Green Chili Cornbread Casserole

Green Chili Cornbread Casserole                                                        Printable Recipe

1 cup plus 3 Tablespoons cornmeal, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
4 eggs
1 can creamed corn
1 cup milk 
2 Tablespoons canola oil
1 to 2 pounds ground beef, cooked and drained (I used 2 here)
Your favorite flavors like cumin, garlic, pepper, or taco seasoning.
1 - 4 oz can green chilies (you may want 2 cans instead of 1)
2 - 3 Tablespoons grated onion

2 cups shredded Mexi blend cheese or cheddar 

Optional: 8 ounces tomato sauce
1/2 to 1 can light red kidney beans, rinsed and drained

Sprinkle 9"x 13" baking dish with 1 tablespoon of corn meal.  Set aside.

Mix together beef, chilies, and grated onion until well combined.  If you don't you will have hot and spicy parts!  Stir in the tomato sauce and beans here if you are using them.

In medium bowl add eggs, corn, milk, and oil.

 Combine.

Add pre-mixed dry ingredients (cornmeal 1 c plus 2 T) baking soda, and salt.  Stir just until combined.

 Pour 1/2 of the corn mixture into pan.  It will be quite runny.

 Add all of your beef mixture.

Top with cheese (I only used 1 cup here.)

Add remaining corn mixture pushing down on beef to cover.  I think coverage would be better if you only used 1 pound of beef but we wanted more meat to make it a main dish.

 Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until golden brown and not jiggly. Let set for 5-10 minutes before cutting.

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Chiles Rellenos de Pollo

Chiles Rellenos de Pollo

2-4 medium poblano peppers
1/4 cup water

1 pound skinless boneless chicken breasts (I am sure you could use ground beef)
(I just wing it with these spices...you'll soon figure out  what and how much you like of each)
cumin
cayenne pepper
salt
pepper
garlic powder
onion powder

Approximately 1 cup of a combo of diced onion and diced red, green, and/or yellow peppers
Pkg steamed brown rice
1 cup frozen or fresh corn
1-1/2 cups shredded Chihuahua cheese (or Mexi-blend)




If you want some heat but not too much cut your peppers in half (like mine) taking out the seeds and use 1/2 pepper per person.  Otherwise slit them on one side and take out the seeds.  Put in baking dish and cover with saran wrap.  Microwave for 6-8 minutes or until soft.

Dice veggies and add with chicken to a non-stick pan and cook until veggies are soft and chicken is cooked through.

 Meanwhile steam your brown rice.

  Mix cooked chicken, veggies, about 2 cups of rice, and 1-1/4 cups of cheese.

 Place poblanos in bottom of baking dish, pile on the stuffing as best you can or stuff your pepper.  Sprinkle with remaining cheese.

 Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until cheese is melted and filling is hot.

Beef Enchiladas

Beef Enchiladas

Puffy Tortillas:
3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup yellow corn meal
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
1-3/4 cups water


Filling and Sauce:
2 pounds ground beef
3/4 cup chopped green pepper
3/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon cumin
chili powder (or a blend of cayenne, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder)
salt
pepper
flour (about 3 T for filling and around 1/4 cup for sauce)
29 ounce can tomato sauce
shredded Mexican blend cheese


Filling...


Dice onions and peppers
Cook all but flour and tomato sauce together until hamburger is done and onions and green peppers are to your liking. If it's really wet you can drain it. Add enough flour to absorb the rest of the grease, making it rather stiff. I used about 3 Tablespoons as I did not have to drain my 93-95% lean beef.

Add about 16 oz, or less, of the tomato sauce. If too stiff for the filling, I thin it some with plain water.

Finished filling, best used while warm so it's softer.

Tortillas....

Whisk egg and then add rest of ingredients

Add scant 1/4 cup (approximately 3 T) batter into hot, greased 6-8" skillet. I used a cast iron, it seems to do the best. Swirl batter around until bottom is completely covered.

Cook on low for just a little bit. It will be done when the top is dry. You can flip if you want but I never do since the tortilla is delicate and can tear. Spray about every 3 times so it doesn't stick. You will need to stir it each time with your measuring cup as the flour and corn meal sink in between use.

Makes 13-14

I make 1/2 of this for one meal and freeze rest for later. Divide the filling mixture in 1/2 (reserving 1/3 to 1/2 cup for the sauce.) Fill 5 shells evenly.

and lay seam down in baking dish. This is an 8x11. You can fill 7 (1/2 of the tortillas) if you like by using less filling in each but we prefer a lot of meat in our enchiladas. Sprinkle with some cheese.

Sauce....


Push the reserved filling to one side of the pan. The sauce is made by first pouring some of the tomato sauce to the center of the pan. Then sprinkle flour into that and stir until smooth. You will use this to thicken the remainder of the sauce, so think how much flour you would use to make a white sauce and that will help you determine how much you will need. I used 4-1/2 T (or just over 1/4 cup.

Stir the reserved filling into the thickened sauce, sprinkle in a little more cumin and chili powder to add flavor to the plain tomato sauce. I always add about as much water as I do tomato sauce, not only to make more sauce but also to make the sauce less tomato-y. Spoon over tortillas and add more cheese on top.

Bake for 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees until hot and bubbly.

TO FREEZE AHEAD...make the filling and make the sauce and freeze those in separate bags. Make the tortillas and layer with wax paper pieces and freeze. When you are ready to assemble make sure everything is thawed and heat the tortillas just a little to make them pliable again. Assemble and bake! I have tried this assembled, frozen, and then baked and thought the shells came out a little mushy. I also tried this with premade flour tortillas and we like these better.

Mexican Chicken Casserole

Mexican Chicken Casserole

2 large chicken breasts
1 cup sour cream (lite can be used)
2 cans cream of chicken soup (I use Campbell's Healthy Request or make your own)
1 or 2 4 ounce cans green chilis (I use 1)
1/2 can of drained whole corn (optional)
2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese
6 - 8 small soft tortillas


Parboil chicken and cut up. Combine chicken, soup, sour cream, green chilis, and corn if you are using that. This particular recipe I did not.


Cut up tortillas using a pizza cutter.

Layer tortillas on the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish...

then chicken mixture, cheese, tortillas, chicken....etc....

until you have some tortillas on top and some cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes until hot, bubbly, and tortillas on top are crispy.

You can put more tortillas on top if you like. Looks like I used too many in the middle to get better coverage on top.

"Refried" Beans

"Refried" Beans

1 can black beans, undrained
salt
pepper
garlic, optional


Add all to a pan set to low/med heat. As the beans cook use a potato masher to mash. Mash it as little or as much as you like. You will need more liquid as it cooks and thickens. I use the can to get water so I can get the rest of the goodies out that are left in the can when you dump it out the first time.


Simple yet so tasty! Great with fajitas too.

Tostadas

This makes quite a bit and is great if you are serving a crowd.  If you have leftovers they can be thrown in the freezer and reheated for another time. 

Tostadas 

1-1/2 pounds boneless beef round steak -You can also use Pork Butt or Goat Roast. *
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup lime juice
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 tablespoon chili powder (or a combination of cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper)
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
12 packaged tostada or hard taco shells
Refried beans (see recipe)
Cooked Onions and Peppers (see note below)
Shredded iceberg lettuce
Shredded Mexican-blend cheese or Chihuahua Cheese
Salsa
Guacamole
Sour Cream




Sprinkle steak with salt and pepper. Place 3 tablespoons of the lime juice, the garlic, jalapeño, onion, chili powder, cumin and cayenne in a slow cooker. Place meat on top and cook on HIGH for 6 hours or LOW for 8 hours.

Remove beef to a cutting board and when cool enough to handle, shred with fingers or using two forks. Place shredded beef in a large bowl. Strain remaining liquid in slow cooker over a bowl or measuring cup, discarding solids. Add strained liquid and remaining 1 tablespoon lime juice to beef in bowl and stir to combine. Cover; keep warm.

For onions and peppers, cook in a little bit of oil with the same seasoning as your beef. I let them caramelize a little then add water a little bit at a time until they are soft. That is the way we prefer them. If you like them crunchy then don't cook them as long. We like to add red pepper, not only for color but for a little added sweetness.

Warm tostada shells in the oven. 200 degrees for about 5 minutes. Spread beans, then layer the rest of the toppings on top.

*If you double your meat and crock ingredients you will have some to freeze for later!  Also good with BBQ sauce added to it for BBQ pork sandwiches. 

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