Baked Burritos with Sour Cream-Poblano Sauce

Tags

beef, black beans, burrito, Mexican, poblano, sour cream

I’m thinking I’ve mentioned before that I’m not a big fan of Mexican food. Yet, whenever I think that, I seem to contradict myself because then I crave Mexican food. But not restaurant Mexican food… can’t stand that stuff! But good ol’ homemade Mexican Tex-Mex, or whatever this is considered… love it! Or anything with taco seasoning! Hehe. Horrible logic, I know.

These burritos, though, are amazing. I made them a couple weeks ago before the move, and now I’m making them again! What can I say, I got a craving! You can change out the meat to any ground meat of your choosing, and they’re quick to cook up. Also, they reheat awesomely and apparently, you can freeze them once they’re baked, all of which makes them a great make-ahead option. If you’re a burrito-fan, these are a must try for you!One Year Ago: Cheddar-Herb Biscuits and Orecchiette with Spicy Sausage and Broccoli Rabe

Baked Burritos with Sour Cream-Poblano Sauce

Burritos:
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 large onion, diced
1 pound ground beef
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 (14.5-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
¼ cup beef broth
½ teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon oregano
1½ teaspoon chili powder
⅛ teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon brown sugar
Kosher salt
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese
4 to 6 burrito tortillas
Cooking spray

Sour Cream-Poblano Sauce:
2 poblano peppers
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
⅔ cup chicken broth at room temperature
½ cup sour cream
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

To make the burritos: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat; add the oil and heat until shimmering. Add the onions and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, or until they begin to soften. Add the ground beef and cook, stirring occasionally, until well browned; drain any excess fat.  Stir in the garlic and tomato paste and cook for 30 to 60 seconds; add the beans, broth, cumin, oregano, chili powder, cayenne, and brown sugar. Stir to combine and salt to taste. Reduce heat and simmer until most of the liquid has been absorbed.

Place 2 tablespoons of the cheese in a line in the middles of each tortilla and spoon about ¼ of the beef mixture over the top of the cheese. Fold the left and right sides of the tortilla in, and then roll the tortilla up, from the end closest to you, to the top. Place seam-side down on a baking sheet and lightly spray the tops of the burritos with cooking spray.  Bake for about 20 minutes, until tortillas are golden brown and crispy.

To make the sour-cream poblano sauce: To prepare chiles with a gas stove, turn one of the burners to high. Using tongs, char the poblanos on all sides until black. To prepare the chiles with an oven, preheat the broiler. Place the poblanos on a foil lined baking sheet and broil until black, using tongs to turn the chiles to blacken all sides. Transfer the blackened poblanos to a resealable plastic bag and seal the bag; set it aside for 15 minutes. Remove chiles and peel them; discard the seeds and membranes to lessen the heat, if desired, then dice them; set aside.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Stir in the flour and cook for an additional minute, stirring constantly, to cook off the taste of flour. Slowly whisk in the chicken broth and the poblanos; continue to simmer, whisking frequently, until thickened. Stir in the sour cream and warm through; season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve the sauce over the baked burritos.

Source: Slightly adapted from Smells Like Home

Cilantro Lime Rice

Tags

cilantro, lime, Mexican, rice

I’m not a big fan of Mexican food, which I believe I have mentioned before. On the other hand, my whole family loves it and my mom keeps hoping I will come around and warm up to it. Thus far, no such luck. I do enjoy burritos, though, but I’m picky about those, too. For those of you fortunate enough to have had a Chipotle burrito, you know how awesome they are. For those of you who have not, the tortillas are perfect, the fillings are delish, and the rice is awesome. I never would have thought that rice would make a dish, but this rice is super good and the burritos just wouldn’t be the same without it.

Now being the genius that I am (haha), I decided to finally look online and find a copycat recipe to use in my own burritos. There were so many different recipes, but I narrowed down my options and picked one that seemed simple yet delicious. The rice was as good as I expected it to be, which made for a very happy me! The lime added a nice subtle citrus flavor, and the cilantro added freshness and some Mexican flair. I made burritos 2 weeks in a row… I had a craving… And I made this rice both times to go along with them. Sometimes I ate it on the side, and sometimes I ate it in the burritos, but either way it was delish! If you’re looking for a simple rice dish to serve alongside Mexican food, or in some burritos, be sure to try this out!Cilantro Lime Rice

1 cup rice, uncooked
1 tablespoon lime juice
2 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro
3 teaspoons vegetable oil, divided

In a small pot, add rice, water, 1 teaspoon oil and salt. Boil on high until most of the water evaporates. When the water is just above the top of the rice, reduce heat to low and cover, cooking for 15 minutes, or until the water is absorbed. Remove from heat and keep covered an additional 5 minute. Add chopped cilantro, lime juice, and remaining oil to the rice and toss until completely mixed.

Source: Adapted from Skinnytaste

Baked Chipotle Beef Taquitos

Tags

beef, cheese, chipotle, lime, Mexican, tortilla

This may be blasphemous to say, but I’m not a big fan of Mexican food. I love Chipotle burritos, which I realize are very Americanized and are not really Mexican burritos at all. Other than that, if it’s Mexican but it’s not fried, I probably won’t like it. I used to love tamales and enchiladas, but something in my taste buds changed a while ago, so now I really only like taquitos, flautas, tacos, and nachos.

These taquitos are baked, so they’re healthier than their fried counterparts but still have the tasty crunch necessary for taquitos. I’ve made these multiple times over the last couple of months, and doubled it last time so I could save them in the freezer. They’re a perfect quick lunch or dinner, or even a snack! And if you love taquitos, make sure to try these baked creamy chicken taquitos. It never hurts to have variety in your freezer!Baked Chipotle Beef Taquitos
Note: Leftover beef can be used from pot roast or other slow cooked beef, as long as the seasoning isn’t overly strong. Also, chipotle chili powder can be used in place of the chipotle peppers and adobo sauce, just add a little to start and increase to taste.

1½ to 2 pounds beef chuck pot roast
1 (1.25-ounce) package taco seasoning
½ teaspoon minced chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
3 teaspoons adobo sauce from the canned chipotle peppers
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon coriander
½ teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
zest from one lime
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
12 ounces cheese (Queso Fresco or sharp cheddar cheese), crumbled
20 to 25 6-inch white corn tortillas
Cooking spray
Kosher salt

Place beef roast and 1 cup water in a 5-quart slow cooker, fat side down. Sprinkle the packet of taco seasoning on top of the roast. Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours. When meat is cooked and tender, remove the roast and use 2 forks to shred the meat; shredded beef should total about 3 cups. Slice any larger pieces of roast across the grain so the beef is shredded into ½ to 1-inch pieces and place in a large bowl.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly spray baking sheet with cooking spray.

To prepare chipotle peppers, slit the pepper open. Remove the seeds either by scraping carefully with a knife or running the open pepper under a slow stream of water until the seeds have been rinsed away.

In a small bowl, combine chipotle pepper, adobo sauce, garlic powder, coriander, cumin, chili powder, lime zest, and lime juice; whisk well.  Pour over the beef and gently toss to coat.

Wrap a pile of about 10 tortillas in damp paper towels and microwave for 1 minute to soften. Working with one tortilla at a time, crumble about 1 tablespoon cheese in a line across the center of the tortilla.  Top with 1 to 2 tablespoons shredded beef mixture.  Tightly roll and place seam-side down on the prepared baking sheet. Continue to roll until all of the tortillas are filled, reheating more tortillas as needed.

Lightly spray the top of each taquito with cooking spray and sprinkle with kosher salt. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown on the edges.  Serve warm with sour cream, salsa, and guacamole.

To freeze: Prepare taquitos through spraying with cooking spray and sprinkling with salt. Lay taquitos in a single layer on a baking sheet, lightly spaced out and place in freezer. Once frozen, store in freezer bags. Bake at 425 degrees F for 20-25 minutes.

Source: Adapted from Our Best Bites

Agua de Sandia (Watermelon Water)

Tags

lime, Mexican, watermelon

I have a binder where I keep all my tried and true recipes. It started as a family cookbook for my sister and myself, made for us when we moved out and started college. Since then, I’ve added to it quite a bit. But in looking through it, I’m noticing that it has some weak areas. Some areas where I really don’t have many recipes, which means it’s time to remedy the problem! One of the more barren sections is the beverage section. Thankfully, I’ve tried a few tasty drinks over the last few weeks that I’ve added to my collection, and will be sharing with you soon, too!

This tasty drink is an agua fresca, or a water refreshment, and is very common in Mexico and Central America. It’s essentially water and fruit, with some sugar. Hence, pretty healthy, and tasty!! This recipe can be adapted to most other fruits, or even cucumber. And yes, I realize summer is technically ending soon, but the heat isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, so kick back and enjoy some refreshing fruit water!Agua de Sandia (Watermelon Water)

4 cups seedless watermelon, diced
1 cup water, divided
½ teaspoon salt
1 lime, juiced
½ cup sugar

In a small saucepan over low-medium heat, combine ½ cup water and sugar to make a simple syrup. Heat until sugar is fully dissolved; set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, place half the diced watermelon in blender with ¼ cup water and blend until smooth. Pour watermelon mixture into a pitcher. Repeat with remaining watermelon and ¼ cup water. Add lime juice and salt to the watermelon mixture; stir to combine. Stir in ¼ cup of the simple syrup; taste for sweetness and add more simple syrup as needed, or add more water if desired. Mix well and enjoy over ice.

Source: Adapted from Sweet Life

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos

Tags

chicken, cilantro, cream cheese, lime, Mexican

This past week, I went on a huge cooking spree. I finally came up with a sort of game plan to try a bunch of recipes that I’ve been eying on different blogs. Most of them were entrees, which is a good thing because I noticed that I have a lot of desserts bookmarked, and not so many main dishes or non-sweet treats. Between a trip to save money and buy in bulk from Costco and a few trips to a couple different grocery stores, my frig and freezer are packed. I just had to make a milkshake to use up the ice cream in the freezer to make more room. Gee darn. 🙂

One of the dishes I was most excited to try were these chicken taquitos. Again, I’m behind the trend since bloggers have been posting about these bad boys for months now. But I am so glad I got around to trying them. They were phenomenal. And it’s so fun to make them! Taquitos are something I never thought to make. I buy them frozen when I feel like splurging on some really unhealthy food, and never thought twice about it.

Not only are these baked, which makes them way more healthy than their fried counterparts, but you get the hands on experience of really working with your food. The filling can be made in advance and left in the frig. I made my filling a few days ago on one of my days off, and just now rolled them tonight. Which, by the way, is also really easy. You can even freeze them so you always have some homemade taquitos on hand. So if this is the first time you’re seeing this recipe or you’ve seen it before and just haven’t tried it yet, please try these taquitos. You will love them!

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos

3 ounces cream cheese, softened
¼ cup salsa
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
½ teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon granulated garlic
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons sliced green onions
2 cups cooked chicken, shredded
1 cup shredded Mexican cheese (or pepper jack, cheddar, Monterey, ect.)
12-16 6-inch corn or flour tortillas
Kosher salt
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder, granulated garlic, cilantro, and green onions. Add chicken and cheese, mixing until thoroughly combined.

Working with a few tortillas at a time, place the tortillas between damp paper towels and microwave for about 20-30 seconds or until they are soft enough to roll without cracking. Place 2-3 tablespoons of chicken mixture on the lower third of a tortilla. Roll the tortilla tightly around the filling, then place seam side down on the baking sheet. Repeat the process until all the filling is used up, spacing the taquitos evenly on the baking sheet so they are not touching each other. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle some kosher salt on top.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start to get golden brown. If baking frozen taquitos, add a few extra minutes in the oven. Serve with sour cream, salsa, or guacamole.

Source: Our Best Bites