Lime Salsa Chicken {freezer to crockpot}

IN A FREEZER ZIPPER BAG

Juice from one lime

1/4 cup chopped cilantro (optional)

a 1.25-oz. package taco seasoning

2 jalapeno peppers, finely chopped (optional)

3 lbs. boneless chicken breasts or thighs

1 chopped red pepper

1/2 onion chopped


TO COOK- In a slow cooker, mix together the contents of the bag and one 24-ounce jar of salsa
Cook on high for 3-4 hours.

TO SERVE- Serve in tortillas with rice and/or beans

Keri's taco topping

One pound ground beef - browned, drained
One pack taco seasoning
Half cup shredded cheddar
Half cup heavy cream
One cup salsa

Cook meat. Drain. Return to pan.
add all other ingredients. Heat until melted together. Keep warm until served.

Use either as taco meat on tortillas or layer with chips, lettuce, avocado, sour cream, tomato and cheese for nachos.

Very easy and delish!!

Mom's Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Preheat oven: 350 degrees

• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 2 cans cream of chicken soup
• 1 C. chicken broth
• 1 C. chopped green chilies
• 2 C. chopped cooked chicken
• corn tortillas
• shredded cheddar or jack cheese

Cook chopped onion in the butter until translucent. Add in cream of chicken soup, green chilies, cooked chicken - stir until combined well and heated.

In a large baking dish, place a layer of corn tortillas, layer of soup mixture, then layer of cheese. Repeat until dish is filled making sure cheese is on top.

Bake 25-30 minutes uncovered

Lauralee's Rotel King Ranch Chicken

1 stick butter
1 medium green bell pepper, diced
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 can Rotel tomatoes (undrained)
2 C. chopped cooked chicken breast
12 (6 inch) corn tortillas; torn into bite size
2 C. shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add bell pepper and onion, cook and stir about 5 minutes, until tender. Stir in soup, tomatoes, and chicken - blend well.

Spray 9 x 13 pan, layer 1/3 of the tortillas, chicken mixture, top with 1/3 of the cheese. Repeat 2 more times.

Bake 40 minutes, uncovered.

Mexican Layer Casserole

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 pkg. taco seasoning
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic; minced
• 1 pkg. cream cheese
• chopped tomato
• chopped lettuce
• chopped black olives
• shredded cheddar cheese
• salsa

Brown ground beef with onion and garlic. Drain meat, then stir in taco seasoning. Place meat in bottom of square baking dish. Let cool for at least 8 minutes.

Spread softened cream cheese over the top of the meat. Make sure to spread it out evenly. Add shredded cheese on top next. Then layer tomatoes, lettuce, and olives. Top with salsa when serving.

Spanish "Sopa" rice

• 1.5 cup white rice
• 2 and 3/4 cup water or broth
• 1 can diced tomatoes; undrained
• 1 large carrot, finely diced
• 1/2 medium onion, finely diced
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 2 Tbsp. granulated chicken bullion
• diced cooked chicken (optional)

Preheat 2 Tbsp. oil in a dutch oven over medium-high, saute diced carrots and onions for 2 minutes. Add rice and cook until it browns and onions become translucent; stirring continuously.
Stir in water, tomatoes with juice, garlic, and bullion. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 15 minutes.

To make sure you don't overcook, check it about half-way through and stir. Add chicken at the end if you'd like. Fluff with a fork and serve with your favorite Mexican dish.

Manny's sister taught me how to make this once when she visited from CA. I think it's almost as good as Los Bravos.

Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas

I normally don't like anything cooked in the microwave, but this saves quite a bit of prep. time and this is the way the recipe was given to me so I go with it.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Zap on high for 2-3 minutes until tender:

• 1/2 cup diced onions
• 1/2 tesp. garlic powder
• 1 T. olive oil

Stir in:

• 2 cups chopped cooked chicken
• 1 small can chopped green chilies
• 1/4 cup chicken broth
• 2 tesp. chili powder
• 1 tesp. cumin (if you like it)

Zap on high 4 minutes or until heated thru.

Add in: 4 ounces cream cheese. Stir well until melted.

Spoon: 1/3 cup mixture onto each of 6 flour tortillas. Roll up and place seam side down into baking dish.

Sauce:
Zap on high for 2-3 minutes or until melted:

• 1/4 pound Velveeta
  
• 2 T. milk
• 1/2 cup tomatoes (Rotel) -- reserve 1/4 cup tomatoes for topping
  

Pour sauce over the enchiladas. Add reserved tomatoes to top.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Cheesy Rotel Dip

• 1 lb. Velveeta (1/2 a box); cubed
• 1 can Rotel diced tomatoes
• 1/2 lb. Jimmy Dean Sausage
• 1/4 C. milk

Brown sausage, drain off grease. Meanwhile in a microwave safe dish, melt cheese with milk in microwave, stirring every minute. When completely melted add in the sausage and can of tomatoes with juice. Mix well. Keep warm in crockpot. Serve with tortilla chips.

This is yummy yummy to your tummy, but not a low fat recipe. :)

Black Bean & Corn Quesadilla

• burrito size flour tortillas
• margarine or butter
• shredded Colby-jack, cheddar-jack, or pepper-jack cheese
• black beans (canned works fine)
• corn (canned or frozen/thawed)
• avocado, smashed up a little with some salt to taste
• sour cream - as topping
• diced tomato - as topping
• chopped fresh cilantro - for garnish
• Optional: left-over meat from the night before, chopped up (grilled chicken, beef roast, and pork works well) I bet shrimp would be yummy, but who ever has left-over shrimp?

Butter 2 tortillas on one side, place butter-side-down in preheated nonstick skillet or griddle.

Add layer of cheese, beans, corn, avocado, then cheese again. Cover with other buttered tortilla (butter side out). Flip when browned. Cool for a minute before cutting into wedges. Serve with sour cream, diced tomato, and fresh cilantro.

Delicious Variation:

• Colby jack cheese
• sauteed onion
• sauteed bell peppers
• left over grilled chicken or shrimp

The idea here is to use whatever you have left over. You can add any veggies or meats that sound good to you. I like to do this with left over pot roast the next day when there isn't enough to make stew and you don't want to let it go to waste.

Taco Soup

Prep time: about 1 hour (or longer)
Servings: 8+

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• medium onion, chopped
• 1 can corn (or equivalent frozen corn), drained
• 1 can black beans, drained
• 1 can pinto beans, drained
• 1 (16 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 (16 oz.) can diced tomatoes
• 1 package taco seasoning
• 1 package dry ranch dressing mix
• 1 Tbsp. minced garlic
• sour cream
• shredded cheese
• **1/2 bell pepper, diced (optional)

Brown the ground beef in a stock pot, adding chopped onion and garlic half way through. Drain fat off, and put back in pot. Add corn, beans, tomatoes, and seasoning. Add a little water if needed. Simmer until thickened and heated through at least 30 minutes. The longer it simmers the yummier it is.

**If you want bell pepper in it, add that when you add the onion and garlic.

Serve with a dollop of sour cream and some shredded cheese on top.

I like to make this in the crock pot if I'm going to be working that day. It's nice to come home to a house smelling like supper. Of course if you make it in the crock pot, you have to cook the meat/onion and drain them before adding to the mixture. This is very hearty and perfect for Fall weather. It's also yummy with a side of cornbread or Fritos.

Acapulco Chicken

• 2 thawed boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite size chunks
• 1/2 medium onion, cut into wedges
• 1/2 green bell pepper, sliced into wedges
• 1 can Campbell's Creamy Chicken Verde soup
• 1 tesp garlic salt

Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil over medium in non-stick skillet. Saute chicken with garlic salt until a little more than half way done, add onion and peppers. Continue to saute until chicken is cooked through and veggies are soft (but do not overcook veggies).

Turn heat to low, add soup and combine well. It should thicken almost immediately. You want it to be fairly thick, but if you like, you can add a few Tbsp of water to thin it out a little.

Serve with warmed tortillas, Mexican rice, and black beans (if you want to).

This is a tribute to one of my favorite Mexican places in Indianapolis, El Rodeo. I would often have lunch there with my friends from work. Tuesday is Acapulco day, which we ordered without fail.

Ensalada Ranchero

Ranch Style beans - what makes this salad YUMMY.

• 2 heads of lettuce - any crisp variety, but I like Romaine
• 1 can of black olives, sliced or whole
• 1 can of corn (optional)
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1-2 large tomatoes, diced
• 1 (16 oz.) can RANCH STYLE beans (that's a brand name)
• 1 bag of Fritos
• 1 pkg. of shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 bottle of Catalina salad dressing

Wash and prepare lettuce, onion, and tomato. Drain corn and olives. In a large salad bowl combine lettuce, olives, corn, onion, and tomato. Keep cold until time to serve. Allow each person to top with Fritos, cheese, beans, and dressing, otherwise salad will become soggy. Do NOT drain the beans (the sauce is what makes it good!).

If you are feeding a large enough crowd to use all the salad, you can add chips, cheese, beans, and dressing just before serving and toss to coat well.

This is always a hit at pot-luck dinners and big family gatherings. Its hearty enough to make a meal by itself. Perfect for a warm summer supper on the patio.

You could add beef with taco seasoning if you wanted meat, but it really doesn't need it.

Cowboy Caviar

• 2 (15 oz.) cans black beans
• 1 can whole kernel corn
• 2 large tomatoes, diced
• 1 large avocado, chopped
  
• 1/2 red onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Dressing:

• 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• 4 Tbsp lime juice
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper

Serve with tortilla chips.