Sunday, July 31, 2016

Baked Taco Rollups

Baked Taco Rollups
I made these and thought they were delish! I froze leftovers in ziplocs and popped in microwave for lunches! They are great! I used only 1lb of meat and it worked!

Baked Taco Rollups
Adapted from Mommy I’m Hungry
print recipe
2 lbs extra lean ground beef (or ground turkey)
1 medium onion diced
1 small can diced green chilies, mild
1 recipe for homemade taco seasoning (below)
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (16 ounce) can refried beans (regular or fat free)*
2 cups shredded Colby-jack or cheddar cheese
flour tortillas, small to medium size
Suggested Condiments-
lettuce chopped
tomatoes chopped
olives
sour cream

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
In a large skillet brown meat and onion over medium-high heat. Drain off any excess liquid. Add chilies, refried beans, tomato sauce, and taco seasoning. Mix well and cook for a few minutes until bubbly. Add a little water or tomato juice if the mixture seems dry.
Spoon about 3 tablespoons of the taco meat mixture onto a tortilla. Sprinkle with about a tablespoon of cheese. Roll up as you would a taquito, not filling the tortilla too full, but rolling fairly tight, so the tortilla will not come undone easily. Place filled tortillas in a single layer onto a lightly greased baking sheet, seam side down. Bake at 400 degrees for about 12-15minutes or until the cheese has melted and the tacos are heated through.
Remove from the oven and serve with optional condiments.
Makes about 12-15 medium tacos.
Taco Seasoning
1 tablespoon chili powder**
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
In a small bowl, mix all together. If making extra seasoning, store in an airtight container.
This is enough for one recipe of taco rollups above.
**less chili powder if you are serving to those who don’t like spice.
Tips:
-*I used about 3/4 of a 16 oz can of refried beans. We liked the filling with less bean and more meat.
Another option is to add a can of drained pinto beans and smash them with a potato masher into the meat after the meat is cooked. Add about 1 tablespoon of canola oil while mashing beans.
-If serving to young children (who may not eat a whole taco) or using as an appetizer, cut the tacos in half, preferably on a diagonal.
-Heat up leftovers wrapped in a paper towel for about 1 minute in microwave.




Monday, July 25, 2016

Spicy Mexican Pasta Salad




SPICY MEXICAN PASTA SALAD FOR A CROWD
 
PREP TIME
COOK TIME
TOTAL TIME
 
Shake It Up! Add small chunks of pepper jack cheese, green bell peppers would add some bite. If you aren't worried about calories, double the dressing for a creamier pasta dish.
Author: Kristi Rimkus
Recipe type: Pasta
Cuisine: Spicy Mexican Pasta Salad for a Crowd
Serves: 16
INGREDIENTS
  • 2 small oranges, zested and juiced
  • 2 small limes, zested and juiced
  • 2 small lemons, zested and juiced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons Mexican seasoning
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • ¼ cup grapeseed oil
  • 1 pinch red pepper flakes
  • 1 medium red onion, chopped
  • 1 large red bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 large yellow bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 large orange bell pepper, chopped
  • 2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 12 ounces frozen corn
  • 2 cups tomato, chopped
  • 12 ounces whole grain penne pasta
  • 3 medium avocado, chopped
  • 1 bunch cilantro, chopped
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Combine orange, lemon and lime zest and juice in a jar with garlic, Mexican seasoning, honey, grape seed oil and red pepper flakes. Shake well.
  2. Cook pasta according to box directions until al dente. Do not overcook pasta or it will become mushy.
  3. Toss pasta with remaining vegetables EXCEPT avocado and cilantro.
  4. If you will be serving this pasta salad later in the day, toss the pasta and vegetables with ½ the vinaigrette and chill. When it's time to serve, toss it with the rest of the dressing, and fold in the avocados and the cilantro.
  5. If you will be serving it right away, toss in all the dressing, then fold in the avocado and the cilantro. Chill for 20 minutes and serve.
NOTES
Food energy: 239kcal
Weight Watchers PointsPlus 6
Saturated fatty acids: 1.19g
Monounsaturated fatty acids: 3.39g
Polyunsaturated fatty acids: 3.30g
Total fat: 7.89g
Calories from fat: 70
Cholesterol: 17mg
Carbohydrate, by difference: 36.55g
Total dietary fiber: 7.13g
Protein: 7.06g
Total lipid (fat): 8.75g
Water: 163.73g
Ash: 1.72g
Total sugars: 6.79g
Calcium: 47mg
Iron: 2.07mg
Magnesium: 45mg
Phosphorus: 137mg
Potassium: 529mg

Pork Tenderloin with Pan Sauce

Jennefer served this delicious roast while I was visiting so Im posting it for her!

I only use half the oil.  I also sear the pork, season it, and then pour the marinade over the meat in the crockpot.  I then add some chicken broth along with some thickening agent (corn starch) if you want to thicken sauce into gravy when you're ready to serve.  


Ingredients:
1⁄2 cups olive oil
1⁄3 cup soy sauce
1⁄4 cup red wine vinegar
Juice of 1 lemon
1-2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1-2 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
2 tsp dry mustard
Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 1-lb. pork tenderloin (silver skin removed)

Directions:
Combine all marinade ingredients and reserve 2-3 Tbsp. Place the pork tenderloin and marinade in a Ziplock bag and let marinate for at least 3-4 hours. 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a hot skillet over medium-high heat, sear each side of tenderloin for 2-3 minutes. Place in the oven and cook for 30-40 minutes or until the meat has reached 160 degrees. Let rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing. 

Pan Sauce:
Pan scrapings from pork tenderloin
1/2 cup of chicken broth
2-3 tbsp of pork marinade (thoroughly mixed)
1-2 tsp butter

Meanwhile, place the skillet back on the stove over medium heat. Add the chicken broth and scrape up all the browned pieces from the bottom of the pan. Add the marinade and let it boil down for 2-3 minutes. Add the butter and remove from heat stirring until butter has melted. Pour over the pork tenderloin.