Cheese Taco Shells - Low Carb (Keto friendly)

I'm just going to warn you. Once you have cheese taco shells, you'll never want any other kind. These are basically heaven on a plate. You guys, have you been to those recipe blogs that sample on about how the dog got out and the kids did stuff and something about laundry and ALL THE THINGS before they'll give you the recipe? Yeah. Me too. I'm not gonna do that to you. You're welcome.

So, the only ingredient you'll need for this is cheese. I went with sharp cheddar, already shredded. 

From here, you have 2 options. Option One - the oven and a silicone baking mat.

Option Two - I went this route. A griddle (or frying pan). I feel like this was more difficult than option one, but I didn't have a silicone baking mat handy. 

Now, sprinkle the cheese in a circle pattern as big as you want your shell to be.

Quickly, while the cheese melts, prepare your "drying rack" for your shells. I had two of these stations set up. Make sure to set a paper towel or plate underneath to catch the dripping grease.

When your shell starts to brown around the edges and appears to hold together, it is time to move it to the drying rack.

Your finished shell should look similar to this.

Lastly, fill with your desired taco toppings.

Chili's Salsa - Copy Cat Recipe

Really easy Chili's copy cat recipe for salsa. I made this today in less than 2 minutes. All you have to do is put everything in a food processor and blend it up. In fact, if you want the chunks of tomatoes, you can just dice the onion and then put everything into a bowl and mix it up.

6 - 14.5oz cans diced tomatoes, drained
1/2 c diced jalapenos
 1 onion
1 T. garlic salt
1 T salt
1 T. cumin
1 T sugar
1 T lime juice

Mexican Rice

A few nights ago I wanted to make some mexican rice to go with dinner. I've only attempted it once and I didn't love the recipe I used so I set out in search of a new recipe to try. I found a great recipe for Mexican Rice on Food.com. My husband hates mexican rice and always asks the server to leave it off of his plate when we go out. He loved this! I loved this! My kids loved this! I will be making this recipe again and again.

12 ounces tomatoes, fresh from the garden if you can get them - they need to be really ripe.
1 medium white onion
2 jalepenos, seeds removed and diced
2 cups long grain rice
1/3 cup vegetable oil
4 minced garlic cloves
1 can chicken broth (14.5 ounces)
1/2 cup V8 or tomato juice (or 1/4 c tomato sauce 1/4 c water)
1 1/2 t salt
juice from 1 lime

Preheat oven to 350*. Cut tomatoes and onion and place in food processor. Set aside 2 cups, discard the rest. Heat oil in a frying pan. While oil is heating place rice in a fine mesh strainer and rice with cold water for 1 - 1 1/2 minutes or until water rinses clean. DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP! When rice is rinsed add to oil in frying pan and stir 6-8 minutes until rice starts to brown slightly.



Reduce heat to medium. Add garlic and jalepeno and stir until fragrant. About 1-2 minutes. Stir in broth, tomato mixture, V8 and salt. Increase heat to medium high and bring to a boil. Transfer to a 2 1/2 quart oven safe dish with a tight fitting lid. Place dish on center rack of oven and bake 30 minutes, stirring well half way through. Remove from oven and squeeze lime over rice and stir well.

Creamy Red Chicken Enchiladas

I made these for dinner last night and Hubby loved them! Even the kids loved them. Some even had two servings!

Ingredients:

Tortillas (I had 6 huge tortillas from Bountiful Baskets)
2-3 cups Monterrey Jack Cheese 
Cilantro

Filling
3 Chicken Breast pieces, cooked and shredded (I boiled mine with 1 t cumin)
7oz cas diced green chilies
1 package cream cheese
1 can diced tomatoes (I used Hunts fire roasted with garlic)
2 t Franks Red Hot Sauce (more if you want it spicy)

Sauce:
3 T butter
1/2 cup chopped onion (about 1/2 medium onion)
3 T flour
2/3 cup water
1 T chicken base
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup milk
1/4 t salt
1/4 t pepper
15 oz red enchilada sauce (I used this homemade version)
3/4 cup sour cream

Place chicken in Kitchenaid bowl with paddle attachment (or a large mixing bowl). Beat on speed 2 to shred. Add cream cheese, green chilies and rotel. Mix well. Add franks and mix to incorporate. Place filling in tortillas, roll up and set aside.

In a medium sauce pan melt butter and add onions. Cook and stir for 2-3 minutes. Sprinkle flour over onions and stir. Mix water, milk and heavy cream in a 2 cup measuring cup. Slowly stir mixture into onions. Add chicken base, salt and pepper. Stir until thickened. Remove from heat and add enchilada sauce and sour cream. Pour about 1 cup into a 9x13 pan. Place rolled enchiladas on top of the mixture.

Enchilada Sauce

1/4 c flour
2 T Chili Powder
1/4 C veg oil oil
4 cloves garlic, pressed
1 cup tomato sauce
1 tsp salt
Cayenne pepper
1/2 t cumin
1 1/2 - 2 cups hot water

In a medium sauce pan combine flour and chili powder. Stir over medium heat for about 3 minutes to brown powder mixture. Add oil and stir until completely blended. Add tomato sauce and 1 1/2 cups hot water. Stir until well blended. Add salt, cumin, garlic and cayenne pepper. Stir to combine. Add more water to get desired consistency.

White Sauce Chicken Enchiladas

Adapted From Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Ingredients:

Tortillas (I had 6 huge tortillas from Bountiful Baskets)
2-3 cups Monterrey Jack Cheese 
Cilantro

Filling
3 Chicken Breast pieces, cooked and shredded (I cooked mine in the crockpot sprinkled with cumin)
2 7oz cans diced green chilies
1 package cream cheese
1 can rotel
2 t Franks Red Hot Sauce (more if you want it spicy)
1 can beans, any kind you like (optional)

Sauce:
3 T butter
1/2 cup chopped onion (about 1/2 medium onion)
3 T flour
2/3 cup water
1 T chicken base
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup milk
1/4 t salt
1/4 t pepper
15 oz green chile enchilada sauce
3/4 cup sour cream

Place chicken in Kitchenaid bowl with paddle attachment (or a large mixing bowl). Beat on speed 2 to shred. Add cream cheese, green chilies and rotel. Mix well. Add franks and mix to incorporate. Place filling in tortillas, roll up and set aside.

In a medium sauce pan melt butter and add onions. Cook and stir for 2-3 minutes. Sprinkle flour over onions and stir. Mix water, milk and heavy cream in a 2 cup measuring cup. Slowly stir mixture into onions. Add chicken base, salt and pepper. Stir until thickened. Remove from heat and add enchilada sauce and sour cream. Pour about 1 cup into a 9x13 pan. Place rolled enchiladas on top of the mixture. Sprinkle cheese over the enchiladas.

Pour remaining sauce over enchiladas. Bake at 375* about 30 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro.

Amazingly (EASY) Chicken Taquitos

4 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded (about 4 cups)
1 package cream cheese
1/2 cup pace restaurant style salsa
2 t cumin
1 T chili powder
1 t garlic salt
10-20 sprigs of cilantro, chopped fine
1/2 bunch green onions, sliced fine
1 1/2 t minced garlic
1 T jalapeno hot sauce
2 T diced jalaepeno (I used canned)
1/2 cup Hispanic cheese blend, finely shredded (I used kroger brand which was asadero, queso quesadilla, queso enchilada and queso cotija)
1 c cheddar cheese, shredded
1 c queso quesadilla cheese, shredded
corn and/or flour tortillas

Put cream cheese in kitchenaid with paddle attachment and beat. Add shredded chicken and mix well. Add in the rest of the ingredients, minus the cheese and tortillas and beat well. Add in the cheeses and mix. Place a spoonful in the center of the tortillas one by one and roll up. Place them on a cookie sheet and bake 15 minutes until edges start to crisp up. Serve with salad and queso dip. 

Crockpot Taco Chicken

Ingredients:

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup salsa
1 package taco seasoning
1 cup sour cream
green onions, sliced
cheese, shredded
cilantro, for serving (optional)
re-fried beans
tortillas
rice

Directions:

Put chicken, soup, and salsa in slow cooker. Sprinkle taco seasoning over everything. Cook on low for 6 hours. Pull the breasts out and shred; return back to slow cooker. Stir in sour cream and green onions; heat just until everything is combined. Serve burrito style wrapped in a tortilla with rice, beans and cheese.

You could also serve this over rice.

Fiesta Chicken

Found and adapted from: The Girl Who Ate Everything

3 chicken breasts, frozen or thawed

1 (15 1/2 ounce) can great northern beans, drained and rinsed (you could use pinto, black or whatever really)

1 (15 ounce) can corn, drained
1 (15 ounce) jar of Pace Pineapple Mango Salsa
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese

Take 3 frozen, yes, frozen (or thawed), boneless chicken breasts put into crock pot. Add 1 can of beans, drained, 1 jar of salsa, 1 can of corn drained. Keep in crock pot on low for about 4-5 hours or until chicken is cooked. Once it is cooked, take it out and shred it. Return shredded chicken to the crockpot. (I actually just pushed it up to the side of the crockpot and shredded it without taking it out).

Add 1 package of cream cheese (just throw it on top!) and let sit for about 1/2 hour. It may look at little strange at this point. Don't worry. Stir in the cream cheese.

Serve over rice or in warm flour tortillas. I served it with cilantro rice and cheese in tortillas burrito style.

Queso Dip

Adapted from Miguel’s Jalapeno White Sauce
2 cups whipping cream
1 cup sour cream
1 T chicken base
1/4 t cumin
4 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. flour
2 jalapenos, minced
1/2 cup juice from bottled jalapenos
4 oz shredded cheese – equal parts jack and cheddar
2-3 T chopped cilantro
1/4 cup salsa


Method:
Heat whipping cream in a heavy saucepan over high heat. When the cream is ready to boil, stir in sour cream. After sour cream dissolves, reduce heat to medium. Stir in chicken base, cumin, salsa and jalapeno juice and simmer.

While cream is heating: Make a roux by warming butter in a saucepan over medium heat, adding flour, and mixing with a wire whip until mixture starts to turn pale gold.

Just before cream mixture is ready to boil again, add roux, whisking briskly and constantly until roux is incorporated. Remove from heat; stir in minced jalapeno, cilantro and cheese mixture. Makes about 4 cups.

Costa Vida CopyCat Chicken

What's for dinner at the Arnold house tonight? Costa Vida Shredded Chicken burritos and/or Shredded Chicken Salad. Yum!

Costa Vida Chicken

1 sm bottle zesty italian dressing (I use Kraft)
1 T chili powder
1 T cumin
3 cloves garlic-minced
4-5 lbs of chicken breast
Optional: I also added a can of tomatoes w/ green chilies and a hand full of cilantro

*Cook all together in crock pot for approx 4 hrs, shred then cook another hour

CILANTRO LIME RANCH
3 fresh medium (golf ball size) tomatillos cut into quarters
juice of 1 lime
1 c fresh cilantro - i usually just use half the bunch in the dressing and half in the rice
5 stalks of green onion with ends
2 cloves crushed garlic
1/4 to 3/4 t salt
1/2 c buttermilk
1/2 c mayo
1/2 c sour cream
1 pkg dry ranch buttermilk dressing mix or 3 T of the bulk
1/4 t crushed cayenne pepper
1 jalepeno chopped

*Mix ingredients in blender and serve.


GREEN RICE
Juice of 1 lime
4 t chicken bullion
2-3 minced garlic cloves
1/2 bunch cilantro
1 can green chilies
2/4 t salt
1 medium onion, chopped

*Chop above coarsely and then fry in 1 T butter or oil
Add 1 1/2 c rice and fry
Add 3 c water, bring to rapid boil, turn down as low as possible, cover and simmer.
If you don't want the rice to stick together much, do not stir and cook on very low heat. If you want stickier rice, stir occasionally and cook on higher heat.

*Serve in tortillas or over lettuce with toppings of your choice. 

Topping suggestions: Black or pinto beans, cheese, pico, sour cream, guacamole