TexMex

Note: most of these recipes are not peppery hot unless noted

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CHICKEN ENCHILADAS

de-boned cooked chicken                         1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 onion chopped                                         1/4 teaspoon cumin
garlic or garlic powder                                1 cup tomatoes, fresh or canned
2 tablespoons chili powder                          salt and pepper

Cook the above to soften onion and blend flavors. Thin two cans of cream of chicken soup with 2 tablespoons vinegar and a little soup stock (or H2O). Heat. Dip corn tortillas in soup to soften. Fill tortillas. Roll and put in a 9x13" pan. Pour remaining soup over them. Cover with cheese (cheddar, jack or Swiss). Bake until cheese melts and browns slightly.

CHILI

1 1/2 lb. hamburger 3 onions

Fry the above together. Fry the hamburger loosely. Drain fat.

1 can tomato paste                        water
1 T chili powder                            1 t cumin
1/2 t garlic powder                         salt to taste
1 t cocoa or 1/4 oz baking chocolate

Add and simmer two cans kidney beans undrained and cook 15 minutes longer. You can add several tablespoons taco or other hot sauce to make it hotter.

CHILI RELLENOS CASSEROLE

1 cup half and half                                        2 eggs
1/3 cup flour                                                 3 - 4 oz cans whole green peppers
1/2 lb. Monterey jack cheese, grated            1/2 lb. sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1 8 oz can tomato sauce

Beat half and half with eggs and flour until smooth. Split open chilis, rinse out seeds and drain on paper towels. Mix cheeses. Reserve 1/2 cup for topping. Make alternate layers of remaining cheese, chilis and egg mixture in deep 1 1/2 quart casserole. Pour tomato sauce over top and sprinkle with reserved cheese. Bake at 375 degrees for 1 hour or until cooked in the center. Serves 4.

ENCHILADA PIE

1 1/2 lb. hamburger fried out loosely; drain fat 1 can kidney beans
1 can chili w/o beans 1 can enchilada sauce

Mix in skillet and heat.

Add 2 large onions coarsely chopped and put in 9x13x2 inch pan. Cover with corn chips and grated or sliced cheddar cheese. Bake at 450 degrees until cheese is melted and meat mixture is bubbling but not long enough to soften onions - about 20 minutes.

QUICK GREEN CHILI DINNER

1 can Cream of Chicken Soup 1/2 cup milk
2 - 4 oz cans green chilies 1 small onion, chopped fine

Mix above ingredients together.

1 pkg. tortillas torn in pieces
1 pkg. of longhorn cheese grated

Layer 1/3 of tortilla pieces in a casserole with 1/3 of the mixture and 1/3 of the cheese. Repeat until all ingredients are in the casserole. Cover with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

MEXICAN MEAT BALLS

1 lb hamburger                                           onion minced
salt, pepper and thyme                                Worcestershire sauce
taco sauce, optional                                     stuffed green olives
1 can Fritos bean dip

Make meat balls with an olive in the center of each. Brown. Make gravy with bean dip. Serve with fried cornmeal.

MEXICAN PORK CHOPS WITH CORN AND TOMATOES

Makes 4 servings. Per serving: 355 calories, 30 g protein, 13 g fat, 33 g carbohydrate, 552 mg sodium, 72 mg cholesterol.

4 lean center cut pork chops, 3/4 inch thick. (about 1 1/2 lb.), trimmed

1 T vegetable oil                                1 large onion chopped
1 large clove garlic, finely chopped      2 T cornmeal or 1 T flour
1 medium sized green pepper cored, seeded and cut into 1/2 inch squares
1/2 medium sized red pepper, cored, seeded and cut into 1/2 inch squares or use 1 1/2 green peppers
1 T chili powder                                1/2 t leaf oregano, crumbled
1/2 t cumin                                        1 can (16 oz) stewed tomatoes
1/4 t salt                                            1/8 t pepper
1 lime cut into 4 wedges                    1 pkg. (10 oz) frozen whole kernel corn

Trim excess fat from pork chops. Heat oil in heavy skillet. Brown Chops and cook until chops are just cooked through. Remove chops to a platter and set aside.

Add chopped onions to skillet, and sauté, stirring occasionally, over moderate heat until softened, for about 3 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add green and red peppers and salt.

MEXICAN CORN BREAD JAN TELESCZCAK

3 eggs                                     1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup oil                                 6 to 8 hot peppers
1 cup cornmeal, self rising          1 can creamed corn
shredded cheese

Mix eggs and sour cream until smooth. Add corn and oil. Cut up peppers and add them; add cornmeal last.

Pour 1/2 of mixture into a baking dish. Add thick layer of shredded cheese. Pour the rest on top. Bake at 450- degrees until golden brown, about 20 minutes.

TACO SALAD DINNER

1 8 oz can tomato sauce * 1 4 oz can ortega chilis
1 small onion diced 1 pkg. taco seasoning mix

Mix above ingredients together.

Cook 1 1/2 lbs. ground beef. Drain. Take a pkg. of tortillas and make two stacks of six each. In between, layer meat, sauce mix and lots of cheese. Put cheese on top and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. To serve cut the stacks in wedges and serve with chopped fresh tomatoes, chopped lettuce and taco sauce.

TACOS This recipe was given to us by the owner of a Mexican restaurant in Sierra Vista, Arizona. This is a unique taco recipe and in our opinion beats any tacos you can find in Mexican restaurants.

Taco Sauce - this sauce is very hot. We made a mixture of the sauce with catsup - mostly catsup for our kids. You can also use commercial mild taco sauce of you prefer. Some even use catsup alone.

1 cup chopped onions                        1/2 cup crushed dried red chili peppers
1 1/2 cup tomato juice                         2 T sugar
2 T vinegar                                          2 T garlic salt

mix together and let set.

Taco Meat

1 lb. Hamburger garlic powder to taste
1 pkg. Crackers (1/4 box) crumbled water to make soluble enough for crackers to blend in.

Add all ingredients to skillet and cook until no longer pink. The meat mixture will look pale gray in color.

Corn Tortillas

Pour a small amount of oil into a skillet and heat.

Place the tortillas, one at a time, for a count of ten turn and repeat. Place on paper towels to drain the oil. Continue until all tortillas have been heated. The tortillas should be flexible and won’t crack during further cooling.

Fill each of the tortillas with some of the meat mixture, fold in half and pin with a toothpick.
When all taco’s have been stuffed, fry them again in a little oil until lightly browned on each side.

Serving

Prepare separate bowls of shredded cheese, chopped, raw onions, tomatoes, chopped lettuce and taco sauce.

The cooked tortillas are served on a platter and each diner adds the above ingredients to his or her own taste.

TEX-MEX ENCHILADA CASSEROLE

Brown 1 1/2 lb. lean ground beef with one small chopped onion and 1 clove minced garlic. Drain meat and add:

1 1/2 can Pace picante sauce (medium or hot)
1 - 10 oz pkg. of frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 8oz can tomato sauce
2 Med. tomatoes chopped up
1 large bell pepper diced
1 T lime or lemon juice

Simmer 15 minutes uncovered. Lightly grease a 9x13 inch pan - cover with 6 overlapping corn tortillas. Cut small pieces so all holes are covered. Place 1/2 of meat mixture in pan - cover with 6 corn tortillas cut in quarters. Sprinkle on some grated jack cheese (not too much, just a thin covering). Spread remaining meat mixture over cheese and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Ten minutes before done sprinkle on some more jack cheese and sliced olives. Put back in oven for last 10 minutes.