Cinco de Mayo - Mexican Recipes

Happy Cinco de Mayo! Here are six Mexican recipes to help you through the day, including Quinoa Enchilada Bake and Siri's One-Pot Mexican Pasta. Enjoy!

CHICKEN ENCHILADAS

This comes from Food.com, and begins, “I call this gloppy and sloppy and definitely my family's favorite.” Makes 6 servings; Prep Time: 40 minutes; Cook Time: 40 minutes; Total Time: 1 hr. 20 minutes.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1 (10 1/2 ounce) can cream of chicken soup

1 cup sour cream

3 cups diced cooked chicken

1 (4 ounce) can mushrooms, drained and chopped

1⁄2 onion, chopped

1 (4 ounce) can green chilies, drained

1⁄4 teaspoon oregano

salt and pepper

10 -12 flour tortillas

Topping

1 (10 1/2 ounce) can cream of chicken soup

1⁄4 cup milk

1 lb shredded monterey jack cheese or 1 lb monterey jack pepper cheese

Directions

Mix together first 7 ingredients.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Place 2 – 3 tablespoons of filling in center of each tortilla; roll mixture up in tortilla.

With seam side down, place each rolled tortilla side by side in a 13x9 inch casserole dish Mix together first 2 topping ingredients.

Pour evenly over enchiladas in casserole dish.

Sprinkle with shredded cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 – 40 minutes.

SIRI’S ONE-POT MEXICAN PASTA

This comes from Siri Daly in a recent TODAY Show Recipes email. It begins, “Give the dish some color and style it your way with a variety of toppings like chopped avocado, thinly sliced scallions and spicy jalapeños.” Makes 6 – 8 servings.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 pound ground turkey

1/2 package store-bought taco seasoning

12 ounces frozen squash, thawed

8 ounces pasta

2 cups chicken stock

8 ounces store-bought jarred taco sauce

1 1/2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend, plus more for serving

Chopped avocado, scallions and jalapeños, for serving (optional)

Preparation

In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat.

Add the ground turkey and cook until no longer pink.

Add the taco seasoning and squash, and cook for a few more minutes, until everything is combined.

Add the pasta, chicken stock and taco sauce and bring to a boil.

Stir everything up, cover the pot, lower to a simmer and cook for another 10 minutes.

Uncover, add the cheese, and simmer until the cheese has melted and sauce has thickened. Add a little more cheese on the top before serving, plus your favorite garnishes like chopped avocado, scallions and jalapeños.

CORN AND BLACK BEAN TAQUITOS

This begins, “Minimum prep and bake time makes homemade taquitos a healthy "fast food" for busy days. Couple with a side salad for a balanced meal.”

This is from Diabetic Connect.

Can be viewed at http://www.diabeticconnect.com/diabetic-recipes/general/7259-corn-and-black-bean-taquitos

Ingredients

8 low carb tortillas

15 oz. black beans, drained

1 cup fresh spinach, chopped

1/2 cup frozen corn

1 cup shredded Monterey jack cheese

3 TBSP salsa

2 TBSP lime juice

1/2 tsp cumin

Pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Slightly mash beans with a fork. Add all ingredients together and mix well.

Spoon 3 – 4 TBSP of mixture into the center of each tortilla. Tightly roll and place on greased baking sheet. Spray the taquitos with olive oil or coconut oil cooking spray.

Bake 15-20 minutes or until taquitos are lightly brown and crisp.

Nutritional Facts: Servings: 8; For 1 taquito: Calories 102; Saturated Fat: 2 g; Sodium: 242 mg; Carbohydrates: 12 g; Dietary Fiber: 4 g; Protein: 7 g

QUINOA ENCHILADA BAKE

This recipe begins, “Never tried quinoa? This enchilada bake is a great way to be introduced to the superfood.”

http://www.diabeticconnect.com/diabetic-recipes/general/7286-quinoa-enchilada-bake

Ingredients

1 TBSP olive oil

1 lb extra lean ground beef

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

1 medium green pepper, diced

3 cloves garlic finely chopped

1/2 cup dry quinoa

2 cups low sodium vegetable broth

10 oz. can diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained

1 cup tomato sauce

2 TBSP chili powder

2 tsp cumin

Pepper to taste

1 can black beans

3/4 cup corn

Optional toppings:

Cheese, tomato, green onion, cilantro

Directions

Heat oil in a large skillet. Brown ground beef.

Add onion, pepper and garlic. Cook 2 minutes.

Pour into slow cooker along with remaining ingredients, except black beans and corn.

Cook on high for 3-31/2 hours.

40 minutes before it's done, add beans and corn. Heat last 40 minutes.

Serve over chopped romaine or tortilla (optional).

Top with desired toppings.

Nutritional Facts: Servings 12; For 1/12 the recipe excluding optional toppings: Calories 170; Saturated Fat 2 g; Sodium 242 mg; Carbohydrates 15 g; Dietary Fiber 2 g; Protein 12 g

TEX-MEX RICE AND BEAN CASSEROLE

This is from Weight Watchers. Total Time: 55 minutes; Prep: 15 minutes; Cook: 40 minutes; Serves: 6; Difficulty: Easy; Points: 5

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1 spray(s) cooking spray

1 cup(s) canned yellow corn, drained, or frozen, thawed corn kernels

1 Tbsp canned green chili peppers, chopped, mild or hot

15 oz canned pinto beans, rinsed and drained

1 cup(s) long grain cooked brown rice, fresh or day old

7/8 cup(s) Weight Watchers Reduced fat Mexican blend shredded cheese

3/4 cup(s) fat free sour cream

1/4 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp table salt

1/8 tsp black pepper

2 Tbsp uncooked scallion(s), chopped (dark green part only)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Coat a 2-quart glass baking dish with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine corn, chilies, beans, rice, 3/4 cup of cheese, sour cream, chili powder, salt and pepper; stir in scallions.

Spoon mixture into prepared baking dish and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons of cheese. Return to oven and bake until cheese melts and casserole is slightly bubbly, about 10 minutes more. Let stand for 5 minutes to firm up before slicing into 6 pieces. Yields 1 piece per serving.

Notes

Change the beans or cheese to your liking: white or black beans, reduced-fat cheddar or Monterey Jack cheeses all work well.If you want to brown the cheese more, place the dish (make sure it's broiler safe) under the broiler for a minute or two.

APPLE-CHICKEN QUESADILLAS

This recipe begins, “You may be surprised at the idea of combining chicken and apples inside a crispy tortilla, but the taste will amaze you.”

This is from Diabetic Connect.

Click here to view this online.

Ingredients

2 medium tart apples, sliced

1 cup diced cooked chicken breast

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup fresh or frozen corn, thawed

1/2 cup chopped fresh tomatoes

1/2 cup chopped onion

6 low-carb tortillas, fajita-sized, warmed

3/4 cup shredded lettuce

3/4 cup salsa

6 tablespoons sour cream

Directions

In a large bowl, combine the first eight ingredients. Place about 3/4 cup on half of each tortilla. Fold tortilla in half over filling and secure with toothpicks.

Place on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400° Fahrenheit for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.

Carefully turn quesadillas over; bake 5-8 minutes longer or until golden brown. Discard toothpicks. Cut each quesadilla into three wedges. Serve with lettuce, salsa, and sour cream.

Nutritional Facts: Servings: 12; Calories – 121; Total Fat – 5 g; Saturated Fat – 3 g; Sodium – 196 mg; Carbohydrates – 13 g; Fiber – 2 g; Sugars – 4 g; Protein – 7 g