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper (these ingredients are all to taste, which is why I wrote to start, taste often and update these ingredients).
4) Once these items have warmed add the tomatoes and cilantro. And let simmer for a minute or two.
5) Add any final seasonings- to taste.
6) Butter one side of the tortilla (so it will get crispy in the skillet).
7) Fill tortillas with mixture and top with cheddar cheese. Put in skillet- warm each side until crispy and serve with sour cream and salsa - if you like.

I hope you enjoy these. I found them very filling and tasty!

Happy cooking!

Sweet Potato Enchiladas

http://budgetbytes.blogspot.com/ strikes again! Check these out- amazing! Especially for all my vegetarian friends out there- so so good! I need to find a new website but these are so good! Click here for the pictures. The only change we made was adding cayenne pepper for some kick! But man were they yummy!

Enjoy!

Sweet Potato Enchiladas

Total Recipe cost: $3.83
Servings Per Recipe: 4 enchiladas
Cost per serving: $0.96 per enchilada
Prep time: 10 min. Cook time: 30 min. Total: 40 min.

INGREDIENTS		COST
2 cups	Roasted Poblano and Sweet Potato Salad	$1.52
4	fajita size flour tortillas	$0.32
one 10 oz. can	enchilada sauce	$1.00
1 cup	shredded cheddar	$0.99
TOTAL		$3.83

STEP 1: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Spray a baking dish lightly with non-stick spray. Using a fork, slightly mash the Roasted Poblano and Sweet Potato Salad.

STEP 2: Lay out your tortillas and divide the mashed up sweet potato mixture evenly between all four (about 1/2 cup each). Sprinkle a little bit (about 2 Tbsp) of shredded cheddar in each tortilla as well. Gently fold the sides of the tortillas in toward the center, one side over the other, until they look like fat cigars.

STEP 3: Pour a little bit of enchilada sauce in the bottom of your baking dish. Place the rolled enchiladas in the baking dish, seam side down. Top the enchiladas with the rest of the sauce and the rest of the shredded cheese.

STEP 4: Bake the enchiladas at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. Enjoy!

Chicken Fajita Tostadas

Alright so I hate that I have no time to try new recipes :) Here is one I tried today that was so so good. For all you vegetarians out there- perhaps this with a few more veggies - I think it would be just as good without the chicken.

I did add some seasoning to this recipe. But thanks to http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/chicken-fajita-tostadas for this one! So good!

Serves 4

* 2 medium onions, thinly sliced
* 2 bell peppers (ribs and seeds removed), thinly sliced
* 1 box (10 ounces) frozen corn kernels
* 1 cup prepared fresh salsa
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* Coarse salt and ground pepper
* 2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast (I cooked it with lime juice, cumin, garlic powder, paprika, salt, and pepper)
* 4 corn tortillas (6-inch)(all I had was flour and they worked fine too!)
* 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. On foil, combine onions, bell peppers, corn, 1/4 cup salsa, and 1 tablespoon oil; season with salt and pepper.
2. Roast, tossing occasionally, until vegetables are tender and lightly browned, 15 to 20 minutes. Add chicken, stir to combine, and continue to roast until warmed through, 5 minutes more. Transfer chicken and vegetable mixture to a serving bowl, discarding foil (reserve sheet).
3. Arrange tortillas on sheet. Dividing evenly, brush with remaining tablespoon oil; top with cheese. Bake until edges are golden and cheese is melted, 5 to 8 minutes.

This was so good. I might also add some cilantro next time and sour cream. I used the fire roasted salsa for an extra kick! Hopefully it won't take me too long to write again! Happy Cooking!

Goat Cheese Enchiladas with red mole sauce

Alright all- this was awesome! Thanks to http://www.toomanychefs.net/archives/001041.php for this recipe! We bought the mole sauce because in case you didn't know Mole is sooo hard to make. So we went to our local grocery store and bought some :) but it turned out really good! I used the almonds instead of the pine nuts and jack cheese. But the corn with the raisins with the almonds...heaven. So so good! If you try this let me know what you think!

Goat Cheese Enchiladas with Corn and Red Mole

1/4 cup golden raisins (Sultanas, in Brit-speak)
1/4 cup pine nuts (the first time, I substituted almond slivers which worked well too)
2 Tbs corn or olive oil
1 tsp minced garlic (well, two large cloves in my case)
1 1/2 cups corn kernels
1 1/2 cups grated Jack or Muenster cheese (I used Fromage des Pyrenées)
2 cups soft goat cheese
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
salt and pepper
1 cup vegetable oil for frying
12 corn tortillas
Red Chile Mole (recipe below or use a preparation)
1/2 cup crème fraîche or sour cream

Cover the raisins with warm water and set aside. Brown the pine nuts in a medium dry skillet, then remove. Add the 2 Tbs oil to the same skillet and cook the onion with the garlic over medium heat to soften, about three minutes, then add teh corn and cook for one minute more. Drain the raisins and put in a bowl with the pine nuts, onion/corn mixture, 1 cup of the Jack cheese, the goat cheese and the cilantro. Mix everything well together and taste for salt and pepper.

Fry the tortillas briefly in olive oil, drain them and fill them with the above mixture. Roll them and place them seam side down in a baking dish. Make the mole. (To this point, you can make them well in advance and refrigerate, covered.) When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375 F (about 190 c). Pour mole sauce over the enchiladas, sprinkle with the rest of the Jack cheese and bake until heated through, about 20 minutes. Serve with the rème fraîche spooned over the top.

Red Chile Mole Sauce
1 1/2 tsp coriander seeds
1 1/4 teaspoons each anise seeds, cumin and dried Mexican oregano (omitted the anise and used normal oregano)
2 /12 Tbs vegetable oil
1 small onion, finely diced
1 tsp minced garlic (1 clove, pressed)
1/3 cup ground mild red chile
1 oz Mexican chocolate, coarsely chopped
salt
1 tsp sherry vinegar

Toast the seeds and oregano in a dry skillet, then remove to a plate as soon as they smell fragrant. Grind in a mortar. Heat the oil in a saucepan and add the onion. Cook, stirring frequently for about for minutes, or until onion is brown on the edgets, then add garlic and ground spices and cook for one minute more. Remove from heat, let the pan cool for a minute, then stir the ground chile into the onions along with 1 1/2 cups water. REturn to the stove and bring to a boil, stirring slowly but constantly so that the chile doesn't burn. It will thicken as it cooks, so plan to add another 1/4 cup water to thin it out a little. (Mine didn't...) Add the chocolate and stiru until it's melted. Simmer for ten minutes, then stir in the vinegar to bring all the flavors together. Taste or salt.


Have fun and enjoy!

Chorizo Tacos

Ok- Adam wanted me to share this one. He made it. Found in at a Rick Bayless website.
http://greasyskillet.blogspot.com/2008/04/chorizo-tacos.html

Ingredients:
8 ounces (1 cup) Mexican chorizo sausage
3 medium (3/4 pound) red potatoes
Salt
2 medium poblano chiles roasted
3 tablespoons vegetable oil (I think you could get by with a little less)
1 small onion

Condiments
salsa
guacamole
sour cream
cheese
cilantro

Cook chorizo in large skillet. Break it up as it throughly cooks. If there's a lot of fat, drain it off. Remove chorizo from the skillet.
Cut potatoes in half, then cut each half into 4 pieces. Place potato pieces in non-metal bowl. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and toss. Cover with plastic wrap. Microwave on high power for 4 to 5 minutes, until completely tender.
Pour oil into skillet and heat over medium heat. Add sliced onion and stir regularly. Cook for 2 minutes until onions are translucent.
Add potatoes and cook. Stir regularly and cook for 5 minutes until browned.
Stir in chiles and chorizo. Cook for 2 or 3 minutes more. Taste and season with salt if necessary (Although I've never needed to salt this recipe because there's plenty of seasoning in the chorizo.)
Keep warm over very low heat.

Serve: Heat corn tortillas according to directions on the package. Serve with your choice of condiments. I usually keep this taco very simple as you can see in the pictures. I usually only eat it with a little cilantro and maybe some guacamole.

Hope you like it :)

Super Easy Crockpot Chicken

This is so simple but so good! Use it for taco's or quesadillas!

1-11/2lb chicken breast
1 jar salsa
1/2 cup water (if needed)

That's it!
Put it in the crock pot and let it sit all day! 8 or so hours- then shred and eat in yummy Mexican dishes! For southern people Publix makes the best salsa! Enjoy!