Spicy and Saucy Verde Pork Enchiladas

Ever since these creamy chicken enchiladas changed my perspective on enchiladas as a whole, I've been excited about experimenting with different flavor combinations, sauces, and components.  Whenever my parents sent me some shredded pork roast, I knew I wanted to transform it into something delicious and flavorful. 

These enchiladas utilize all my favorite green things- green chilies, jalapenos, cilantro and avocado- alongside tender pork roast and a creamy sauce that pulls everything together. You can always cut back on the spiciness by using mild green chilies and deveining the jalapenos, but I loved how the cool avocado balanced the peppers out. 

This is a great recipe to double. You can always freeze half for later, or enjoy the leftovers-they're pretty amazing. 

What You'll Need:
12 white corn tortillas 
2 cups shredded roast pork 
1 tsp olive oil 
1/2 large yellow onion, diced  
2 tsp garlic, minced
1 large avocado
2 cups shredded Monterrey jack cheese 
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour 
2 cups chicken broth 
1/2 cup heavy cream 
1 cup sour cream 
2 4oz cans diced green chilies 
1 small bunch cilantro, diced 
1 jalapeno, diced

What To Do:
Preheat oven to 350.

Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan and add onion, stirring occasionally until translucent. Add garlic and continue cooking for one minute more. Add half of a can of the green chilies, shredded pork, and salt and pepper to taste and cook for a couple minutes, until heated through. Add a splash of heavy cream, ensuring that all of the filling is moistened. Turn off heat and cover until ready to use. 

Meanwhile, melt butter over medium-high heat. Whisk in flour and cook for 1-2 minutes. Slowly stir in chicken broth. Allow the sauce to come to boil and to thicken. Lower heat to low. Add in the remaining green chilies, jalapeno, cilantro, sour cream, one cup of cheese, and stir well. Allow sauce to simmer until all ingredients are completely incorporated. (If desired, before adding the sour cream or cheese you can blend the sauce in a blender to get a smooth consistency and light green color.)

As the sauce simmers, microwave your tortillas 2-3 at a time, wrapped in a damp paper towel. Once heated, fill each tortilla with a generous scoop of the pork filling and two slices of avocado. Roll together, fitting into a baking dish. 

Once all of the tortillas are filled and rolled, pour your sauce over the tortillas, being sure to get every enchilada. There should be more than enough sauce for these saucy enchiladas. Cover with the remaining cheese. 

Bake for 30 minutes or until sauce is bubbling. Broil for just a moment at the end for a nice browned top!

Serve with rice and beans, chips and salsa, and guacamole or your favorite Mexican side dishes!

original recipe. 

Baked Eggs Rancheros

This recipe was my first introduction into baked eggs (besides breakfast pizza) and I did not expect the incredible concoction that steamed up from my oven. 

It was so, so good. Good as in my words are not going to do this justice. 

It was savory and spicy, rich from egg yolk and the hearty ranchero sauce, with crunch and cool from the toppings- just a well-rounded blend of everything good in life. 

My dish was slightly varied from the original recipe. I did not use cheese or tortilla strips... and I don't have a cast iron skillet so I had to transfer from a saucepan to a roasting pan. But I'm sure any variation on this would make a brilliant addition to the brunch rotation or even as breakfast for dinner. 

What You'll Need:

1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped
3 cups (1 28 oz. can) whole tomatoes, fire-roasted preferred
1 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can whole kernel corn drained

12 large eggs
1¼ cups coarsely shredded pepper jack cheese
1 cup sour cream
2 tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
¼ cup minced fresh cilantro

2 tbsp. olive oil, divided
4 small (6-inch) corn tortillas, cut into ½-inch wide strips
Coarse salt, to taste

What To Do:

Preheat the oven to 450˚ F.  To make the ranchero sauce, combine the jalapeño, tomatoes, onion and garlic to a blender or food processor.  Process until smooth.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Pour the sauce into a 12-inch ovenproof skillet.  Stir in the black beans and corn.  Bring to a simmer over medium heat.  Lower the heat but maintain at a simmer and let cook about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, brush a baking sheet with 1 tablespoon of the oil.  Spread the tortilla strips in a single layer on the baking sheet and brush the tops with the remaining tablespoon of oil.  Sprinkle with coarse salt.  Bake about 6 minutes, tossing once or twice, until lightly browned and crisp.  Set aside. 

When the sauce has thickened slightly, remove the pan from the heat.  Carefully crack the eggs over the surface of the sauce placing them as evenly as possible.  Return the pan to the heat, cover, and let simmer gently in the sauce about 10-12 minutes, until the whites are partially but not completely opaque.

Heat the broiler.  Sprinkle the cheese over the top over the eggs, place underneath the broiler, and cook until the cheese is browned and bubbling and the eggs are cooked to your liking, just a few minutes.  In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream and lime juice.  Remove the pan from the oven, top with dollops of the lime crema, sprinkle with crumbled tortilla strips and the cilantro.  Serve immediately.

recipe adapted from Annie's Eats

Verde Ranch Dressing

(chopped spinach, cucumber, tomato, avocado, corn, and black beans with seasoned shrimp)

this stuff.
ohmygoodness.
I started inventing meals to go with this dressing. 
I made tacos just so I could drizzle this liquid of the gods all over it. 
I ate it with tortilla chips. 
I ate it on salad. 
You get the idea. 

The base of the recipe is a basic ranch dressing with tons of green goodness added- jalapeno, cilantro, tomatillo, green onion/scallion, lime, and parsley. So much flavor is packed into every drop.  Plus, since you're blending everything up, there's no need to chop anything- just toss it all in the blender and let it do the work. 

Plus it's really easy to make this a little healthier (I didn't because I already had the high-fat ingredients on hand ;) Sub in low-fat or fat-free mayo and replace the sour cream with nonfat Greek yogurt. 

The xanthan gum isn't completely necessary- it just keeps the dressing consistent and thickens it. It can be found in the gluten-free baking aisle at your grocery store. Also, just use a pinch- you don't need to overdo it!

(brown rice, seared fajita chicken, black beans, tomatoes, avocado, cilantro and queso fresco)

What You'll Need:
1/2 cup lowfat buttermilk
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
1 small jalapeno, deveined and seeds removed (leave the veins for a spicier dressing)
1/4 cup of fresh cilantro
1 tomatillo, husks removed, chopped
1 clove garlic
1 scallion
juice of 1 lime
1/2 tsp dried parsley flakes
1/8 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
1/2 tsp salt
a pinch of xanthan gum 

What To Do:Combine all ingredients in a blender. Taste and adjust as desired. Refrigerate in an airtight container up to one week. 

To ensure desired consistency, only add a small amount of buttermilk to start and then add a little at a time to thin out the dressing to your preference. 

Recipe adapted from Skinny Taste

Homemade Flour Tortillas

Growing up there was a Mexican restaurant that my family used to frequent. My favorite part of eating out there was the large tortilla press in the corner of the restaurant which churned out tortillas like nobody's business. My sister and I would hang onto the wrought iron gate surrounding it, watching its methodical spinning, pressing and flipping of delicious tortillas. I know that corn tortillas are healthier, but I have always been a flour tortilla girl. Who would have thought that years later I would be making my own homemade tortillas, as good as the restaurants? I was so impressed with how these came out, and I will definitely be making them again! They only take 20-30 minutes and taste exponentially better than store-bought varieties!

I used shortening to make mine, but you can substitute with other options. Also, the recipe employs the use of a food processor. I used my stand mixer with the dough hook. You can also use a pastry cutter or two forks to the same effect. 

I highly recommend these for your next taco night! 

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 heaping tsp salt
5 Tbsp shortening ( can substitute with lard, softened butter, or olive oil)
3/4 cup warm water

Instructions:
Pulse the flour, baking powder, and salt a few times in your food processor fitted with the dough blade.Add the shortening and process until the mixture is uniformly crumbly.

With the food processor on, slowly stream in the water, just until the dry ingredients form a ball and starts traveling around the bowl (you might not use all of the water or you might need a little more). Let the dough knead for about 30 seconds. The dough should clean the sides of the bowl, be soft and not overly sticky. 

Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and divide dough into 12 equal portions. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rest for 10 minutes.

Heat a large, dry saute pan over medium high heat.

With a rolling pin, roll the dough balls into thin rounds, dusting the top with just enough flour to keep the tortilla from sticking to the rolling pin.

Lay tortilla flat in the heated pan and cook on each side for ~20 seconds, until the bubbled areas brown. Don't leave over the heat too long or they will be too stiff to fold! Keep covered with a kitchen towel to keep warm and pliable. Eat warm.

Recipe from Confections of a Foodie Bride

Easy Guacamole

Fresh guacamole is one of life's most wonderful things. There's just something about the combination of rich avocado with diced onions, tomatoes and jalapenos with just a squeeze of lime juice that begs you to keep dipping tortilla chips into it. 


Okay, so guacamole is my crack.


And sometimes, I don't have onions, tomatoes and jalapenos on hand to mix in. So the trick I learned (from a legit Hispanic family, so don't hate) is to mix in some salsa! It already has all of the flavors you would mix into the guacamole all melded together in its own delicious form.  So if you don't have time to dice up all the fresh veggies, this is a perfectly acceptable and functional alternative. 

What You'll Need: 
3 Haas avocados
salt and fresh cracked black pepper
garlic powder
onion powder
1/2 lime, juiced
3 tablespoons of salsa 


What To Do:
Scoop avocado into a bowl and mash with a fork to desired smoothness or chunkiness. Add salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder to taste. Mix in salsa and lime juice. Adjust to taste. Consume immediately and if, unlike me, you have enough self control to have leftovers, refrigerate for up to 3 days in an airtight container. 


So easy. So addicting. Enjoy responsibly.

Crockpot Carnitas

If you follow along with me on Twitter or Instagram, you know that I could eat tacos

every

single 

day

and never tire of their deliciousness. 

This recipe was so low maintenance and I've been eating the leftovers for five days now. Seriously, what is there to not love about tenderized, flavorful pulled pork? This stuff never dries out and pairs well with so many different flavors!

I actually used a 3 lb roast and reduced the cooking time by a couple of hours. It still made enough to feed a small army. You can also substitute broth, ginger ale or cola for the beer.

What You'll Need:

5-6 pounds pork shoulder roast (or butt)

1 tablespoons canola oil

8 ounces of your favorite beer

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 tablespoons smoked paprika

1/2 tablespoon cumin

1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder

1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

What To Do:

Combine seasonings together in a bowl and mix until combined. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add oil. Once hot, add pork and sear on all sides until golden brown (about 2 minutes per side).

Add pork to the crockpot and sprinkle seasonings all over. Pour in beer, then cook on low for 10-12 hours. Check once or twice if possible and if needed, add more beer (I did not add any). Before serving, use forks or kitchen tongs to shred pork. Let sit on low or warm for another 20-30 minutes before serving.

Recipe from How Sweet Eats

Top your taco with your favorite toppings! My go to is avocado slices and sour cream but you could also mix and match the following:

• diced onion
• cilantro
• avocado slices
• pico de gallo
• diced mango 
• sour cream/ greek yogurt
• sliced jalapeno
• fresh squeezed lime 
• layer in bowl with rice, pinto beans, meat, and top with any of the above

Black Bean Patties with Corn Relish

I'm pretty far from vegetarian, but I'm pretty open to delicious food. I also run out of food sometimes and have to be creative with what's in the fridge and pantry.

So one day I had leftover black beans, chipotle in adobo sauce and corn and needed to use them quick. I remembered this recipe from Annie and went for it!

I only made about 1/4 the amount the recipe calls for and I didn't have all of the ingredients it is quite forgiving! I'm not a fan of bell peppers (scandalous, I know) so I left them out. I also didn't have a jalapeno for the corn relish or avocado to make an avocado crema. I just subbed in my favorite chipotle ranch instead! It was plenty spicy enough.

These black bean patties were packed with flavor and were super filling. I didn't even finish two! These would be great for Meatless Monday or really any day of the week :)

Black Bean Patties
2 (15 oz.) cans black beans, drained and rinsed, divided
2 roasted red bell peppers, divided
2 eggs
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. cumin
2 cloves garlic
1/2 chipotle in adobo, chopped
1 onion, finely diced
1/2 – 2/3 cup cornmeal, breadcrumbs, or panko (or a combination)
salt and pepper
Canola oil

Place 1 can of drained black beans, 1 coarsely chopped red pepper, eggs, oregano, cumin, garlic, and chipotle in a food processor. Pulse process until well-combined and relatively smooth. Finely dice the remaining red pepper. In a bowl, lightly mash the remaining can of black beans (not completely, just enough to smash each one). Add the diced red pepper, onion, and the mixture from the food processor.  Season to taste with salt and pepper (I used about 3/4 tsp. salt). Stir in the cornmeal/breadcrumbs a little at a time, and mix lightly until the mixture firms up. It doesn’t have to be super firm, but enough that you can pick up a piece and roll it into a ball in your hands. Place the mixture in the fridge for 30 minutes or longer. Form the mixture into patties. Heat a nonstick skillet with a little canola oil over medium heat. Add the patties in batches and cook until done, flipping halfway through (about 5-6 minutes total for small patties and 8-12 minutes total for bigger burgers).

Corn Relish
2 tsp. canola oil
2 cups corn
1 clove garlic, minced
1 jalapeno, minced
1 medium tomato, seeded and diced
1 lime, juiced (about 2-3 Tbsp.)
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Heat a pan over medium-high heat and add the canola oil. Stir in the corn, and let it sit for about 1-2 minutes before stirring. Continue to saute until lightly browned. Stir in the garlic and jalapeno, just until fragrant – about 30-60 seconds. Place the mixture in a bowl. To the bowl, add the tomato, lime juice, cilantro/parsley, and salt and pepper to taste.

Avocado Cream
1 avocado, pitted and cut into a few pieces
1/2 cup light sour cream
1 lime, juiced
salt and pepper to taste

Puree all ingredients in a food processor until smooth.

Recipe from Annie's Eats, originally from Elly Says Opa

Don't forget to enter the giveaway and to support missions! 

Winner announced Friday!

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Here are some delicious Mexican inspired recipes to help you celebrate today!

Queso Blanco

Taco Soup

Beans a la Charra 

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas 

Fish Tacos with Avocado Pico de Gallo and Chipotle Ranch

Carne Guisada

Grilled Fish Tacos with Mango Cucumber Salsa and Chipotle Crema

Sopapilla Cheesecake

Creamy Chicken Taquitos

(great with queso blanco and guacamole!)

So yes, this is a terrible iPhone picture... but these taquitos are absolutely delicious and I wanted to share even without a nice, edited photo. These are far from the frozen, tasteless guys that you can pop in the microwave. 

These are:

 creamy

 full of flavor 

and can definitely constitute a meal. 

Plus because tortillas and pulled chicken are cheap, 

it's easy to make a large quantity all at once! 

And they're great for parties because they don't require utensils.

They're also healthier than the frozen/restaurant variety 

because these are baked instead of fried.

Have I sold you on them yet?

Definitely try these out, where or not you've got a fiesta planned for Saturday! 

What You'll Need:

• 3 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup green salsa
• 1 Tbsp fresh lime juice (juice from half a lime)
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 Tbsp chopped cilantro
• 2 Tbsp sliced green onions
• 2 cups shredded cooked chicken
• 1 cup shredded Mexican flavored cheese
• small flour or corn tortillas
• kosher salt
• cooking spray

What To Do:

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, mix the cream cheese, salsa, lime juice, ground cumin, chili powder, onion powder and garlic. Once combined, stir in the cilantro and green onions. Add the chicken and cheese; mix thoroughly.

(If you decided to prep this in advance, refrigerate the mixture at this point until ready to continue.)

Working with a few tortillas at a time, heat them in the microwave between two paper towels until they are soft enough to roll (about 20 – 30 seconds).

Spoon 2-3 Tablespoons of the chicken mixture onto the lower third of a tortilla. Roll the tortilla as tightly as you can.

Place the rolled tortilla seam side down on the baking sheet. Repeat with remaining tortillas until the mixture is gone. Make sure the taquitos are not touching each other. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle with kosher salt.

Bake for 15 – 20 minutes or until crisp and golden.

Serve with salsa, sour cream or guacamole.

**To freeze: Before baking, freeze the taquitos in a single layer on a baking sheet for about 20 minutes, then place in a labeled freezer bag and store up to 3 months. To bake a frozen taquito (no need to thaw first): Preheat oven to 425 degrees F and bake for 15-20 minutes.

Source: Pennies on a Platter, originally adapted from Our Best Bites

Queso Blanco

This Saturday is Cinco de Mayo! 

(my silly students)

Working at a predominantly Hispanic church , dating a Hispanic guy and living in Texas in general makes me really appreciate all the Mexican heritage around me. The culture is so vibrant and colorful... and the food is some of the best in the world!

(my love)

So I'll be sharing some of my favorite Mexican-influenced recipes between now and then to give you some fun ideas on how you can celebrate this weekend.

This queso blanco is the perfect dip for a Cinco de Mayo party or gathering because it's simple to throw together... and who doesn't like melted cheese?? Serve it with tortilla chips or warm tortillas. I've poured leftover queso over scrambled eggs!

I will note that I use quite a bit more milk/cream than this recipe calls for, probably about 1.5-2 cups as needed to keep it nice and smooth. However, if you can keep your queso dip warm in a crock pot or over a candle warmer, then there should be no problem!

The secret to this melty goodness is White American Cheese

(You can get it at the deli counter at the grocery store)

So make sure you don't substitute in a different white cheese

You can end up with a gooey mess! 

What You’ll Need:

1 tbsp cooking oil

¼ cup white onion, diced

1 large jalapeno, seeds and stem removed, diced

12 oz White American cheese, shredded (ask for 3 slices on 10 at the deli!)

4 oz Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded (but not pre-shredded)

¼- 2/3 cup heavy cream or milk

1 roma tomato, seeded and diced

1small bunch cilantro, roughly chopped

1 small avocado- optional

Tortilla chips 

What To Do:

Heat the oil in a sauté pan. Cook the onion and pepper until softened (about five minutes) and  reduce heat to medium-low. Add the shredded cheese and ¼ cup of the cream. Stir until mostly melted. Add the tomatoes, cilantro, and additional cream a little at a time until you reach desired consistency. Serve warm topped with sliced avocado, along with chips, tortillas or over tacos!

Source: Confections of a Foodie Bride

Carne Guisada

Carne guisada literally translates to stewed meat.

It's a slow cooked, tender, flavorful dish 

[comparable to American beef tips] 

that can be served in tacos, 

I ate mine with avocado and sour cream,

or alongside rice and beans or with mashed potatoes and salad

or like Juan in a Million, with fried potatoes, beans, 

and queso covered scrambled eggs.

(an Austin must... and this is better than their Don Juan!)

So here's how you make the carne guisada!

What You'll Need:

(serves 2)

1 pound of chuck or bottom round beef, cut into 1-inch cubes

(This would be optimal, but I used lean stew meat because it's what I had!)
1 tablespoon of canola oil
1/4 medium onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 diced tomato
1 jalapeno pepper, diced
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/4 cup of chopped cilantro
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 cups of water

1 tablespoon of flour (optional)

What To Do:
In a large pot or a Dutch oven, brown the beef on medium high heat in the oil.

Remove beef from pot and cook on medium heat the onions and jalapeno for about 10 minutes or until the onions are translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.

Throw in the browned beef, add the herbs, spices, water, tomatoes and mix everything really well. Turn up the heat to high, bring the stew to a boil and then turn heat down to low and simmer for five hours, stirring occasionally.(I actually transferred the meat to the slow cooker and this point so I didn't have the stove burning all day.) 

Optional- Once cooked, remove the beef with a slotted spoon and pour the remaining liquid into a blender or food processor and puree. Return liquid to your pot and add beef back in, simmering another fifteen minutes. 

Also, if the gravy is not as thick as you'd like, remove one cup of liquid. Stir one tablespoon of flour into the liquid until combined. Pour back into the pot and stir well, allowing to simmer and thicken.

Recipe adapted from Homesick Texan

It's really good!