Chipotle Tamale Pie

I apologize for my absence lately.  It really is quite easy to get so swamped with life and endeavors that you want to pursue.  Currently, I'm pursuing the development of an App.  Yep, be excited for a really sweet App for both Android and Apple to come your way just before Christmas.

Even with this App excitement I have been baking and cooking.  I can't let my family go hungry.  Last week I made my Chipotle Tamale Pie.  This is a fabulously hearty, delicious, and nutritious meal.  Enjoy!

Chipotle Tamale Pie
From my Diabetic Cooking Cookbook (No, I'm not diabetic, and I'm not sure where I got the cookbook from.  However, there are some good ones in here)

1 lb of ground turkey or ground beef (I use an entire pkg of of the Jennie-O ground turkey so I believe that is 20oz)
1 cup chopped onion
1 1/2 cups of diced bell pepper (choose whichever color pepper you prefer)
4 cloves minced garlic
2 tsps ground cumin
1 can (15 oz) pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 can of stewed tomatoes, undrained (the recipe says 8 oz, but I use the big can which is 13.75oz or something)
2 canned chipotle chilies in adobo sauce (minced)- You can do more here if you like it super spicy
1-2 tsp of adobo sauce from the canned chilies (the more you add the spicier it will be)
1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup of cilantro chopped
and whatever ingredients you need for cornbread whether that is a jiffy mix (egg, milk, and the mix) or your own

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Cook turkey, onion, bell peppers, and garlic in a large skillet over medium heat until meat is cooked through.
3. Sprinkle cumin on top of skillet mixture and stir it all in.
4. Add beans, tomatoes, chilies, and adobo sauce; bring to a boil over high heat.  Then reduce heat to medium; simmer uncovered for 5 minutes.
5. Remove skillet from heat and stir in cheese and cilantro (sometimes I don't do cilantro, or I used dry cilantro).
6.  I spray a 13x9 baking dish with nonstick spray.  Then I pour the skillet mixture into the baking dish.
7.  Finally, I make my cornbread (I have a great recipe that I'll share later) and pour the cornbread over the over the turkey mixture.  If you use a jiffy mix for cornbread then just one box of jiffy mix will work great.
8.  Cook the dish uncovered for 20-30 minutes until the cornbread is a beautiful golden brown.

I hope you enjoy this dish.  It is one of our family favorites!

Megs

Oven Tacos

Okay, I know all of your jaws are dropping right now. Yes, I am alive! I have been one busy mama and had to remove the unnecessary aspects from my life for a while...um year. I gave myself one pleasure and that would be pinterest. So, needless to say I have MANY recipes to post. The kids are back in school and I should be able to post more often. Sorry all for my absence and thank you for not kicking me to the curb :)


Okay, now to the recipe. It is a simple recipe that the family went crazy over. Don't you just love when you make something simple and easy, because you can’t figure out what to make for dinner, and the family loves you for the "special" meal you prepared for them?!?! This is one of those. Even Josh loved it and asked for it to be placed on the permanent meal plan list! I halved this recipe and made about 8 very full tacos.


Oven Tacos
Recipe from: lynnskitchenadventures.com

2 lbs ground beef
1 can refried beans
8 ounce tomato sauce

1 pkg taco seasoning or homemade taco seasoning

1 ½ cups shredded cheese

18-20 hard taco shells

Lettuce, salsa, sour cream, etc for serving.


1.Brown ground beef. Drain off any fat and add refried beans, tomato sauce, and seasoning.

2.Spoon mixture into taco shells.

3.Place filled shells into a 9×13 pan, standing up. Sprinkle with cheese.

4.Bake at 400 for 10-12 minutes or until heated through.

5.Enjoy!


Okay ladies, it has been so long since I posted that blogger has changed everything! I cannot figure out how to get a picture on the post??? I wonder if the website is having a hard time because half of the buttons are not where they should be, according to the help video blogger has. When I figure out the new format I can add a picture.

Slow-Cooker Carnitas

Ethan and I just tried this recipe last night and it was the best carnitas that I have ever made in the slow-cooker. No joke. We loved it! The only thing that we changed from the original recipe is that we added canned pinto beans and it turned out perfect so I'll just be sharing the recipe as we made it!


Ingredients:
3 lb. pork roast
4 oz can Chopped Green Chilis
3 cloves Garlic, chopped
1 tsp. Ground Cumin
2-10 oz. cans Diced Tomato & Green Chilis (Like Rotell)
3 cube Chicken Bouillion
2 cups Water
2-Cans Pinto Beans, rinsed

Toss the roast in the slow-cooker on Medium (or if your cooker is like mine, the 8 hour setting). Add in everything except the beans. Cover and Wait. Add the beans about 2 hours before you are ready to eat.At this time, you also want to shred the pork.

The original recipe called for this to be served over chips, but Ethan and I have always been fans of tacos so we ate it taco style. We also added lettuce, tomato, and cheese on corn tortillas.

Cilantro Lime Pesto

Pinterest Recipe #3= Success. Again.


I just have to lead off this post by saying that I thought that the Korean Beef Tacos we tried last week were wacky and different, but this Cilantro Lime Pesto taco recipe definately takes the cake! Or the shell. This is so different than any other tacos we've even had. I do have to admit that the first bite made me suspicious, but once i got over the uniqueness of these tacos I was sold. After Ethan took his first bite, he had the same response. So, if you decide to try this meal, make sure to give it more than one bite!

P.S. This is not a date night food because you can definitely taste cilantro, lime and garlic on your breath for a while...even with gum...

cooking spray for sauteeing
2-3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in bite sized pieces
salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 cup cilantro lime pesto (recipe follows)
flour or corn tortillas
preferred taco garnishes (salsa, sour cream, cheese, etc)


Season chicken with salt, pepper and garlic powder. In a skillet sprayed with cooking spray, saute chicken over medium high heat and cooked through. Toss cooked, seasoned chicken with the pesto. Fill tortillas with chicken and top with preferred garnishes.

* To make ahead/freezer meal - Cook chicken as directed as above and cool. Place chicken in freezer bag. Prepare cilantro lime pesto as directed below. Place a 1/2 cup of pesto in a small storage bag then place inside the freezer bag with the chicken. Freeze. When ready to prepare, defrost and heat chicken. Toss chicken with defrosted pesto. If desired, heat chicken and pesto together before filling tacos.
**I didn't try the make ahead version, so if anyone else did and has good luck with it please tell me!!

Cilantro Lime Pesto

recipe adapted from Food Network

1 cup fresh cilantro leaves (do not include stems)
2 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons sliced, toasted almonds
3 tablespoons chopped, fresh garlic
1 1/2 teaspoon lime juice
1/2 cup shredded asiago (Parmesan or Romano can be substituted too) *I used Parm
1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup chicken broth


Using a blender, mix together the cilantro, olive oil, almonds, garlic, lime juice, asiago, salt and chicken broth on low speed for 2 minutes.

**One hint for freezing any kind of Pesto sauce that has always worked for us is to put the pesto into an ice tray and then freeze it. This way you get serving sizes portions of pesto instead of having to unfreeze more than you need.