Seven Layer Tortilla Pie

Nutritional Information (based on 8 servings)

Calories: 313    Fat: 11 grams      WW Points: 5.8   Points+: 7.8

This is a low-fat dish I found online. This past summer we went with some of our friends to  Nissley Vineyards for their summer concert series. We showed up early to eat dinner before the concert started. So I packed this in a portable pie container along with a foldable table and some candles to enjoy under the starts. It was awesome!

Ingredients:
2 15 oz. cans of pinto beans, drained & rinsed
1 cup hot sauce
2 tsp minced garlic
2 tbsp cilantro paste (obsessed with that stuff!)
1 16 oz. can of black beans, rinsed & drained
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
7 8 inch tortillas
2 cups low fat cheddar cheese, shredded
fat free sour cream

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

In a large bowl mashed pinto beans.

Mix in 3/4 cup hot sauce & the garlic.

In a separate bowl, mix together 1/4 of the hot sauce, cilantro, black beans, and tomato.

Place 1 tortilla in a greased pie plate. Spread 3/4 cup pinto bean mixture over tortilla. Leave some room around the edge.

top with 1/4 cup of cheese.

Cover with another tortilla.

Spread 2/3 cup black bean mixture over and top with 1/4 cup cheese.

Repeat layers two more times.

Top with remaining pinto beans and cheese.

Cover with foil.

Bake for about 40 minutes. 
Cut into pie wedges and serve with additional hot sauce and sour cream.

What do you think? Comments? Suggestions? I would love to know that you visited my blog. Please leave me a message letting me know you were here! Did you try out a recipe? Let me know! I would love to hear from you :-)

Chicken Taquitos

I've always had a strong liking for taquitos from the freezer isle. I don't know what it is, but they are addicting. I found a neat recipe so that I could make my own taquitos. It's very simple and they are easy to make ahead and freeze. 

Ingredients:
3/4 pounds of cooked, shredded chicken (I boil it, then use two forks to shred it)
10 small tortillas
3 oz. fat free cream cheese, softened
1 cup reduced fat shredded cheese mexican blend
1/2 cup red onion, diced

1/4 cup salsa verde
1/4 cup cilantro paste (or fresh cilantro)
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder 
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tbsp chili seasoning
1 tbsp lime juice
Olive oil cooking spray.

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
In a medium bowl mix cream cheese, onions, salsa, cilantro, lime juice, & seasonings.
Add shredded chicken & shredded cheese.
Mix well.
Place about 2 spoonfuls of mixture on the side of tortilla.
Roll up tortilla tightly and place on greased cookie sheet.

Be careful to place it in such a way so that it can't unravel.
Continue with rest of tortillas and mixture.
Spray all over with olive oil cooking spray.
Bake in oven for 20 minutes. 

Watch carefully that they don't burn.
Serve with ranch dressing, guacamole, sour cream, or another yummy dip.


You can make these ahead of time and freeze them. After wrapping the chicken/cheese mixture inside of the tortillas place in gallon-sized freezer bag. When you are ready to eat them you don't have to defrost or thaw. Just place directly in preheated oven and cook for 20 to 30 minutes. Watch carefully. 

I paired the taquitos with this yummy taco salad with spicy ranch dressing. (see below).

What do you think? Comments? Suggestions? I would love to know that you visited my blog. Please leave me a message letting me know you were here! Did you try out a recipe? Let me know! I would love to hear from you :-)

Taco Cups

One of my favorite dishes to make is the Taco Ring. (Pillsbury Dough + Taco Meat = Amazingness) I was asked to bring an appetizer for a dinner party so I decided to make these "mini taco rings". You might see them called taco muffins or taco cups. Either way, they are delicious!

There are lots of different ways to do these. I've seen them with wonton wrappers, pillsbury dough biscuits, or crescent rolls, dough from scratch, and tostito chips. I went with pillsbury dough biscuits. 

I've seen these with black beans, salsa, ground turkey, and ground beef. I went with extra lean ground beef. You can throw in diced onions too. I went with avocados & tomatoes. But you can top with lettuce & sour cream. Endless possibilities, make them your own. 



Ingredients:
3/4 pound lean ground beef or turkey
1 envelope of taco seasoning or 1/4 cup
1/2 cup water
1 can Pillsbury biscuits
1/2 cup tomato, diced

3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese or mexican blend
1 avocado diced


Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Cook ground beef in skillet until brown.
Stir in taco seasoning & water.
Simmer for a few minutes until water is evaporated.
Meanwhile, spray muffin tin with cooking spray.
And place 1 biscuit in each muffin cup and press down on the bottom and partway up the sides forming a cup. (I had 10 biscuits, but used a muffin pan for 12 - see picture).

The trick is to really form a thin muffin cup. It will bubble up when it cooks and you want to make sure they meat & cheese doesn't overflow.
Add meat/onion mixture into center of each cup, but don't add too much.
Bake in oven for about 10 minutes. 
Top with shredded cheese and cook for an additional 5 minutes until cheese is melted.
Top avocado & tomato after removed from the oven.

What do you think? Comments? Suggestions? I would love to know that you visited my blog. Please leave me a message letting me know you were here! Did you try out a recipe? Let me know! I would love to hear from you :-)

Layered Mexican Shrimp Salad

This is an amazing salad. I take back my BEST SALAD EVER POST...this is really the best salad ever! 


I found this on Gina's Skinny Taste, of course. I love Gina's website. She is one of my favorite bloggers. I haven't met a recipe on her site that isn't amazing. I steal a lot of recipes from her. Yum Yum Yum. I also had to steal the recipe for the dressing as well. I made creamy tomatillo salad dressing to compliment this layered shrimp salad. I was so proud of myself because I've never made salad dressing from scratch before and it turned out to be addicting. 

Ingredients:

16 oz. cooked shrimp, tail shells removed

2 tbsp chipotle seasoning
2 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp cilantro paste or fresh cilantro

15 oz can of black beans, drained & rinsed

15 oz can of whole kernel corn, drained & rinsed

1 head of lettuce, shredded

1 small red onion, diced

2 tomatoes, diced
2 avocados, diced

2 cucumbers, diced

1 cup reduced fat, shredded cheddar cheese 

Directions:

Thaw & rinse shrimp.

Mix shrimp in a small bowl with chipotle seasoning, lime juice, & some salt to taste.

In a separate bowl combine corn, beans, cilantro, & red onion.

Place lettuce in the bottom of large clear bowl or trifle dish.

Layer bean/corn mixture on top. 

Then top with cucumber, then tomato.

Top with avocado. (I ran out of avocados so I just spread out the fresh guacamole I had in the fridge)

Then top with the layer of cheese. 

Finish off with the shrimp on the top.

Serve with dressing! 

Mexican Pot Pie

We had friends over putting in our new patio this past spring. (Thanks, guys!) They did an awesome job and we promised them a full meal for their help. So while they were working outside I was working in the kitchen to make this Mexican Pot Pie. It is from the Best of Pillsbury Bake-Off book. Yum! I wound up doubling the recipe and making two whole pies. (I had a lot of hungry men at my house). 


Instead of buying raw chicken and cooking it, I decided to take a short cut (no pun intended) and use the Purdue chicken breast Short Cuts - Southwestern Style. It seemed just too perfect (they were on sale) for me to pass up. 

Ingredients:

1 container of pie crusts (2 crusts per box)

1 package refrigerated southwestern-seasoned chicken breast strips, thawed

1/2 cup uncooked instant rice

1 15 oz. can of black beans, drained & rinsed

1 can kernel corn with red & green peppers, drained

1 can of whole black olives, drained & sliced

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 cup fat free sour cream

1 cup chunky-style medium salsa

2 cups shredded cheese, mexican-style

1 egg, beaten

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Prepare pie crust as directed in pie plate.
In a large bowl mix chicken, rice (uncooked), beans, corn, olives, garlic, cumin, salt, pepper, sour cream, & salsa.
Pour into each crust-lined pie plate.
Top with second crust. 
Seal edges and attempt to make the edges fancy. (I didn't bother).
Cut slits in several places.
Brush top with beaten egg and top with parsley.
Bake in oven for 15 to 20 minutes.
Then cover edges of crust with foil and bake for an additional 20 to 25 minutes. (this prevents the edges from burning too much).
Let stand for a few minutes, then serve. 

What do you think? Comments? Suggestions? I would love to know that you visited my blog. Please leave me a message letting me know you were here! Did you try out a recipe? Let me know! I would love to hear from you :-)

Healthified Chicken Tortilla Casserole

http://www.bettycrocker.com/ has some awesome recipes, check them out and enjoy exploring. In the meantime here is a great, HEALTHY recipe. Can't go wrong with Mexican!

Ingredients:
1  can (10 3/4 oz) 98% fat free condensed cream of chicken soup

1  can (4.5 oz) chopped green chiles

1  container (8 oz) fat-free sour cream

1/2  cup skim milk

2  tsp chili powder

1/2  tsp ground cumin

2 1/2  cups shredded cooked chicken breast

8  yellow corn tortillas (6 or 7 inch), torn into bite-size pieces

1  medium green bell pepper, chopped (1 cup)

1  large tomato, chopped (1 cup)

1 1/2  cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese or Mexican cheese blend (6 oz)

Directions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Spray 13x9 glass baking casserole dish.
In a large bowl mix soup, chiles, sour cream, and milk. Blend well.
Stir in chicken, tortillas, and bell pepper.
Stir in tomato and 1 cup of cheese.
Spoon and spread mixture in baking dish.
Cover with foil. Bake for 40 minutes.
Uncover and sprinkle with remaining cheese.
Bake uncovered 5 to 10 minutes longer or until cheese is bubbly.
Let stand for a few minutes before eating.


What do you think? Comments? Suggestions? I would love to know that you visited my blog. Please leave me a message letting me know you were here! Did you try out a recipe? Let me know! I would love to hear from you :-)

Twice-Baked Taco Potatoes

These came out so well, I'm so proud!



My mother sent me this recipe she found a couple weeks ago and we were having people over, so it was the perfect opportunity to try them out. Most people love mashed-potatoes and most people love tacos. Put them together to create a masterpiece!

I had a lot of commitments on Thursday night, so I prepared them on Wednesday and had my husband bake them in the oven for 30 minutes just in time for our dinner guests. I know you can freeze twice-baked potatoes so you can try doing that too. Enjoy!


Each potato can serve 2 people, or 1 if you are hungry. I was on a time crunch so I used the microwaveable potatoes (aren't all potatoes microwaveable?). They worked like a dream. I would highly recommend them. They would work better for small amounts though. If you are only making for 4 people then they are definitely the way to go. You have to bake them for 8 minutes or if doing several at a time you would bake them for 5 to 6 minutes per potato. If you are baking 10 potatoes that comes out to be an hour (I did it in shifts though), which means you might as well bake them in the oven. But if you are just using a few potatoes it will save you an hour. It also will save you from having to wash and scrub the potatoes because they come cleaned and packaged. You actual cook them while still in the packaging. It may be cheating, but I'm all about it. 


Ingredients:
10 potatoes
1.5 cups sour cream, reduced fat
2 cups skim milk
2 cups cheddar or mexican blend shredded cheese, reduced fat
2 cups mozzarella cheese, reduced fat
1 pound ground beef or ground turkey
1/2 cup taco seasoning
salt & pepper to taste


Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees and bake potatoes for an hour to an hour and a half. 
Or follow microwave instructions if you use those type of potatoes.
Meanwhile, brown beef/turkey and season with taco seasoning. Set aside.
Let them cool and cut out the potatoes using a knife and fork (or whatever other strategy you use for mashed potatoes) away from the skin.
Do not get too close to the skin. You want them sturdy enough to hold further ingredients.
Mash the potatoes with the sour cream and milk using a mixer. Add more milk, butter, salt, etc. if desired.
Stir in cheddar cheese and taco meat. 
Season potatoes with salt & pepper.
Spoon filling into potato skins. 
Sprinkle with additional taco seasoning and mozzarella cheese
Bake in oven for 20 to 25 minutes.

What do you think? Comments? Suggestions? I would love to know that you visited my blog. Please leave me a message letting me know you were here! Did you try out a recipe? Let me know! I would love to hear from you :-)

Burrito Bar

I know that the super bowl was over a month ago, but we had a great night (my brother-in-law is a devoted Packers fan) and a delicious spread of food. My husband had the brilliant idea of doing a Qdoba-Style Burrito Bar (complete with queso sauce) for dinner. It makes life easier for me because I don't have to cook everything. Plus it keeps the cost down because everyone brings an ingredient that they would put in their burrito/taco and we share. Because there are so many options you can make your burrito as healthy or unhealthy as you want. The secret is to use tinfoil to wrap up your burrito and not make such a mess.


Here are some of the things we had:
chicken/steak/beef (cooked in taco seasoning)
grilled peppers
shredded lettuce
diced tomatoes
diced onions
green chiles
refried beans
black beans
pinto beans
rice
shredded cheese
guacamole
salsa
sour cream
queso sauce (!!!)


I have this awesome Football Taco Bowl that I used to use back in college and I was able to break it out after 7+ years of retirement (we had a lot of taco parties back in college) and my mother just bought me a triple chafing dish set that we used to keep the meat warm.

Be sure to bring plenty of dips & chips for side dishes. Don't forget the tortillas!

What do you think? Comments? Suggestions? I would love to know that you visited my blog. Please leave me a message letting me know you were here! Did you try out a recipe? Let me know! I would love to hear from you :-)

Mexican Pizza

We had a late night at our house on Saturday night. We came back from a birthday party and a bunch of us stayed up eating, talking, and watching EPIC meal videos on You Tube. (You think I should make one of those meals for my blog???)

I knew the boys were starting to get restless (and devouring all of my puppy chow) so I had to make something for everyone to eat for dinner. I had this mexican pizza recipe that I wanted to try out, so I went for it.


Check out Green Lite Bites for other cool recipes. My recipe below is modified from the original recipe, but it turned out great and the boys enjoyed it. 

Ingredients:
1 container of Pillsbury dough pizza crust
1/4 cup of Goya-brand cooking base cilantro (or enough to cover the pizza) or you can use dried cilantro (see picture)
1 can of fat-free refried beans
2 cans of diced tomatoes with green chiles or salsa, drained
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1.5 to 2 cups of mexican-style cheese, shredded (or whatever other cheese you have)
chili powder and/or taco seasoning



Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Spray a rimmed cookie sheet with olive oil spray
Open and unravel pizza crust, lay on the cookie sheet
Spread refried beans evenly on crust with spatula
Do the same with the cilantro
Top with tomatoes & peppers
Sprinkle with a little bit of chili powder or taco seasoning
Top with cheese
Cook in oven for about 20 minutes, maybe longer. You want to make sure the crust is crispy all the way around and cheese is melted.

What do you think? Comments? Suggestions? I would love to know that you visited my blog. Please leave me a message letting me know you were here! Did you try out a recipe? Let me know! I would love to hear from you :-)