Chicken Enchilada Skillet

 A one pot, 30 minutes dinner that was kid and man approved. This recipes serves 4-6, so double if needed - it just needs to all fit in a skillet or pot with a lid.

2 Chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces

1 8-10 oz can of enchilada sauce (red or green)

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp chili powder

Salt and pepper 

1 cup of rice

1 can of black beans, drained

1 Tbs minced dried onion, or finely diced onion

1 1/2 cups water

Heat a few tablespoons of oil in your skillet and start to brown the chicken. Season chicken with all the spices and some salt and pepper. Once chicken is browned and cooked almost all the way through, add rice, beans, onions, enchilada sauce and water. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low. Heat on low for 18-20 minutes or until rice is cooked. Top with cheese, lettuce, sour cream or other desired toppings. Enjoy!

Refried Beans and Shredded Chicken

A friend from the ward brought us dinner after I had Ellis and it was so dang tasty. I asked her for the recipe and it was pretty vague so there are not exact measurement. Wanted to make sure I wrote it down for future reference and in case anyone else might want it. I'll try to get exact measurements next time I make these and update!

Refried Beans

3 cups dried pinto beans (this makes a lot of beans, you could always cut this in half)
3-4 pieces of bacon
1/2 onion, chopped or whole
cumin
garlic
salt
(can also add a little vinegar, I've seen this in a lot of recipes, and any other Mexican seasonings you like)

1. Soak beans for 4-8 hours. For a quick soak cover beans with a good amount of water, bring to a boil, then let sit in the same water for 1 hour. Drain.

2. Put everything in the Instant Pot and cover with water (at least 1-2 inches). You don't want to go past the half-way mark in the Instant Pot. Cook on manual with valve closed for 15 minutes then allow to naturally release.

3. Drain liquid but reserve for later. Fry beans in a couple tablespoons of lard. (You can skip this step).

4. Blend beans with hand blender. Add reserved liquid until desired consistency. Season to taste.

**The trick with these beans is you think you added enough liquid but after they sit a few minutes they will look too dry. They usually need a lot more than you think. I always like to let them sit a little while before I get rid of the reserved liquid in case they need more.


Mexican Chicken

5 chicken breasts
1 - 8 oz cream cheese
1 - 4 oz can green chilis
Pepper jack cheese

1. Spray inside of Instant Pot with cooking spray. Add 1/2 cup water.

2. Liberally season chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Put in Instant Pot. Set to manual with valve closed for 20 minutes.

3. Once beeps let sit for 5 minutes then do a quick release.

4. Shred chicken and add the rest of the ingredients.

5. Eat with tortillas and taco toppings. Cotija cheese is the best! (We love this chicken with the refried beans all in a tortilla together).

Red Enchilada Sauce

Posting this for Mom, from Genius Kitchen.

Yields 4 cups

1 Tbs Olive Oil
1 Tbs Garlic Powder
1 Tbs Onion Powder
1 Tbs Cumin
2 Tbs Mild Chili Powder
4 Tbs Flour
4 Cups Chicken Broth
1 8oz can Tomato Sauce

Mix spices and flour in olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat until fragrant and brown. *Don't walk away from this!*

Slowly add chicken broth and tomato sauce and cook and stir until thickened.

Use as red sauce over any beef, cheese or poultry enchiladas.

Can be easily "warmed" up by adding jalapenos, chipotles or other spices.

Fish Tacos

I stole this picture because every post is better with a picture...mine looked similar just with corn tortillas.


I don't have measurements so just wing it! It will be delicious!! All my kids ate these up they were so good.


- Tortilla crusted tilapia from Costco (4 pieces made about 7 tacos)
- Lime Crema: sour cream, lime zest, lime juice, salt, chipotle powder

Toppings: cole slaw mix or cabbage, avocado, green onion, cilantro, cotija cheese, and green salsa (I can only promise mouth watering goodness if you use all these topping! Especially the cotija cheese!)

Chili Stack-ups

This is another one of Lindsey's recipes that I love. She used to make these all the time when I lived with her and Aaron. Super easy quick meal.

1 lbs. browned ground beef
1 - 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 - 6 oz. can tomato paste
3 cans water (tomato paste can)
2 t. oregano
2 t. cumin
2 t. chili powder
1/4 t. garlic powder
1 c. uncooked rice

Simmer all ingredients except rice for 30 minutes uncovered. Cook rice and add to mixture.
Serve with tortilla chips, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, olives, and salsa.

Easy Chicken Enchilada Soup

I've made this a few times but tonight it was extra delicious! I needed to write down what I added this time so I remember for next time.

Put 1 to 1 1/2 lbs chicken in the crockpot with salt, pepper and salsa. I just put enough salsa to coat the chicken. Cook on low until chicken is fully cooked and shredable (about 6 hours).

1 yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 7oz. can green chilies (I like to use fire roasted)
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can corn, drained
2 cans black beans (or one black, one pinto), drained
1 14oz. can red enchilada sauce
1 tsp mexican oregano
1 tsp cumin
4-6 cups chicken stock
Salt and Pepper to taste

Saute onion and garlic in a little olive oil until onions are tender. Add all ingredients (leave out chicken) to onions and garlic and bring to a boil. Simmer for 30 minutes then add shredded chicken. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve with lime, fresh cilantro, cheese, sour cream and/or tortilla strips - the lime and cilantro are a must for me! Enjoy!

Burrito Bowl with Shrimp

Made this tonight copying Chipotle's Burrito Bowl and it was so yummy!

Mexican Grilled Shrimp

- 1 pound of shrimp, peeled and deveined
- Juice of one large lime
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (more if you like it spicy)

Whisk together everything except shrimp, pour into ziplock bag, add shrimp and marinate for 30 minutes. Grill on each side for 2-4 minutes.


Copycat Chipotle Vinaigrette

- 6 tablespoons red win vinegar
- 1/4 cup honey
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (I just used a little sauce because it's so spicy)
- 2 small garlic cloves, minced

Combine all ingredients in a blender or mini food processor and process until smooth.


Other toppings:
- Black Beans (I mixed with green chills and seasoned with cumin, chili powder, and salt)
- Sautéed peppers and onions (I used two shallots and a red pepper and used honey about half way through sautéing them to sweeten them a little)
- Cilantro rice (our best bites or cafe rio copy cat recipe)
- Lettuce
- Sour cream
- Avocado
- Cotija (or other mexican) cheese

Homemade Taco Seasoning and Quick Dinner Tip!

This recipe is to be used with 2 lbs of meat but you could multiply it to just keep it on hand. It tasted exactly like the packages of taco seasoning!

1 TBS Chili Powder
1/4 tsp Garlic Powder
1/4 tsp Onion Powder
1/4 tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
1/4 tsp Dried Oregano
1/2 tsp Paprika
1 1/2 tsp Cumin
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Pepper

Quick Dinner Tip/Idea!

I bought a rotisserie chicken and shredded it for tacos. Added the taco seasoning and 1/4 cup water and let simmer (covered, to retain moisture) for about 20 minutes or until everything else was ready. Super quick and delicious!

Tortillas

EASY HOMEMADE FLOUR TORTILLAS
 3 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
1/3 cup vegetable oil
 1 cup warm water

Combine all the flour, salt, vegetable oil, and water until it forms a dough. Roll the dough into a big ball and take about an 1 to 2 inch pieces off. Pat the dough flat with your hands or take a rolling pin and roll into circles. Put the dough on a flat pan on the stove and let the sides cook until there are little brown specks on both sides like you would see on other tortillas.

We stopped buying costco tortillas because these taste the exact same and are so easy to make! It's hard to get them as thin but we get them pretty close...seriously so good. (Haven't tried whole wheat yet)

Mexican Salad

I got this recipe from a friend in my ward, Erica Reynolds.  Her kids call it Toot, Toot the Magical Fruit Salad because of all the beans!  We had this on Porter's blessing day!

1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15 oz) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15 oz) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 (10 oz) package frozen corn kernels
1 red onion, chopped
1/2 c. red wine vinegar
1/2 c. olive oil
2 T. fresh lime juice
1 T. lemon juice
2 T. white sugar
1 T. salt
1 clove crushed garlic
1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 T. ground cumin
1/2 T ground black pepper
1 dash hot pepper sauce
1/2 t. chili powder

In a large bowl, combine beans, bell peppers, frozen corn, and red onion.

In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, lime juice, lemon juice, sugar, salt, garlic, cilantro, cumin, and black pepper.  Season to taste with hot sauce and chili powder.

Pour olive oil dressing over vegetables; mix well.  Chill thoroughly, and serve cold.