Friday, July 30, 2010

My Addiction to Mexican Food, Part 2

Taquitos. For me this brings up memories of my baby sitting years when I needed to feed young children something for dinner and all I could find in the freezer was taquitos. I now cringe at the fact that this is what I was feeding these growing bodies. Well, as it turns out the gross, fried, not even remotely healthy tequitos I remember can be changed into something that even Alton Brown would call "Good Eats". I stumbled upon a recipe and with a few changes made it into one of Mark's favorites meals that I cook. They are best served right out of the oven with a little avocado.

Baked Chicken Taquitos

3 oz cream cheese
1/4 c green salsa
1T fresh lime juice
1/2 t cumin
1 t chili powder
1/2 t onion powder
1/4 t granulated garlic, or garlic powder
2 T sliced green onions
2 c shredded cooked chicken
1 c grated mexican cheese
flour tortillas
garlic salt
melted butter

Heat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with foil. Heat cream cheese in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds so it's soft and easy to stir. Add green salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder and granulated garlic. Stir to combine and then add green onions. Add chicken and cheese and combine well. Work with a few tortillas at a time and heat in the microwave until they are soft enough to roll without cracking. Place 2-3 T of chicken mixture on the lower third of a tortilla, keeping it about 1/2 inch from the edges.

Then roll it up as tight as you can.

Place seam side down on the baking sheet. Lay all of the taquitos on the baking sheet and make sure they are not touching each other. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle some garlic salt on top.Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start to get golden brown.
ENJOY!

Saturday, July 10, 2010

My Addiction to Mexican Food, Part 1

Mark and I both have an amazing love for Mexican food. Whether it is from a restaurant, a fast food place or a kitchen, there is a place in our hearts for all Mexican food. That being said, one of our goals is to eat at home more so that means we must get our Mexican food fix at home. I have done a pretty good job of recreating some of our favorite meals from restaurants and the following recipe is one of my greatest accomplishments in this area...Mexican Rice! I am very picky about what kind of rices I like but this one is just so darn good. Please try it, and then make some extra because it is really good as left overs too.


Mexican Rice
(sorry, no photo yet)

Ingredients:
1 T Olive Oil
½ red onion, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 t cumin
1 t chili powder
1 t oregano
1 t salt
1 t pepper
1 cup rice
1 t chicken bouillon
2 cups water
½ cup corn

Directions:
In a 3 quart saucepan over medium heat, sauté onions and garlic in olive oil until cooked through, about 5 minutes.
Add in spices and mix in rice.
Add in water and chicken bouillon. Bring to a boil and then turn down to a simmer, cover, and cook for 20 minutes.
Fluff with a fork and stir in corn.


Note: I highly suggest buying good quality spices. I like Penzy's spices but I realize that not everyone lives in Houston. They do have a website though and honestly...they are totally worth the extra price. Happy Eating!