Food For Thought - Mexican Dishes

This afternoon I checked my meal list (trying to remember what I had planned for tonight's dinner) only to realize that I chose three different Mexican dishes for this week.  Apparently I'm in a bit of a "South of the Border" rut!  As you can imagine, my kids will be saying, "Mexican?  Again?" by tomorrow night!

The thing is, Mexican foods are some of the easiest for me to toss together.  More often than not I have the necessary ingredients in my pantry or fridge ...

Beans?  Check.
Beef?  Check.
Tortillas?  Check.
Cheese?  Check.
Tomatoes?  Check.
Salsa?  Check.

And dinner is served!

I can't say that any of the dishes for today come from an actual recipe.  In these cases, I have simply put together what sounds good, added a few tasty sides and said, "¡Olé!"

Meaty Quesadillas

Ingredients:
Flour tortillas
Ground beef
Garlic clove, minced
Salt
Ground Red Pepper
Cumin
Green onions, chopped
Cheddar cheese, shredded
Salsa & Sour cream for garnish
Limes

Brown the ground beef and drain off the grease.  Add the garlic and cook for a few minutes.  Add the salt, red pepper and cumin to taste.  Set the meat aside.  Heat a griddle on medium high.  Lay one tortilla on the griddle and top with 1/4 cup of shredded cheddar.  Spoon about 1/2 cup of the meat mixture onto one half of the tortilla.  Top with green onions and then fold the tortilla in half.  Continue cooking for 2-3 minutes and then gently flip it over.  Cook for 1-2 more minutes until the tortilla is crispy.  Use a pizza cutter to slice the quesadilla into triangles.  At this point you can either serve the quesadilla or slide them onto a cookie sheet to keep warm in the oven.

When it's time to eat, serve the quesadillas with a dollop of sour cream, a spoonful of salsa and a lime wedge.  Super simple, but filling and delicious!

Great for lunch or dinner!

Taco Salad

Ingredients:

Romaine or Iceberg lettuce, chopped

Tomatoes, diced

Green onions, chopped

Black beans, drained and rinsed

Ground beef, browned and seasoned (See above.)

Cheddar cheese, shredded

Cilantro, rinsed and chopped

Sour cream & Salsa 

Limes, cut into wedges

How much of this is already in your fridge?

Layer lettuce, beef, beans, cheese and remaining veggies in a bowl.  Top with sour cream and salsa ... and maybe some guacamole.  We also like to crush tortilla chips over the top for some crunch.  If the kids aren't in the mood for salad, I can make tacos for them with any tortillas I have on hand.  Everybody wins!

One of my favorite salads ... year round.

Fajitas

Ingredients:

Flour tortillas (small sized)

Chicken breasts, cut into strips

Garlic clove, minced

Salt

Ground Red Pepper

Cumin

Onion, sliced

Bell Pepper, sliced

Red Pepper, sliced

Cheddar cheese, shredded

Lime wedges

Salsa & Sour cream

Brown rice

Prepare the brown rice according to the package directions.  Take note that most brown rices take 45 minutes to cook, so plan ahead.

In a large skillet, cook chicken until no longer pink.  Season the chicken with garlic, salt, pepper and cumin.  Add the peppers and onion to the skillet and cook on medium high until the veggies begin to char.  Add a little fajita mixture to a small tortilla and top with cheese, salsa and sour cream.  Serve with a spoonful of brown rice on the side and a few tortilla chips.  For a low-carb meal, we also like to eat our fajita in a bowl.  Skip the tortilla and place the brown rice in the bottom of the bowl, topped with the fajita mixture.  Add the salsa and sour cream and a squirt of lime.

Sizzling fajitas ... mmmmm ....