Chilaquiles

Ingredients

• Vegetable oil
• 12 (6-inch) corn tortillas, cut into 1-inch strips
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 jar (16 ounces) salsa - thick & chunky
• 1 can (10 ounces) Las Palmas Enchilada Sauce
• 1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack or mild cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup sliced pickled jalapeños
• 1 cup sour cream (optional)
• 2 avocados, pitted and sliced

Preparation 

1. PREHEAT oven to 350°F.
2. POUR vegetable oil to 1-inch depth in medium skillet; heat over high heat 3 to 4 minutes. Place tortilla strips in oil; fry, turning frequently with tongs, until light golden brown. Remove from skillet; place on paper towels to drain.
3. REMOVE all but 1 tablespoon oil from skillet. Add onion; cook, stirring occasionally, 1 to 2 minutes or until tender. Stir in salsa and enchilada sauce. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low; cook, stirring frequently, 3 to 4 minutes.
4. LAYER half of tortilla strips in ungreased 13- by 9-inch baking dish. Top with half of salsa mixture and half of cheese; repeat layers. Bake 10 to 15 minutes or until cheese is melted. Top with jalapeños, sour cream and avocado just before serving.

Smothered Beef and Bean Burritos

Ingredients

• 1 can (10.75 ounces) condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 1 can (10 ounces) condensed cheddar cheese soup
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 onion, diced
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 Ortega Soft Taco Kit - includes 10 soft tortillas, 1 package (1.25 ounces) taco seasoning mix and 1 package (3 ounces) taco sauce
• 1 cup Ortega Refried Beans
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/4 cup diced tomato

Preparation 

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly coat 13 x 9-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Combine soups and sour cream in small bowl; set aside.
2. Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef and onion. Cook and stir 5 minutes or until beef is no longer pink. Drain and discard fat. Add water and seasoning mix from kit. Cook and stir 3 minutes. Stir in refried beans.
3. Wrap tortillas from kit with clean, lightly moistened cloth or paper towels. Microwave on HIGH (100% power) 1 minute, until hot and pliable.
4. Divide beef mixture evenly among tortillas. Fold ends of tortilla to middle, then roll tightly around mixture. Place in baking dish, seam side down. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
5. Spread soup mixture evenly over tortillas. Bake 22 to 25 minutes or until heated through. Garnish with taco sauce from kit, cilantro and tomatoes.

Buffalo Chicken Tacos

Ingredients

• 1 1-ounce package, taco or hot taco seasoning
• 2 tablespoons cooking oil
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 avocado
• 1/2 cup ranch dressing, prepared
• 6 Mission Life Balance Flour Tortillas warmed
• Hot sauce, to taste
• 2 ounces blue cheese crumbled
• 3/4 cup carrots, shredded
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

Preparation 

1. Combine taco seasoning, oil and 1/4 cup water to make marinade. Reserve 1/2 cup.
2. Place chicken in re-sealable plastic bag and add marinade. Marinate in refrigerator for 30 minutes or longer.
3. Mash avocado (in mixing bowl) into small chunks and mix with ranch dressing until smooth.
4. Remove chicken from marinade and discard used marinade.
5. Grill chicken over medium-high heat, about 8 minutes per side or until thoroughly cooked. Remove chicken from grill and place on cutting board.
6. Slice chicken into thin strips and serve hot alongside warm tortillas. Serve with build your own sides/garnishes of hot sauce, blue cheese, carrots, cilantro and the avocado ranch dressing.

Mexican Steak Tacos

Ingredients

• 1 (3 1/2-ounce) bag boil-in-bag long grain rice
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon Ortega Taco Sauce
• 1 tablespoon Ortega Salsa, any variety
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 pound sirloin steak
• 1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 (4-ounce) can Ortega Diced Green Chiles
• 4 Ortega Taco Shells
• 4 lime wedges
• Sour cream (optional)

Preparation 

1. COOK rice. Meanwhile, combine cumin, garlic powder, taco sauce, salsa and salt, and rub over both sides of steak.
2. SPRAY broiler pan with cooking spray. Place steak on pan. Broil 4 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Cut steak into thin slices.
3. COMBINE rice, tomatoes and chiles. Place mixture in shells.
4. TOP rice mixture with beef slices. Squeeze juice from limes over beef. Top with sour cream, if desired.

Tex-Mex Beef Enchiladas

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 2 cans (10 ounces each) mild enchilada sauce
• 8 small corn tortillas (6-inch diameter)
• 3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded jalapeño pepper cheese
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
• Dairy sour cream (optional)

Preparation 

1. Heat oven to 350°F. In large nonstick skillet, brown ground beef, onion and garlic over medium heat 6 minutes or until outside surface of beef is no longer pink, breaking beef up into 1/2-inch crumbles. Pour off drippings. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in 1/2 cup enchilada sauce from one can. Set aside remaining sauce from that can.
2. Pour second can enchilada sauce into shallow dish. Dip tortillas, one at a time, into sauce to coat both sides. Spoon beef mixture evenly down centers of each tortilla; roll up. Place seam-side down in 12- x 8-inch baking dish.
3. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake in 350°F oven 15 minutes. Remove aluminum foil. Spoon reserved enchilada sauce over enchiladas; sprinkle with cheese. Continue baking, uncovered, 10 minutes or until cheese is melted. Sprinkle with cilantro. Serve with sour cream, if desired.

mexican chicken pozole verde

ingredients

• 7  cups

  chicken stock or low-sodium broth
• 2  cups

  water
• 4 

  chicken breast halves on the bone, with skin
• 1  pound

  tomatillos, husked and halved
• 1 

  small onion, quartered
• 2 

  poblano chiles, cored, seeded, and quartered
• 2 

  jalapenos, seeded and quartered
• 4 

  large garlic cloves, smashed
• 1/2  cup

  chopped cilantro
• 1  tablespoon

  oregano leaves
•  

  Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1  tablespoon

  vegetable oil
• 3  15-ounce

  cans of hominy, drained
•  

  Finely shredded iceberg lettuce, sliced radishes, chopped onion, diced avocado, sour cream, tortilla chips, and lime wedges, for serving

directions

1.

In a large, enameled cast-iron casserole, bring the chicken stock and water to a boil. Add the chicken breasts, skin side down, cover and simmer over very low heat until they're tender and cooked through, about 25 minutes. Transfer the chicken breasts to a plate and shred the meat; discard the bones and skin. Skim any fat from the cooking liquid and reserve.

2.

In a blender, combine the halved tomatillos with the quartered onion, poblanos and jalapenos, smashed garlic, chopped cilantro, and oregano. Pulse until coarsely chopped, scraping down the side. With the machine on, add 1 cup of the cooking liquid and puree until smooth. Season the tomatillo puree with salt and pepper.

3.

In a large deep skillet, heat the vegetable oil until shimmering. Add the tomatillo puree and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the sauce turns a deep green, about 12 minutes.

4.

Pour the green sauce into the cooking liquid in the casserole. Add the hominy and bring to a simmer over moderate heat. Add the shredded chicken to the stew, season with salt and pepper and cook just until heated through. Serve the pozole in deep bowls, passing the lettuce, radishes, onion, avocado, sour cream, tortilla chips, and lime wedges at the table

Santa Fe Meatball Skewers

Preparation Time: 25 Mins.
Total Time to Serve: 40 Mins.
Servings: 16

INGREDIENTS

16 (6-inch) bamboo skewers
1 1/2 ounces pepper Jack cheese or cheddar cheese (not process cheese)
1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
1 cup Sunshine® Cheez-It® Pepper Jack
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/4 cup cooked real bacon bits
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 1/4 pounds lean ground beef
16 large grape tomatoes
1 small zucchini, halved lengthwise and cut into 16 pieces
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups salsa (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. In shallow pan soak skewers in enough water to cover for 30 minutes. Cut cheese into sixteen 1/2-inch cubes. In small bowl toss together cheese and flour until cheese is coated on all sides. Cover and refrigerate at least 10 minutes.

2. In food processor finely crush SUNSHINE CHEEZ-IT Pepper Jack crackers. In large bowl combine crackers, egg, bacon, onion and cumin. Add beef. Mix well.

3. Drain skewers. Thread one cheese piece onto each skewer. Divide beef mixture into 16 portions. Shape each portion into ball around cheese on skewer. Thread one tomato and one zucchini piece onto each skewer. Lightly brush meatballs on all sides with oil.

4. Grill skewers directly over medium heat for 12 to 15 minutes or until meat is no longer pink, turning occasionally.*

5. Serve kabobs with salsa as dipping sauce, if desired.

*Note: Instead of grilling skewers, place them on rack in shallow roasting pan. Bake at 375° F for 20 to 25 minutes or until meat is no longer pink. (Turning of skewers is not necessary.)