Pork Chops Ole'

6 Loin Pork Chops (1/2 inch thick), trimmed
Salt Free Herb Seasoning Blend (and pepper to taste)
3/4 Cup Uncooked Long Grain Rice
1-1/2 Cups Water
1 can (8 oz) Tomato Sauce
2 Tbs Taco Seasoning Mix
1 Medium Green Pepper, Chopped
1/2 Cup Shredded Reduced-Fat Cheddar Cheese

In a large skillet coated with nonstick cooking spray, brown pork chops; sprinkle with seasoning blend and pepper. No need to cook through, just brown the outsides.

Meanwhile, in a 13 x 9 x 2-in baking dish coated with nonstick cooking spray. Combine rice, water, tomato sauce and taco seasoning; mix well.

Arrange chops on top; sprinkle with green pepper. Cover and bake at 350 degrees. Check at 1 hour to see if done. Cook as long as 1.5 hours if needed. (My rice came out just a bit dry at 1.5 hours.)

Uncover and sprinkle with cheese; return to the oven until cheese is melted.

Yeild: 6 servings

Nutritional Information:
Calories 268
Total Fat 7 g
Calories from Fat 25%
Saturated Fat 3 g
Cholesterol 61 mg
Sodium 487 mg
Carbohydrate 24 gm
Protein 25 g

Story: I got this a couple years ago from a lady I worked with as I was trying to get my Alt Cert for teaching. Mary Jo Peters...she was SUCH a great lady. I'd love to find her on FB or Linked In and see how she is doing! She had gotten this recipe from someone else as well and her family really liked it. :) Looks like it came out of a magazine, but no indication of what magazine.

THIS WAS SO FAST TO PREPARE! I LOVE THAT!

I might tweek this one just a little...although it was really good for a low fat recipe! Please note that it has some KICK to it. If your kids don't like spicy stuff, they might not like this. You could substitute chicken breast just as easily in this recipe. I also forgot to add the green bell pepper and it was good without it, just in case you didn't have one on hand.

NOW what will I do with that green pepper...Hmmm.

Enjoy!

Quick-Fix Beef Burrito Skillet

1 lb. lean ground beef
1 pkg. Taco Seasoning Mix
1 can (19 oz) kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup Salsa
1 cup water
4 flour tortillas (6-inch) cut into 1.5 in squares
1 cup Mexican Style Shredded cheese
1/3 cup Sour Cream (optional)
1/3 cup chopped green onions (optional)

Brown meat in large skillet on medium-high head; drain.

Add seasoning mix, beans, salsa and water. Stir. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, simmer 5 minutes.

Stir in tortillas; top with cheese. Cover. Let stand 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Top with sour cream and onions if desired.

Jazz it up: Top with your favorite Mexican-style toppings just before serving, such as shredded lettuce, shopped tomatoes and/or chopped avacados.

COMMENTS: I've made this several times now, and we like it every time. It truly is FAST and GOOD. The directions say that it takes 10 minutes to prepare and 35 minutes total. I think they were adding extra time on there for slow people...I usually have this ready in 15 to 20 minutes FLAT. Enjoy!

Source: Food and Family (Kraft's Magazine) - Spring 2007

Tex-Mex 7 Layer Dip

16 oz Bean Dip (or Refried Beans)
1 container (6 oz) Guacamole
8 oz Sour cream
1/2 cup Mayonnaise
1 pkg Taco seasoning mix
1/2 cup Green onions, chopped
4 Roma Tomatoes, diced
1 can (3 oz) Chopped Olives
2 cups Mexican Mix Shredded Cheese

Mix together the sour cream, mayonnaise and taco seasoning in a separate bowl.

To assemble: Using a 9 x 9-inch casserole, layer the dip as follows. Spread the bean dip evenly on the bottom of the pan. Top with the guacamole. Then top with the sour cream mixture, green onions, tomatoes and olives. Put cheese on right before serving. Serve with tortilla chips.

Source: www.chefjamie.com

Mom's Famous Salsa Recipe

28 oz can whole peeled tomatoes, drained
10 oz can Rotel tomatoes and chilies
1 to 2 pickled peppers pieces, to taste
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp (or more) garlic powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp oregano
1 Tbs dried onion flakes
1 tsp (+ or -) sugar
Finely chopped cilantro (to taste)

Put all ingredients into the blender. Blend until desired consistency. To thicken, add a little tomato paste and then re-season to taste. Tastes best when cold. Will keep in the fridge for at least a week.

When buying the pickled peppers, buy a very small can then store the extra in an airtight container in the fridge. They will keep for several months.

***NOTE: To make this recipe even faster, pre-measure the dry ingredients and store them in separate baggies in an air tight container. This is how Amy (my twin sister) does it. She gets a lot of requests for this becuase she lives up North...and as we all know...there are no REAL Mexican Restaurants up there...only imitators!

Source: Amy T (my Twin Sister)
Author: Sherie K (my Mom)

King Ranch Chicken

1 can Cream of Chicken soup
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
1 cup Chicken Broth
1 can Rotel Tomatoes
1 1/2 tsp Chili powder
2 cups Chicken, cooked
12 Corn tortillas
1/4 lb Grated cheese

1 In a bowl, combine soups with Rotel and chilli powder. Cut up tortillas and dip in the chicken broth. Cover the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with layer of tortillas. Layer with chicken. Pour soup mixture over this. Repeat steps until all ingredients are used up. Cheese goes on top. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes.

***NOTE: Rotel can be purchased mild or spicy depending on how you like it.

Fiesta Soup

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, frozen
2 cans (14.5 oz) low sodium chicken broth
15 oz can kidney beans, undrained
1 cup salsa
1 cup frozen corn
1/2 cup 10-minute rice
1/3 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Remove protective ice glaze from frozen chicken by holding under lukewarm running water. Cut into ½ to 1-inch pieces. In large saucepan, combine chicken, chicken broth, kidney beans, salsa and corn. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered 5 to 10 minutes, or until chicken juices run clear. Stir in rice, cover and remove from heat; let stand 5 minutes. Top each serving with cheese. Serves 4. Garnish with tortilla chips, sliced avocado or toasted tortilla strips.

Source: Tyson's Perfect Meals Cookbook

Enchilada Bake

1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 green pepper, chopped
vegetable cooking spray
1/2 cup dry beans, cooked
(or 2 cups canned beans rinsed well)
1 can (14.5 oz) stewed tomatoes
1 Tbs chili powder
8 corn tortillas
4 oz mozzarella (part-skim if possible)
4 oz cheddar (low-fat if possible)

Sauté onion, garlic, mushrooms, and pepper in large skillet sprayed with vegetable cooking spray. Add the beans, tomatoes and chili powder. Simmer gently for about 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 1-½ quart casserole with cooking spray. Layer the tortillas, cheeses and sauce until all ingredients are used, ending with a layer of sauce. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes.

Servings: 6

Cooking Tips
Note: Use lots of cheese and make spicier for Tommy.

Cheesy Chicken Quesadillas

3 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 3/4 cups water
1 bag Rice-a-Roni Spanish rice Mix
6 flour tortillas
1/4 cup sliced black olives
1 1/4 cups shredded Mexican Style cheese

Salsa and sour cream are optional

1 Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut chicken into 1-inch pieces. In large skillet, combine water, rice and contents of seasoning packet. Add chicken and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Spray both sides of tortillas with non-stick cooking spray, place 3 tortillas onto a baking sheet. Top each with rice mixture, olives and 1/3 cup of cheese. Top this with a second tortilla. Bake 5 to 7 minutes or until lightly browned (flip over to brown other side if desired) cut into wedges. Top with salsa and sour cream.

Serves 2 or 3.

Source: Tyson Perfect Meals Cookbook

Avocado-Tomatillo Salsa

1 pound tomatillos, husks removed
3 avocados
4-5 serrano chilies, roasted, peeled and seeded
4 garlic cloves, roasted and minced
2 tbs cilantro, chopped
salt and pepper, to taste

In a large pot two-thirds full of boiling water, add tomatillos, return to a boil and cook until tender, 3-4 minutes. Drain and cool to touch, 20 minutes. In a food processor, combine tomatillos, avocados, chilies, garlic and cilantro; process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

Yield: 4 cups

***COMMENT: I love the Williams-Sonoma catalog...all my favorite things are in there and they have awesome recipes to showcase their tools and spices. This one happened to not require a spice kit or a mix. It's a killer green salsa. It's become a favorite with me and my extended famly. My Mom really likes it!

Source: Williams-Sonoma Catalog

Taco Salad

1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 small onion, chopped finely
1/2 can Ranch Style beans
1/2 package taco seasoning mix
1/2 small head lettuce
1 medium tomato, chopped
1 cup grated cheese
1/2 cup Catalina salad dressing
1 cup Fritos, crumbled

In a medium skillet, brown ground beef with chopped onions. Drain off excess fat by pouring grease though strainer. Stir in taco seasoning mix. Add beans and continue to cook over low heat for 10 minutes. Turn off heat and let the mixture cool slightly. In a large bowl, tear lettuce into bite size pieces. Add chopped tomato, grated cheese, Catalina dressing and Fritos. Toss gently. Blend in the beef and bean mixture. You may choose to toss the beef and bean mixture into the salad or leave it on top.

Author: (7th grade Skills for Living Class)
Source: Julie H

***STORY: This recipe will always remind me of Julie. She took Skills for Living in Junior High. They learned this recipe in there. She was living with us for a short while and we were trying to encourage her to cook once a week. I think every other time she would cook this because she liked it and she was familiar with how to make it. I really liked too it so I never complained...but this is really Julie's recipe. :)

Taco Lasagna

2 lbs ground beef
2 pkg (1.25 oz each) Taco Seasoning Mix
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 1/2 cups of water
1 Tbs cornmeal or Pam Spray
2 pkg flour/corn tortillas (10 - 12 per pack)
1 (24 oz) jar of salsa
1 cup of sliced onions
16 oz sour cream
1 Tbs chili powder
3 cups of Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
3 cups of Cheddar cheese

1 Combine the sour cream and chili powder and set aside. Preheat oven to 375. Brown ground beef. Add taco season packets, garlic, cayenne pepper and water. Simmer for 10 minutes. Sprinkle cornmeal (or spray Pam) in the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan. Place 6 tortillas in the bottom of pan, overlapping, and extending a little up the sides of the pan. Bake for 40 minutes. Remove, sprinkle with any remaining cheese.

2 Layer in the following order: 1 cup salsa, ½ of the meat mixture (about 2 cups), ½ of the onions, 1 cup of the sour cream mixture, 2 cups of combined cheeses. Repeat.

3 Bake an additional 10 minutes or until cheese is melted. Let stand for at least 10 minutes before serving. Serve with choped lettuce, tomatoes and hot or mild taco sauce on top. Good reheated as well. Great frozen in airtight containers to have on hand for lunches and dinners later.

Recipe Source: Amy T (my Twin Sister)

Mom's Famous Enchiladas

1 1/2 to 2 lbs of ground beef
1/2 onion, chopped or onion flakes
salt and pepper to taste
3 Tbs olive oil
1/2 cup flour
3 tsp chili powder
20 oz can tomato juice
1 1/4 cups water
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp garlic powder
Shredded cheddar cheese

1 Brown ground beef with onion. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

2 To make sauce: combine oil, flour and chili powder in a large saucepan. Slowly add the tomato juice (to avoid lumps) then add the water. Add cumin, sugar, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Heat up till almost boiling. Add part of the sauce to the cooked ground beef.

3 Dip tortillas into chicken broth or in some warm enchilada sauce before filling (to soften them). Roll about 3 heaping tablespoons of meat with some shredded cheese into the tortilla and place them, touching, into a greased casserole pan. Pour remaining sauce over the enchiladas until it is close to the top. Using a knife, part the enchiladas to allow the sauce to seep between them. Do the same for the sides of the pan. Top with additional shredded cheese.

4 Bake at 350 till hot and bubbly.

Recipe Source: Sherie K (my Mom - if it wasn't obvious from the title of the recipe, HA)

Chimichangas

Chimichanga Meat Mix:
5 lbs beef or pork roast
3 Tbs vegetable shortening
3 onions
1 (4-ounce) can chopped green chilies
2 (7 ounce) cans green chili salsa (hot)
1/4 tsp garlic powder
4 Tbs flour
4 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cumin
juices from beef or pork roast

Heat oven to 350°F. Place roasts in a large roasting pan or Dutch oven. Add only 1 cup of water. Cover with tight lid and cook meat for 4 hours. (You may also cook roasts with 1-cup water in a pressure cooker for 35 to 40 minutes.) Drain meat, reserving juices. Cool meat, then remove bones. Shred meat and set aside. Melt shortening in a large skillet. Add onions and green chilies. Sauté 1 minute. Add green chili salsa, garlic powder, flour, salt and cumin. Cook 1 minute over medium-low heat. Stir in reserved meat juice and shredded meat. Cook 5 minutes till thick and then cool. Put about 3 cups of mix into three 1-quart freezer containers, leaving ½ inch space at top. Seal and label. Freeze and use within 6 months. Makes about 9 cups of meat mix.

To make Chimichangas:
Warm tortillas in oven for about 5 minutes. Heat meat mix in a small pan. Heat ½ inch of oil to 400°F in a large skillet. Spread about ½ cup of the meat mix over the lower 3rd of each tortilla. Fold the bottom edges of each tortilla up over the filling. Fold up both sides toward the center and roll into a cylinder. Secure with a toothpick. Fry for 2 minutes. May also be baked as a low-fat alternative (they will be slightly harder to cut when baked).

***COMMENT: This is also a family recipe. My Mom made this quite a bit when we were growing up because it makes a big batch. Now I make it every 6 months or so. I freeze a meal's worth of meat in a baggie and then I have a near-instant dinner when I'm running short on time. I just pull it out, thaw it out and wrap it up in tortillas. You do need to fry or broil it though. It's not quite as good in a plain uncooked tortilla. Unless you had a fresh tortilla...MMMmmm...now I'm getting hungry! It's worth the work!

Author: (Make-a-Mix Cookbook)
Source: Sherie K (My Mom)

Amy's Burritos

Taco seasoned meat
Shredded cheese
Sour cream
Refried beans
Salsa

For my burritos make a big gloppy mixture of all these ingredients. Put some of the "glop" in the middle of a tortilla and roll it up so that both side edges are tucked in and place it under your oven broiler til brown then turn over and brown the other side too.

Recipe Source: Amy T (my Twin Sister)

Roasted Green Chile-Chicken Enchiladas

Salsa Verde:
12 Tomatillos, husked and rinsed
2 Jalapeños, stemmed
1 Onion, quartered
Splash of white vinegar
Water
1 tsp Ground cumin
1/2 bunch Fresh cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped
2 limes, juiced
Salt

Enchilada Filling:
3 Poblano Peppers
Extra virgin olive oil
1 Onion, sliced
3 Garlic cloves, chopped
1 1/2 tsp Ground cumin
1/4 cup All Purpose Flour
4 cups Canned chicken stock (3 - 10 oz cans)
1 Deli roasted chicken (about 3 lbs) deboned and shredded
Leaves from 1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
Salt and pepper
12 large Corn tortillas (or flour tortillas if desired)
1/2 pound Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

Guacamole
Sour cream

Make the Salsa:
1 Put the tomatillos, jalapenos, and onion in a saucepan with the vinegar and water to cover. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and poach until the tomatillos are soft, about 10 minutes. Drain. Put the vegetables in a blender, add the cumin, and puree. Add the cilantro, lime juice and salt and pulse to combine. Set aside.

2 Meanwhile, place the poblano peppers directly over the flame on a gas stove and cook, turning with tongs, until the skin is charred and blackened. (Or, if you have an electric stove, put the chilies on a baking sheet and broil, turning with tongs, until the skin is blackened.) Skin the peppers (after you char them put them in a sealable baggie for a few minutes, the skin should come right off); then seed, core, and dice them.

Make the Filling:
1 Heat a 2-count of olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened and caramelized, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute. Stir in the cumin and cook 1 minute. Sprinkle the flour over the top and cook, stirring 1 more minute. Gradually pour in the stock, stirring constantly. Bring to a simmer, stirring to make sure the flour doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan; the liquid will thicken. Fold in the chicken, diced peppers and cilantro and season well with salt and pepper.

Assemble Dish:
1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Get a large baking dish. Dip a tortilla into the tomatillo salsa and put it on a cutting board. Put a big scoop of the chicken mixture in the center, sprinkle with a little of the cheese, and roll the tortilla like a cigar to enclose the filling. Use a spatula to place it seam side down into the baking dish. Continue to fill all of the tortillas and put them in the baking dish. Pour the remaining tomatillo salsa over the top and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake uncovered for about 30 minutes until bubbly and cracked on top. Serve hot with guacamole and sour cream.

Recipe Source
Source: Food Network.com