Street Corn

Served by Paselly- Cocoa's friend
Ingredients:

• 3 Cans of corn, broiled until it gets a bit charred. 
• 1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp mayonaisse
• 3 Tbsp sour cream
• 3/4 C freshly grated parmesan cheese
• 1 Tbsp jalapeno, deseeded and finely chopped
• 2 Tbsp of Trader Joe's Everything but the Elote seasoning blend
• 1/2 Red onion, finely chopped
• Juice of 1/2 to 1 lime
• Cotija or Feta, to crumble

Directions:

1. Drain canned corn and toss in olive oil. Spread out on a baking sheet and broil in oven until a but charred. 
2. Transfer corn into a bowl and while still warm, add mayonnaise, sour cream, and parmesan. Stir to combine. This will create a dressing on the corn. 
3. Add remaining ingredients. 
4. Adjust lime juice and salt to taste. Serve warm or at room temperature. 

Easy Enchiladas

Total Time: 1 hr 15 min

Prep: 30 min

Cook: 45 min

Yield: 8 servings or 14 Enchiladas

Ingredients

Sauce:  

2 tablespoons canola oil

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

One 28 oz can enchilada or Mexican red sauce

2 cups chicken broth

1/2 teaspoon salt 

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Meat:

1 lb ground beef

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon salt

The rest:

Canola oil, for frying

10 to 14 corn tortillas 

Two 4 oz cans diced green chilies

1 cup chopped green onions

1/2 cup chopped black olives

3 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese

Cilantro, for garnish

Directions for the sauce:

In a saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the canola oil and flour. Whisk together and allow to bubble for 1 min. Poor in the red sauce, chicken broth, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer while you prepare the other ingredients. 

For the meat: 

While the sauce is simmering, brown the ground beef with onions in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Drain the fat, add the salt and stir to combine. Turn off the heat and set aside. 

For the rest:

In a small skillet over medium heat, heat some canola oil. Lightly fry the tortillas just until soft. Do not crisp. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Repeat until al the tortillas have been friend. 

Pre heat the over to 350 degrees F. 

Spread the 1/2 cup of the sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 in baking dish. Next, one at a time, dip each tortilla into the sauce. Set the sauce-soaked tortilla on a plate. Place on some of the meat mixture, chilies, green onions and black olives. Top with a generous portion of grated cheddar. Roll up the tortilla to contain the filling inside. 

Place the tortilla seam side down in the baking dish. Repeat with the rest of the tortillas and pour the remaining sauce over the top. End with a generous sprinkling of cheese and any other bits of chilies, green onions or olives you have left over from the filling. 

Bake the enchiladas for 20 min, or until bubbly. Sprinkle chopped cilantro over the top and serve. 

Easy Enchiladas

Mix the following in a bowl:

2-3 chicken breasts diced and cooked
8 oz sour cream
8 oz cream cheese
1 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp pepper
4 oz can diced green chiles

Spoon mixture onto tortillas, wrap and place in a casserole dish.

Mix together and then pour on top of tortillas:

2-10 oz cans enchilada sauce (I prefer the mild green kind)
1 small can cream of chicken

Cover with shredded Monterey Jack and Cheddar cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 min.  Broil for 3-5 minutes to get the cheese a little carmelized.

Serve with spanish style rice

Taco Soup

Serves 10-12 (or serve half and then freeze the other half for later)
From Kerri
Prep 15 min

Combine in a large pot the following:

2 lbs ground beef, browned with chopped onion
1 C water
1 packet Taco Seasoning (or make your own taco seasoning-see below), dissolved into water
1 can pinto beans
1 can black beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can corn
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
1 28 oz can tomatoes (can be diced, or whatever consistency you would like)
(nothing needs to be pre-drained, just pour it into the pot)

Heat it up.

Serve with tortilla chips, sour cream, and grated cheese.

Taco Seasoning Recipe
(This makes quite a bit so you can make it and store what is left in a ziploc bag with your other spices. About 2-3 Tbs does the trick for this recipe)
Ingredients:
4 tablespoons chili powder (regular chili powder, not cayene unless you like a lot of heat)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon paprika
3 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon black pepper

Chicken Fajitas - Delicious

SKILLET CHICKEN FAJITAS

Published September 1, 2012.   From Cook's Illustrated.

Serves 4.  

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:

To create indoor chicken fajitas that didn’t require a slew of compensatory garnishes to be tasty, we took a fresh look at the key ingredients. For well-charred, juicy chicken we marinated boneless, skinless breasts in a potent mix of smoked paprika, garlic, cumin, cayenne, and sugar before searing them hard on one side and finishing them gently in a low oven. We revamped the usual bland mix of bell pepper and onion by charring poblano chiles and thinly sliced onion, and then cooking them down with cream and lime. Finally, we finish the dish with small amounts of complementary garnishes: pickled radish, queso fresco, and cilantro leaves.

We like to serve these fajitas with crumbled queso fresco or feta in addition to the other garnishes listed.

INGREDIENTS

• Chicken
• 1/4cup vegetable oil
• 2tablespoons lime juice
• 2  garlic cloves , peeled and smashed
• 1 1/2teaspoons smoked paprika
• 1teaspoon sugar
• 1teaspoon salt
• 1/2teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2teaspoon pepper
• 1/4teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 1/2pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts , trimmed and pounded to 1/2-inch thickness
• Rajas con Crema
• 1pound (3 to 4) poblano (referred to as pasilla, also) chiles , stemmed, halved, and seeded - I used just two and it was just fine - not too hot
• 1tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1onion , halved and sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 2garlic cloves , minced
• 1/4teaspoon dried thyme - (I didn't have any of this, so I left it out and it tasted just fine)
• 1/4teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2cup heavy cream
• 1tablespoon lime juice
• 1/2teaspoon salt
• 1/4teaspoon pepper
• 8 - 12(6-inch) flour tortillas , warmed
• 1/4cup minced fresh cilantro
• Spicy Pickled Radishes (see related content) (I didn't make the relish, I just used chopped up radishes, tasted great and gave it a little crunch)
• Lime wedges

INSTRUCTIONS

1. 1. FOR THE CHICKEN: Whisk 3 tablespoons oil, lime juice, garlic, paprika, sugar, salt, cumin, pepper, and cayenne together in bowl. Add chicken and toss to coat. Cover and let stand at room temperature for at least 30 minutes or up to 60 minutes.
2. 2. FOR THE RAJAS CON CREMA: Mean­while, adjust oven rack to highest position and heat broiler. Arrange poblanos, skin side up, on aluminum foil–lined rimmed baking sheet and press to flatten. Broil until skin is charred and puffed, 4 to 10 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through cooking. Transfer poblanos to bowl, cover, and let steam for 10 minutes. Rub majority of skin from poblanos and discard (preserve some skin for flavor); slice into 1/4-inch-thick strips. Adjust oven racks to middle and lowest positions and heat oven to 200 degrees.
3. 3. Heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over high heat until just smoking. Add onion and cook until charred and just softened, about 3 minutes. Add garlic, thyme, and oregano and cook until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Add cream and cook, stirring frequently, until reduced and cream lightly coats onion, 1 to 2 minutes. Add poblano strips, lime juice, salt, and pepper and toss to coat. Transfer vegetables to bowl, cover, and place on middle oven rack. Wipe out skillet with paper towels.
4. 4. Remove chicken from marinade and wipe off excess. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in now-empty skillet over high heat until just smoking. Add chicken and cook without moving it until bottom side is well charred, about 4 minutes. Flip chicken; transfer skillet to lower oven rack. Bake until chicken registers 160 degrees, 7 to 10 minutes. Transfer to cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes; do not wash out skillet.
5. 5. Slice chicken crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick strips. Return chicken strips to skillet and toss to coat with pan juices. To serve, spoon few pieces of chicken into center of warmed tortilla and top with spoonful of vegetable mixture, cilantro, and Spicy Pickled Radishes. Serve with lime wedges.

STEP-BY-STEP

Overcoming the Pitfalls of Lean White Meat

We like the convenience of boneless, skinless chicken breasts, but their lack of fat and flavor is a hazard. Here's how we achieve meat that is well charred, juicy, and meaty tasting.

SEAR ON ONE SIDE: Cook marinated breasts over high heat without moving until thoroughly charred.

TRANSFER TO OVEN: Flip breasts and finish in a gentle 200-degree oven, which ensures the breasts won't overcook.

TOSS IN PAN JUICES: After resting chicken, slice and return to skillet. Toss in flavorful juices before serving.

Pepping Up Fajitas with Poblanos

THE PEPPER TO PICK:

Forget the ho-hum grilled bell peppers and onions typically served with fajitas. Here, we take a cue from mexican cuisine, charbroiling strips of fruity, complex-tasting poblano chiles and then simmering them with onions, cream, and lime juice. The tangy concoction, called rajas con crema, provides a rich counterpoint to the lean chicken.

SPICY PICKLED RADISHES

Published September 1, 2012.   From Cook's Illustrated.

Makes about 1 3/4 cups.  

INGREDIENTS

• 10radishes , trimmed and sliced thin
• 1/2cup lime juice (4 limes)
• 1/2jalapeño chile , stemmed and sliced thin
• 1teaspoon sugar
• 1/4teaspoon salt

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Combine all ingredients in bowl. Cover and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes (or refrigerate for up to 24 hours).

America’s Test Kitchen is a 2,500-square-foot kitchen located just outside of Boston. It is the home of Cook’s Country and Cook’s Illustrated magazines and is the workday destination for more than three dozen test cooks, editors, and cookware specialists. Our mission is to test recipes until we understand how and why they work and arrive at the best version. We also test kitchen equipment and supermarket ingredients in search of brands that offer the best value and performance. You can watch us work by tuning in to America’s Test Kitchen (www.americastestkitchen.com) on public television.

Black Bean Lasagna

Mexican Black Bean Lasagna

Great family dinner. To lower the spice level, use less jalapeno, chili powder, and purchase mild enchilada sauce.

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 jalapenos, seeded and finely chopped (I do less to keep down the spice)
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 15 oz can black beans, rinsed
1 C frozen corn kernels, thawed
2 tsp chili powder (I do less to keep down the spice)
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice, plus wedge for serving
1/2 C fresh cilantro, chopped
1 10-oz can red enchilada sauce
9 small corn tortillas
6 oz Muenster cheese, shredded (about 1 1/2 cups)
Optional: Sour cream and hot sauce for serving

1. Heat oven to 425. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add the jalapenos, bell pepper and garlic and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in the beans, corn and chili powder and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the lime juice and cilantro.

2. Spread 1/4 C enchilada sauce on the bottom of an 8 in square or 1 1/2 qt baking dish. Top with 3 tortillas, tearing them to fit. Spread a third of the remaining enchilada sauce on top. Top with a third of the bean mixture and 1/2 C cheese; repeat twice.

3. Bake until the lasagna is heated through and the top is beginning to brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes. Serve with cilantro, lime wedges, sour cream, and hot sauce, if desired.

(from Woman's Day magazine)