Frozen Bean Burritos

 With my leftover tortillas, borracho beans and cheese, I made 5 frozen bean and cheese burritos. They will make for easy microwave meals in the next few weeks! Talk about making the most of our money!

First, put all ingredients in a whole wheat tortilla. I put beans, cheese and hot sauce. 

2. Fold in both ends of the tortilla to keep ingredients inside and then roll up. 

3. Tightly and generously wrap each burrito in plastic wrap. 

 

4. Place all burritos in a freezer bag and freeze. 

 

5. To cook burritos, unwrap from plastic wrap. Place on a microwave safe plate and nuke it for 2-3 minutes, depending on microwave and burrito size.  

Chicken and Bean Burritos

Ross loves bread, specifically tortillas...and more specifically, he loves stuffing anything and everything into a tortilla. So, for him, burritos are an ideal meal! This week I had leftover borracho beans and crockpot rotisserie chicken. We put them into a tortilla and viola! Dinner is served. 

Ingredients

Borracho beans

Crockpot rotisserie chicken

Shredded Cheese

Tortillas

Lettuce

Chopped tomatoes

Salsa or hot sauce 

Directions

Warm borracho beans and crockpot chicken. Heat tortillas. Place all ingredients, in desired amounts, into tortilla. Roll and serve!

Borracho Beans

Beans are pretty much a staple when trying to cut the food budget. They are full of protein and fiber, low in fat and fill you up! If you are trying to save some money, have a meatless meal once a week! Ounce for ounce, beans are one the cheapest proteins you can serve! I served mine over rice for a total of $6.87, plus the leftovers lasted for 4 days and were incorporated into several other meals.



Borracho Beans ($6.35 total)

Items I purchased:
1 lb dried pinto beans ($1.15 lb)
1 32 oz container of chicken broth ($2.50)
1/4 lb bacon (optional...mine cost $1.00)
1 can beer (optional...$.70)
1 fresh chopped and seeded jalapeno (one pepper at $.02; $.99/lb)
1 can Rotel ($1.00)

Items I had on hand: 
1 tsp dried cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried or fresh cilantro 
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 medium onion, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

1- NIGHT BEFORE: Sort and rinse beans. Soak overnight in cool water. Cover beans by at least 2 inches because they will soak up lots.


2- DAY OF: Drain and rinse beans.

3- Chop and brown bacon in large soup pot, leaving fat in pan. When bacon is almost finished, add onions and brown. Add garlic and jalapeno and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

4- Pour in beer and chicken broth, stirring from the bottom to deglaze the pan. You want all of those bits and pieces to add extra flavor to your beans.

5- Add beans and all other ingredients to pot. If using fresh cilantro, wait to add it until right before serving.

6- Bring to a boil and let cook at low boil for about one hour. Then, reduce to simmer for 3-4 hours or until all beans are tender.

7- Serve over rice or quinoa. I made about $.50 of rice.

image source

Chicken Enchiladas with Red Sauce

I originally saw this recipe on Pinterest, but was skeptical because I have never made a really good red enchilada sauce from scratch. Add to it, this recipe is fast and has few ingredients...really skeptical. I was wrong. It is THE BEST and Ross (who is obsessed with my green enchiladas) said that these are his new favorite! Do yourself a favor and make these asap!

I straight up copied this recipe and the pictures from Pink Parsley and I didn't change a thing, except for using flour instead of corn tortillas.

Chicken Enchiladas with Red Chile Sauce
adapted from Tide and Thyme, orginally from America's Test Kitchen

• 1 medium onion, chopped fine
• 2 jalapenos, seeded and chopped fine
  
• 1 teaspoon canola oil
• 3 medim cloves garlic, minced
• 3 Tablespoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 3 teaspoons sugar
• 1 15-oz can tomato sauce
• 1 cup water
• 1 large beefsteak tomato, seeded and chopped
  
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts (2 large breasts)
• 1 cup extra sharp white cheddar, shredded
• 1 cup monterey jack cheese, shredded
• 1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro
• 12 (6-inch) soft corn tortillas (I used flour)
  
• cooking spray
• salt and ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 425.

Combine the onion, jalapeno, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and oil in a large saucepan. cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, until the onions and peppers have softened, 8-10 minutes. Stir in the garlic, chili powder, cumin, and sugar, and cook until fragrant, less than 30 seconds. Stir in the tomato sauce, water, and chopped tomato. Bring to a simmer, and cook until slightly thickened, 5 minutes.

Nestle the chicken into the sauce. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until chicken is cooked through (thickest part reaches 160 degrees), about 12-20 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate, and set aside to cool.

Strain the sauce through a strainer into a medium bowl, pressing the onion mixture to extract as much liquid as possible. Transfer the onions to a large bowl and set aside. Season sauce with additional salt and pepper to taste.

Shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Add to the onin mixture, and add 1/4 cup of the enchilada sauce, 1 cup cheese, and the cilantro. Toss to combine.

Stack the tortillas on a plate and cover with plastic wrap; Microwave on high until warm and pliable, 40-60 seconds. Spread the tortillas on a clean work surface, and spoon 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture evenly down the center of each. Tightly roll each tortilla and lay seam-side down in a greased 9x13 inch baking dish.

Lightly spray the tops of the enchiladas with cooking spray. Place in the oven, uncovered, for about 7 minutes, or until the tortillas start to brown slightly (skip this step if you don't like the crunch).

Reduce heat to 400. Remove enchiladas and pour sauce evenly on top. Top with the remaining cheese. Cover dish with foil, and bake an additional 20 minutes, or until heated through.

Remove foil and bake another 5 minutes, until cheese browns. Remove from oven and let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Serve with sour cream, guacamole, salsa, additional cilantro, etc.

Quinoa, black bean and corn salad

We eat lots of quinoa. Lots and lots. It's just so flexible and full of nutrients! Here's one of my quinoa creations from lately. I also think it would be good with some tomatoes, chives and any other fresh veggies you have lying around.

Salad

• 1 cup quinoa (some of them call for rinsing before eating, so check for that)
  
• 2 cups water
• 1 can cooked black beans, rinsed well
  
• 1 1/2 cups cooked corn (I used frozen)
  
• 1/2 onion, chopped
  
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• olive oil
  
• Pickled jalapeños, finely chopped
  

For dressing (I don't know amounts)

• Lime juice from 1 super juicy lime (or 2 medium juicy limes)
  
• Red wine vinegar
• Olive oil
• Cumin
• Coriander
  
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Garlic powder
• Cilantro
  
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Feta cheese crumbles
  

-Put quinoa in salted water and bring to boil. Cook over med-low heat until all water is gone and you can see the little white parts of the quinoa. Also, you can just taste it to make sure it isn't crunchy. It should have a little "bite" to it, but not be hard. It is roughly 15 minutes. Remove from heat and fluff with a fork when done.

While the quinoa is cooking:
-Saute onion and garlic in olive oil until translucent. Add in corn, beans and jalapenos to warm.
-Mix together lime juice, red wine vinegar, olive oil and seasonings. I have a little salad dressing mixer jar and I just shake, shake, shake it up...any jar will do.

-Add the veggies to the quinoa while it is still hot and drizzle with dressing. Mix well without squashing it all. The quinoa will absorb the dressing as it cools. Crumble feta over salad and serve cool or warm.

Shrimp Tacos with Mango Salsa

My amazing, fabulous, super cool little sister is in town for a while! Yay! We both love getting in the kitchen and cooking together...just finished a late-night cookie making frenzy, in fact. For dinner tonight, we made this delightful (and quite healthy) summery-fresh meal! I'm sure that the dish isn't that original, but this is definitely our own version.

You need:

Mango Salsa-
2 roma tomatoes, rough chopped and seeds removed
2 mangoes, peeled and cut into small cubes
1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
1/2 bunch cilantro, rough chopped
Juice from one lime
1/4 cup pickled jalapenos, more or less to taste, rough chopped
Salt and pepper
Dash of cayenne pepper

Shrimp-
2 pounds fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 tablespoons butter
Salt and pepper

Taco toppings-
Tortillas
Shredded lettuce
Queso Fresco, crumbled

Make it:

Salsa-
1. Mix tomatoes, mangoes, cilantro, onion, jalapeno.
2. Toss with lime juice.
3. Season with salt, pepper and cayenne.
4. Cover and chill in fridge for at least one hour.

Shrimp-
1. Saute shrimp in melted butter.
2. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Cook until nice and pink.

Tacos-
Assemble tacos with desired amounts of salsa, shrimp, lettuce and queso fresco.

Sopapilla Chips

I absolutely love sopapillas. But, geeze, could they be any worse for you? I mean, deep fried tortillas! Really? So, I wanted to make something with just as much flavor, but way less fat. I came up with baked sopapilla chips! Yummy!


Ingredients
2 tbsp melted butter or margarine
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tbsp cinnamon
5 flour tortillas
Honey for drizzle or dipping

Lightly brush both sides of tortillas with melted butter. Stack tortillas and cut into quarters. In a shallow bowl, mix sugar and cinnamon. Dredge both sides of the tortillas pieces in cinnamon-sugar mixture. Use your fingers and press sugar mixture into tortillas. Place tortillas on lightly sprayed baking sheet. Bake at 425 for about 10-12 minutes, or until golden and crisp. Serve while warm, drizzled with honey. Or, serve beside a small bowl of honey for dipping. Or...if you feel really frisky, eat over the sink while you drizzle and drip honey everywhere, like we did!

Baked Tortilla Chips

i had a pack of corn tortilla chips that were on the verge of going bad. so... i tried an experiment. yum! homemade fresh tortilla chips that aren't loaded with fat from frying!


10 corn tortillas
1 tbsp vegetable oil
beef fajita seasoning

lightly brush tortillas with oil. cut tortillas into quarters. sprinkle with fajita seasoning and place on cooking sheet, seasoning side up. bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes until golden brown. watch carefully, so that chips do not burn. serve while warm with salsa, guac or queso!

Chipotle Shrimp

1 lb peeled shrimp
1 tbsp minced garlic
2 tbsp olive oil
3-4 tbsp chipotle adobo sauce
salt

heat pan over medium high heat. saute garlic in olive oil until slightly golden. add shrimp and cook until nice and pink. add adobo sauce and salt to taste. cook until shrimp are done.


put the kid to bed early, eat out back with the hubs, drink some beer and watch the stars! or...serve as an appetizer, over rice or in tacos!

New Mexican Lasagna

I always come back from New Mexico inspired to cook---I think it's mostly about New Mexican green chiles. Yum! So, upon arriving home from our trip last week, I made this dish. Ross named it New Mexican Lasagna. I was trying to make a dish that we had at his parents' house. It was different than his mom's dish but it was also so good!! I had made enough {I thought} for two meals worth. Well, Ross had other plans! I went to put the baby down for the night and came back to a tiny sliver left in the pan! So much for leftovers! I just LOVE when he likes something so much. It makes me feel like a good wife :)

New Mexican Lasagna

1 lb ground turkey (or beef)
1 can low fat cream of chicken soup
1 can green enchilada sauce
15 corn tortillas
a few handfulls crushed tortilla chips
1 1/2 cups reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese
fajita seasoning
chopped green chiles (not jalapenos)


-brown turkey. drain fat. stir in green chiles and sprinkle with fajita seasoning.
-in a separate bowl, mix together cream of chicken soup and green chile enchilada sauce. reserve about 1/4 can of enchilada sauce for later.
-spray bottom of 8x8 pan. layer 5 corn tortillas, sauce mixture, meat, cheese and repeat three times. (you will probably have to tear up the tortillas to make them cover the entire pan)
-top with crushed chips. pour remaining enchilada sauce over chips. top with cheese. bake for about 30 minutes on 350, or until cheese is nice and bubbly.

Taco Soup

I finally measured the ingredients when I was making this last night. Ross loves it. It's fabulous for days like we are having...snowy, 0* windchill. Bring on the warm soup!

1 lb lean ground beef
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
1 can rotel
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can black beans (drained and rinsed)
1 small can tomato sauce
1 cup frozen corn
1 pack taco seasoning
1/2 tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp baking soda
salt to taste


-Brown beef in large soup pot. Drain out all grease.
-Saute onion and garlic in olive oil and add beef back to pot.
-Add all ingredients except for beans and corn.
-When you add the baking soda, it will foam all up. This helps to cut the acidity from the tomatoes.
-Simmer for at least one hour, adding beans and corn about 20 minutes before you are ready to serve.
-Serve topped with shredded cheese, tortilla chips and sour cream.

Creamy Jalapeno Corn

Ross' coworker gave me this recipe a few days ago. It was divine. I served it with my Chicken Chile EmPIEnadas.

2 cans of corn, drained
2/3 block cream cheese
3 tbsp butter
chopped jarred jalapenos (amount depends on desired spiciness)

Mix together all ingredients. Simmer over med-low heat until cheese and butter have melted and mixture is warmed through. That's it!

Chicken-chile emPIEnadas

I was looking through my kitchen a few days ago, trying to come up with a dish that didn't require a trip to the store. This is what I came up with and they were amazing...so good, in fact, that Ross wants them again this weekend! They are kind of like empanadas made with pie crust and baked.


2 refrigerated pie crusts
2 cooked chicken breasts, cut into tiny bites
3/4 block of cream cheese, softened
2 tsp chopped green chiles (adjust amount to taste)
1/4 cup shredded cheddar
1 tsp beef fajita seasoning
1 egg
Coarse sea salt (optional)

-Mix together chicken, cream cheese, green chiles, cheddar and fajita seasoning.
-Cut pie crusts into circles. I used a large cup to cut the circles. It made about 12 empienadas.
-Spoon about a tablespoon of chicken mixture onto each pie crust circle. Fold crust over mixture to form a half circle shape. Press the edges of each closed firmly with a fork.
-Place onto a lightly greased baking sheet.
-Scramble the egg and brush over each empienada. This makes them beautifully brown and crispy in the oven.
-Sprinkle tops with sea salt. This is purely decorative :)
-Bake for about 10 minutes, or until golden brown, at the temperature on the pie crust box. It varies by brand.

We ate them all and didn't take a picture. Here's the site where I got it.

Green Chile Beef Adovada

Ross' family is from New Mexico and therefore, I have learned lots about the state's obsession with Hatch green chiles. They are SO fabulous! Another common dish in New Mexico is Carne Adovada. It is a typically a pork and red chile dish but here, I've made it with beef and green chile sauce and served it in tortillas with avocados. Yummy!


1 or 2 lb lean beef roast
Olive oil
2 cans or jars of Hatch green chile salsa

Brown your beef on all sides in the olive oil. This will take about 5 minutes a side; be sure to include the edges. This step is very important because it seals in all of the juices. Cover beef with salsa. Cover dish and bake at 350 for 2-3 hours. I actually make mine in an electric pressure cooker (amazing tool) and it cooks for 55 minutes. Shred beef and put back into green chile salsa. Serve.

Tostadas

I made these for dinner tonight and Ross couldn't stop ooohing and aaaahing! Nothing makes me feel better as a wife! Plus, they were super super easy!



Ingredients
8 Corn tostada chips
1 lb ground beef
1/4 block Velveta
Lettuce shreds
3 tbsp salsa
Beef fajita seasoning
Shredded cheese
Refried beans

Directions
1- Heat tostada chips in oven for 6-7 minutes.
2- While tostadas are baking, brown beef and drain fat. Mix in salsa, fajita seasoning and velveta until melted and well mixed.
3- Warm beans and spread over tostada chips.
4- Sprinkle with cheese and broil until melted.
5- Top with beef mixture and lettuce.

Chicken and Green Chile Taquitos

I found this idea on this website and changed it up to my liking. I used her pictures because they were way more pretty! We liked the flour ones better and yes, they get super crunchy when you bake them! They would be great with queso or guacamole!!

I'm so glad that I learned about how to make them crunchy without frying them! I can make all sorts of cool little taquitos now! They were great for watching a movie on a cold day with the hubs!

Ingredients
3 chicken breasts
1 block of cream cheese
Green chile salsa
Hot sauce (we like Cholula)
Adam's Beef fajita seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste
Corn or flour tortillas
Cooking spray


Directions:
Boil chicken breasts until fully cooked. Remove from water and shred with fork and knife. Soften cream cheese in microwave for about 30 seconds. Mix chicken, cream cheese, several tablespoons green chile salsa, hot sauce to taste, fajita seasoning, salt and pepper. Cover tortillas with damp paper towel and warm in microwave for about 45 seconds. Spoon a few tablespoons of chicken mixture into warm tortilla and roll very tightly.
Place on lightly sprayed cooking sheet. Spray with cooking oil and sprinkle with salt (I like using sea salt here because it is bigger). Bake at 425 for about 15 minutes or until golden brown. Enjoy!!

White-ish Enchiladas

I made these tonight for dinner. They still have room for improvement, but they are pretty good for just mixing random things together and hoping for the best! Ross went back for seconds...

INGREDIENTS
8 small flour tortillas
2 large chicken breasts
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 can rotel
shredded cheese (your choice of kind...I use Mexican blend)
olive oil
chopped jalapenos to taste
Adam's Beef Fajita Seasoning

DIRECTIONS
1- Cut chicken into small bite sizes and cook in olive oil until thoroughly cooked. Season with Adam's Beef Fajita Seasoning.
2- Mix together cream of mushroom soup, sour cream, onion, rotel, 1/2 cup shredded cheese, some Adam's Beef Fajita Seasoning.
3- Stir a few tablespoons of sauce in with chicken over low heat until well mixed.
4- Spray baking dish with non-stick spray. Spoon about 2 tbsp chicken/sauce mixture into each tortilla. Roll tightly and place crease down in dish. Do this to all tortillas and pour remainder of sauce evenly over tortillas.
5- Bake in oven for 15 minutes uncovered. Sprinkle with cheese and continue baking until cheese is melted.
6- Let cool a little before serving. This goes well with my White Girl Mexican Rice.

Verde Chicken Enchiladas

These are in Ross' top 3 favorite dishes that I make. Lucky for me, they are yummy and easy!

Ingredients:
4-6 large flour tortillas
1 can Hatch green chile enchilada sauce
1 cup (or so) shredded cheese
2 large chicken breasts, cut into small bites
Adam's Beef Fajita Seasoning
Olive oil

Directions: Sautee chicken pieces in olive oil and sprinkle with fajita seasoning. Cook thoroughly. Roll up 1 tbsp sauce, 1/4 of chicken and some cheese inside of each tortilla. Roll each tortilla tightly and place crease down in 9x9 square cooking pan. Pour rest of sauce from can over enchiladas and sprinkle with cheese. Bake in oven until warmed through and cheese is melted. (about 10 minutes on 375)

Quesadillas- Just Glorified Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

So this is more of an idea than a recipe.

I love making quesadillas. They are so versatile and easy. Just butter some tortillas, stuff with whatever you have and brown it in the skillet! It's great for leftover meat!

The only "rule" is to include cheese. It's the glue that sticks the tortillas together.

Ideas
*American cheese, lunch meat, salsa
*Feta or mozzarella cheese, spinach, sun dried tomatoes, chicken
*Cooked chicken or beef, salsa, shredded cheese

Black Bean and Corn Salsa Stuffed Chicken & White-Girl Mexican Rice

This is one of our favorites. I'm not too sure what to call it, so I'll go with Black Bean and Corn Salsa Stuffed Chicken. We serve it with White-Girl Mexican Rice.

Black Bean and Corn Salsa Stuffed Chicken

4 thawed out chicken breast...slice down the side to create a little pocket for stuffing
1 can seasoned black beans
1 can corn (I use frozen but it doesn't matter)
Lawry's Mexican Lime and Chili marinade
Fresh chopped cilantro (I dont know how much....maybe like 1/2 of the bundle)
1/2 cup chopped onion
Chopped canned japalenos to taste
Sour Cream
Avocado

Marinate chicken for at least 30 minutes. While marinating mix together beans, corn, onion, cilantro, splash of Lawry's marinade, jalapenos to make salsa. Stuff salsa inside of the chicken breasts. Place chicken in lightly greased baking sheet. Cover chicken with marinade. COVER WITH FOIL and cook at 350 for about 45-60 minutes or until chicken juices run clear. Serve with sour cream and sliced avocados on top.




White Girl Mexican Rice (I have to say that since I can clearly not make Mexican rice the official way)

1 can rotel
1 chicken bouillon cube (or use chicken broth instead of water for rice)
1 1/2 cup white rice uncooked
3 cups water
olive oil
1/4 cup chopped onions
2 tsp minced garlic
Chicken Fajita Seasoning
1/2 cup frozen corn
1 tsp Cumin powder

Heat pan and several teaspoons of olive oil. Add garlic and onions. Sautee until soft. Add white rice and stir until it starts to poof up a little and turn whiter. Add cumin and stir. Add water, bouillon cube, rotel, corn. Unlike normal rice, you need to stir this every few minutes so that the bottom doesn't burn. Stir, cover and cook until tender...about 15 minutes.