Mexican Quinoa Bowls

Recipe from kitchensimplicity.com.

Serves 4-6.

2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed well and drained
1 1/4 cups chicken (or vegetable) broth
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes
1 cup corn
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 lime, quartered
To serve: salsa, sour cream shredded cheese, crushed tortilla chips, and guacamole

Add a small bit of oil to a medium-sized pot set over medium heat. Add garlic and jalapeños; cook just until fragrant (about a minute). Add quinoa, broth, beans, tomatoes, corn, and salt. Bring to a boil. 

Reduce heat, cover and let simmer for 25 minutes, or until quinoa is cooked and liquid is absorbed. 

Remove from heat; stir in cilantro and lime juice. Spoon into bowls and serve with desired toppings.

Red Enchiladas

1 (46-ounce) can tomato juice
1 (7.75-ounce) can El Pato tomato sauce
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Cold water
Vegetable or canola oil
Corn tortillas
Shredded cheese

Mix tomato juice, El Pato, and sugar in a large saucepan. Bring to boil. Combine equal amounts cornstarch and water. Pour slowly into sauce while whisking vigorously.

Meanwhile, heat about a half inch of oil in a small skillet. Once oil is hot, fry each tortilla for a few seconds, until soft. Drain on paper towels.

Layer tortillas, sauce, then cheese on each plate. Top with sour cream and lettuce.

Green Chile Chicken Enchilada Casserole

4-5 flour tortillas, torn
8 ounces sour cream
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 (4-ounce) can green chiles
2 cups (approx) shredded chicken, or a (10-ounce) can of chunk chicken
Shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Mix all ingredients except cheese in a bowl. Spray an 8x8 glass pan. Spread mixture evenly in pan. Bake, covered, for about 25 minutes. Uncover, top with shredded cheese, and bake for another 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Arroz con Pollo y Frijoles

This recipe is easy, inexpensive, and our whole family loves it! I use a greater proportion of rice and beans to chicken than the original recipe calls for. My recipe below feeds our family dinner, with leftover rice and beans. But if you're serving more people (or your kids eat more than mine) go to this link for the original recipe that calls for 2½ pounds of chicken. Also, I substitute diced tomatoes for Rotel, since my kids are pretty sensitive to spicy foods.

1 pound chicken thighs
1 teaspoon garlic salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
¾ cup long-grain rice
1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
1½ cups chicken broth
1 16-ounce can refried beans
½ cup shredded Jack cheese

Season chicken with garlic salt and pepper. Coat a large skillet with cooking spray. Place chicken, skin side down, in skillet and brown over medium-high heat for 7 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Remove chicken from skillet.

Remove all but 2 tablespoons of drippings from skillet. Add rice and brown over medium heat for about 2 minutes stirring constantly. Add tomatoes and broth; blend well. Place chicken on top of rice. Bring to a boil.

Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the rice is tender and chicken is no longer pink. Remove chicken from skillet and keep warm.

Drop beans by tablespoonfuls into the rice; sprinkle cheese onto rice and beans. Heat for 5 minutes, or until beans are hot and cheese has melted. Serve with chicken.

Beef burritos

As a warning, this is one I kind of made up, recalling something my mom used to make. I like to adjust the recipe to may feelings that day, so feel free to add spices that you like.

Ingredients:
Beef Chuck Roast ~ 2# (will serve 4-6 people)
Garlic Salt
Cumin
Chili Powder
Onion, sliced into half rings
Black beans
Green Chile (optional)
Potatoes, the frozen cubed kind (or o'brien, which has a few extra ingredients)

Season the chuck roast* with garlic salt (~1 tsp per side), cumin (~1/2-1 tsp per side), and chili powder (~1/2 tsp per side). You can also add other spices you like, such as oregano, real garlic, cayenne, etc. Slice onion into thin half rings. Place meat and onion in slow cooker (crock pot) on low for ~6-8 hours or until the meat is easy to shred. Remove meat and shred and place back in slow cooker.

*Any cut of meat will generally work, such as round or rump roast. Use a cheap cut of meat because the slow cooker will allow for the tougher stuff to be broken down and shredding the meat makes it plenty tender.

Drain can of black beans and add. Add a small can of green chiles or fresh roasted chiles as desired. If you have access to Bueno's green chile sauce (usually in the frozen section), it is really good. Sautee potatoes (~1 cup) in 1 Tbls butter until golden brown. Add to slow cooker. Mix and season to taste.

Serve on warm tortillas with your choice of toppings: sour cream, cheese, guacamole, lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, etc.

Phoebe's Mexican Rice

1 cup rice
1 tablespoon oil
1-3 green onions
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 cubes chicken bullion
Salt, to taste

Heat oil in large skillet or wok. Start boiling 2 cups water. Add rice and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently until golden brown. Add green onions and garlic, cook for a couple of minutes to bring out flavors. Add 1 cup cold water along with bullion and salt.

When liquid is nearly gone, add boiling water and simmer, covered, until rice is done.

Makes enough for about 6 people.

Spinach Enchiladas

Make without chicken for a great vegetarian dish.
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
½ cup sliced green onions
1 (9 ounce) package frozen spinach, thawed, squeezed to drain (I used the Green Giant spinach that is in a cream sauce, just thawed, no draining)
1½ cups cooked shredded chicken
1 cup low-fat small curd cottage cheese
½ cup light sour cream
6 ounces (1½ cups) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
12 (6 inch) corn tortillas (heated)
1 (10 ounce) can mild red enchilada sauce
sliced green onions for garnish (optional)

Heat oven to 375. Melt butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add ½ cup green onions; cook and stir 2 minutes or until crisp-tender. Add spinach and chicken; cook 1 minute or until warm, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Stir in cottage cheese, sour cream and 1 cup of the cheese. Spoon ¼ cup filling down center of each tortilla; roll up. Place, seam side down, in ungreased 13 x 9-inch baking dish. Pour enchilada sauce evenly over tortillas; sprinkle with remaining cheese.Bake at 375 for 15 to 20 minutes or until bubbly and thoroughly heated. Sprinkle with sliced green onions if desired.

Spanish Rice

2 cups rice
4 cups water
1 large can diced tomatoes
3 cubes chicken bouillon
1 8-ounces tomato sauce
1 large onion, in wedges
1 can diced green chiles (optional)
½ teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and pepper, to taste
Lime wedges (optional)

Heat olive oil (use a large pan with a lid). Add rice and onion, cook until onion is tender. Add water and bouillon until dissolved. Add remaining ingredients, bring to boil. Cover, simmer for 25 to 30 minutes until water is absorbed. Serve with lime wedges.

Makes 10-12 servings.