Huevos Rancheros - A Breakfast Splurge

A couple of days ago I showed you a healthy start to the day with my favorite breakfast smoothie. Today I’m going to share with you a breakfast for when you need to indulge a bit. A breakfast for a rainy Saturday morning or that Sunday morning when you’re paying for all the fun you had on Saturday night.

It would go beautifully with a Tequila Sunrise or Bloody Mary. Just saying!

As much as I love Mexican and Tex-Mex, I do not claim to be an authority on it we’ll call this my New England Girl’s version of Huevos Rancheros. It’s simple to make because let’s face it - weekend breakfasts should be easy to make!

I’ve listed several options for toppings so please pick and choose which you prefer. I also think it would be so much fun to do a Huevos Rancheros Toppings Bar for a fun at-home brunch with friends. Cinco de Mayo is less than a month away AND on a Sunday this year.

In fact, I’m making a mental note of that idea right now.

One small FYI: I used flour tortillas today because that’s what I had on hand but corn tortillas are more common. I like them both – the choice is yours!

Huevos Rancheros

*Makes 4

(printable recipe)

Ingredients:

-          4 eggs

-          4 tortillas, flour or corn

-          1 cup shredded pepper jack, Monterey jack or cheddar cheese

-          1 1/3 cups refried beans

-          2 teaspoons oil, divided

-          Butter

Suggested Toppings:

-          Enchilada sauce

-          Salsa, red or green

-          Avocado

-          Guacamole

-          Diced tomato

-          Diced onion

-          Pico de Gallo

-          Sour cream

-          Hot sauce

-          Cilantro

-          Scallions

-          Jarred jalapeños

Directions:

1. Start by warming the refried beans in a small pan or in the microwave. Next heat ½ teaspoon canola oil in a pan over medium high heat. Once oil is hot, add one four tortilla and brown it on both sides. About 1-2 minutes per side. Repeat until done adding additional oil as needed.

2. Place tortillas on a baking sheet and spread each tortilla with 1/3 cup of refried beans each. Then sprinkle ¼ cup of cheese on each. Place under the broiler for 3-5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

3. While cheese is melting start preparing your eggs. Fried or sunny side up are the most common but you can serve them with scrambled eggs as well. For fried or sunny side up egg, use a small sauté pan and bring to medium high heat. Melt a small amount of butter – just enough to coat the bottom of the pan. Crack the egg and place it in the center of the pan. Cook for 3-4 minutes for a runny egg. Flip once if you want it over easy. Repeat for all 4 eggs.

4. Place one egg on each tortilla. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top with salsa or enchilada sauce as well as any additional toppings you prefer. Serve immediately.

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Blackened Fish Tacos

I’m a sucker for a good fish taco. It combines two things I am absolutely crazy about – seafood and tex-mex.

And they can actually be fairly healthy for you depending on how you make them. These are lightly pan fried so they have a bit of texture but not deep fried so they aren’t a huge calorie bomb. These are blackened as well so they have a nice spicy kick to them.

A win-win as far as I’m concerned given that it is SPRING and swimsuit season is right around the corner.

Blackened Fish Tacos

*Serves 4

(printable recipe)

Ingredients:

-          1 lb mild white fish such as tilapia, cod or grouper

-          ¼ cup flour

-          1.5 – 2.5 teaspoons blacken seasoning, based on your spice preference

-          1 tablespoon canola oil, more if needed

-          1/3 cup sour cream or plain greek yogurt

-          Zest of lime

-          1 tablespoon lime juice

-          8-10 flour tortillas

Suggestions:

-          Lettuce, shredded or chopped

-          Pico de Gallo

-          Avocado, sliced

Directions:

1. In a small bowl combine sour cream, lime zest, and lime juice. Set aside for later.

2. Prep the fish by patting dry and slicing into 1” thick slices about 2”-3” inches long.

3. In a shallow bowl or plate combine blacken seasoning and flour. Dredge fish in flour and allow to sit for 10 minutes.

4. Heat a large sauté pan to medium high heat with canola oil. Pan fry fish for 3-5 minutes on each side or until cooked through and lightly golden brown. Repeat until done. (You can keep cooked fish in a 200 degree oven on a wire rack to keep warm while you finish.)

5. Heat tortillas according to package directions and serve tacos with toppings of choice. I used shredded lettuce, the lime zest sour cream, pico de gallo and sliced avocado. 

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Super Easy Cilantro-Lime Rice

I suck at making rice.

I can’t buy the big cheap bags of rice and make perfectly fluffy rice. I always screw it up somehow. So I gave up trying and use instant rice instead.

And they lived happily ever after. The end.

So I shared this photo over the weekend of my little puppy Gravy (my dad calls him Gravy Boat), watching me try and get a fair photo of the Cilantro-Lime Rice. He was VERY interested in the rice but he got a puppy treat instead. I'm pretty sure he was just as happy with it.

This is a simple and easy recipe that makes a great side dish for when you have tacos or enchiladas or anything other Mexican meal. It’s also great for a burrito filling too. But the best part is that it’s ready in about 10 minutes!

What I love about this rice is the fresh and vibrant flavor it has from the lime juice and cilantro. I think it’s a great compliment to any spicy dish.

Cilantro-Lime Rice

*Makes 2 cups cooked rice

(printable recipe)

Ingredients:

-          1 cup uncooked instant rice

-          1 cup chicken or veggie broth (water is fine but doesn’t add extra flavor)

-          2 teaspoons fresh lime juice

-          Zest of one lime

-          1-2 tablespoons fresh minced cilantro

-          Salt and pepper

Helpful Tools:

-          A sauce pot with a tight fitting lid

Directions:

1. In a medium sauce pot bring the broth to a boil. Add rice and turn off burner. Cover tightly and let sit for about 7-8 minutes. A little longer is fine.

2. When broth is fully absorbed, fluff rice with a fork and add lime zest, lime juice, and up to 2 tablespoons of cilantro. How much cilantro you add will be up to your taste. Start with a smaller about and then season with salt and pepper.

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Slow Cooker Spicy Pulled Pork

I love my slow cookers. Despite having three, they all surprisingly get a fair amount of use, and I actually wouldn't mind having a fourth. But according to Brent, we don’t have room for anymore kitchen gadgets.

So I buy them and don’t tell him about it.

I do this with clothes and shoes too.

Shhhhh! It’s a secret, k?

While I love using my slow cookers for a variety of things, I find the most useful (or maybe it’s just my favorite) to be for making pulled pork, beef, or chicken. It is incredibly simple to do and the possibilities are endless.

This recipe is for spicy pulled pork that is great for tacos, burritos, southwestern bowls, sandwiches, or anything other vessel you may want to use to get it in your mouth.

Like nachos? Oh, yes. Do it, like now.

Little tip! Puree the chipotles in adobo whenever you open a new can. I do this and keep some in the fridge in a tightly sealed jar, and then divvy up the rest in small freezer bags and freeze them for future use. It makes it so much easier to measure out and you don’t risk wasting any.

Spicy Pulled Pork

*Serves 6-8

(printable recipe)

Ingredients:

-          3-4 lbs pork roast*

-          1 15.5oz can tomato sauce

-          2.5 tbls chipotles in adobo

-          1 tbl chili powder

-          1 tbl cumin

-          1 tea garlic powder

-          1 tea onion powder

-          1 tea oregano

-          1 tbl brown sugar

-          Salt and Pepper, to taste

             *I generally use about a 3 lb roast but a little larger roast will be fine.

 

Make-At-Home Frozen Burritos

I have a dirty little secret.

But before I tell you what it is, here is the thing…I get burnt out on cooking some nights. As much as I love trying to come up with interesting new things to eat for dinner, there are days when I have no inspiration. Or maybe it was a crazy stressful day and all I really want is a margarita.

Either way, there are nights were I will eat frozen burritos for dinner.

Brent and I try to keep some frozen items stocked up for when we want a quick snack or lunch on the weekend. We try and mix it up most of the time, but recently Brent has developed a deep love for the frozen burrito, so they are almost always on hand. They are usually his “second dinner”. That is if he isn’t having a late night bowl of ice cream.

Side note: How is it that boys can eat whatever they want and not gain a pound? I swear if I had his eating habits, I’d double in size in less than a month.

Back to burritos! So this past weekend we ran out, and Brent asked me to put them on the grocery list. Instead, I decided that it was time to make them at home and see how it goes.

My personal belief is that anything you make at home will be healthier, and better for you, than what you may get in a restaurant or buying it pre-made. This does not mean by any means that I won’t get down with that stuff every so often; I just try to keep it to a minimum. To me, it’s all about balance and moderation.

I’m happy to say that I think these worked out perfectly. They froze fine and heated up without a problem. And they tasted pretty good too!

My favorite thing to do when I have a frozen burrito (or two) for dinner is to load it up with fresh veggies on top. After I heat them up and melt some cheese on top, I chop up whatever produce I happen to have on hand and toss it on. Add a little sour cream, salsa or my favorite Cholula and it’s ready to be devoured.


In this picture, I used radicchio, tomatoes, cilantro, scallions and Cholula. I’ve also topped them with mixed greens, spinach, arugula, red onions, and avocados to name a few. I will say that adding the veggies make me feel a little less guilty, and actually make it a more satisfying meal. And it’s ready in no time, so that is a definite plus on a busy or exhausting night!

Southwestern Chicken Casserole

This is one of my favorite casseroles that I’ve come up with. There is just something so homey and delightful to me about a casserole. I make this one often because I usually have all or most of the ingredients on hand and it’s just so satisfying. This recipe is perfect for the day after you grill some chicken breasts. Just add an extra one and set it aside for the next night.

Southwestern Chicken Casserole

*Serves 2 generously
(printable recipe)

Ingredients:
- 1lb potatoes, peeled and diced
- 1 large chicken breast (or two small), grilled
- ½ cup salsa verde
- 1 bell pepper, sliced (any color)
- ½ small onion, sliced
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2/3 cup black bean dip (or refried beans)
- 1 cup canned red beans, drained and rinsed
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon season salt
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1/3 cup chopped scallion
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- Oil or additional butter for sautéing
- Cooking spray
- Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Add your diced potatoes to a pot of water and bring to a boil. Allow potatoes to cook until just before being fork tender. Once done, remove from heat and drain well.

2. While potatoes are cooking sauté peppers and onions over medium heat in a couple of tablespoons of oil or butter for about 10 minutes or until vegetables soften. Once done remove from heat and set aside.

Supreme Breakfast Taquitos

I’m sure that I’ve mentioned before on here that I am a big fan of breakfast for dinner. It’s especially convenient on nights when Brent is working late since I usually take that time to catch up on stuff around the house that I need to do…like washing the floors or doing homework.

Speaking of washing floors, can I digress for a moment? I like to keep a fairly clean house, which was not impossible with two cats, a dog, Brent and me. But ever since we got Gravy it’s been a nonstop battle to keep them clean. Who knew one little 5lb dog would cause so much more dirt?

Anyway, back to business. So I have a small confession. I have a strong affinity for those taquitos you can find at gas stations. Yes, I know they are so very terrible for you but they are just so friggin’ tasty. This recipe is a home version of those taquitos.

Supreme Breakfast Taquitos

*Serves 2
(printable recipe)

Ingredients:
- 6 flour tortillas
- 4 eggs
- splash of milk or heavy cream
- ¼ cup bell pepper, diced
- ¼ cup onion, diced
- 4 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
- ¼ cup bean dip or refried beans
- 1/3 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
- 2 tablespoons of butter
- vegetable oil for frying, roughly 1/3 cup
- S&P to taste

Directions:

1. Add butter, peppers, and onions to a small sauté pan and sauté over medium high heat for roughly 5 minutes stirring occasionally. Add eggs and milk to a small bowl and whisk to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste.

2. Once peppers and onions are fragrant and translucent adds eggs to pan and scramble until eggs are cooked thoroughly, adding bacon halfway through the process. Remove from heat and set aside.

Chorizo and Jalapeno Cornbread Stuffing

Or for you Southern Folk – Chorizo and Jalapeno Cornbread Dressing

In a word… this is NOM. Stuffing is by far my favorite item on a Thanksgiving Day menu. Personally, I love when there is a more traditional savory stuffing and then a different one to eat as well. I actually went to one home a long time ago and they had THREE stuffing dishes. It was heaven, let me tell you.

This stuffing is a bit spicy, so I probably wouldn’t stuff the bird with it if that is your thing. But the good thing about it is that it’s delicious and I believe would make an awesome side dish anytime of the year.

Chorizo and Jalapeno Cornbread Stuffing

*Serves 8-10
(printable recipe)

Ingredients:
- 1 small onion, diced
- 3 tablespoons of butter, divided
- 2 cloves of garlic, smashed and minced
- ½ teaspoon celery salt
- ¼ cup sliced jarred jalapenos, rinsed and diced*
- 1 lb raw chorizo*
- 5 cups cornbread, dried and crumbled**
- 4 cups chicken broth
- pepper, to taste

* As I mentioned above this is a spicy dish. If you don’t like very spicy things you can reduce the jalapenos to 1 tablespoon and the chorizo to ¾ a pound.
** You can use fresh cornbread or the bag variety. If using fresh, crumble and dry out in the oven on a low heat.

Directions:

Beef and Cheese Empanadas

Let me start by saying thank you to everyone that voted last week in the appetizer poll. It was really interesting and fun to see what everyone voted for. When I added empanadas to the poll, it was really just an afterthought. I didn’t think anyone would really vote for them. I was surprised that so many people did! I liked the idea of you guys chiming in on what you’d like me to make, and will most likely do some more polls in the future.

The empanada recipe below is not the one I was planning to make. Not even close. Don’t get me wrong, the ones I did end up making are pretty tasty and I shamelessly devoured 4 of them. Still, I was personally disappointed that my original recipe didn’t pan out.

I’ll save you the long drawn out story of all the things that went wrong… but let’s just say that Sunday morning after 3 trips to the grocery store, 4 hours in the kitchen, and failed empanadas stuck to the walls of the kitchen… I ended up sitting on my kitchen floor crying hysterically with flour, dough, cheese, and meat stuck all over me while my puppy was sitting in my lap trying to lick the tears from my cheeks, and my poor boyfriend just looked at me trying to figure out why I was having a complete nervous breakdown over empanadas.

Looking back at that scene now, it’s pretty amusing.

Monday night I came home from work armed with new ingredients, and an easier method to make what I am affectionately calling now “Fakepanadas”.

Beef and Cheese “Fakepanadas”

*Makes 30 empanadas

(printable recipe)

Ingredients:

- 1.5 lbs ground beef

- ¾ cup beef broth

- 1.25 cups medium salsa

- ¾ teaspoon garlic powder

- ¾ teaspoon cumin

- ¾ teaspoon dried cilantro
- Salt and pepper
- Couple of pinches red pepper flake
- ¾ cup bean dip or refried beans
- 1.5 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 3 12oz cans of biscuits, 10 biscuits in each can, butter or buttermilk – not flakey layers
- Cooking spray

Directions:
1. Brown the ground beef in a large sauté pan over medium high heat until fully brown and no longer pink. Drain in a colander to remove grease and return to sauté pan. Over medium low heat add to the beef: salsa, beef broth, garlic, cumin, cilantro and red pepper flake. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a low simmer, then reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for about 10 minutes. Remove lid and continue to simmer until all the liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes.

15 Minute Dinner: Cajun Scallop Tacos

On nights that Brent works his late shift I like to make meals that don’t take a whole lot of time and effort (or uses a lot of dishes) so that I have time to take care of chores or homework. A lot of times I make some sort of breakfast for dinner or an easy one pot pasta dish. One of my favorite go-to meals is some form of taco. I’ve made these tacos several times and it only occurred to me this morning to share them with you. Sometimes I go really simple and just top them with lettuce and salsa if that is all I have on hand. So this is really more of an idea to share really since you can change them up however you like!

Cajun Scallop Tacos

*Serves 2 (two tacos per person)
(printable recipe)

Ingredients:

- 16 large sea scallops

- 1 ½ - 2 1/2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
- 2 plum tomatoes, diced

- 1/3 cup chopped scallions

- 4 soft tortillas

- lettuce, shredded

- 1 haas avocado, sliced

- Cilantro Sour Cream

- Small amount of oil

- 1 lime (optional)

Directions:

1. Make sure your scallops are thawed and clean. Place in a small bowl and top with Cajun seasoning. I like a good amount of spicy flavor so I go with 2+ teaspoons, if you don’t like as much, go with less. Allow to sit for at least 5 or so minutes.

2. Heat pan to medium heat and add just enough oil to coat the bottom. Add scallops and cook for 3-4 minutes per side. Scallops will start to brown and caramelize slightly.

Marry Me Nachos

The first time Brent made these for me was back in October. It was right before Halloween and I was trying my best not to eat “bad things” because we (and his brother) were going to be the Dukes of Hazard for Halloween.

Daisy Duke didn’t have a pudgy belly. She probably didn’t eat nachos. I however DO eat nachos and then spent all of Halloween night sucking my gut in as best as I could.

None of this has anything to do with why I call them “Marry Me Nachos”, but writing this post made me remember that. I call them “Marry Me Nachos” because I had about two bites and promptly asked Brent to marry me.

He said no.

And then I cried.

Just kidding. I just ate about 4 plates full of nachos and called it a day. It’s hard to upset me when food is involved.

I’m going to put a bit of a disclaimer here before I post the “recipe”. Getting a recipe from Brent is a little difficult and all measurements are approximant since he doesn’t take the time to measure, and make notes like I have learned to do. But I love these nachos and want to share them with you even if there really isn’t anything super special about them. Or maybe there is? Let me know if you anyone proposes to you after eating them. This could get dangerous.

“Marry Me” Nachos

(printable recipe)

*Serves 4-6 people

Ingredients:
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 taco seasoning packet
- tortilla chips
- diced jalapeños, small can undrained
- 1 cup bean dip, mixed with water
- 3 cups cheese cheddar and/or pepper jack
- 1 large tomato, diced
- ½ cup chopped onion or scallions
- 1 cup cheese on top
- 1 ¼ - 1 ½ cups of water
- ½ cup salsa

Shrimp, Bacon, and Mushroom Quesadillas with Mexican Herbed Sour Cream

So it was Saturday night and I was trying to figure out what I should whip up for dinner. After mentally running through everything that was in my freezer/fridge and pantry, I came up with the idea to do Quesadillas. But these aren’t “normal” quesadillas; these have shrimp, bacon, mushrooms, and gouda cheese in them. Swoon.

After I settled on my ingredients I thought that I couldn’t just serve them with plain old sour cream. That would be boring and probably not stand up well. So I went with a Mexican-ish Herbed Sour Cream. Which I am now addicted to and use on everything I can possible think of. And I swear the longer it sits in my fridge, the better it gets.

Shrimp, Bacon, and Mushroom Quesadillas with Mexican Herbed Sour Cream

*Serves 2

(Printable version)

Ingredients:

- 1 dozen raw shrimp, peeled and deveined

- 2 cups shredded gouda cheese

- 2 cups shredded Monterey jack cheese

- 1 cup sliced mushrooms, any variety – I used baby bella

- 6 bacon strips

- 3 large tortillas

- 1/3 cup chopped scallions

- Canola or Veggie oil, few tablespoons for frying

- S&P

Sour cream:

- 1 cup sour cream

- ½ teaspoon garlic

- 2 tablespoons fresh chives

- 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro

- 1 teaspoon ground cumin

- Juice of ½ lime

Preparation:

Note: Make the sour cream mixture first and then set in the fridge. You’ll want to do this so they flavors have time to develop into a happy mixture.

Football Season is Here: Queso con Carne

I attempted a new appetizer last night. I was trying to think about some great party appetizers in preparation for Labor Day, BD’s 30th birthday, and football season. I knew I wanted something that wouldn’t be overly complicated, time-consuming, and it needed to be a crowd pleaser for sure.

I’d never made a queso dip before (though I have eaten more than my fair share of them), so I decided to give it a go. I figured it would be especially great when I have about 30 grown men drinking and swearing at my TV in the upcoming months while watching a game.

Queso con Carne

*This recipe made a LOT – much more than I anticipated. If you are serving this with a couple of other appetizers you could easily serve 20-25 people. If it’s the only appetizer -maybe 10-15.

(print the recipe)

Ingredients:

- 2 – 32oz processed cheese blocks, cubed

- 2 10oz cans of Rotel, drained

- 1.5 lbs of ground beef

- ¼ cup of minced onion

- ¼ cup of chopped scallions

- 1 tablespoon onion power

- 1 tablespoon garlic powder

- 2 tablespoons cumin

- 2 tablespoons chili powder

- 1 teaspoon paprika

- 1+ tablespoon of crushed red pepper

- S&P

Procedure:

1 - Over medium high heat brown ground beef with the onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, chili powder, paprika and 1 tablespoon of crushed red pepper. Once fully cooked drain off fat and set aside.

2 -In a large dutch oven, add onion and Rotel. Sauté for a couple of minutes and then drain off excess liquid.

3 -Add back to pot and add in the cheese. Stir until smooth and all the lumps are gone.

4 -Add ground beef and stir to incorporate. Add S&P to taste.

*** At this point I tested the mixture to see what the heat/spice level was. I wanted a lot more kick than it was giving so I added a couple more tablespoons of crushed red pepper little by little until I got the amount of heat I wanted.

5- Right before serving, add the chopped scallions and stir. For serving, I would recommend using a slow cooker or fondue set to keep the dip warm.

I was feeling rather ambitious the day I was making this and decided to make my own chips as well. They turned out pretty good and were easy to make, but a little time consuming. Honestly I decided to do them because I had nearly a whole package of uncooked corn tortillas in my freezer that I was probably never going to use otherwise.

Homemade Chips

1 - The tortillas were on the smaller side for I cut them into fours.

2 – Next I fried in vegetable oil over medium-high heat.

3- I only did a few at a time and made sure to flip them once during the frying. I used a small sauce pan because I didn’t have a ton of veggie oil on hand.

4- Once they had a light brown color, I removed them from the oil and place on a cookie sheet lined with paper towels to cool and then sprinkled with a little salt.

I liked how they turned out. Light, crispy, and worked well for my queso. However, after frying them I suspect that my corn tortillas weren’t entirely corn and had a little flour in them as well. Still, they were pretty tasty and I will definitely try to make them again.

My thoughts: I really, really, loved the queso. It was really cheesy and had just the right amount of other ingredients. Not only was this good for flavor reasons but it also was important for dipping. As BD said, it had the right consistency and you were able to get a little bit of everything in each bite. I was glad that I added more crushed red pepper near the end because I like things with a bit of a kick. I ate quite a lot more of this than I would like to admit too… so let’s just say that I didn’t have any room left for dinner that night.

Kitten ^..^

Yo quiero Quesadillas!

I have a deep love for Mexican food. A better word might even be addiction; I have an addiction to Mexican food. The other night I rifled through my fridge and pantry and discovered that I had all the necessary ingredients for Veggie Quesadillas. I’m a fan of the homemade quesadilla, much more so than ordering them in a restaurant because when you make them at home you get to choose what you want in them and the possibilities are endless.

A while back I use to be afraid of making them, but once I learned how easy it can be I make them at least once a month.

Veggie Quesadillas

(print the recipe)

Ingredients:

- Any veggies you want! I chose: red bell pepper, green bell pepper, mushrooms, onions, and spinach

- Cheese

- Large flour tortillas

- Vegetable oil

Method:

* I can’t really give you exact measurements because that is all up to you. Below is the method of how to go about making them.

1 -Sauté your veggies until al dente. FOOD 411: Al dente means “to the bite”, it refers to that tender yet crisp phase of vegetables but is more commonly used referring to paste.

2 -Heat a large sauté to medium heat and pour just enough vegetable oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Place the tortilla on the pan.

3 -Add a layer of cheese all over the tortilla but leave about a half inch perimeter from the edge. Next scatter some of your veggies all over the tortilla. You can add as much as you like but don’t worry about covering every inch with vegetables.

You’ll be folding it in half. (See picture) Even though I didn’t overload mine with veggies, I still ended up with a ½ inch thick quesadilla.

4 -Once the cheese start to melt slightly, take a pair of tongs and fold the tortilla in half and press down slightly with a spatula.

5 -After the tortilla has browned slightly on the bottom side, flip over carefully to finishing browning the second side.

6 -Remove from pan and allow cooling for a couple of minutes before slicing.

My thoughts on this dish: I love quesadillas and these hit the spot. They are crispy, melty, and full of tasty veggies. Not to mention quick and not a lot of dishes to clean afterward!

The dipping sauce in the picture is one of my favorite things. It’s Spicy Black Bean Dip from Dessert Pepper Trading Company.

It’s a staple in my fridge at all times; I especially love it on southwestern style scrambled eggs.

Leftover Genius - Taco Empanadas with Avocado Ranch Dip

The other night for dinner BD suggested Taco Salads. I didn't take pictures of that feast - which was pretty tasty - but I did have a stroke of genius the next night when trying to find a way to use up the leftover. Personally, I am not a big fan of straight leftovers. I try to make just enough for dinner or I will freeze some in individual containers for lunches or quick dinners a couple weeks down the road.

In my fridge was:

- Taco meat

- Pinto Beans

- Red Onion

- Shredded Mexican Cheese

- and from a couple of nights prior, refrigerated Pillsbury biscuits. The home-style kind - not the flaky ones.

So in my attempt to use up leftovers and remove some various Tupperware containers I went to work. After some thought I decided that I wanted to take the dinner rolls, stuff them with the leftover taco fix ins and make a makeshift empanada. At least that's the best description I could come up with.

Taco "Empanadas"

(print recipe)

Ingredients:

- Leftover taco fixings

- Pillsbury refrigerated biscuits

Method:

1- To start I warmed the taco meat (and the pinto beans) up for about a minute in the microwave. I didn't want them super hot but I wanted to be sure they wouldn't be ice cold in the middle after baking.

2- The next thing I did was take each roll and flatten them out -somewhere between an 1/8 and 1/4 of an inch. I didn't use flour but I did spray the rolling pin and the cutting board with a little Pam. This worked well for me.

3- When each of those were ready I mixed the pinto beans, taco meat and minced red onion together. I spooned a generous couple of spoonfuls in the middle of the biscuit and then I topped it with the cheese.

4- The next step was sort of tricky and honestly I did not master it. The next thing you want to do is fold the biscuit in half and mold it around the mixture. You want to try and seal the edges as best as possible so that the inside yummy goodness doesn't leak out. Mine ended up looking like little half moons which I thought was kinda cute. Below is a pic before they went in the toaster oven.

I know you're jealous of my "well-seasoned" pan!

5 - Next I just threw then in the toaster oven on 400 and kept an eye on them. Once they were nicely browned on top and bottom, I knew they were done. It took about 12 minutes but that will vary on how thick the dough is after you roll them out.

* For the taco salads I had made an Avocado Ranch dressing/dip. While I'm sure there are recipes out there of this, my inspiration actually came from Chili's. Its really easy to make and I usually do it off the cuff.

Avocado Ranch Dip

(print recipe)

Ingredients:

- 8oz of sour cream

- 1 avocado

- dry ranch dressing packet

- Lime juice

- S&P

Procedure:

1- Slice the avocado, remove the pit and spoon out the flesh or fruit. Squeeze a little bit of lime juice and add S&P. Then smash the hell out of it with a fork, muddle, spoon - whatever you have!

2- Once the avocado is smooth, add the entire 8oz of sour cream. Mix together.

3- Next add about half of the ranch packet. I would actually recommend doing this little by little and tasting it as you go. This will allow you to control how much ranch flavor it will have. You can also adjust the S&P and lime juice if you like as well.

My thoughts on this dish: I actually would have preferred less ranch taste but BD wanted the ranch to be very prominent so I went a little heavy with it. I thought this overpowered the avocado flavor, which I secretly think was his plan. Anyway in the end we used about 3/4 of the packet. Still, I thought it was a great break from the traditional sour cream and guacamole to the salad and it actually went even better with my taco empanadas.

The finale!

My thoughts on this dish: I definitly need to perfect the sealing part but luckily nothing leaked all over the pan. Also, I think next time I will add some more cheese to it. It wasn't quite as cheesy as I had wanted. Originally I was a little worried that the Mexican flavor would meld well with a regular biscuit but it was great. In fact, my intentions were to only each two of the three and save the last one for BD when he got home from work.....that didn't happen.

These turned out to be great finger friendly food. No drips or the middle falling out of the other end when I bit into it. Always a plus in my book. Another thought I came up with was maybe making these in half portions for an appetizer at a cocktail party. A little bit of prep work but easy to do and really economical as well.

Update 7/20: Last night I saw Paula Deen make cuban empanadas using the same style biscuit. She fried her's (of course!), but it made me feel less like a noob, I guess.