Pozolillo de Garbanzo (Chickpea Pozole)

Ingredients:

• 1 onion, diced
• 1 bell pepper diced
• 1 tsp garlic 
• 4-6 re-hydrated chilies of your choice (California, New Mexico, or Ancho work)
• 8 cups chicken broth
• 1-1.5 lbs pork shoulder cooked or boneless skinless chicken thighs cooked, and cut into pieces
• 1 tsp salt, or as needed
• 2 cans of garbanzo beans, drained, and washed
• 3 tbs oil
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tbs cumin seeds
• 1 tbs coriander seeds
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1 tsp oregano 

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a large stock pot. 
2. Saute onions until translucent. Add bell pepper, garlic, cumin seeds and coriander. Cook for another few minutes.
3. Re-hydrate the dried chilies. 
4. Puree the cooked onion mixture with the chilies and enough chicken stock for it to blend.
5. Add the puree to the pot and add the rest of the chicken stock. 
6. Add salt, oregano, and bay leaf. 
7. Add the lime juice. 
8. Add cilantro. 
9. Add the garbanzo beans.
10. Cover and let simmer for 1-4 hours. 
11. Add the cooked meat 30 minutes prior to serving. 
12. Garnish with onion, cilantro, lime juice, radish, or avocado as desired.

Instant Pot Barbacoa

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup beer or water
• 4 cloves garlic
• 2 chipotles in adobo sauce (or more, to taste)
• 1 small white onion, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 (4-ounce) can chopped green chiles or dried chilis
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon dried Mexican oregano (or regular oregano)
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 pounds beef chuck roast* (fat trimmed), cut into 2-inch chunks
• 3 bay leaves

Directions:

1. Combine beer, garlic, chipotles, onion, green chiles, lime juice, vinegar, cumin, oregano, salt, pepper and cloves in a blender or food processor.  Purée for 30 seconds, or until completely smooth.  Set aside.
2. Press the “Sauté” setting on the Instant Pot.  Add oil.  Then once it is heated and shimmering, add the roast and sear — turning every 45-60 seconds or so — until the roast is browned on all sides.  Press “Cancel” to turn off the heat.
3. Add the bay leaves and pureed sauce, and briefly toss everything until the roast is evenly coated in the sauce.  Close lid securely and set vent to “Sealing”.
4. Press “Manual”, then press “Pressure” until the light on “High Pressure” lights up, then adjust the +/- buttons until time reads 60 minutes.  Cook.  Then very carefully, turn the vent to “Venting” for quick release, and wait until all of the steam has released and the valve has dropped.
5. Remove the lid, and discard the bay leaves.
6. Using two forks, shred the beef into bite-sized pieces.  Give the beef one more good toss in all of those juices so that it can soak them up.
7. Serve warm, or refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.

Carnitas

Ingredients:

• 1 (~8 pound) pork butt roast
• 1 1/2 tbs salt
• 1 tbs dried oregano
• 1-2 bay leaves 
• 1 tbs ground or whole cumin
• 1 tbs coriander seeds 
• 3-6 dried chilies of your choice
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 cup orange juice
• 1 onion, coarsely chopped  

Directions:

1. Trim excess fat from pork butt; cut pork into smaller pieces and transfer into instant pot bowl. 
2. Combine all spieces together and rub all over pork in the instant pot bowl. 
3. Add the onion and orange juice.
4. Manual cook on high for 1 hour. Let pressure come down naturally, about 15 minutes.
5. Remove pork from pressure cooker and shred meat.
6. Optional: fry the meat on a flattop to make some of it crispy.

 

Carne Asada

Ingredients:

• 3 whole dried ancho chilies, stems and seeds removed
• 3 whole dried guajillo chilies, stems and seeds removed
• 2 whole chipotle peppers, canned in adobo
• 3/4 cup fresh juice from 2 to 3 oranges, preferably sour oranges
• 2 tablespoons fresh juice from 2 to 3 limes
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce
• 6 medium cloves garlic
• 1 small bunch cilantro, leaves and tender stems only, divided
• 1 tablespoon whole cumin seed, toasted and ground
• 1 teaspoon whole coriander seed, toasted and ground
• 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• Kosher salt
• 2 pounds skirt steak (or flap steak or flank steak)

Directions:

1. Place dried ancho and guajillo chilies on a microwave-safe plate and microwave until pliable and toasty-smelling, 10 to 20 seconds. Transfer to the jar of a blender and add chipotle peppers, orange juice, lime juice, olive oil, soy sauce, fish sauce, garlic, cilantro, cumin seed, coriander seed, and brown sugar. Blend until a smooth sauce has formed, about 1 minute. Season to taste with salt.
   
   
2. Add marinade to steak. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours and up to overnight. 
    
3. Remove steak from marinade and wipe off excess. Dry over a rack and let come to room temperature before grilling. Cook over hot grill for about 5 minutes a side. Transfer to a cutting board and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Slice thinly against the grain and serve immediately

 

Enchiladas

Ingredients:

• 1 onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp ground cumin
• 2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup white cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup salsa
• salt to taste
• 8 whole wheat tortillas

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Saute the onion in olive oil for 5 minutes.  Add garlic and cumin and saute for another 3 minutes.
3. Add the chicken, yogurt, cheddar cheese, salt and salsa.  Stir and heat through.
4. Spoon mixture evenly into tortillas and roll up.
5. Place in baking dish and top with salsa and cheddar cheese.
6. Bake for 10 minutes.

Mixture will look something like this

Black Beans

Ingredients:

 
• 16 cups water, divided
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon safflower or canola oil, divided
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4-6 large cloves garlic, minced, divided
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
• 4 teaspoons mild chili powder
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
 

Directions:

1. Soak beans overnight in 8 cups water. (Alternatively, place beans in a large pot, cover with water and bring to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand for 1 hour.) Drain.
2. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large, nonstick, heavy-bottomed saucepan, bean pot or Dutch oven, and sauté onions and 4 cloves garlic over medium heat until tender, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the soaked beans and 8 cups fresh water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, and simmer 1 hour, uncovered. Add more garlic, if you wish, cilantro and 1 teaspoon salt, and continue to simmer, adding water as needed, until the beans are soft and the liquid is thick and aromatic and barely covers the beans, about 45 minutes longer. Remove from the heat.
3. Allow the beans to cool. Mash them coarsely in batches in a food processor or blender or with a potato masher. Make sure not to puree until smooth; you want texture.

White Chicken Chili

This chili is the best of both words. It's kinda of like a mix between chili and chicken noodle soup (except with no noodles). This is the Mexican flavored comfort food you want to be eating on a cold snowy night.  There are a few basic things that take this simple chili from 'ok' to 'wow!' First, use homemade chicken broth, and second, use dry beans instead of canned beans. Dry beans are cheaper, healthier, and canned beans can’t even begin to compare with the flavor and texture you get from cooking them from scratch.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 dry Great Northern beans (before cooking) or about 4 1/2 cups after cooking (or 3 15.5 oz cans)
• 2 1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken
• 1 cup diced onion
• 1 1/2 cups chopped red, green, or yellow bell better (any combination of colors is fine)
• 2 fresh jalapenos, seeded and chopped (use less or none depending on your desired spice)
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 3 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 3 1/2 cups chicken broth

Directions:

1. Dump all ingredients in a stockpot or crock-pot*
2. Bring to a low boil
3. Reduce heat and simmer until beans are tender, about an hour

*You can put this on in the morning and just eat it when you come home.

Bean and Chicken Tostadas

This dish came about because I had various bits of leftovers in the fridge and wanted to use them up while also having a full-flavored dinner. If you prefer burritos, you could roll your bean mixture up rather than spreading it out on the toasted tortilla as I did. If you are not pigs the way we are, you can get four servings out of this. Sadly, we are pigs.

Ingredients:

1 can refried beans (I use fat-free spicy refried beans; I’d rather have the fat calories elsewhere)
1 to 2 adobo peppers, finely diced plus some of the sauce from the can
1 cooked boneless, skinless chicken thigh, diced
½ avocado, cut in thin strips
2 to 3 T diced fresh cilantro
Sour cream (I use light sour cream)
Shredded cheddar or jack cheese (or a mix)
Adobo seasoning
Salsa verde
2 to 3 tortillas

Directions:

1. Mix the beans and diced chicken in a microwave-safe bowl and heat thoroughly.
2. Toast the tortillas in a toaster oven, taking care not to burn them OR place in a sauté pan and cook till crisp. If you are making burritos, omit this step.
3. Sprinkle some cheese on the hot tortillas and spread the bean mixture on top.
4. Sprinkle the adobo seasoning on the beans.
5. Sprinkle some cilantro on the beans.
6. Top with sour cream, avocado slices and salsa verde.
7. Enjoy!

Mexican Corn Jalapeno Taco Quesadilla

This is an easy to make and deliciously quick appetizer.

Ingerdients:
1 10 inch Flour Tortilla
1/2 Cup Shredded Mild or Sharp Cheddar Cheese (Jack or Fresco Cheese is also good)
1/2 Cup Browned Ground Beef (I prefer to season thsi beef with a Taco Seasoning Packet)
18 to 20 Slices of Jalapeno Pepper (For this recipe I prefer Mt. Olive Brand Jar Slices)
1/4 Cup Corn Kernels
1/2 Cup Tomato based Salsa of choice
1 tsp Butter or Margerine
1/4 Cup Sour Cream
1/8 tsp Paprika (I prefer Smoked Paprika for a kick)
1/8 tsp Cumin
1/8 tsp Granulated Garlic
Salt and Pepper

Fun Tip!: "Think of the preparation steps as if you were building a pizza!"

Directions:

1. Spread butter evenly on 1 side of tortilla
2. Place large skillet on Medium High and allow to preheat for 45 secs
3. Place tortilla buttered side down on skillet
4. Sprinkle evenly your Cheese or Cheeses over the tortilla.
5. As the cheese begins to melt add Seasoned Ground Beef evenly over the tortilla
6. Sprinkle Corn Kernels evenly over the tortilla
7. Place Sliced Jalapenos like evenly over the tortilla
8. Using a tablespoon sprinkle and slather 1/4 cup of your Toamto Salsa over the tortilla
9. Pinch or Sprinkle Paprika, Cumin and Garlic over the tortilla
10. Salt and Pepper to taste
11. As tortilla turns a golden brown using your spatula fold the torilla in half
12. Flip the Quesadilla as needed till you see that the cheese is now soft and melted
13. When grilled to liking place Quesadilla on cutting board and slice into 6 even pieces
14. Place 6 slices on pplate and garnish with Paprika Spinkles and Jalapeno
15. Add small cups of Sour Cream and Salsa and serve warm

ENJOY!

Simple Classic Margarita

Looking for a simple classic margarita that you can easily make at home? This is the drink for you. Homemade margarita's are great and they have way less calories than if made from a mix. The homemade ones don't have the syrupy taste you get from mixes. Once you try this classic margarita you won't go back to mixes!



Ingredients:
2 oz Tequila
3 tablespoons Triple Sec
2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lime juice/or 1 lime
This makes one drink.

Directions:

1. If you have a mixer, you know what to do! If you don't have a mixer fill a tall glass with ice.
2. Juice your lime and add it to the iced cup.
3. Add your triple sec and tequila. Again, if you don't have a drink mixer take another class of the same size and put them opening to opening.
4. Shake well for 10-15 seconds (this lets some ice crystals form).
5. Pour into a margarita glass full of ice.

For extra flavor take a lime and wet the edge of the glass, then coat with salt by pouring some salt onto a plate and rubbing the wetted glass edge on the salted plate. You can always adjust this recipe to taste. The key is the ratio of lime juice to triple sec.