Chorizo-Calabaza Tacos

Chorizo-Calabaza Tacos

Start to Finish 25 mins

Ingredients:
1 pound ground pork
1/2 cup chopped onion (1 medium)
1 1/4 cups thinly sliced zucchini (1 medium)
1 cup salsa
2 teaspoons ground pasilla or ancho chile pepper
1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano or regular oregano, crushed
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
12 6-inch corn tortillas, warmed
Chopped onion
Snipped fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley
Shredded queso Oaxaca or crumbled queso fresco

Directions:
1. In a large skillet cook pork and the 1/2 cup chopped onion over medium heat until browned, using a wooden spoon to break up pork as it cooks. Drain off fat. Add zucchini, salsa, ground chile pepper, oregano, cumin, and cinnamon to pork mixture in skillet. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, until the liquid becomes a saucelike consistency (but not soupy )filling and the zucchini is tender.

2. Serve pork-zucchini mixture in corn tortillas. Top mixture with additional chopped onion, parsley and cheese.

Makes: 12 servings Serving size: 1 taco Yield: 3 cups meat

Mole Pork Flautas

Mole Pork Flautas

Prep 35 mins Cook 8 mins

Ingredients:
1 cup fresh or frozen whole kernel corn
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved, or chopped tomatoes (2 medium)
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
2 tablespoons snipped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons canola oil
8 ounces lean boneless pork
Nonstick cooking spray
1 15 ounce can reduced-sodium black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons bottled mole sauce
8 6 - 7 inches whole wheat or white low-carb flour tortillas

Directions:
1. Thaw corn, if frozen; drain well. In a medium bowl combine fresh or thawed corn, tomatoes, red onion, cilantro, lime juice, and 2 teaspoons of the oil. Set aside.

2. Trim fat from meat. Cut meat into 1/2-inch pieces. Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray; heat skillet over medium heat. Add meat; cook until brown. Add beans, broth, the water, and mole sauce. Cook and stir for 1 to 2 minutes or until heated through. Using the back of a wooden spoon, slightly mash beans.

3. To assemble flautas, spoon meat mixture along one side of each tortilla. Roll up tortilla; secure with wooden toothpicks. Lightly coat outsides of flautas with cooking spray.

4. Using paper towels, wipe out skillet used to cook meat mixture. In the skillet heat 2 teaspoons of the remaining oil over medium-high heat. Add four of the flautas. Cook for 4 to 6 minutes or until brown and crisp on all sides (remove toothpicks as needed). Remove from skillet and keep warm. Repeat with the remaining 2 teaspoons oil and the remaining four flautas. Serve flautas with corn mixture.

Makes: 4 servings Yield: 2 flautas and about 1/3 cup corn mixture each

Chilaquiles Breakfast Casserole

This is a real crowd pleaser! I first had Chilaquiles at a fancy wine bar in phoenix for breakfast about a year ago, seemed like a good hangover cure for sure! Here is my version of this yummy dish!

Ingredients:
Cooking spray
4-5 C tortilla chips - stale is fine!
10 large eggs - but only use 4 yolks
1/4 cup milk
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp chili powder
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 (4-ounce) can mild chopped green chiles
1 TBSP chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 C shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1/2 C shredded pepper jack cheese
1/2 C prepared green salsa verde
sour cream, optional

Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly coat a rectangular 2-quart baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Lightly crush the chips and spread half of them into the bottom of the baking dish.

Whisk the 10 eggs (remember only 4 yolks!), milk, chili powder, salt and pepper in a large bowl until well combined. Stir in the chopped chiles, chopped cilantro, and 1/4 cup each of the cheddar and pepper jack cheeses; pour into the pan. Spread the remaining chips over the egg mixture. Bake until the casserole is set, 20 to 25 minutes.

Sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup of each cheese and continue to bake until the cheeses are melted and the casserole is set in the center, about 10 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes. Serve with the salsa and, sour cream, if using.

NOTE: if you don't have tortilla chips you can substitute corn tortillas. Leave them out overnight to dry out and cut into triangles.

New Mexican Chili Verde

Ingredients:
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 pound pork loin — cut into 1/2-inch chunks and remove all visible fat
3 small garlic cloves — finely minced
1 red onion — finely chopped (optional)

2 tablespoons flour — preferably masa flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
4 tablespoons water

28 oz. New Mexican chiles — roasted, peeled, seeded, and finely chopped
1-2 tablespoons chopped jalapeno pepper — optional and preferably fresh

Tomatillo Salsa Verde

Not everyone knows what a tomatillo is. A tomatillo is actually a Mexican relative of the tomato. It looks like a little green tomato covered with a husk.

Here’s a quick and easy recipe for making Salsa Verde. This salsa isn’t very spicy, and I like it HOT! So if you want a spicier salsa add two more peppers and leave in the seeds - at your own risk!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lb tomatillos
1/2 cup chopped white onion
1/2 cup cilantro leaves
1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon sugar

Spicy Chicken Corn Cakes

Ingredients:
1 3 1/2- to 4-pound rotisserie chicken
1 tablespoon chopped canned chipotle chilies in adobo sauce
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
4 Roma (plum) tomatoes, diced
1/3 cup fresh cilantro leaves
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Mexican Tostada Pizza

Ingredients:
1 pound lean ground beef
3/4 cup water
1 4-ounce can diced green chili peppers, drained
2 tablespoons taco seasoning mix
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 tablespoon cornmeal
1 10-ounce package refrigerated pizza dough
1 15-ounce can pinto beans with jalapeño peppers, rinsed and drained
1 cup shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese