Smothered Southwestern Beef Burritos - Spicy!

Ingredients:

For the beef:

• 3.5+ pound chunk of beef (chuck, tip, shoulder, rump - anything that will shred/fall apart)
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 6 oz. can of tomato paste
• 2 cups of beef stock
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 tbsp Mexican chile powder
• 1.5 tbsp cumin
• 2 tbsp corn starch
• 2 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp ancho chile powder
• 5 cloves of garlic, minced

For the gravy:

• 4 tbsp butter
• 4 tbsp flour
• 2 cups beef stock
• 1 can of plain tomato sauce
• 3.5 tablespoons of special seasoning mix (recipe directly below)

For the "Special Seasoning Mix": 

• 3.5 tbsp of Mexican chili powder
• 2 tsp of cumin
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 2 tsp of oregano
• 1 tsp of garlic powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp chipotle chile powder
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

For dinner assembly: 

• Flour tortillas
• Iceberg lettuce shreds
• Fresh grated cheddar
• Fresh jalapeno, sliced
• Spanish rice (I used a boxed rice and added canned tomato)
• Refried beans
• Sour cream
• Hot sauce, for added heat

Instructions: 

Beef: PART 1-

1. Rinse the beef, trim off fat, and cut into 1.5 to 2 inch cubes. Place into crockpot. We used Sirloin Tip because that's the only thing the store had that day...if you're not sure what to do, talk to the butcher. 
2. Dice 1 onion, add to the crockpot.
3. Mix together the remaining ingredients (tomato paste, beef stock, garlic, brown sugar, cumin, chile powder, corn starch, oregano, cayenne, ancho chile powder), and pour into crock pot. 
4. Set the crockpot on HIGH for 5 hours. 

For the gravy-

1. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan.
2. Add flour, a little bit at a time, while whisking. Cook the flour/butter until smooth and lightly golden brown. 
3. Continue whisking and slowly add the beef stock, tomato sauce and spice blend. 
4. Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. If too thick, add some water. 

Beef: PART 2- 

1. After the beef has cooked for 4 hours, uncover the crockpot, give it a stir and allow the beef to cook the last hour uncovered. 
2. Add the remaining "Special seasoning mix" along with1 tsp salt..... Taste testing is necessary during this step. 
3. Once you're ready to serve dinner, using a slotted spoon, fish out the beef/onion, and roughly shred the beef on a separate dish. Make sure to leave it chunky, you don't want this beef to be a mushy shred-fest in your burrito. 
4. Remove the remaining sauce from the crockpot and set aside. (I used this sauce when packaging up leftover beef (poured it over top). 
5. Once you're done shredding, place the beef/onion mixture back into the crockpot and set it on LOW. Add more of the sauce if needed....you want the beef wet, but not swimming in the sauce. 

Assembly: 

1. Heat the tortilla on a warmed pan/skillet. 
2. Spread refried beans on the tortilla.
3. Add beef and roll it up. 
4. Pour the gravy over the entire burrito and sprinkle with grated cheddar.
5. Serve with Spanish rice (on the side) and a bed of iceberg lettuce shreds (on the side) topped with tomato, cheese and jalapeno. 

Enjoy!

***This is a modified recipe from a few recipes I found online...

http://www.budgetbytes.com/2014/12/saucy-southwest-shredded-beef/
http://tsgcookin.com/2014/09/enchilada-style-burritos/
http://houseofyumm.com/homemade-refried-beans/

Vegetarian Enchiladas (with #sweetpotato)!

Black Bean, Corn, Green Onion and Sweet Potato Enchiladas

So, my friend Kerri (A.K.A. Valt) and I started this long distance, diet/exercise challenge on Monday. The gist of this "Challenge", as we call it, is to take turns (weekly) and provide each other with at least 3 recipes and 3 workouts, that are to be completed by the end of the week. Well, we're only on Tuesday, and Kerri couldn't have said it better: "I feel like I'm eating like a king!". 

I provided a total a 6 recipes and we both cooked our second recipe of the week, today. She made a delicious red curry with shrimp over Thai noodles (YUM, can't wait to try that one!) and I made these delicious veggie enchiladas! 

The recipe is a combination of these two I found for the "Challenge":

http://www.thegardengrazer.com/2012/03/black-bean-spinach-enchiladas.html

http://www.averiecooks.com/2014/06/sweet-potato-corn-and-black-bean-enchiladas.html

Prep time: 1 hour (includes cooking sweet potato)

Cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

1 large can of enchilada sauce (or make your own)

OPTIONAL: 2-3 cups of cheese (I combined Mexican blend and mozzarella)

1 small can of green chilies (diced)

6-9 green onions (scallions)

1 can of corn

1 can of black beans (rinsed and drained)

3-4 sweet potatoes

6-8 large flour tortillas

1/2 jar of your favorite salsa

1 tablespoon of cumin

1/4 teaspoon Himalayan pink salt

Steps:

1. Cook the sweet potato in the oven at 375 for an hour, or until you can easily puncture the potato with a fork. 

2. Peel the skin off of the potato and dice into 1/2 inch cubes.

3. Mix the potato, corn, black beans, green onion, green chilis, cumin, salt, 1-2 cups of cheese (after making these a few times, I've decided to OMIT the cheese in the filling), and salsa. Mix well

4. Coat the bottom of a greased pan with a little bit of the enchilada sauce.

5. Stuff the tortillas with the mixture, roll, and place (seam down) into the pan. 

6. Cover the enchiladas with the remaining enchilada sauce and sprinkle with cheese. 

7. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake an additional 30 minutes or until the cheese/sauce is slightly bubbling and the edges are browned.

Optional: Garnish with diced tomatoes, fresh jalapeños, scallions. Serve with sour cream or guacamole. Don't forget the hot sauce!

Enjoy!

Taco Soup - Vegan/Vegetarian

 Healthy, SPICY, tasty...

We all know what happens every January; people get motivated and decide to challenge themselves to some crazy diet, work-out regime, or fast. I'm not going to lie, I am one of those people THIS year; last year did NOT happen. Well, let me take that back, I'm sort of one of those people; the reason I say that is because I started my "challenge"two days ago, NOT on January 1st! 

Anyway, my sister (in-law) Bekah, is definitely someone you want around or someone who's influencing your eating/workout habits. She runs regularly and eats healthy....exactly what I'm challenging myself to! The other day, I saw a photo of her dinner, 'Vegan Taco Soup'. It looked, OH so delicious, kind of like chili (or the photo above). I just had to try this, and yep, she was right, it was amazingly easy and delicious.

Here's Bekah's recipe, slightly modified:

Ingredients

1 large (28 oz) can of tomato sauce

1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained

1 can of chili beans (pinto), with sauce

1 can of dark red kidney beans

1 can of diced tomatoes (use Rotel if you want spicy, otherwise I suggest fire-roasted tomatoes)

10 oz. of corn (I used 1 can of corn, whole kernels)

1 small onion diced

1 bell pepper diced

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1 packet of taco seasoning (I make my own - google the recipe, and double the cumin)

1 quart of vegetable stock

*Optional: additional spices to your liking

*Optional: Fresh spinach, sour cream, jalapenos

Steps

1. Heat up the coconut oil and sizzle the diced onion and bell pepper for about 5 minutes.

2. Add the taco seasoning mix to the veggies and stir until fragrant.

3. Add ALL of the canned goods (and corn if using frozen) and continue cooking on medium-low heat.

4. Pour the vegetable stock until you have reached your desired soup consistency. I like to use the entire quart. 

5. Bring to a boil and simmer on low for at least 30 minutes. 

6. Salt and pepper to taste. 

*Optional: Line your bowl with fresh spinach, pour the hot soup over it, and enjoy with your favorite toppings. My FAVORITE is sour cream, it literally transforms the soup. 

I had mine topped with cheese and sour cream!

(Most of you will never hear me say this again, but, cheese was not necessary-still delicious, but if you're trying to be healthy, you won't miss it if you decide to skip it. On the other hand, sour cream, is always a must). 

Thanks, Bekah for introducing us to something so delicious and SO easy to make. I didn't even have to go shopping to make this; found everything in my pantry and fridge.

:)

EZ Chicken Fajita Dinner

Servings: 2-4

Prep: 20

Cook: 30

Ingredients 

2 Chicken breasts (butterflied)
1 can of black beans

1 green pepper

1 onion

Splash of Dale's Steak Seasoning

McCormick's Fiery 5 Pepper spice

Chipotle chili powder

Oregano

Splash of red wine vinegar 

Shredded cheese

Sour cream

Lime or lime juice

Hot/taco sauce

Flour tortillas

Steps:
1. Prepare the chicken; once butterflied, cut in half. You will have a total of 4 thin chicken cutlets.
2. Season the cutlets with the chipotle chili powder and the fiery 5 pepper seasoning on both sides and set aside. *If you are sensitive to the heat, take it easy on the chipotle.
3. Cut the onion and green pepper into thin strips.
4. Heat two pans with oil (I used coconut oil) on a medium to medium-low heat.
5. In the smaller pan, saute onion and green pepper for about 10-15 minutes, until the onion is translucent and green pepper cooked to your liking. Add a splash of Dale's during the last few minutes.
6. Add the chicken to the larger pan, flipping after about 5 minutes. Cook thoroughly.
7. Heat up the tortillas; stove-top or microwave (covered with a wet paper towel).
8. Prepare your toppings: cheese, sour cream, lime wedges, hot sauce, salsa, and anything else you like.
9. Finally cut the chicken into thin strips and you're ready to start building these amazing little fajitas!

Fiery deliciousness.

Mexican Shredded Beef Tacos

Shredded Beef Tacos

Adapted from: http://skinnyms.com/slow-cooker-mexican-shredded-beef/

This will now be a regular at The Hive... The man is impressed and I feel great after eating THREE loaded tacos!

Above: Shredded beef, shredded cabbage, and plain goat cheese in a flour tortilla.

Above: Shredded beef, shredded cabbage, sour cream, mexican cheese blend and chalula hot sauce.

*=favorite 

Here is a picture of what my ingredients looked like the evening before...

I double the jalapenos and tripled the garlic!

As for the sauce I double everything (saucy is better.).

Below: What the crock pot looked like after 10 hrs of cooking!

This was awesome!

Mexican Masterpiece

Taco bake / Mexican Lasagna

Simple.

Cheap.

Good.



(This picture does NOT do this meal justice)

Ingredients

1 lime

8 flour tortillas

1 lb of ground beef

1 can of chili beans, drained

5 cloves of garlic

1 onion

1/3 jar of salsa (your favorite, I used taco bell brand-medium)

Taco seasoning packet

3 tablespoons of queso (or chili con queso….or shredded cheese)

Shredded cheese (Mexican blend) for topping

Sour cream (optional)

Jalapenos (mandatory)

Hot sauce (I used "Eros Pistas", a hungarian chili paste)

STEPS

1. Preheat oven to 375 f
2. Dice onion and garlic, then sauté (over medium, medium/low) until onion is golden (adding the garlic the last minute).
3. Over medium heat, brown beef in a separate pan, then drain.
4. Add onion, garlic, and beef back into a pan and keep heat setting at low
5. Mix your taco seasoning packet with ½ a cup of water and add to beef.
6. Add queso or cheese into the beef, stir.
7. Add drained beans into the cheesy beef, stir.
8. Turn up the heat for a minute, stirring. This is when you can add your spice factor (hot sauce, crushed red pepper, anything!).
9. Spray PAM or any non-stick agent into a casserole dish.
10. Align two tortillas (side by side) on the bottom.
11. Layer 1/3 of the beef/bean mixture.
12. Add 2^nd layer of tortillas.
13. Layer 1/3 of the beef/bean mixture with the salsa.
14. Add 3^rd layer of tortillas.
15. Layer the rest of the beef/bean mixture, cover with last two tortillas, and sprinkle with cheese and jalapenos.
16. Cook uncovered in oven for about 15 minutes (or until the tortilla edges begin to brown)
17. Squeeze lime over the top before serving with sour cream!

Greg's Fajitarritos

Fajita + Burrito = Fajitarrito

Greg, the roommate, has introduced our household to this phenomenon. This is definitely a house fave! FILLING, DELICIOUS, & just so darn awesome! Thank you Greg for making these :)

List of ingredients:

chicken breasts (2 lb)

black beans- 2 cans

yellow rice

honey

salt/pepper

ground red pepper/paprika

peppers (multi colored, 3-4)

large onion

peach or mango salsa

regular salsa (your favorite)

flour tortillas (large burrito size)

toppings (optional, choose to your liking):

shredded cheese

sour cream

jalapenos

hot sauce

Now the steps:

1. wash and trip the chicken breasts

2. Cover with honey, salt, pepper, and ground pepper seasoning; cover and let stand for about 30-60 min

3. Pan sear the breasts on medium high, until the honey and spices have nicely browned onto the chicken

4. Remove chicken and slice (notice the chicken is not fully cooked)

5. Chop the peppers and onions (slice or bite sized)

6. Toss into the same pan and cover with a jar of peach salsa

7. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently

8. Add chicken and mix well

9. You may add more salsa at this point

10. Cover and simmer until chicken is fully cooked

MEANWHILE....

1. Your rice is on the stove with a timer ON

2. Melt some butter and cook two cans of black beans

Now a demonstration of how to assemble the Fajitarrito:

Throw some cheese onto a warm tortilla

 Then beans

 and rice...

 now chicken!

Top off with cheese, sour cream, hot sauce/taco sauce, and whatever else your heart desires!

YUM.

Turkey bacon, caramelized onion, and cheese quesadilla

Another free lunch! Feels good to $ave!

Most of you will have these ingredients in your home (or something similar).

*I did not eat all of this...even though I was planning on it, along with a side of rice and beans*

I was planning on a soup for lunch today, healthy, filling...but the plain oatmeal I had for breakfast left me starving. So here are the ingredients I threw on the counter as soon as I walked in the house:

-2 large flour tortillas (the burrito size)

-1 teaspoon of oil

-Just under half an onion

-Shredded cheese of your choice

-Turkey bacon

-The secret ingredient

-Salsa, sour cream, or lime (optional)

STEPS:

1. Cut your turkey bacon into bite sized peices and cook in skillet with a teeny bit of oil until crispy (careful, these POP like crazy)

2. Remove and add the onion, cook until brown, soft, and smells delicious

3. Remove and place one tortilla onto the pan

4. Layer cheese, bacon, onion, more cheese, and the secret ingredient

5. Top off with second tortilla

6. Make sure to check on the bottom tortilla, once browned, carefully flip the quesadilla and brown to completion (this can get messy so be careful, two spatulas help ;P)

TADA, done!

I dipped mine in sour cream, salsa, and lime juice...TOTALLY OPTIONAL, it was delicious on its own!

Oh yea, and the secret ingredient:

This may not be the "healthiest" of lunches...however, it was thoroughly enjoyable :) Plus I have leftover to share with someone special!

xox

Creamy chicken Enchiladas

Cream Cheese Chicken Enchiladas...heavenly!

So it was our PRE-Cinco de Mayo party and I found this amazing recipe on FOODGAWKER.COM while at work...

http://bunsinmyoven.com/2010/08/20/cream-cheese-chicken-enchiladas/

Doesn't that picture look incredible?

So I decided to try it! My first attempt at making enchiladas, EVER!

I don't normally follow recipes....at all.

And someone (Trey) has been "bustin' mah coconuts" for a while about that, SO I decided to follow it perfectly, which ended up in an awesome success! Check that out...

*The recipe does not tell you how to prepare your chicken...so here's what I did:

1. Marinate chicken breasts in Mojo* Seasoning (similar to Italian dressing) for an 1hr+

2. Grill it to perfection

3. SHREAD!!!

*Mojo can be found by the marinades at Publix and it is extremely cheap & delicious! My aunt Ela introduced me to this!

I suggest you ALL try this recipe on one of those Taco nights. We paired it with "Mexican Rice" (made by Mama Pam) and refried beans! Very enjoyable :)

Taco Salad

Taco Salad with homemade Guac

This is one of our "healthy" dinners!

Easy as can be: 

1 lb. of ground beef or turkey

shredded cheese of your choice

shredded iceberg lettuce

dice tomato and onion

tortilla chips

taco seasoning

two avocados+1 packet of spicy guacamole mix=the bomb

sour cream
your favorite hot sauce
and taco sauce...

BOOM!

1. Brown meat, drain, add seasoning with water and simmer
2. Grab a plate and add in ingredients in this order (or whichever works best for you my dear)
chips
beef
cheese
hot sauce
lettuce
tomato + onion
sour cream
guac on the sides
more cheese
more hot sauce
:)