- Sauté red & green bell peppers and onions in oil
- Add 1/2lb of ground beef and cook. Drain fat. Season with salt and pepper.
- Add 1 can Mild Rotel Tomatoes & using the empty can, add 1.5 cans of water.
- Add 1/2 to 1 package of Taco Seasoning
- Add 1/2 can drained and rinsed black beans, 1/2 small can of corn, and 1/2 small can drained black olives.
- Add 1/2 cup of rice or quinoa
- Bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Simmer 30 minutes until water is absorbed.
Marinated Steak Tacos
- 2 lbs skirt steak or strip steak
- ~1/4 cup Rubbed With Love Pork
- 1 limes, juiced
- 6-8 springs of cilantro
- 3-1 ratio of 3 garlic infused olive oil to 1 olive oil, about 1/4 cup total
- 1 teaspoon salt
Combine ingredients for marinade in a small bowl. Stir until combined, should be a little thick. Put steak into a 1 gallon plastic bag, add marinade. Store in fridge for 8-24 hours. Grill at ~400F until internal temp of steak is 130F. Let steak rest for ~5 minutes, then slice in thin strips for tacos. Serve with cilantro and salsa verde.
Cornbread
Ingredients:
1¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup fine-grind cornmeal
1 tablespoon baking powder
1½ teaspoons kosher salt
4 large eggs
1½ cups canned creamed corn (from one 15-ounce can)
1 4.5-ounce can mild green chilies, drained, chopped
1½ ounces mild white cheddar, grated (about ½ cup)
1½ ounces Monterey Jack, grated (about ½ cup)
¾ cup unsalted butter (1½ sticks), room temperature
⅔ cup sugar
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
Step 1
Place rack in middle of oven. Set skillet on a rimmed baking sheet, place on rack, and preheat oven to 400°. Whisk flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl to combine. Lightly beat eggs in a medium bowl to blend; whisk in creamed corn, chiles, cheddar, and Monterey Jack.
Step 2
Mix butter and sugar in a large bowl with a wooden spoon just until butter absorbs sugar but butter is still in small pieces. Add egg mixture and mix until just combined. Mix in dry ingredients until barely incorporated.
Step 3
Remove skillet from oven and lightly coat with nonstick spray. Scrape in batter (it should sizzle on contact and stay slightly mounded in the center). Bake cornbread until top is golden brown and springs back when gently pressed, 35–45 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.
Guacamole
4-5 ripe Avocados
1 Lime
about 1/4 of an Onion, finely chopped
about 1/2 a bunch of Cilantro, chopped
1-2 Roma Tomato’s
Garlic Powder
Salt
Pepper
In a bowl, mash the avocado lightly with a fork or potato masher. Add the chopped onion, cilantro, and lime juice. Next add salt, pepper, and garlic to taste. Season a little at a time and then taste it to see if it’s enough. Add more as needed. Once it tastes good, stir in the cut up the tomato.
Taco Mac
Ingredients:
Taco Seasoning, homemade, or we often use this.
1 lb. ground beef
12 oz. gluten free pasta (this is my favorite brand)
14.5 oz. can fire roasted tomatoes
2 cups chicken broth
Mexican Cheese blend, if you eat dairy
Directions:
1. Brown Ground beef, seasoning with taco seasoning and salt & pepper.
2. Add pasta, the whole can of fire roasted tomatoes, and the chicken broth.
3. Bring to boiling, then turn heat down to medium low and cover. Stir every few minutes and let simmer until pasta is done. Taste and add spices if needed. Stir in some cheese, or serve in bowls and top it with cheese.
Spicy Chicken & Rice Soup
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. coconut oil
1 onion, diced
4 garlic cloves minced
2 celery sticks, chopped
2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and membranes removed, diced
1½ lbs. of skinless, boneless chicken thighs
1 Tbsp. cumin
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp oregano
1tsp paprika
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
4 cups chicken broth
1 can diced green chilies, 4oz
1 can full fat coconut milk, 14oz
Additional Ingredients: We added white rice and Mexican corn. The rice could cook in the soup or you could cook it separately in a rice cooker then add it in the soup before serving. This would also be good with white beans instead or rice. Use some fresh cilantro and avocado slices for garnish.
Instructions:
1. Heat coconut oil in a large pot over medium high heat.
2. Add onion, celery, garlic, and jalapeños and cook until softened.
3. Remove veggies from pan and set aside. Mix all spices in a bowl and season both sides of the chicken thighs. Place chicken in the pot and cook until chicken is browned on both sides. About 5 min.
4. Add back in the veggies, chicken broth, and diced green chilies. Bring to a boil.
5. Lower heat and let simmer for 15 min.
6. Remove chicken and shred it with two forks. Then return chicken to the pot.
7. Add the can of coconut milk and bring it back to a boil.
8. Let it boil about 10 minutes until the soup is slightly reduced and thickened.
9. Season to taste. (We had to add a lot more salt!) Then garish and serve.
Mexican Potato Seasoning
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Black Pepper
1/2 tsp Paprika
1/4 tsp Garlic
1/4 tsp Onion
1/8 tsp Cumin
1/8 tsp Chili Powder
This is what we use on cubed white potatoes. Make sure the size of the cubes are about as equal as you can manage. Saute in a pan with oil until browned on all sides. Watch the heat and stir often. Transfer to a plate with a paper towel to soak up some of the oil. Sprinkle this seasoning blend all over, to taste.
(we use small red potato’s and coconut oil)
Crock Pot Pork Tenderloin
Season a package of pork tenderloins with salt and pepper. Put in the crock pot with 1 cup brown sugar and 1 cup Pace Medium Salsa*. Cook on low until tender but not over cooked. Shred with knife and fork and let sit in crock pot just a few minutes longer to soak in more flavor. The only trouble I ever have with this dish is under salting it. So taste again before serving and add some if necessary.
(I don’t know why but Pace Medium Salsa works the best, I have tried many other different kinds and its not quite the same.)
Fajita Seasoning
- 4 teaspoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoon paprika
- 2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
We have been making fajita’s in the cast iron using strip steak. Just cut it up in thin strips, season, and cook in a hot cast iron. We ate it with corn tortillas and avocado slices.
Pulled Pork Enchiladas
I recently made Carnitas and my family got tired of the leftovers so I had to get creative. I made enchiladas with what I had leftover and they turned out really good…
Ingredients:
- Carnitas – shredded
- 1 can of enchilada sauce
- 1 can of diced green chilies
- 1 bag shredded Mexican blend cheese
- tortillas
- fresh cilantro
Directions:
- In a large bowl combine pork, 1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce, and 1 tablespoon snipped cilantro. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl combine the remaining enchilada sauce and the diced green chili peppers. Spread about 1/2 cup of enchilada-green chili pepper mixture in the bottom of a 3-quart rectangular baking dish; set aside.
- Divide pork mixture and 1 1/2 cups of the cheese among tortillas, placing meat and cheese near the edge of each tortilla. Roll up tortillas. Place filled tortillas, seam sides down, in the prepared baking dish (place tortillas close together); top with the remaining enchilada-green chili pepper mixture. Cover with foil; bake for 25 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake, uncovered, about 5 minutes more or until heated through and cheese is softened and starts to brown slightly.
Enchilada Skillet
Ingredients:
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 medium yellow squash, chopped
- 1 medium zucchini, chopped
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 pepper
- 1/2 cup corn kernels
- 1 cup black beans, rinsed well if using canned
- 4 corn tortillas, sliced into strips
- 12 ounces enchilada sauce
- 1/2 cup grated mozzarella or colby jack
- fresh cilantro, or green onions garnish
Instructions:
- Heat oil in large skillet on medium; add onion & beef. Saute until meat is almost done, then add both squash – cook another 4-5 minutes.
- Add spices, fresh corn, beans, tortilla strips, and enchilada sauce. While gently stirring, let heat to a nice bubbly consistency – about 4 more minutes.
- Top with cheese & cilantro/green onions if desired.
Taco Seasoning
Pork Carnitas
4 pound boneless pork butt, fat trimmed and cut into 2 inch cubes
1 1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp ground cumin
1 onion, peeled and halved
2 bay leaves
1 tsp dried oregano
2 Tb fresh lime juice
2 C water
1 medium orange, juiced and keep the spent halves
1. Adjust oven rack to lower middle position and heat to 300 degrees. Combine all the ingredients in a large Dutch oven, including the spent orange halves and juice. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium-high heat, uncovered. Once it simmers, cover pot and transfer it to the oven. Cook until the meat falls apart when prodded with a fork, about 2 hours.
2. Remove the pot from the oven and turn on the broiler. Use a slotted spoon to remove the meat from the pan and place it on a large foil-lined jelly roll pan. Remove and discard everything from the pot except for the cooking liquid. Place pot over high heat on the stove and boil until thick and syrupy, about 20 minutes. You should have about 1 C of liquid remaining when it is finished.
3. While the liquid is reducing, use two forks to pull each cube of pork into three equal sized pieces. Once the liquid has become a syrup, gently fold in the pieces of pork into the pot. Try not to break up the pork any further. Taste and add additional salt and pepper.
4. Spread the pork back onto the foil lined pan and evenly spread the meat around so there is a single layer of meat. Place the jelly roll pan on the lower middle rack of the oven and broil until the top of the meat is well browned and edges are slightly crisp, about 5 to 8 minutes. Using a wide metal spatula, flip the pieces of meat and broil the other side until well browned and edges are slightly crisp, 5 to 8 minutes. Serve immediately in a tortilla with all your favorite toppings.
Cafe Rio Pork, Lime Rice, and Cilantro Dressing
For the Pork:
1 pork loin (or a pack of 2 pork tenderloins)
2 cups pace medium salsa
2 cups brown sugar
Season the pork all over with salt and pepper. It takes quite a bit of salt! Put in your slow cooker for 6-8 hours on low. Shred and let sit for one more hour.
For the rice:
3 cups of rice
3 cups of water
1/2 onion
1/2 bunch cilantro
1 can green chilies
4 t garlic- minced
4 t chicken bouillon
1/2 t salt
1 T butter
4 T lime juice
Blend/Chop onion, cilantro, and chilies in a food processor. Then put all ingredients in with the rice and cook in a rice cooker.
For the dressing:
1 pkg. Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing (dry mix)
1 cup buttermilk
1/2-1 bunch of cilantro, chopped
1 cup mayo
2 tsp. lime juice
2 tomatillos (remove outer papery skin)
2 garlic cloves
Blend all ingredients in blender or food processor. Refrigerate.
My family calls this recipe “Sweet Pork.” You can serve this many ways. It makes excellent taco’s, burrito’s, and rice bowl’s. I like to make a salad with some lettuce, pico, guacamole, etc. I haven’t been in forever, but I think Cafe Rio puts a large tortilla in the bottom of a bowl, then rice, then meat, then lettuce, pico, guacamole, the dressing, and crunchy tortilla strips.
Chicken Tortilla Soup
I just made this recipe this past Sunday, it was super easy and very delicious! I followed the recipe but didn’t really measure anything. I just kind of dumped it all in there and headed to church. The only change i made was that I did make some Mexican rice and served the soup over the rice. But it would be great either way!
INGREDIENTS
1 pound shredded, cooked chicken
1 (15 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, mashed
1 (10 ounce) can enchilada sauce
onion, chopped
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers
1 cloves garlic, minced
1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 bay leaf
1 (10 ounce) package frozen corn or can of mexi-corn
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
tortilla chips
shredded cheddar cheese
DIRECTIONS
Place chicken, tomatoes, enchilada sauce, onion, green chiles, and garlic into a slow cooker. Pour in water and chicken broth, and season with cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Stir in corn and cilantro. Cover, and cook on Low setting for 6 to 8 hours or on High setting for 3 to 4 hours. To serve, sprinkle tortilla strips and shredded cheese over soup.
Mexican Hamburger Rice Skillet
1 lb. ground beef
Onion
Bell pepper
1 package taco seasoning
1 can Rotel
1 ½ cups water
1 cup uncooked rice
½ tsp. salt
Brown ground beef, onion, and bell pepper in a skillet. Drain. Add taco seasoning, Rotel, water, rice, and salt. Bring to a boil, reduced heat, cover and simmer until rice is done.
Garnish with lettuce, green onions, tomato, olives, sour cream, cheese, and tortilla chips.
Cafe Rio Pork, Rice, and Salad Dressing
(I have two recipes for this and I usually use the other one. Find it here: Cafe Rio Pork)
3-5 lb Pork Loin or Pork Roast
1 ½ cans coke classic
1 c. sugar
7oz can chipotle chilies in adobo sauce –provides a lot of heat (or plain adobo sauce for sweeter sauce)
1 tsp dry ground mustard heaping
1 tsp heaping cumin
1 tsp minced garlic
Remove the chilies (throw chilies away) from adobo sauce add all ingredients except pork in a blender. Rinse can of adobo sauce with coke to get all the sauce out. Blend in blender until well mixed place pork in crock pot and pour sauce over it. Cook for 4-6 on high or 7-9 hours on low.
Carefully turn roast over halfway through. Cook in sauce until it is pull apart tender and shred. Put shredded meat back into sauce. Serve over rice, on a salad, or in a tortilla!
Yummy Rice
1 c. rice
2 c. water
3 cubes chicken boullion
½ tsp dried onion
¼ bunch cilantro
1 tbsp oil
1 fresh lime
Cook rice with all ingredients in pot or rice cooker. Squeeze fresh lime juice over rice and mix lightly before serving.
Creamy Cilantro Salad Dressing
1 envelope buttermilk ranch dressing
1 c. mayo
1 c. milk
½ bunch cilantro
2 tomatillos
½ serano pepper with seeds removed (adds heat)
Blend in blender, let sit to thicken. Dressing contines to get hotter when it is stored in the fridge.
Mexican Corn Casserole
Southwestern Cornbread Salad
6 oz. package Mexican cornbread mix, baked.
16 oz. ranch dressing
1 small head Romaine lettuce shredded
2 large tomato’s, chopped
15 oz. can black beans, rinsed
15 oz. Mexi-corn, drained
8 oz. package Mexican cheese blend
6 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
5 green onions chopped
Layer in a large bowl, half each of crumbled cornbread, lettuce, then next six ingredients. Cover with half of Ranch dressing, then repeat layers with other half of ingredients ending with dressing. Chill.
Tamale Pie
1 lb ground beef
1 package taco seasoning
1 can refried beans
1 can mexi-corn, drained
1 can Rotel, drained
Grated cheddar cheese
1 box Jiffy Cornbread, prepared as on box, but not cooked
Cook ground beef and taco seasoning per instructions on seasoning packet. Place beef in bottom of baking dish. Heat refried beans in the microwave and spread over meat. Cover with corn and Rotel. Then sprinkle cheese on top and cover entirely with prepared cornbread mixture. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, or until cornbread on top is done.
Sweet and Spicy Chicken
1 lb. chicken, uncooked, chopped
3 tablespoons taco seasonings
1 to 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 jar (11 oz.) chunky salsa
½ cup peach preserves
Hot cooked rice
Cut chicken into cubes. Mix chicken and taco seasonings. In a skillet brown chicken in oil. Combine salsa and preserves; stir into skillet. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Serve over rice.
Rotel Chicken
4 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 Onion
1 Green pepper
1 (12oz) package bowtie pasta
1 can Cream of mushroom soup
1 can Cream of chicken soup
1 lb. Velveeta Cheese
1 can Rotel.
Boil chicken and shred, then sauté onion and green pepper in butter. Meanwhile, cook the bowtie pasta, drain, and set aside. Mix together cream of mushroom soup and cream of chicken soup and Rotel. Mix all ingredients together and cut Velveeta into chunks. Put into a 9×13 baking dish at 400 degrees. Stir often to melt cheese and mix thoroughly. Bake until heated through.
Mexican Quiche
Mexican Lasagna
9 Flour tortillas
4-6 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cooked and shredded)
1 lg. can Refried beans
1 lg. can Enchilada sauce
1 box Rice-a-roni Spanish rice
1 cup thinly sliced black olives
2 cups shredded cheese (Mexican blend)
1 (10 oz.) can tomato sauce
While chicken breasts are cooking, make Spanish rice according to instructions on box. In a bowl, mix shredded chicken, rice, beans, olives, and enchilada and tomato sauces. Next, in a 13-x-9” dish, layer 3 flour tortillas on bottom (they will overlap). Spread 1/3 of mixture on top, then top with layer of cheese. Repeat above, 2 more times. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes. (Really good with tropical fruit salad—pineapple, mandarin oranges, grapes, and strawberries.) Serves 6-8.
Doritos Casserole
1 pound of ground beef
2 cans of chili without beans
16 ounces of sour cream
6 slices of American cheese
1 bag of Doritos, crushed
In a large skillet, brown ground chuck over medium heat. Drain. Add the chili and stir until heated through. Pour into a 9×13 or 10×10 inch casserole dish and cover with the sour cream. Lay cheese slices over the sour cream, top with the crushed Doritos. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until he cheese melts. Serve with taco sauce. Serves 8
Chicken Enchiladas
2 cups sour cream
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
2 (4 oz.) cans diced green chilies
Chicken
Shredded Mexican blend cheese
Salt and pepper
Boil chicken and shred it. Mix with shredded cheese, salt and pepper. Mix sour cream, cream of mushroom soup, and chilies, set aside in separate bowl. Spread some sauce on bottom of baking dish. For enchiladas, spread some sauce on inside of each tortilla, add some chicken mixture, and roll up. Place enchiladas in pan. Top with remaining sauce and sprinkle some cheese on top. Bake, covered with foil at 350-375 degrees. Cook until heated through and bubbly. Remove foil for last 10 or 15 minutes.
Jalapeno Corn Dip
Black Bean Salsa
1 can corn drained
1 can black eyed peas drained and rinsed (may substitute black beans)
2 chopped tomatoes
1/2 bunch cilantro
1 bunch chopped green onions
1 envelope Good Seasoning Italian Dressing (make according to directions on box)
2 chopped avocados
Mix everything together and serve with tortilla chips. Also great on chicken tacos.