Veggie Burritos with Zucchini Guacamole

Hello September. I love you September. We are almost in my fav season of the entire year. Almost... It was still 100 degrees F at my house today but the end is in sight. Yay! If you are still in the trenches of the end of summer I got the perfect meal for ya. Keep reading. Its good. I promise.

 On warmer days or all summer long I often go for lighter dishes that require less heating up the kitchen you know like having a sandwich night. This burrito definitely fits the ideal and is a great use for leftover beans and rice from other yummy Mexican meals. 

Picture layers of crunchy & creamy guac with hints of citrus, fluffy brown rice and filling nutritious black beans, crisp lettuce, with smoky melted cheese wrapped up in a oversized tortilla wrap. Yum! It tastes so good you won't even care that its healthy. SO many fresh flavors and fun textures. 

But the real reason you should make this is because the zucchini, freshly and very finely diced, adds another flavor of freshness I have never had in guacamole before and actually never had it raw before. It makes this guacamole stunningly good. You don't taste it and say "oh I taste zucchini" but it does stop you in your tracks and say "wow that tastes bright and fresh". I love guacamole and I have had EVERYWHERE. Trust me. This might be the best I have ever had (ahem except the one I already have on this blog with bacon it in... okay I have a soft spot in my heart for yummy salty bacon). Seriously if you don't make the burrito you gotta try this guac with your next bag of chips, cut up veggies, tacos, quesadillas.... or just with a spoon? 

For a fun kid friendly variation you could even add some crunchy chips or fried corn tortillas cut into strips into the burrito. The veggie burrito idea comes from  Naturally Ella . I just edited it a bit because I lived in cali for 8-9 years and you can't make guac without a chili pepper. Its just the way it is. So I am passing it on with a few helpful touches. Check it out. 

Veggie Burritos w/ Zucchini Guac

cooking time + prep = about an hour*

*If using already cooked brown rice this time is shortened to a very quick 15 minutes!

Makes 2 large burritos 

(my kiddo was full with half of one with a handful of tortilla chips) 

Would be great with a piece of a corn on the cob

Ingredients:

• For the guac:
• 1 & 1/2 ripe avocados
• 3 Tbs finely diced red onion
• 1/4 cup minced cilantro
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4- 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1 Tbs lemon juice or half of a lemon juiced
• 2 Tbs orange juice or juice of half of an orange 
• 1/2 of a medium zucchini very finely diced (about 1 cup) 
• 1/2 of a poblano pepper (for mild) or half or whole jalapeño pepper with the seeds and membranes removed (for more heat) finely diced

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• For the burritos: 
•  2 large whole wheat flour tortillas or spinach ones* (as seen in the pic) 
• 1/2 cup cooked brown rice
• 1/2 cup cooked black beans, drained and rinsed if using canned
• 1/2- 3/4 cup shredded Smoked Cheddar or Smoked Jack cheese (I used 1/2 cup but was not very cheesy if you want a stronger cheese taste go for 3/4 cup)
• 1/2 cup shredded or very finely sliced ribbons of lettuce

optional: A diced up roma tomato and a handful of sprouts would be awesome additions I just didn't add in but will next time. 

*Whole wheat would be healthier but I was just using up what I had on hand... sadly the spinach ones weren't as healthy as I thought they would be, despite the name

To assemble:

1. Make the guacamole.  Add all the ingredients into a bowl starting with the avocado so you can use a spoon to get the avocado out and a potato masher or a fork to get it to the consistency you like - chunky or smoother. Taste as you go to get the right amount of salt and heat - chili's differ in heat so I always do half the amount the recipe calls for, taste, and then add the rest if I want to. 

Tip: You can always increase the heat but its very hard to subdue it afterward. If you do find its hotter than you thought add more sweet things like a 1/4 tsp of sugar or more citrus juice and serve it with sour cream. Dairy and Sugar are good counterparts to heat. 

2. Assemble the burritos. In any order but this worked well for me:
1/4 of guac on each one
1/2 of the beans
1/2 of the cheese cheese
1/2 of the rice 
1/2 of the lettuce

3. Roll up the burritos tucking in the ends, and heat them in a dry pan over medium heat until they warm up completely and you get some nice brown spots on your tortilla. That will help melt the cheese, bind everything together. This took about 5 minutes for me. 

4. Serve them with some tortilla chips, or corn on the cob, and/or salsa with the remaining delicious zucchini guacamole. 

5. Enjoy the rest of you day... and possibly eat dessert because not only did you have an amazingly tasty meal you ate incredibly healthy! 

Thanks for stopping by my Arizona kitchen

Stephanie

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Easy Breakfast Quesadillas

Fun summer moments are relaxing and nice. Vacations, sipping frosty lemonade, playing in the pool, eating juicy watermelon and spitting the seeds out, reading on a beach are all easy summer things. Now you can continue your fun easy summer all the way through breakfast with these easy, cheesy, meaty, super kid friendly breakfast quesadillas. I can't help you with the dishes but at least "the cooking part" will keep you relaxed and smiling, and your crew happy and full. You can even eat it one handed so you don't have to put your coffee down. See, I got your back. Coffee is an essential part of having the kids home from school. 

Anyways we just finished our first week back to school. Yes we start earlier than most. But  all the kiddos are going stir crazy from being stuck indoors because of the heat, so this is really a good option for them. This totally still counts as a great summer or back-to-school-its-still-warm-outside-breakfast. You can eat it while walking to the bus. You could even prep it the night before so all you do the next day is heat up a pan to melt the creamy cheese and make everything golden and crispy crunchy. This will take less time than watching your kid stumble around looking for that missing shoe. Promise. 

Breakfast Quesadillas 

Serves 4

Takes approximately 15-20 minutes

Serve with fresh fruit like watermelon, grapes, cantaloup

Ingredients

1/2 lb of ground country sausage (can substitute any kind of breakfast meat)

2-3 cups of shredded cheese ( I used mild cheddar but any good melting cheese works such as colby jack, pepper jack, sharp cheddar, white cheddar, smoked cheese, havarti, brie, mozzarella, etc)

1 tsp olive oil

4 soft taco tortillas 

6 eggs + 2 Tbs milk + a sprinkle of chives if you have them

5 Step Directions

In a nonstick pan start cooking the eggs and milk & chives together to make scrambled eggs  - add oil if you need it beforehand. I have a really good nonstick skillet so I didn't use any. 

While eggs are cooking, cook the sausage or any other kind of meat such as bacon or chorizo in another pan, use oil to get the meat started faster. As soon as the meat is fully cooked use a slotted spoon to remove it from the pan onto a towel-lined plate to drain some of the extra fat. 

*Note: if it were just me eating this I would totally add a ton of veggies in here too - finely chopped cubes of zucchini, yellow squash, and red pepper would be great and if you cooked them with the meat they would be perfectly softened but not mushy. You could also just skip the meat add a sweet potato for some more nutrition and make it vegetarian. 

Wipe the skillet that cooked the sausage clean with a paper towel and put the first tortilla in it. Start layering the ingredients 1/4 of the cheese, 1/2 of the cooked scrambled eggs, 1/2 of the cooked sausage, and 1/4 of the cheese then top with another tortilla. You can keep the stove on for the entire part if you think you can get the ingredients on without burning yourself otherwise turn it on now and cook it over medium until the cheese is melted on one side and the tortilla is looking slightly spotted and turning brown. 

When the tortilla looks slightly brown, crisp and the cheese looks melted - gently with your hands and a large spatula flip the tortilla over and cook the other side for a few more minutes. Remove from the skillet and set aside. 

Repeat with the 2 other tortillas and remaining cheese, sausage, and scrambled eggs. If you are in a hurry do both quesadillas at the same time using both pans. When everything is finished use a sharp knife or pizza cutter to make fun, kid-friendly, wedges.  Each person gets 2-4.  Serve with some salsa or guacamole for a little kick. 

Happy Summer 

Thanks for dropping by

Stephanie 

Black Bean & Sharp Cheddar Burritos

If you like bean burritos like the kind from the store that you throw from the freezer into the microwave or the oven, or like taco bell's bean burritos - you will love these black bean and sharp cheddar burritos. They are quick, easy, super healthy (no preservatives or things you can't pronounce), and still is freezer friendly. So you can make a ton of them, and throw them in the freezer for when you get a craving, need a snack with some staying power (black beans = protein & fiber) or need a quick dinner because an adorable little 4 month old won't stop crying to cook anything else. Happens. 

I love sharp cheddar cheese - okay I admit I love most cheeses. But if you don't, grab another kind - any quick melting cheese will work here such as: mozzarella, Colby jack, Monterrey jack, pepper jack, medium cheddar, or mild cheddar. 

I made two batches one with white flour tortillas and one with whole wheat tortillas. I am trying to ease my family into eating all whole wheat, minimally processed foods - its a process. But use whatever you have or want to use. This recipe makes approx 10 burritos. 

Ingredients:

1 batch of homemade refried beans (click here)
6-8 oz sharp cheddar cheese shredded (1 1/2 cups+)
10-12 soft taco sized tortillas whole wheat or white
*quart or gallon sized freezer bags if you want to freeze extras

Directions

1. Make the refried beans - takes only a few minutes
2. Put slightly less than 1/4 cup of beans in the center of each tortilla
3. Put a small handful of shredded cheese on top of each pile of beans
4. Fold up the tortillas
5. If freezing them put them on a cookie sheet for an hr or two to flash freeze them and then transfer them to freezer bags. If eating them right away, microwave them for a minute or heat them on the stove until the cheese is melted on the inside - only takes a few minutes. 

Serve with sour cream, guacamole, tortilla chips, or spanish style rice. Enjoy! 
From my kitchen to yours

Mexican Chicken & Rice Casserole

Easy. Flavorful. Yummy... those are the descriptions that I thought of after taking my first few bites of this new dish. I heart American-Mexican food. Sometimes I think casseroles get a bad rap. In the past they were something I avoided like the plague because they were all made with the same canned, sodium filled, preservative-laden ingredients. I definitely grew up on casseroles, but as an adult my goal is still to enjoy food just in a healthier way. I have been able rework some of my favorites like tuna casserole, by making my own white sauce and using that in the place of a can of cream of whatever. 

Like most casseroles - I love their flexibility, make ahead-ability, and transferability. You can throw almost any vegetable or cheese in casseroles - gotta love that. They can be made a few days ahead, stored, then baked the night you need them. They are excellent for giving to someone who just had a baby or was in the hospital. Throw some foil on it and put it in a bag and take it to any potluck, friend's house, work function. Maybe its just the cheese talking... But there is just something about a casserole that means you care about them.

Mexican Chicken & Rice Casserole

Feeds 4 people 

prep + cooking time = 1 hour

Slightly adapted from cookbook: 

Homestyle Casseroles + one - pots

Ingredients: 

3/4 cup of rice (I used long grain white)

small handful of chopped cilantro probably 3-4 Tbs

1 Tbs oil

4 chicken thighs (I used skin on, bone in, and just removed the skin before cooking)

1/2 jar of your favorite salsa (I used mild)

1 cup of shredded/grated cheddar cheese

1 cup of shredded/grated creamy gouda cheese 

1/4 cup of mild green chilies, chopped

optional: chips (used scoops tortilla chips made eating fun)

optional: avocado or guacamole

optional: sour cream or thick creamy greek yogurt 

Note: Next time I will use boneless thighs just for more kid-friendly option. It was difficult for my kiddo to navigate around the bone. I did like how moist the meat was - bone in meat is definitely easier to cook. Next time I will use brown rice instead of white for more flavor, and add in some corn just for color and and fun. Corn is really best in the summer. 

Directions:

In a pot parboil the rice. Fill the pot with water and turn it on medium. Once the water is boiling start cooking the rice and simmer the rice over medium low. After 10 minutes drain the rice from the water and set it aside. 

While rice is cooking, prep your baking dish by spraying nonstick spray into it or spreading butter throughout. 

While the rice is cooking also start the chicken. In a medium sized pan pour in the oil and swirl it around, and put the chicken in. Over medium heat, brown the chicken for 3 minutes on the first side. After turning the chicken over, pour the salsa over each piece and continue cooking for another 3 minutes. The chicken should be golden but will be still raw in the middle. 

Put the almost finished rice, half of the cilantro, and green chilies in the baking dish. Smooth it out to create a flat surface. 

Top the rice mixture with half of the cheese. 

Top the cheese with the chicken pieces. 

Top the chicken with the remaining cheese. 

Cover the entire dish with foil and bake at 350 for 40 minutes

Take the foil off and return it to the oven for an additional 5 minutes. 

Top the cheesy golden dish with the remaining cilantro. 

Serve with chips, guacamole, sliced avocado, sour cream... whatever sounds good

Enjoy!

 Stephanie

Chicken Taquitos (a favorite & delicious freezer staple)

Homemade chicken taquitos. I repeated the title again. Could it work? I asked myself. Maybe. I had store bought frozen ones before years ago at a friends house. I knew what they were supposed to taste like. Crunchy on the outside and creamy on the inside. Yummy right? 

One night not long after, I had patiently waited for a night my hubby was at work in case the recipe flopped, and tried out it out. Every once in awhile a recipe flops, and its a bit easier to deal with when its just me and the kiddo. Much to my delight and surprise the healthy, baked taquitos were delicious! 

My next question was if they were freezable and reheatable? AND how good did they taste after reheated? Serious questions here.... I love reheatable food I can send overnight with my hubby to work. Cold lunches like sandwiches don't seem to taste as good for lunch in the middle of the night - if you are up you want something warm and comforting especially in winter. Wanting to make sure I could maintain that great crunchy texture, I froze a bunch, waited a month, and tried them again. Blogging and testing recipes out are so time consuming! My stomach doesn't seem to mind though. 

The results: Yum! They are great freshly made and baked. You can't tell that you used greek yogurt. I love it that they only need a small amount of leftover chicken. They bake really quickly and you don't miss the white flour tortilla at all. When reheating the best is if they are frozen unbaked and the baked when you want to eat them. Reheating them after baking them the next day, in the microwave gave soggy results with no crunch - felt like a bad tiny burrito. The frozen ones I didn't thaw before baking. They were just as good, crunchy on the outside, creamy on the inside, as the first night we made them fresh. 

Healthy Crispy Chicken Taquitos
prep + cook time: 20-25 minutes
adapted from: Tasty Kitchen
Serves 5 people (3 each)

This is what they look like after baking straight from my freezer

Ingredients

1/2 cup plain greek yogurt

1/3 cup salsa verde

1 Tbs lime juice

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp chili powder (*double for spicy taquitos)

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp dried or 1 tsp fresh chives

1/2 tsp dried or 1 tsp fresh parsley

2 Tbs fresh chopped cilantro

1 cup of leftover cooked chicken, shredded

(this was 2 leftover bone in chicken pieces from another meal)

1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese

15 whole wheat flour tortillas

1-2 tsp sea salt

Directions:

Mix everything together in a very large bowl. Get your kid(s) involved with this. My son loved helping and it was easy since everything was the fridge. No worry about dealing with sharp or hot things. Dump, pour, mix. 

If you are baking these right now preheat your oven to 425 degrees, and line a large baking sheet or two with foil. Spray the foil with nonstick spray. I didn't spray the foil one of the times I baked them and they stuck a bit. Don't forget this step for easy cleanup. 

Spread the torillias out how over many you can fit on your counter or kitchen table. Put 2 Tbs full in the center of each one and roll them up tight by tucking the ends in first so the filling cannot fall out. Let them rest on the counter seam side down until you are finished with all of them. Repeat with the remaining tortillas and filling until they are all rolled. 

 If freezing for a make ahead meal pack up the taquitos into good quality freezer bags quart size or gallon sized. Write the baking instructions on the bag for easy meals or snacks or football games.  Be sure to use your oven for good results. 

When baking line up the taquitos so they aren't touching. Then spray some nonstick spray on the tops of each and sprinkle them with some sea salt. 

Bake at 425 for 15 minutes - they should be golden, crunchy, and look delicious. Let it sit a few minutes especially if you have kids - the filling inside is hot. 

So next time you have some extra chicken (wink) try this healthy freezer favorite of my family and take the night off from the kitchen.  This would taste with dips such as: guacamole, sour cream, and salsa. Great sides would be tortilla chips, rice, and corn on the cob. 

From my kitchen to yours!

Turkey Green Salsa Pan- Fried Burritos

I did a little freezer cooking this week when I made these easy little things...Turkey Black Bean Green Salsa Pan Fried Burritos. They were quick to make, and used up some leftover turkey I had tucked away in the freezer from thanksgiving. Feel free to use some leftover chicken or shred up some cooked chicken in lieu of turkey. 

Freezer cooking has been something that I have gotten good at over the last year and half since my hubby took a night shift job. Freezer cooking lets me have something ready for him that he can reheat no matter what time he wants to eat. It also means that when I am not feeling well he or someone else or I can simply finish a meal I had already started. Real life moment.... I have had a ton of medical procedures done in the last six months and at least 4 of them have ended me on some sort of bed-rest or limited duty for a day or more. To say that it has been hard would be grossly understated. All baby stuff granted... not life or death. But it does make me stop and be thankful for meals like this that taste good the night you make it AND up to a month or two later after reheating them. Besides I needed a good reason to eat salsa verde. I love that stuff! 

Please customize these burritos to fit your taste buds.
Cook + Prep time: 15-20 minutes if you have 4 yr old helping

Recipe barely adapted from Good Cheap Eats


Ingredients:
2 cups leftover cooked turkey 
3 cups of shredded cheddar cheese, divided
7 oz salsa verde medium (this was half of a jar for me)
12 burrito size tortillas
2 - 15oz cans of organic black beans, drained and rinsed
sour cream
favorite toppings such as extra cheese, diced green onions, diced jalpenos, lettuce, chopped tomatoes, ect...

Directions:

1. Combine turkey, 2 1/2 cup of cheese, black beans and salsa verde in a very large bowl. 
2. Mix well. Can be a bit messy but do get your kiddos involved. Mine had a great time helping! 
3. Spread out the 12 tortillas and put approx 1/2 cup of the bean turkey mixture in the center of each one. 
4. Fold the burritos. Tucking in the sides as you fold over the top and roll to make a log shape out of the filling. 
5. Put any filled tortillas you aren't going to cook into a labeled quart or gallon sized freezer bag. 
6. In the ones you are going to cook first, put 1 Tbs sour cream for creamy texture and richness before folding. 
7. In a large pan heat 1/2 Tbs oil. Use tongs to pan fry the burritos for about 5 minutes or so on each side until they are golden and heated through. 
8. Serve hot and top with the remaining cheese so it can melt. Top melted cheese with another dollop of sour cream, and/or any additional toppings. Tastes great with chips, rice, or corn on the cob for side dishes.

from my kitchen to yours

Spicy Zucchini and Chicken Enchiladas with Creamy Tomatillo Sauce

I have been on a zucchini kick lately. Its been fun. What a great way to use up that end of summer produce than to put it in cookies, soups, stews, add it to pasta, ect. I must admit I had never put zucchini into enchiladas until now. The result was something easy, quick, freezable, super spicy, and best of all super yummy! The original recipe didn't have chicken or zucchini but thats okay. We are meat eaters in my family. I think if would've made the rice and bean enchilada recipe as written I might've been asked to order a pizza after "dinner" was done. We don't do the whole meatless monday trend. I would rather eat lots of meat and stay away from the processed foods. Thats a whole different trend with our culture we should talk about another time.....until then you definitely should try this lovely adaptation from Rachael Ray's Everyday magazine October 2012 issue. 

serves 6-7 (2-3 each)

Ingredient list: 
1 heaping cup or 4 oz shredded/grated pepperjack cheese
1 heaping cup or 4 oz shredded/grated montrey jack cheese
1 whole jar of medium thick and chunky salsa verde
1 yellow squash, finely diced
1 zucchini, finely diced
1/2 tsp salt + 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cracked peppercorns
1/2 cup of white rice 
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp taco seasoning (homemade or store bought)
2 scallions or green onions, thinly sliced
4 oz cream cheese cut into chunks
12-15 small corn tortillas
1/4 cup or 1 large handful chopped cilantro plus another handful for garnishing (optional)
2/3 cup half and half
3 chicken breast halves (previously cooked) leftover chicken from another meal would be great, finely dice it up

Directions:
Step 1: Cook the rice. In a small pot put 1/2 tsp of salt, the bay leaf, taco seasoning, the rice, and 1 cup of water together. Bring the water to a boil. Reduce the heat and cover for approx. 12-15 minutes. Fluff with a fork when you are done and transfer it to a bowl to start cooling down. 

Step 2: Make the sauce. In a blender or food processor combine: the salsa verde, half and half, and cilantro. Should be a creamy thick liquid. 

Step 3: Sauté the veg. In a small saucepan or skillet sauté the veggies for 3-5 minutes on medium or medium low with salt and pepper until they are tender crisp with butter or olive oil your choice. You don't want them browning just softening.

Step 4: Assembling. Combine the cooled rice with half of the jack cheeses, the green onions, diced cooked chicken, sautéed veggies, and cream cheese. Take 1/4-1/3 cup portions and put them in the center of each tortilla and roll them up. Place the filled tortillas side by side in two prepared baking dishes. When all the tortillas are filled, or you ran out of room in your pans, or ran out filling (all common issues with making enchiladas or burritos) top each baking dish with the lovely creamy sauce. Cover the sauce in both pans with the remaining cheese. 

Step 5: Bake at 350 for 20 minutes until bubbly and delicious 

Step 6: Serve with sour cream, tortilla chips, and additional cilantro 

Enjoy zucchini & other end of summer/fall favorite flavors

from my kitchen to yours

Taco Salad with sugar free, flour free, smoky taco seasoning

I recently posted about taco seasoning mix so I figured perhaps I should do a small little thing about taco salad. Taco salad made with chicken or beef is probably one of my top 5 favorite foods ever. One of these days I should do it with fish :)

Growing up we had tacos all the time. Its one of those foods I can't count how many times I have had. It was a staple. I can close my eyes and picture my family eating them. Good times. Each kid was given some sort of taco prep task like chopping up lettuce or shredding the cheese - way before I knew you could buy shredded cheese. There was 4 of us which now makes me wonder if that was to get more help around the house. 

Anyways, as an adult I still love the flavors of tacos but don't really want the carbs that like to come with them. Tacos have like carb groupies... they seem to always be followed by rice and beans. I do like rice and beans but all those carbs spell bad things for my stomach when I eat them together in one meal. So to make it work for my life style I loose the carbs and end up eating it in salad form. Same great taste just different. It helps that the taco seasoning is wheat free, flour free, cornstarch free, sugar free - so I can even eat it while on a diet. It is healthy, easy, and yummy. Since I have no other excuses to explain my behavior I may need to talk to someone about this taco salad addiction. Until then... here's my recipe so you can join me :) 

My favorite way to make a taco salad: 

Beef taco salad:
1.Start cooking 1/4 lb of defrosted, lean, ground beef in a 1/4 cup of water over medium heat. 
2. After 2-3 minutes add in 1/2 chopped onion and half of red or green pepper finely diced. Saute them in the water/fat rendering off the meat. 
3. When the meat is browned, looks light brown (maybe 3-4 mintues later) and the water is evaporated, add in 1 Tbs of oil.  Then add 1-2 Tbs of taco seasoning plus 1/4 cup of water to really get that caramelized, darker color, and yummy crispy texture thick meaty taco sauce. 
4. Stir the seasoning in well. Bring the meat mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Cook 2-3 minutes and its done. 
5. Serve meat hot or cold over fresh crisp salad.


Chicken Taco Salad: 
1. Start cooking up the usually half of a chicken breast flattened a bit for even cooking in 1/2 cup of water over medium heat. Bring it to a boil. 
2. Continoue to poach the chicken until it is completely cooked through. Should be 8-10 minutes depending on its thickness. Half way through boiling time add in 1-2 Tbs of the best taco seasoning in the world. 
3. Internal temp of chicken breast should be 160. Let the chicken rest for a few minutes before slicing. 
4. While the meat is cooking I chop my veggies. The list of veggies for each salad varies based on whats good at the store that week and what I have left after a week of salads... but it usually looks something like this:

• 1-2 cups Fresh baby spinach or romaine lettuce, chopped
• a handful 5-7 cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
• a carrot peeled into the salad for sweetness
• 1 stalk of celery
• l handful of cilantro chopped
• handful of sprouts
• 2-3 radishes, thinly sliced
• half or a whole avocado, sliced (depending on what I had for breakfast) 
• 1/4-1/2 cup of cheddar cheese, shredded (optional)
• occasional extra piece of grilled corn will end up in the salad as well.... not a bad reason for grabbing an extra piece of corn on the cob at the store.

Top the salad with yummy combo of 1/2 cup of mild salsa and 1/4 cup of plain organic Greek yogurt or organic sour cream.

Serve the salad with a very large glass of ice water. Resist the urge to garnish it with yummy leftover chips from Monday night or Thursday night football games. Stay healthy! 

Eat well. Enjoy my favorite food. 

From my kitchen to yours. 

Flour-Free, Corn-Free, Sugar-Free Taco Seasoning Mix

Greetings! This post is elementary, but I think its helpful just the same. Saturdays should be relaxed anyways right? Just nod and follow along it will be an easy ride, I promise. No huge 3 course meals in this post. 

As a novice cook, it never occurred to me that the "helpful" single serving flavor packets on the seasoning isle at the grocery store, aren't as good as they seem. Here are a several reasons why I am so passionately against them.

1. They have more salt than whats needed for most recipes. Save that extra sodium for that bag of popcorn at the movie theatre. Salt highlights and improves every flavor SO use it in meaningful ways like eating bacon.

2. The store bought packets actually contain sugar. What is sugar doing in there? Like with salt... I think we should be saving sugar for better things like ice cream or coffee or brownies. 

3. Some of them don't even list everything that they contain by using words like "flavorings" or even "natural flavors". Thanks but no thanks. No mystery flavors please. 

So why did I ever buy these problematic packets? Ignorance and time. It takes time to measure out the spices in each packet. I didn't know enough about cooking to understand how much extra money I was spending by not making my own. I didn't know what spices were used for what dishes. And I was way too reliant upon the little mystery packets. 

This recipe (below) is my solution to the time problem. It saves time because it makes a huge jar full - about 80-90 servings of taco seasoning mix. The jar is good for a year but I haven't ever had it last that long! 

It was important to me to have the "cleanest" seasoning blend possible to fit my family so I made sure it had no sugar and lots of great spices. It's mild because I didn't want it too spicy for my family - which is easy to tweak if you want it hot.  Its perfect for most proteins: chicken, beef, bison, or fish.

Stephanie's Mild Taco Seasoning Blend

Recipe is adapted from allrecipes.com

good for 1 year kept in a clean used or new jar with tight fitting lid

3/4 cup + 1 tsp mild chili powder (add 1-2 tsp for more heat)

2/3 cup + 2 tsp smoked paprika 

1/3 cup + 2 Tbs granulated onion powder, toasted or regular

3 Tbs + 2 1/4 tsp sea salt, fine ground

3 Tbs + 1 tsp granulated onion powder

3 Tbs + 2 1/4 tsp ground cumin

3 Tbs + 1 tsp of Mexican oregano or regular if in a pinch

1 Tbs ground black pepper (add 1-2 tsp for more heat)

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (add 1 tsp for more heat)

1/4 tsp chipotle powder (add 1 tsp for more heat)

Directions: Mix it all together into a used, clean, completely dry jar with a lid. Store in a clean dry place. 

Uses: 

1. Use as a rub... rub it on meat and grill, fry, or bake it. 

2. Use as a marinade with some oil and let the meat hang out in the fridge. 

3. Use as taco seasoning on ground meat. Add the seasoning mix (1-2 Tbs per pound of meat) to browned crumbled meat with cold water (1/2- 1 cup of water/per pound of meat). Stir it around with the spatula, bring it to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 3-5 minutes until sauce has thickened and water has decreased by half or so. These measurements are estimates based on my own family's preferences. 

Click below on the recipes' titles to find 5 additional ways to use THIS truly helpful make ahead spice blend:

Grilled Salsa Chicken Sandwiches

Corned Beef Salsa Verde Skillet Burritos

Tacos In A Sleeping Bag (freezer friendly)

Veggie Tamale Pie

Mexican Style Stuffed Acorn Squash 4 Two

Enjoy & Have a great weekend!

from my Az kitchen to yours