Green Chili Chicken and Rice Soup

This soup was done in about 20 minutes and was really tasty!

2 Tbs. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
10 c. chicken broth
2 10 oz. cans Rotel tomatoes with Green Chili's (or a couple cans diced tomatoes and one can mild green chili's)
2 1/2 cups cooked rice
1/4 c. fresh lime juice
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
2 cups chicken cooked and shredded
pinch of Kosher salt, fresh cracked pepper, and Lawry's garlic salt with parsley to taste
1 bunch fresh chopped cilantro
Diced avocados, drizzled with lime juice
shredded cheese
tortilla chips

Place oil in a large stockpot/dutch oven over medium heat. Saute onion for 5 minutes then add garlic; cook 1 minute. Stir in broth, tomatoes, chicken breast, rice, lime juice, and seasonings. Cook 5 minutes; taste and season according to your liking. Right before serving add chopped cilantro.
Serve soup with avocado, cheese, and chips if desired. 10-12 servings

(I like to buy the rotisserie chicken's at Sam's Club for 4.99, shred and freeze it in a couple bags. It works out perfectly for recipes like this!!)

Black Bean and Avacado Salsa Wraps

Avocado salsa:
2 avocados, pitted and diced
1 1/2 to 2 c. roma tomatoes, diced
4 green onions, chopped
2 tbs. lime juice
2 tbs. fresh cilantro, chopped
1/4 tsp. salt
Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside.

Black Bean filling:
1 tbs. olive oil
1/2 c. chopped onion
1 tsp. minced garlic
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1 16 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 tsp. salt

1 cup chopped lettuce
shredded cheese
tortillas or pitas

Heat oil in skillet over medium high heat. Add onion, cook until clear. Stir in garlic and cumin, then add beans and salt. Heat thoroughly. Heat tortilla and place a couple tablespoons of the black bean filling in the middle topped with avocado salsa, cheese, and lettuce. Serves 3-4 people.

Like Cafe' Rio Pork Salad

Pork Barbacoa

6 lbs. pork
1 16-oz bottle of salsa
1 can Coke (regular not diet)
2 cups brown sugar
Place pork in crock pot and fill it ½ way up the pork with water.
Cook on High for 6 hours.
Drain off water. Cut pork in thirds.
Mix together sauce ingredients and put on top of pork. Cook an additional 3 hours on High. Shred pork with forks. Leave it on Low until ready to serve.


Cilantro-lime Rice

1 c. uncooked rice (long-grain, white rice)
1 tsp. butter or margarine
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
1 can (15 oz) chicken broth
1 cup water
1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tsp. sugar
3 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro

In a saucepan combine rice, butter, garlic, 1 tsp. lime, chicken broth and water. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook on low 15-20 minutes, until rice is tender. Remove from heat. In a small bowl combine lime juice, sugar and cilantro. Pour over hot cooked rice and mix in as you fluff the rice.



Creamy Tomatilla Salad Dressing

1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch Buttermilk Dressing
3 T. Salsa verde
1/2 tsp. Tabasco
1/2 bunch Cilantro
2 cloves of Garlic
3/4 C. Mayo
3/4 C. Sour Cream
juice of 1 Lime
milk to thin

Blend all ingredients in the blender. Refrigerate.


Trimmings for the Salad:
Tortillas, romaine lettuce, black beans, guacamole, pico de gallo, cheese, sour cream, tortilla strips

Flour Tortillas

Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup vegetable shortening, cut into pieces
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 cup warm water

Directions:
In a bowl, blend flour, salt, baking powder and shortening until it resembles fine meal.
Add warm water, a little at a time, to flour mixture and toss until liquid is incorporated. Water amount will vary with different flour types.
Form dough into a ball and kneed on a floured surface until dough is smooth and elastic. Divide, and make 6-8 smaller balls, depending on the size of tortillas you want. Cover with a damp paper towel and let stand at least 30 minutes.

Cooking Tortilla:
Roll each ball of dough on a floured surface to make 6 to 8 inch sized tortillas. Place on a pre-heated griddle or cast iron skillet and cook till medium golden on both sides.
Remove to a basket lined with a cloth towel or put between a towel until cool. After the tortillas have cooled completely, store them in a plastic bag. This recipe will make approximately 6-8 flour tortillas.

Corn Tortilla Chicken Lasagna

18 corn tortillas
3 cups cubed cooked chicken breast
1 can kidney beans or black beans, rinsed and drains
1 jar of salsa
1 1/2 c. sour cream
1 green pepper, chopped (optional)
1 can sliced olives, drained
3 cups shredded Fiesta Blend cheese


In a greased 9 x 13 baking dish, arrange six tortillas. Top them with 1 c. chicken, 2/3 c. of beans, 1 c. salsa, 1/2 c. sour cream, 1/2 green pepper, about 1/3 c. olives, 1/2 c. cheese, repeat layers twice.

Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Uncover and bake 10-15 minutes longer or until the cheese is melted. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

This recipe is really simple. I used an 8 x 8 and just guessed on amounts and it still turned out great!

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

1 10 oz enchilada sauce
1 can cream of mushroom soup
4 tortillas
1 lb chicken breasts cubed
1 1/2 c. monterey jack cheese, shredded
1 can sliced olives
1/4 c. green onion, chopped

Mix together enchilada sauce with soup, add chicken. Layer in a 8x8 casserole dish: tortilla, chicken mixture, sprinkle with cheese, olives, and green onion. Repeat ending with tortilla top with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes covered.

Cheesy Chicken & Salsa Skillet

from Kraft Food & Family

2 cups multigrain penne pasta, uncooked
1 lb. chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 1/4 c. thick 'n chunky salsa
1 c. frozen corn, thawed
1 large green pepper, cut into short thin strips
1 c. Mexican Style cheese

Cook pasta as directed on package. Heat large skilled sprayed with cooking spray on med-high heat add chicken, cook and stir 2 minutes. Stir in salsa, corn, and peppers. Bring to boil. Simmer on med-low 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through, stirring occasionally. Add pasta to chicken mixture, mix lightly and sprinkle with cheese. Remove from heat; cover. Let stand 1 minute or until cheese is melted. 4 servings

Slow Cooker Tortilla Soup

1 lb. chicken shredded (I just put in a couple frozen chicken breasts and shred an hour before serving)
1 can (15 oz) diced tomatoes
1 can (10 oz) enchilada sauce
1 medium onion, chopped
1 can chopped green chilis
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 cans (14.5) oz chicken broth
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. salt
1/4. tsp pepper
1 (10 oz.) frozen corn
1 tbs. cilantro
Combine all the above ingredients in a crock pot and cook low 6-8 hours or high 3-4 hours and serve with tortilla chips, cheese, and sour cream.

Creamy Nachos

1 pkg. Mild Mexican velveeta
1 lb. Hamburger
1 small onion- chopped
1 can Ranch style beans- drained
1 can Rotel- drained
8 oz. Sour cream

Brown hamburger and onions. Put all ingredients in the crock pot and cook on low 4 to 6 hours. Serve with tortilla chips.

Fajita Marinade

¼ c. fresh lime juice
1/3 c. water
2 Tb vegetable oil
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
3 tsp vinegar
2 tsp soy sauce
½ tsp chili powder
½ tsp cayenne pepper
½ tsp liquid smoke
¼ tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp. onion powder
3-4 chicken breasts or top sirloin


Combine all ingredients and marinate at least 3 hours.

Mexican Bean Salad

INGREDIENTS:
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained
1 (15 ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 (10 ounce) package frozen corn kernels
1 red onion, chopped

DRESSING: (I halved this and it was plenty)
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 tablespoon salt
1 clove crushed garlic
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
1/2 tablespoon ground black pepper
1 dash hot pepper sauce
1/2 teaspoon chili powder

DIRECTIONS:
In a large bowl, combine beans, bell peppers, frozen corn, and red onion.In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, lime juice, lemon juice, sugar, salt, garlic, cilantro, cumin, and black pepper. Season to taste with hot sauce and chili powder.Pour olive oil dressing over vegetables; mix well. Chill thoroughly, and serve cold.

Cafe Rio Chicken and Rice

Dressing:
2 tomatillos
1/2 bunch cilantro
1 clove garlic
juice of 1 lime
1 jalapeno
*Blend these ingredients in blender.
1 pack of buttermilk ranch dressing. Make according to directions on pack then add the blended ingredients and chill in fridge. The longer the better to let flavors enhance.

Chicken:
5 pounds of chicken breasts (no bones)
1 small bottle of Kraft Zesty Italian Dressing
1 t. chili powder
1 T. cumin
3 cloves garlic minced
*Put in crockpot for 4 hours then shred and replace for 1 hour to soak up the juice

Rice:3 cups water/3 cups rice (instant rice works best)
*Blend in blender the following:
4 t. chicken buillion
4 cloves garlic
1/2 bunch cilantro
1 can green chili's
3/4 t. salt
1 T. butter
1/2 onion
Let water come to boil, add rice and blended ingredients. Let rest until rice is done.

I put a tortilla in a frying pan and added some cheese on it until it became slightly crisp then layered the chicken, rice, some romaine lettuce, fresh lime juice and the dressing. You can also do black beans if you want.