Southwestern Beef & Bean Burger Wraps

• 12 ounces 93%-lean ground beef
• 1 cup refried beans
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 tablespoon chopped pickled jalapenos
• 1 avocado, peeled and pitted
• 1/2 cup prepared salsa
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
• 4 whole-wheat tortillas, warmed (see Tip)
• 2 cups shredded romaine lettuce
• 1/2 cup shredded pepper Jack cheese
• 1 lime, cut into 4 wedges

Preparation

1. Position oven rack in upper third of oven; preheat broiler. Coat a broiler pan with cooking spray.
2. Gently combine ground beef, beans, cilantro and jalapenos in a medium bowl (do not overmix). Shape into four 5-by-2-inch oblong patties and place on the prepared pan.
3. Broil the patties until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center reads 165°F, 12 to 14 minutes. We don't have a broiler pan, so I used a George Foreman.
4. Meanwhile, mash together avocado, salsa and garlic powder in a small bowl.
5. Place tortillas on a clean work surface. Spread each with the guacamole, then sprinkle with lettuce and cheese. Top each with a burger and roll into a wrap. Serve immediately, with lime wedges.

Tips & Notes

• Tip: To warm tortillas: Wrap in foil; bake at 300°F until steaming, about 5 minutes. Or wrap in barely damp paper towels and microwave on High for 30 to 45 seconds. 

Amanda

Quesadillas

2 cups Pinto beans, Drained

1 cup Sliced Green Onions

8 oz, Taco Blend Grated Cheese

6-8'FlourTortillas

Sour Cream

Salsa 

Combine beans, green onions and cheese in a bowl. Top three tortillas with equal amounts of bean mixture, lay a second tortilla 0n top forming a sandwich. Grill each in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat until filling is melted, flipping once. Cut into pie shaped pieces. Serve with salsa and sour cream.

Amanda

Enchilada Casser-Ole!

Ingredients

• 1 pound lean ground beef (90% lean)
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 cups salsa
• 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/4 cup reduced-fat Italian salad dressing
• 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium taco seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 6 flour tortillas (8 inches)
• 3/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded reduced-fat Mexican cheese blend
• 1 cup shredded lettuce
• 1 medium tomato, chopped
• 1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro

Directions

• In a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the salsa, beans, dressing, taco seasoning and cumin. Place three tortillas in a 2-qt. baking dish coated with cooking spray. Layer with half of the meat mixture, sour cream and cheese. Repeat layers.
• Cover and bake at 400° for 25 minutes. Uncover; bake 5-10 minutes longer or until heated through. Let stand for 5 minutes before topping with lettuce, tomato and cilantro.

Amanda

Tacozagna

Click here for a link to the tacozagna recipe I made last week: Or just look below.

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
• 2 1/2 pounds ground turkey or ground sirloin
• 1 zucchini
• 2 carrots, peeled
• 1 onion, peeled
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled
• 3 tablespoons chili powder, 3 palm fulls
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin, 2/3 palm full
• 1 tablespoon coriander, a palm full
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup beef stock
• 6 (8-inch) flour tortillas
• 3 cups shredded Chihuahua cheese or Monterey Jack
• 4 scallions, chopped
• 2 hearts romaine lettuce, chopped
• 3 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Heat a large high sided skillet over medium-high heat with 2 tablespoons vegetable oil. Add the meat and brown, 5 minutes. While meat browns, grate the zucchini and carrots with a box grater. Add the vegetables to the meat and grate in the onion and garlic. Season the meat with chili, cumin, coriander, salt and pepper and cook 7 to 8 minutes more to soften vegetables. Stir in beef stock. Grease a 8 by 13-inch baking pan with vegetable oil. Layer in 3 overlapping flour tortillas and top with 1/3 meat, 1/3 cheese. Repeat the layers twice and bake 10 to 12 minutes to brown cheese. Top with scallions, lettuce and tomatoes, cut into squares and serve.

Black Beans with Chorizo and Spinach

Ingredients
2 poblano peppers
10 oz. Mexican (not Spanish) chorizo sausage
10 oz. spinach
2- 15oz. cans of black beans
1/2 cup queso añejo (sometimes called queso cotija)
1/2 cup sliced red onion


Instructions
1. Wash the poblano peppers and place them on a baking sheet under the broiler until the skin begins to blacken and blister, then turn them over and blacken the other side.  Remove them from the oven and allow them to cool.


2. Remove the casing from the chorizo and cook over medium heat in a large soup pot.  Stir regularly and break into small pieces, about 8 to 10 minutes.  It can be hard to tell when the chorizo is finished since it looks the same before and after cooking, so keeping a timer on is a good idea.


3. While the chorizo is cooking, place the spinach in a microwaveable bowl, cover with plastic wrap, poke a few holes in it, and cook on high for 2 minutes to wilt the spinach.  Set aside.


4. Once the chorizo is ready, add the beans with their liquid, and 1 cup of water.  Simmer for 10 minutes.


5.  Remove the stems and seeds from the poblanos, and peel off as much of the skin as possible.  Cut them into thin strips, about 1/4 inch, and add to the beans.  Add the spinach, and return to a boil for 5 minutes.


6. Remove beans from heat and add cheese and onions.

Flautas

Ingredients
30 Corn Tortillas
3 lbs. Chicken
Oil for frying
Salsa
Sour Cream
1 Head of Lettuce
Limes

Instructions
1. Cook and once it has cooled, shred the chicken.  It can really be any piece of the chicken cooked any way.  We usually boil breasts or thighs or roast a whole chicken in the oven.
2. Heat tortillas in a pan or for about 40 seconds in the microwave.  You just want them to be flexible enough to roll.
3.  Heat oil in frying pan over medium heat.  You only need about a half inch to an inch deep oil.  While oil is heating roll tortillas around chicken, and stick a toothpick through the middle.  You can use one toothpick for 2 flautas.
3. Fry flautas a few at a time until they are a light golden brown.  Remove from the oil allowing any excess oil to drip off and then let rest on paper towels.
4.  Serve with salsa, sour cream, shredded lettuce and lime juice.

Chicken Tortilla Soup (serves 4)

2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

1/2 teaspoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

2 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth

1 cup frozen corn kernels

1 cup chopped onion

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 cup chunky salsa (medium or hot preferably)

In a large pot over medium heat, saute the chicken in the oil for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cumin and mix well. Then add the broth, corn, onion, chili powder, lemon juice and salsa.  Add can of beans if desired.  Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 20 to 30 minutes.

Break up some tortilla chips into individual bowls and pour soup over chips. Top with cheese, sour cream and chives (optional).

Johan

Black Bean and Plantain Rice

Ingredients

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 cup long or medium grain rice
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 large garlic cloves, peeled and finely diced
1 20 ounce can of black beans

2 ripe (black and soft) plantains
3 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup chopped parsley or cilantro (optional)


Instructions

1. In a sauce pan with fitted lid, measure oil in pan and set over medium heat. Add rice and onion, and cook, stirring regularly, until both are lightly browned, 7 to 10 minutes. Mix in garlic and cook a minute longer.

2. Drain the liquid from the beans.  Add the beans, broth and salt to the rice and stir. Cover pot and reduce heat to low. Cook 15 minutes, then turn off the heat and let the rice stand 10 minutes, covered, until the grains are tender.

3. Dice plantain into 1/4 inch cubes, and finely chop parsley or cilantro.  Fluff rice and mix in plantain and parsley or cilantro.

Pork Tamales

makes 48 tamales / 16 servings

INGREDIENTS

FILLING

4 pounds pork leg or shoulder

16 guajillo chiles

3 cloves garlic

3 cups water

½ teaspoon Mexican oregano

DOUGH

6 cups Maseca brand Masa for Tamales

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

2 cups Lard

6 cups warm chicken stock or water

Corn husks- at least 50

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Remove stems and seeds from chiles.  Place chiles in enough hot water to cover them for 20 minutes.  Transfer chiles, water, and whole garlic cloves to a food processor and puree.

2. Remove any skin or bone from the meat, and trim as much fat as possible.  Cut into ½ inch cubes.  Add chile puree, 3 cups of water, and pork to large pot.  Simmer over low heat for an hour or until pork is tender enough to pull apart with a fork and puree has reduced to a thick sauce.  Remove from heat, and shred with a fork.  Add optional Mexican oregano.

3.  Whisk the Maseca, baking powder, and salt together.  Add the lard and mix to a uniform consistency.  Form it into a volcano and mix in stock or water 2 cups at a time.

4.  Soak corn husks in warm water for 20 minutes.  Tear 2 or 3 husks into thin strips to use as ties for the formed tamales.

5. Form tamales by flattening a corn husk, spreading a large spoonful of dough onto the husk with the back side of a spoon in the shape of a rectangle with about a ½ inch border around the edge.  Place pork in the middle of the dough, roll husk lengthwise, fold up the small end, and tie with one of the thin strips of corn husk.

6. Heat a pot of water to a boil over medium heat.  A tamale steamer (sold as a tamalera or vaporera in Mexican supermarkets) works best, but you can also use a large stock pot with a vegetable steamer placed in the bottom.  Steam tamales for 90 minutes.