Baked Soft Taco Roll Ups

Switching up the way we eat tacos is nothing new,  tacos are a family favorite and this recipe did not disappoint.  This recipe is a little spicier than some of the others that I make, but that can be easily fixed if you don't like things quite as spicy as I do by adding less jalepenos to the mix.  I had a tough time coming up with something to call this dish... I don't know all of the technical aspects of what a taco, burrito, enchilada... I just know delicious!

Ingredients:

• 2 Chicken Breasts cooked and shredded
• 1/2 Cup PepperJack Cheese
• 1 Cup Mild Cheddar Cheese (divided)
• 2 Tablespoons of diced Jalepenos (I use the sliced kind from a jar and just chop them up a bit)
• 1/2 of Corn
• 1 Cup of Sour Cream
• 1/3 cup of salsa
• Cayenne Pepper
• 3/4 teaspoon of Cumin
• 1 teaspoon of Salt
• 1/2+ 1 teaspoon Minced Garlic
• 1/3 Cup of Canola Oil
• About 10 8" Flour Tortillas (you can use bigger ones if you would like)
• Optional- serve with a side of shredded lettuce, sour cream, or salsa 

Serves 5

In a small sauce pan add canola oil and 1 teaspoon of minced garlic.  Bring oil to a simmer, this will happen pretty quick because this is not a lot of oil.  Turn off heat and let sit about 10 minutes so that the garlic infuses the oil with flavor.  While that is cooling, combine pepper jack, 1/2 cup mild cheddar, corn, sour cream, jalepenos, cumin, salt, 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic, salsa, and shredded chicken in a large bowl.  Mix well.

Preheat oven to 400.  Place about 1/4 cup of the mixture on one of the tortillas and sprinkle a little more cheese on top.

Fold sides in and place seam side down.  Repeat until all mixture is used.  Then lightly brush each of the roll ups with the garlic olive oil and sprinkle a dash of the cayenne pepper on each one.  I lined my baking sheet with parchment paper for easy clean up!

Bake for 10-12 minutes flipping halfway through.  The baking time will very depending on the size of the tortillas that you use.  You will know they are done when the edges of the tortillas are crispy.

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HOT and Spicy Chicken Fajita Piles

Fajitas, Tacos, burritos, enchiladas- you name it we LOVE it!  In order to eat these things on a weekly basis, they have to be changed up a little bit.  This alternative eliminates the tortilla shell and just piles the same stuff onto a bed of Cilantro Brown Rice.  The flavor of the chicken is awesome!  The lime and chipotle peppers are a perfect combination.

Ingredients:

• 2 Chicken Breasts
• Peppers
• Sliced Mushrooms
• Onion
• Lettuce
• Diced Tomatoes
• Fat Free Sour Cream
• Cilantro Brown Rice

Marinade

• 2 Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce
• 1/4 Teaspoon Minced Garlic
• 3 teaspoons Lime Juice
• 2 Tablespoons water

Combine Marinade ingredients in small food processor until well blended.  Place chicken in zippered storage bag and pour marinade in.  Place in fridge for at least 30 minutes.

 Grill chicken breasts until cooked through.

 Removed chicken from grill and thinly slice.

 While chicken is cooking, begin steaming peppers and onions.  They will take the longest.  Add the mushrooms last as they will take just a couple of minutes.

Place Cilantro Brown Rice on plate and pile on the chicken and veggies and top with lettuce, sour cream, tomatoes, salsa, or cheese.


This recipe was featured on the Marvelous May Menu, be sure to check out the rest of the May Menu.

Tex Mex Breakfast

I am always looking for creative ways to use leftover taco meat. Even though everyone at my house loves taco night, there always seems to be an abundance of leftover meat. I want to use it in a different way, so I decided to use it for breakfast. If you don't have leftover taco meat, you can use sausage or leftover steak or pork as well. This is really a simple recipe and it is easy to use substitutions. I kind of just use whatever I have on hand. I make this for just me and my husband, so the recipe is for 2, so just double it if you're making for more than that.

Ingredients:

• 2 potatoes (I used Idaho because that's what I had, you can use red)
• 2 Tbsp. butter
• Diced onions
• Peppers 
• Salt and pepper
• 1/2 Tbsp. taco seasoning (you could use chili powder if you don't have taco seasoning)
• 2-3 Tbsp. taco meat (or other meat)
• 2 eggs
• Cheese (I used slices of Colby jack because I don't have any shredded cheese, but again, use whatever you got)
• Hot sauce, optional

Cut potatoes into 4ths and then slice. Heat butter in skillet, add potatoes, onions and seasonings.

Stir until well coated, then cover. Cook on medium for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add taco meat and heat over medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

Cover and remove from heat.

Here's my little helper, whisking up some scrambled eggs for his breakfast.

In a different skillet, fry 2 eggs. Add cheese at the end and leave in skillet just long enough to start to melt the cheese.

Place potatoe and meat mixture in bowl, top with fried egg. We like to serve with Red Hot. Delicious!

Mexican Chopped Salad (also gluten free)

I love a chopped salad. I love all the bite size pieces of lettuce and fixins, avoids smearing dressing all over my lips and cheeks while trying to shove too big of pieces of lettuce into my mouth! When trying to eat healthier, the trick is to use a lot of flavor and spices to make up for the fat, salt and sugar. Experimenting with Mexican flavors is perfect when trying new healthy foods. This salad does just that, and doesn't skimp on the flavor. The best part is the dressing and baked tortilla strips! Makes you feel like you're really indulging, but the dressing is made with fat-free greek yogurt andthe tortilla strips are baked.

Dressing:

• 1/2 cup fat free Greek yogurt
• 1/3 cup low fat milk (1% or 2%)
• 1 Tbsp. ranch packet seasoning
• 1/2 Tbsp. taco seasoning
• Dash of lime juice
• Optional- small can diced jalapeños 

Mix above ingredients in small bowl and chill for 30 minutes.

Baked Tortilla Chips:

Take 2 corn tortillas and cut with a pizza roller into strips. Place in single layer on baking sheet, spray with nonstick cooking spray and sprinkle with salt. Bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until crispy.

For the Salad:

• Romain lettuce
• Vine tomatoes
• Red onion
• Avocado
• Boiled egg
• Turkey bacon bits

Chop all ingredients, including the lettuce into small (1/4 inch) pieces. You can add or subtract ingredients for your preference. Use the amount of each item that you like.

Chicken:

I used a chicken breast I already had cooked from another night, but you can use a raw one as well. Cut into strips and season with taco seasoning, chili powder or cumin. I also add a dash of cayenne pepper to make it spicy. Grill on stovetop until cooked thoroughly. You may need to cut some more once finished cooking to achieve the bite size chopped pieces.

Mix all ingredients together except tortilla chips and toss with dressing. Add tortilla chips to the top and serve. Enjoy!

Creamy Corny Rice

This is a creamy rice dish that has just enough spice!  My family likes to scoop it up with tortilla chips, put in on their tacos or burritos, or just eat it with a fork!  

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup uncooked Long Grain Rice
• 14 ounces of Chicken Broth
• 1 1/2 Cups Shredded Pepper Jack Cheese (divided)
• 3/4 Cup Sour Cream
• 1 Cup Corn (frozen or canned)
• Salt and Pepper
• 1- 4 ounce can of diced green chili peppers
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro (if you look closely at the picture my cilantro is in the shape of an ice cube.  I took advice from a friend and froze some left over herbs)

First combine rice and chicken broth is pot.  Bring to a rolling boil and then let it sit.  Be sure to let it sit for 20 minutes to absorb all of the liquid.  Next preheat the oven to 350.  Combine all ingredients in 1.5 quart baking then add in rice and top with remaining pepper jack cheese.  Bake for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted.  I have found that the baking time is less when I use can corn instead of frozen corn.  This is a great side dish to serve with any Mexican inspired dish.  I served mine with the Crispy Crunchy Oven Baked Tacos.  

This recipe was featured in Two Magical Moms March Menu Madness.  Check out the entire menu and try out some of our other YUMMY recipes!

Cha Cha Chicken with Mango Tango Salsa-Nacho Average Chicken Taco! (And gluten free)

This is one of my favorite twists on taco night at our house. It's so full of flavor and super easy to make.

Chicken Ingredients:
1-2 lbs. boneless chicken breasts
1-2 cans Mexican diced or stewed tomatoes
1 can favorite beans (I used pinto this time but use black a lot of the time as well)
1 packet taco seasonings
Corn tortillas ( you can use flour tortillas but then it's not gluten free)
Your favorite toppings- sour cream, cheese, lettuce, avocados

This is pretty simple, you just put it all in crockpot and cook on low 5-6 hours until chicken is easily shred able with fork. The sauce will be pretty runny so I usually take the lid of and turn to warm and let it sit for 15 minutes to let the sauce thicken up. This chicken really has the best flavor!

Salsa Ingredients:
1/2 cup diced mango (fresh or frozen)
1/2 cup diced pineapple (fresh or frozen , I bet you could even use canned as long as it didn't have added sugar and you rinsed and drained very well)
1/4 cup diced red onions
2 jalapeños, seeded and diced (leave in some seeds if you want it spicier)
About a handful of chopped cilantro
Squeeze of lime juice
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients and chill for at least 30 minutes to let flavors combine. You can add many ingredients to this salsa such as chili peppers, oranges, etc but this was just what I had on hand. If you've never had mango salsa on tacos, this might sound a bit odd, but I promise you these flavors are so incredible together! My husband was so skeptical at first ("I do not want fruit on my tacos!") but this is now his favorite way to eat tacos. Think of how good kettle corn popcorn or salted caramel is... The sweet and salty go so well together. It gives boring old tacos the twist it needs (especially if you eat them often like we do).

I hope you'll take my word and try this wonderful recipe out. Enjoy!

This recipe was featured in Two Magical Moms March Menu Madness, Appetizing April Menu and our 30 Days of Dinners June Menu.  Make sure to check out all of the other great recipes on the menus!