Mexican Stuffed Shells

More pantry clearing out for me!  My little family of 4 isn't quite big enough to use an entire box of pasta
shells.  So I usually end up with half a box leftover, sitting in my pantry, forever.  Along with the half eaten box of pop tarts.  I also have a good stockpile of salsa.  One of our favorite snacks is good old salsa and chips.  So rather than try to make a typical pasta recipe with marinara sauce, I thought I'd try my hand at a southwestern twist.

I've seen plenty of these recipes floating around, with most of them being a simple meat and cheese recipe.  But I wanted something with a little more substance.  Grab a can of black beans and corn out of the pantry.  And I had to add my favorite garden herb - cilantro.  When I added all these to a basic taco meat, it was perfect.  Another great recipe as a result of wanting what was in my pantry instead of wasting it.

Mexican Stuffed Shells

Ingredients:

1/2 box pasta shells
1 lb. ground turkey
1 Tbs. olive oil
1/2 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
1/3 cup water
1 packet reduced sodium taco seasoning
8 oz. cream cheese, cubed
1/2 can (1 cup) black beans, rinsed
1/2 can (1 cup) corn, drained
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 1/2 cup salsa
2 cups taco sauce
2 cups shredded Mexican cheese
1 avocado, seeded and cubed

Directions:

1. Cook pasta shells according to package instructions.  After draining, place shells on parchment paper to prevent them from sticking to each other.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9x13 pan with cooking spray.

3. In a large skillet, brown ground turkey over medium heat.  Once browned, add olive oil and toss with ground turkey.  Add chopped onion and cook until translucent.  Add water and taco seasoning.  Cook for approximately 5 minutes to thicken sauce.

4. Add cream cheese to skillet and stir constantly with meat until cheese melts.  Remove from heat.  Add beans, corn, and cilantro.  Stir until combined.

5. Pour salsa into bottom of pan.  Using a spoon, fill shells with meat mixture and place into pan.  Pour taco sauce over the shells, making sure to cover all the exposed pasta.  Sprinkle with shredded cheese and cubed avocado.

6.  Cook for 20-30 minutes or until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbly.  Remove from oven and allow to sit for 5-10 minutes before serving.  Serve with more sliced avocado and sour cream.

Serves 8

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• Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup (Dora Soup)

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Cinco de Mayo Recipes

It's Cinco de Mayo!  Are you celebrating?  We are.  We have a love for Mexican food in this house, and Cinco de Mayo just gives me an excuse to cook more.  And while I love Tex Mex food as well, there is nothing quite like authentic, fresh, Mexican food.  When we went on our cruise to Mexico a few years ago, I got a taste of true Mexican cuisine, and I fell in love.  Now, I can't stand to buy tortillas in the store, salsa in the jar, or even beans in a can.  Once you realize how easy it is to make these things at home, the simple ingredients, and how fresh they taste, it's hard to go back.  Here's a few ideas for you for your Cinco de Mayo celebration.

Flour Tortillas

Chicken Enchiladas

Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

Pico de Gallo

Steak Fajitas

Slow Cooker Carnitas (This is what we're having!)

Fish Tacos

But if you're looking for something a little more Tex Mex, try my version of Cafe Rio's Chicken Salad.  Seriously my favorite copy cat recipe!  Complete with recipes for the tortillas, Cilantro Lime Rice, Slow Cooker Black Beans, Pico de Gallo, Guacamole, and Creamy Tomatillo Ranch dressing.

Related articles

• My Favorite Things - Slow Cookers
• Slow Cooker Rotisserie Chicken
• School Lunch and Meal Plan
• Month In Review and a Winner

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Shredded Chicken Taquitos

I have had Picky Palates' cookbook sitting on my shelf for almost a year now.  And I FINALLY got around to whipping up one of her recipes.  Flipping through, this recipe jumped out at me - simple and would appeal to my whole family.  But I wanted to spruce it up just a tad.  My family likes a little kick to our Mexican food, so a touch of cayenne pepper was called for.  After preparing it, I also thought about adding some black beans next time.  That would make this a little heartier for dinner.  Next time.

The dipping sauce is one of my recipes.  It's the Avocado Dipping Sauce from my Southwest Egg Rolls.  Adapted for this though, I used cilantro instead of parsley.  It's a great pairing and had my kids begging for leftovers the next day for lunch.  

Shredded Chicken Taquitos

(Adapted from The Picky Palate)

Ingredients:

2 Tbs. olive oil
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (10 oz.) diced tomatoes with green chilies
2 chicken breasts, boiled and shredded
3 Tbs. fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese
10 flour tortillas
Cooking spray

Dipping Sauce:

2 avocados
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
3 Tbs. milk
2 Tbs. vinegar
1/4 tsp. salt
2 Tbs. fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 dash of black pepper

Directions:

1. Add olive oil to a large skillet and heat over medium high heat.  Add bell pepper and onion.  Saute for about 5 minutes or until onion begins to be translucent.  Add garlic and saute for about 1 minute.  Add tomatoes, chicken, cilantro, salt, cumin, pepper, and cayenne pepper.  Stir over heat for about 3 minutes or until heated through.  Remove from heat and add cheese.  Stir until cheese is melted and incorporated.

2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray.  Lay tortillas out.  Spread 1/3 cup of filling on each tortilla and roll up tightly.  Lay taquito on baking sheet, seam side down.  Spray wrapped taquitos with cooking spray.

3. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the tortillas are crispy.

4. While taquitos are baking, prepare dipping sauce.  Add all ingredients in a food processor.  Mix until avocado is pureed and ingredients are incorporated.  Pour into single serving bowls and serve with warm taquitos.

Serves 5

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Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup (Dora Soup)

The first time I made Chicken Tortilla Soup, K1 was about 2.  And she was very into Dora the Explorer.  Which was also about the time that Bryan Regan came out with his theory of the Map Song (go look it up on YouTube - HILARIOUS!).  But I digress.  So when she asked what I was making, and she heard the word "Tortilla," she immediately recognized it as a word she heard on Dora and promptly renamed this "Dora Soup."  And to this day, it has stuck. So if you see me put this on my meal plan as "Dora Soup," you'll know what it is.

This is a very simple soup to make. Outside of boiling the chicken (follow me on Instagram for a tip on boiling chicken!), it's a dump soup - all you have to do is dump everything into the slow cooker.  It is that simple.  This is seriously one of my favorite soups because the prep time is so little. Now, one thing I should mention - when I buy the canned vegis, I make sure to buy low sodium tomatoes and no salt corn.  Sorry, leave that out for me.  I'd rather add my own spices than laden it with salt.  Then top it with some fresh cilantro and avocado - wowzers, it's so yummy!  

Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

Ingredients:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, boiled and shredded
1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes
1 (14.5 oz.) can red enchilada sauce
1 (15.25 oz.) can corn, drained
1 (4 oz.) can chopped green chilies
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups chicken broth
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 bay leaf
2 Tbs. chopped cilantro


For Garnish:

Sliced Avocado
Grated Cheese
Sour Cream
Tortilla Strips

Directions:

1. In crock pot, combine shredded chicken, diced tomatoes, enchilada sauce, corn, onion, green chilies and garlic. Add water, chicken broth, cumin, chili powder, salt, black pepper and bay leaf. Stir in cilantro.

2. Cover and cook on LOW 6 to 8 hours or on HIGH 3 to 4 hours.

3. Remove and discard bay leaf.

4. Sprinkle tortilla strips, cheese, and sour cream over soup. Serve immediately.

Serves 8

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Southwest Egg Rolls with Avocado Dipping Sauce

So I have an obsession.  No, it's not Jeremy Renner.  No, it's not chocolate.  When I go to a restaurant, I love to try new foods and then recreate them at home.  So several years ago, before we had kids, The Hubs and I found something that I HAD to figure out how to make - Chili's Southwest Egg Rolls.  We LOVE those things.  So it created an itch that I had to scratch.

I set out on a creative adventure.  Whenever I think of Southwest food, I think of chicken, corn, black beans, and peppers.  Cumin, chili powder, cayenne pepper.  And cheese - who could forget the cheese?  Chili's rolls are made with tortillas.  But I could never get them to roll correctly without all the filling falling out.  And then the thought hit me - uh, dur, egg rolls?  Why not use egg roll wrappers?  I could fry those babies up and they'd be crispy and keep all the filling inside. These are a meal in and of themselves, but you can serve them as an appetizer or side dish to another meal.  But I do need to warn you - they are addictive and delicious.  You probably won't be able to stop at just one.

Now, before we go into the recipe, I should give you a heads up that this is labor intensive.  It takes about 1-2 hours of prep work.  But the cook time is minimal.  I actually prefer to make these and freeze them in 3 batches for my family of 4.  Just wrap each egg roll in wax paper before you freeze them or they will stick together.  So it is a meal that takes some time to prep but produces a large quantity.  And they freeze really well.

Southwest Egg Rolls with Avocado Dipping Sauce  

Ingredients:

Egg Rolls:

6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
2 Tbs. olive oil
Kosher salt
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 bunch green onions, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (15 oz.) corn, drained
1 can (15 oz.) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (4.5 oz.) diced green chilies
10 oz. frozen spinach, thawed and drained
2 Tbs. fresh parsley, minced
2 tsp. cumin
2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
3 cups Mexican Style cheese, shredded
1 package (20 count) egg roll wrappers

Dipping Sauce:

2 avocados
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
3 Tbs. buttermilk
2 Tbs. white vinegar
1/4 tsp. salt
2 Tbs. fresh parsley
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 dash pepper

Directions:

1. Pour olive oil into a large skillet and preheat over medium heat.  Add chicken thighs and sprinkle with salt.  Cook for 5 minutes on each side or until cooked through.  Remove from skillet and place in a food processor.  Pulse a few times to chop.

2. Add bell pepper, green onion, and garlic to pan and saute, scraping bottom of pan while cooking.  Cook for 4-5 minutes or until vegetables are tender.  Add chicken and heat through.  

3. Add corn, beans, green chilies, spinach, and parsley to pan.  Cook until warmed through and spinach separates.  Add cumin, chili powder, salt, and cayenne pepper.  Stir to mix.  Remove from heat.

4. Add cheese and mix well until cheese is melted.  Set aside and allow to cool for a few minutes.

5. Line a baking sheet with wax paper.  Place a single egg roll wrapper flat on surface, with a point towards you (it should look like a diamond, not a square).  Place a large spoonful of mixture into the center of the wrapper.  Fold bottom corner over mixture.  Fold side corners in to make an envelope.  Roll wrapper towards top corner, making sure ends are tucked in.  Place wrapped roll on lined baking sheet.  Repeat with other wrappers.

6. Place baking sheet in freezer and allow to freeze for 2-3 hours.  

7. While egg rolls are freezing, make dipping sauce.  Add all ingredients into a blender or food processor and process until smooth.  Refrigerate until serving.

8. Add oil to deep fryer per product instructions.  Preheat to 350 degrees.  If you don't have a deep fryer, see note below.  When oil reaches temperature, add egg rolls and fry until golden brown, approximately 4 minutes.  Remove from oil and place on a plate lined with paper towels to soak up excess oil.  Serve with dipping sauce.

*Note: If you do not have a deep fryer, you can cook the egg rolls in the oven.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray.  Place rolls on baking sheet and brush with olive oil.  Bake for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.

Serves 10

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Steak Fajitas

Anyone else a fan of "Friends?"  Remember the episode with the awkward date between Ross, Charli, Joey, and Rachel?  Ross tries to convince them all that he's fine with the situation and announces that he's going to make "FAJITAS!"  Oh my gosh, I love that episode.  I am a HUGE fan of Friends - I own all 10 seasons, #10 being my first Christmas gift from The Hubs.  (Have I ever told you how much I love that man?)









So Fajitas.  This was a dish that frequented our dinner table when I was growing up.  Both my parents love fajitas.  But, as is my style, I had to up it a notch.  I'm not a big fan of packaged marinades.  They contain a lot of sodium.  I'd rather use fresh ingredients.  Plus, my version has orange juice in it.  It just something for the meat that makes it so UH-mazing.  Then, you add the vegis, the flour tortillas, and the extras, and you're instantly transported to food coma.

Steak Fajitas

Ingredients:

2 lbs. steak
Marinade
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 onion, thinly sliced
Flour tortillas
Guacamole
Salsa
Sour Cream
Fresh Cilantro


Marinade:

1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup orange juice
4 Tbs. olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 chipolte chiles in adobo sauce
3 Tbs. chopped fresh cilantro
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. salt

Directions:

1. To make marinade, add all ingredients to food processor and puree until smooth.  Pour into resealable gallon size bag.

2. Add steak to bag with marinade.  Allow to marinade in refrigerator for 12-24 hours.

3. Preheat large skillet on medium high heat.  Remove beef from marinade.  Cook steak over medium high heat for 4-6 minutes on each side.  Remove to cutting board and allow to rest (this will lock in juices).  

4. Pour remainder of marinade into skillet and cook for 2 minutes.  Place vegetables in skillet and cook until tender.

5. Before serving, slice the steak into strips against the grain.  Serve with vegetables, tortillas, and condiments.

Serves 6

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Slow Cooker Tacos Carnitas

I have always loved Mexican food.  Like "wipe the drool off my chin" loved it.  And then the Hubs and I went on a cruise to Cabo San Lucas and Puerto Vallarta last year.  Oh.My.Lanta.  My love turned into an obsession.





When we got home, I went on a spree to create as many authentic tasting recipes as I could come up with to imitate what we ate while in Mexico.  One of those dishes was Carnitas.  Carnitas is translated as "little meats."  While this dish doesn't start out as little meats, it ends up that way.  It starts with a nice 2 pound flank steak.  Add a little here and a little there and you end up with a mouth watering entree.

It's full of a variety of flavors, from the wonderful richness of the steak, the spiciness of the rub, the sweetness in the red peppers, it is just fantastic.  And despite the lack of fluids in the cooking process, the meat remains moist and tender.  Add some homemade tortillas and you have yourself a great, authentic Mexican feast.

SLOW COOKER TACOS CARNITAS

Ingredients:

2 lbs. flank steak
Steak Rub (see below)
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
Tortillas
Avocado
Cotijas cheese
Cilantro
Lime

Steak Rub:

2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

Directions:

1. Combine ingredients for steak rub in a small bowl.  Rub over steak and place steak in slow cooker.  Add onion and peppers.  Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 5 hours.

2. Remove meat from slow cooker and shred with a fork.  Serve with tortillas, avocado, cilantro and lime.

Serves 6

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Flour Tortillas

Have you ever had an authentic tortilla?  If you've eaten at Cafe Rio or a nice Mexican restaurant you have.  For me, I have always loved authentic tortillas, but was always intimidated by trying to make them. I could never get them right - they were always too moist or too dry or too thick.  So I gave up trying to make them and just went to the local Mexican restaurant to buy them, which can get expensive.



Then we went to Mexico.  And I was converted.  When we came back I tried to eat a store bought one and about gagged.  Like I ate the rest of my meal without the tortilla.  So I went on a mission to figure.it.out.  I was NOT going to eat another store bought tortilla.  For me, they are too thick and mealy.  I even went out and bought a fancy tortilla press, hoping it would help to get the tortillas thin enough. The one good thing that did happen was I received a nice cast iron skillet for Christmas to cook tortillas on.

I tried lard.  But I could never get the tortilla to retain moisture.  So, I finally gave up on lard and opted for canola oil.  It worked!  But the biggest key here is making sure your tortilla dough is workable is to have your water HOT HOT HOT!  As in on the verge of boiling hot.  That way your oil is worked into the dough well.  Make sure your tortillas are rolled out thin as well.  If you have a granite countertop like mine, you should be able to see the pattern of the granite through the tortilla as you roll it out.

Flour Tortillas

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking powder
3 Tbs. oil
1/2 cup HOT water

Directions:

1. Preheat cast iron skillet over medium heat (DO NOT GREASE!).

2. Combine flour, salt, baking powder, and oil in a large bowl.  Add hot water and stir to combine.  You may add more hot water, 1 tbs. at a time, until dough remove from sides of bowl.  Dough should be slightly sticky.  Form dough into a ball.

3. Using a sharp knife, cut ball into eighths (cut into sixteenths for smaller, fajita style tortillas).  Roll each portion into a smaller ball and place back into bowl.  Cover with a towel to keep dough from drying out.

4. Roll each small ball out until flat and transparent.  Transfer to skillet and cook until bubbles begin to form, then flip and cook until slightly browned.  DO NOT BURN or tortilla will be dry and hard.  Remove cooked tortilla to tortilla warmer until serving.

Makes 8-16 tortillas

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Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 Tbs. season salt
8 flour tortillas
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can green chilies
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, cut into cubes
3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
2 cans green enchilada sauce
1/2 cup Cotijas cheese
Sour Cream
Cilantro
Avocado

Directions:

1. Cook chicken breasts by filling large saucepan halfway with cold water. Place chicken in saucepan. Add salt and pepper to water. Cook over medium-high heat for 1/2 hour or until chicken is cooked all the way through. When done, turn off heat but leave pan on stove top and cover with lid. Allow to sit for 20 minutes, then remove chicken from water - doing this will keep chicken from drying out. Allow to cool and then shred using forks or food processor.

2. Combine ingredients in a large bowl, except 1 cup of cheese, enchilada sauce, sour cream, and avocado.  Pour 1 can of enchilada sauce into bottom of 9x13 pan.  Lay a tortilla flat and scoop 1/2 cup of filling onto tortilla.  Wrap tortilla, burrito style, and lay it, fold down, in the pan.  Repeat with remaining tortillas.  Pour remaining can of enchilada sauce over tortillas and top with Cotijas cheese.

3. Cover pan with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.  Remove foil and cook for another 15 minutes or until cheese has browned.  Serve with avocado, cilantro, and sour cream. 

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Cafe Rio Salad

Ingredients:

Flour Tortillas
Cilantro Lime Rice
Black Beans
Grilled Chicken, diced
Romaine Lettuce, chopped
Pico de Gallo
Guacamole
Creamy Tomatillo Dressing
Cotijas Cheese
Limes

Directions:

1. Layer ingredients in order.  Eat.  Enjoy.

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