Cinco de Mayo Inspiration

It should come as no surprise that I have a treasure trove of Mexican recipes.  We  have some variety of the cuisine nearly evey week and we frequent our favorite Mexican restaurant so often, the waiters all know and recognize us.  It's quick, inexpensive, and a crowd-favorite.  
In celebration of the upcoming Americanized holiday, Cinco de Mayo, I thought I'd share some of our favorite dishes to get you in the festive mood.  Whether you whip one of these up to celebrate the holiday or just because, I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!  Happy Cinco de Mayo!
From top left to right, starting from the top:
Creamy Chicken Taquitos
Nacho Potatoes
Grilled Stuffed Burritos
Taco Cupcakes
Farmers Market Salad
BBQ Beef Quesadilla Torta
Southwestern Egg Rolls
Shrimp Enchiladas with Sweet Corn Sauce
Slow Cooker Pork Tacos with Pickled Red Onions and Mango Salsa
Shrimp Cobb Salad
Mexican Chicken Pasta
Fish Tacos with Fruit Slaw and Avocado Cream

Weekly Recipe: Southwestern Egg Rolls with Cheesy Amazing Mexi Rice

It's been a while but the kitchen is still up and running.  I'm learning to perfect the make-ahead meals in order to maintain my sanity.  Let's face it, it's not the easiest feat to pull off dinner in 30 minutes!  On the nights I have to pick up both children from school, I get home at 5:30, where they both act as if they've been living in a 3rd world country and are famished, hurriedly get them a snack, and I'm left with less than 30 minutes to cook and get a meal on the table by 6pm (a personal goal, not a hard-coded, combustible time).  

This meal was made almost entirely ahead of time and then tucked away in the fridge until I was ready to pop it in the oven and reheat.  The egg rolls would be a great accompaniment to a full meal, as an appetizer, or doubled up for a main entree as I did.  The rice makes enough for an army, so be prepared to freeze the leftovers or invite 10 of your closest friends to dinner that night!

Baked Southwestern Egg Rolls
source:  Annie's Eats

2 cups frozen corn, thawed

1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (10 oz.) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend
1 (4 oz.) can diced green chiles, drained
4 green onions, chopped
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. pepper
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
1 package egg roll wrappers (about 24 total)

In a large bowl, combine everything but the egg roll wrappers.  Mix well to blend.  Lay an egg roll wrapper out on a work surface so that one of the corners is pointing toward you and place ¼ cup of the filling in the center.  Fold the tip closest to you up over the filling, roll a bit, then take the points pointing outward and fold them in toward the center.  Continue rolling into an egg roll shape until a small part of the remaining point is still free.  Dip a finger in water or beaten egg and lightly brush on the edges of the free corner.  Finish rolling and press to seal closed.  Repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling.

Preheat the oven to 425˚ F.  Lightly oil a baking sheet with cooking spray.  Place the sealed egg rolls on the baking sheet seam side down and spray the tops of the egg rolls with cooking spray.  Bake for about 15 minutes, or until lightly brown, turning halfway through baking.  Serve warm with salsa.

Cheesy Amazing Mexi Rice

source:  Emily Bites

4 c cooked brown rice (cooked the day before to save on prep time – recommended!)

6 oz (about 1 ½ c) shredded cheddar cheese 
1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced small
1 (14.5 oz) can petite diced tomatoes in their juices
1 c fresh or frozen corn
1 (2.25 oz) can of sliced black olives, minced (I omitted)
1 c canned black beans, drained and rinsed
1 c cooked chicken breast, shredded or diced – *omit if making this vegetarian*
2 t chili powder
2 t salt

Directions:
1.    In a large (really large) bowl, combine all the ingredients and mix together with a large spoon until thoroughly combined.
2.    Bring a large nonstick sauté pan (what I used) or cast iron skillet (do not use a stainless steel pan) over medium heat and add the rice mixture, spreading it out across the bottom of the pan. Let it sit and cook that way in five minute intervals, stirring in between. Do not stir more frequently than every five minutes – you are waiting for the cheese to caramelize before scraping it off the bottom of the pan! Scrape the cheese off the bottom and stir it in every five minutes for 35-45 minutes (I did the full 45).

Weekly Recipe: Taco Cupcakes

Have I told you lately that I could eat Mexican food every day?  Well, I could.  I love that by adding cumin and/or chili powder to a dish automatically gives it a big boost of flavor.  I like being able to inject flavor with spices, as opposed to those fatty additives that we love so well - hello, Mr. Cheese, I'm talking to you! When I came across this blog, Emily Bites, I was instantly smitten with her "cupake" idea.  She basically uses muffin tins to create individual portions of common dishes - Lasagna, bbq, and French dip just to name a few.  Her cleverness won her a spot on Anderson Cooper's show!  How cool is that?  So I couldn't wait to try out one of cupcake creations.  First up, to veganize her Taco Cupcakes.

These were every bit as delicious as they looked and I loved that they are not only adorable, but also very portable.  My only complaint would be that my mouth is not big enough to consume each cupcake in one bite, thus some of the filling falls out.  Don't let that little detail stop you, these would be great to serve at a party or just for a quick weeknight fix.   Taco Cupcakes (vegan) adapted slight from Emily Bites 1 1/2 tsp avocado oil (or other neutral oil) 1/2 pkg tempeh (crumbled) or Quorn crumbles 1 1 /2 tsp cumin 1 tsp chili powder 1/2 tsp garlic powder 1/4 tsp onion powder 3/4 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained 16 wonton wrappers (or more) 1/2 cup salsa 1 cup Daiya Mexican cheese 1/2 cup guacamole (homemade is best!) Preheat oven to 375.  Spray a 12-count muffin tin with non-stick spray.   Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat.  Add crumbled meat alternative and spices.  Stir to heat throughout, about 7-8 minutes.  Add black beans and cook just until warmed.   Push 1 or 2 wonton wrappers in the bottom of each muffin hole (I used 2 because I didn't think 1 would hold it).  Sprinkle the bottom of each with about a tablespoon of the Daiya cheese.  Top the cheese with equal amounts of the bean mixture, followed by equal amounts of salsa.  Finally, top each cupcake with another sprinkle of Daiya cheese. Bake 18-20 minutes, or until golden brown.  Allow to sit for a few minutes before removing the cupcakes.  Top each with a dollop of guacamole (not pictured below).  

Linking up to Tastetastic Thursday and What's Shakin'.

Weekly Recipe: Stacked Taco Pie

I refrained from titling this what we actually call this dish, "taco pile," because somehow that just didn't sound very appealing and frankly, I was afraid it might dissuade you from wanting to try it!  The truth is, I could probably eat this every day for a week and not tire of it.  I just love the spices, the creaminess, and the heartiness.  As soon as I swallowed a bite, I couldn't wait to sink my teeth into the next one.

If you're experimenting with vegetarian or vegan cooking, this would be a good place to start.  I doubt you'd miss the meat because the tempeh masks itself as ground hamburger.  If you do try it, let me know what you think.  I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Stacked Taco Pie
by:  Danielle

1 T. extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 T. taco seasoning
1 package whole grain tempeh, crumbled
1 can vegetarian refried beans
1 can enchilada sauce (I love Hatch!)
4 whole wheat tortillas (8-inch)
1 1/2 cups vegan shredded cheddar (I love Diaya!)
3 green onions, diced

Preheat oven to 350.

Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat.  Add olive oil, crumbled tempeh, and taco seasoning and saute for about 10 minutes.

While the tempeh is cooking, heat refried beans in microwave for about 90 seconds.  Pour about 1/4 cup of enchilada sauce in the bottom of a 9-inch cake pan.  Take 1 tortilla and cover with a couple tablespoons of the beans.  Place tortilla on top of enchilada sauce in pan.  Spoon 1/4 of the tempeh over the beans.  Top with 1/3 cup cheese.  Drizzle 2-3 tablespoons of enchilada sauce over the cheese.  Repeat layering process with remaining 3 tortillas, ending with cheese and enchilada sauce.

Cover pan and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until heated throughout.  Remove foil and allow the cheese to melt a little more on top, about 10 minutes.

Cut into wedges and top with diced green onions.  Serves 6.

Weekly Recipe: Shrimp Tostados

You know it's a good recipe when you finally getting around to posting about it and it still makes your mouth water.  When I come across simple recipes like this that taste so scrumptious, it makes me think I'm trying to over complicate the whole art of cooking.  Sometimes the simplicity of a dish allows your palate to really taste each component and really savor the flavor.

All that to say, these tostados were darn good!  There's nothing overly complicated about them, so you have no excuse to give them a whirl.  Not a fan of shrimp?  Use chicken.  The other ingredients are pretty crucial to the overall flavor of the dish but you could still add on maybe some fresh salsa or chopped cilantro.

I'm glad I'm finally posting about these because it jogged my memory that we need to have these again.  Soon!


Simple Shrimp and Guacamole Tostados
by:  Bev Cooks

* 6 corn tortillas
* cooking spray
* 2 cups grated cheddar cheese
* 2 avocados
* 1/2 cup chopped cilantro, plus more for garnish
* juice from 1 lime
* 2 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
* 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
* 1 Tbs ground cumin
* 2 Tbs chili powder
* 1 tsp crushed red or green pepper
* 1 tsp garlic salt
* 1 red bell pepper, cut into small slices

Preheat oven to 350.

Lightly coat both sides of the corn tortillas with cooking spray. Bake for 4 minutes on each side. Switch oven to broil. Evenly divide the cheese over the tortillas and broil until cheese is melted and bubbly, 2-ish minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the avocados, cilantro, lime juice and a pinch of kosher salt. Mash up with a fork until you get guacamole. Go ahead and eat a few bites for your well being.

Toss the shrimp with the cumin, chili powder, crushed pepper flakes and garlic salt.

Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium high. Sear the shrimp on one side for 2 minutes; flip and sear 30 more seconds. Remove from pan.

To the pan, add the sliced red bell pepper. Saute for 2 minutes, scraping the browned bits from the pan, seasoning the peppers. Sprinkle in a little salt.

Spoon the guacamole over each cheesy tostado, followed by shrimp and red bell pepper. Garnish each tostado with cilantro and give another good squeeze of lime juice over each one.

Linking up to Lady Behind the Curtain, Made Famous By, and This Chick Cooks.