Beef Fajitas

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb beef (flank steak or thin strips)
• 5 Tbs vegetable oil, divided
• 2 Tbs lime juice (or 1 lime)
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 bunch fresh cilantro
• 1/2 Tbs chili powder
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 medium green bell peppers
• 1 medium red bell pepper
• 1 yellow onion
• 6 (6 inch) tortillas
• 8 oz sour cream
• 1 medium avocado (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

1. The night before: Combine 3 tbs of vegetable oil with the lime juice, chili powder, garlic (minced), a handful of cilantro (chopped) and about 1/8 tsp of salt. Mix it up - add the beef and stir to coat the meat. Cover and keep in fridge until you are ready to cook the next day.
2. Clean and thinly slice the bell peppers and onion. Heat a large, heavy bottomed skillet with 2 tbs of vegetable oil over very high heat (as high as it will go without the oil smoking). Toss in the sliced vegetables, season with salt and pepper and cook them until the edges get brown and carmelized. Remove them from the pan and set aside.
3. Toss the meat, marinade and all, into the same hot skillet. Stir and cook until the meat is fully cooked.
4. Prepare a fajita assembly line with the tortillas, meat, vegetables, sour cream, fresh cilantro and sliced avocados.

Casserole Olé

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb hamburger
• 1 (17.25 oz) jar enchilada sauce
• 1 (8 oz) jar taco sauce
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1 soup can of milk
• 1 bag Doritos (plain)
• Shredded cheddar or Mexican blend cheese

DIRECTIONS:

1. Brown hamburger. Drain and set aside.
2. Combine enchilada and taco sauces and heat. Add soups and milk - mix well. Continue heating.
3. Line pan with crushed Doritos. Top with one half of the soup/sauce mixture. Top with meat and cheese, then with the remaining soup/sauce mixture. Sprinkle more Doritos on top.
4. Bake at 350° for 30-45 minutes, adding additional cheese during the last 10 minutes of baking.

Taco Soup

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 lbs ground meat (beef or turkey)
• 1 small onion
• 2 cans black beans
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 small bag frozen corn (or 1 can)
• 1 envelope taco seasoning
• 1 envelope Hidden Valley ranch dressing
• 1 cup water
• Sour cream
• Cheddar cheese
• Bag of nacho chips

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cook meat and onion until done. Drain fat.
2. Add beans, corn, tomatoes, water and seasoning. Simmer 20-30 minutes.
3. Crush chips and sprinkle on top.
4. Serve with sour cream and cheese.

Chicken Chalupas

INGREDIENTS:

• Flour tortillas
• 3 cups cooked chicken, shredded
• 1 qt sour cream
• 2 cans cream of chicken soup
• 12 Tbs salsa
• 2 lbs grated cheese

DIRECTIONS:

1. Mix together sour cream, soup, salsa and 1/3 of cheese.
2. Set aside 3/4 of the mixture. Add 1/2 cup water to the 1/4 of the mixture not set aside. Add chicken and a small can of green chilies (optional) to the larger mixture.
3. Fill tortillas (about 1/2 cup) with the large mixture, roll and place in pan.
4. Spread the rest of the sauce (small mixture) over the tortillas, then put the rest of the cheese on top.
5. Bake at 350° for 40 minutes.

*For the chicken, I throw in some frozen chicken breasts in the crockpot with some El Pato sauce in the morning and cook on low for 8 hours

Cowboy Quesadillas

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup white rice
• 1/3 cup black beans
• 1 cup diced cooked chicken
• 1/3 cup fresh frozen corn kernels (no need to thaw)
• 2/3 cup diced tomato
• 3 Tbs sliced green onion
• 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (any type or combo you like)
• 1/4 cup BBQ sauce
• 6 small tortillas (fajita size, about 6")

DIRECTIONS:

Dipping Sauce: euqal part BBQ sauce and ranch dressing (optional)

1. Combine rice, beans, chicken, corn, tomato, green onion and shredded cheese. Add BBQ sauce and stir to combine.
2. Place about 1/3 cup of mixture on half of each tortilla and fold over to close.
3. Heat a skillet to medium heat. Once hot, spray lightly with cooking spray or drizzle with canola or olive oil.
4. Place quesadillas in pan and cook 2-4 minutes or until golden brown and slightly crisp. Flip and repeat on opposite side. Cool for a few minutes and serve with BBQ-Ranch dipping sauce.

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cans shredded chicken (or boil chicken breasts and shred yourself)
• 1 can diced green chilies
• 1 can cream of celery soup
• 1 16oz container sour cream
• 1 package corn tortillas (not the smallest one)
• 1 large package shredded cheese

DIRECTIONS: 

1. In a saucepan, mix together the chicken, chilies, soup & sour cream. Bring to a slow boil. This is just to get it hot & mixed up.
2. While the above is heating up, take your corn tortillas and cut them into 4's. 
3. Preheat the oven to 350° or 375°.
4. (Once mixture is hot) In casserole dish, put one layer of corn tortillas on the bottom. Spread layer of mixture over the tortillas & cover with layer of cheese. Repeat until you are out of the mixture. You should end with the top layer as cheese.
5. Put in the oven for 15-20 minutes. (You can take it out when it is bubbly - this is just to heat up and melt the cheese. You could pre-make this and when ready, put into the oven)