Air Fryer Mexican Pork Chops

Pork chops are always good and this recipes spices them up.  There's a hint of sweetness due to the brown sugar that caramelizes on the outside with the chili powder and cumin.



Mexican Pork Chops

4 pork chops
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
t tsp salt 
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, chili powder and cumin.  Dip pork chops in and place in your pre-heated air fryer.  Cook at 360° for 14-16 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 145°.  Turn the chops over at 7 minutes.

Instant Pot Spanish Rice

There's nothing like a blizzard to make you crave food that you cannot get to a restaurant to enjoy.  Making it yourself actually tastes better and is a lot cheaper.  I made this Spanish Rice to go along with some beef burritos.  


Instant Pot Spanish Rice

1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup onions, diced
3 tbsp. tomato paste
1 3/4 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup sundried tomatoes, diced
1 cup white rice
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt

Heat the olive oil on the saute mode on your Instant Pot.  Add in the onions and cook until translucent.  Turn off the Instant Pot.  Stir in the tomato paste.  Gradually stir in the chicken stock.  Add in the remaining ingredients.  Stir and place the cover on.  Put on rice setting for 12 minutes.  Allow to sit for 5 minutes and the release the remaining pressure.  Fluff the rice and serve. 

Taco Bake

This taco bake will please those that like a milder Mexican dish.  It has some of the spices but sour cream and cream cheese both work to make it a creamier hot dish.  I use my own taco seasoning so if you use some from a package, adjust the salt and pepper accordingly.

 

Taco Bake

1# extra lean ground beef, seasoned and browned

2 tbsp taco seasoning

1 cup tomato sauce

3 cups cooked macaroni noodles

1 cup sour cream

8 oz cream cheese

2 tbsp milk

1 cup shredded Mexican 4 cheese blend

In your frying pan, add the taco seasoning, tomato sauce and sour cream to the browned ground beef and stir until completely mixed.  Put the cooked macaroni noodles in the bottom of a greased 13 x 9 pan.  Microwave the cream cheese and milk for 1 minute and stir until completely blended.  Spread over macaroni noodles.  Top with the taco beef mixture and spread evenly over the cream cheese.  Top with the shredded cheese.  Bake for 20 minutes at 350°

Taco Seasoning

1 tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1 1/4 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp parsley
1/4 tsp  oregano
1 tsp pepper, freshly ground
1/2 tsp salt

Place in a sealable plastic bag or container that's airtight and mix well.

Peach Salsa

It's peach season and I've been meaning to make peach salsa for years now and finally got around to it over the long holiday weekend.  I bought a really good vegetable cutter off Amazon called LOVKITCHEN cutter and the peaches and tomatoes were cut in seconds.  The jalapeno skin was too thick but it did leave scores so you could cut in even pieces easily. This salsa can be eaten with chips or top it on chicken or pork chops.

Peach Salsa

4 ripe peaches, peeled and diced

3 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced

1/2 jalapeno, seeded and diced

1/2 cup onion, diced

juice from 1 lemon

1/2 tsp ancho chili powder

2 tbsp. brown sugar

2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp. cilantro

Sea salt & pepper to taste

Place all the ingredients in a large saucepan and cook until onions and garlic are tender.  If really juicy, cook until it thickens.  Can what you don't intend to use right away.

Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup

It’s still soup weather unfortunately but if the temperature outside won’t heat up the subtle heat from the chilies in this soup will warm you. 

 

Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup

3 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

1 – 32 oz chicken broth

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp paprika

1 – 15 oz can diced tomatoes with green chilies

1 – 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained

2 ears of corn, sliced off or 1 cup frozen corn

Salt & freshly ground pepper to taste

1 cup cream

 

Place all the ingredients (except the cream) in a stock pot or dutch oven to cook until the corn is tender.  Ten minutes before you are ready to eat, stir in the cream.  Top with crisp tortilla slices, avocado, cheese, sour cream, cilantro…

To crisp tortilla slices, slice into even slices and place in a heated frying pan.  Stir often until the slices crisp up.

Mexican Won Ton Cups

These are a fun meal or snack to make to eat while watching the football playoff games.  The won ton wrappers turn crispy in the oven and all the flavors meld together with layers of refried beans, taco meat and cheese.  Serve with additional toppings of shredded lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, taco sauce...whatever you wish.  I used my own taco seasoning recipe (recipe below) because I can control the sodium.  Normally I have my own refried beans that I made in the crock pot and freeze but I'm out at the moment and need to restock.

Mexican Won Ton Cups

24 won ton wrappers
refried beans, fat-free
1/2# extra lean ground beef
1 1/2 tbsp taco seasoning
1/4 cup water
shredded cheddar of Mexican blend cheese

Cook ground beef.  Stir in the taco seasoning and water and cook down.  Spray cooking spray evenly over a standard size muffin pan.  Line each up with 2 won ton wrappers.  Place 1 tbsp of refried beans at the bottom of each cup.  Add in 1 tbsp of taco mixture.  Top with 1 tbsp of cheese.  Bake for 12 minutes at 375°.    Serve immediately with your favorite toppings on the side.

Taco Seasoning - I usually double or triple this recipe

1 tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1 1/4 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp parsley
1/4 tsp  oregano
1 tsp pepper, freshly ground
1/2 tsp salt

Place in a sealable plastic bag or container that's airtight and mix well.

Crock Pot Mexican Chicken Tostadas

This is a perfect game day lunch or serve it with scoop chips for a warm snack.  It's a great way to sneak vegetables in to those are are a little fussy about eating them.  

Crock Pot Mexican Chicken Tostadas

2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 tbsp taco seasoning (homemade recipe below)
1 - 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup frozen corn
1 - 14.5 can petite diced tomatoes
2 tbsp mild green chilies

Place all the chicken breasts in our crock pot.  Place all the other ingredients on top and stir.  Cook over medium over 4 hours.  Remove the chicken and fork shred.  Return the chicken.  Place on top and tostadas and sprinkle some Mexican cheese mix on top.

Taco Seasoning

1 tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1 1/4 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp parsley
1/4 tsp  oregano
1 tsp pepper, freshly ground
1/2 tsp salt

Place in a sealable plastic bag or container that's airtight and mix well.

Crock Pot Roast Beef Tacos

I was hungry for Mexican food but wanted to try something new.  I found a small 2# roast and happened to have flour tortillas and hot sauce on hand.  This was a great meal to have in the crock pot on a rainy day.  

Crock Pot Roast Beef Tacos

1 small beef roast (I used a 2# sirloin tip roast)
1 - 14.5 oz can of petite diced tomatoes
1/4 cup onions, minced
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp ancho chile powder

Cook in the crock pot on medium heat for 6 hours.  Turn the beef every hour so the tomato juice will help break it down for easy shredding.  When meat is falling apart, remove from the crock pot and let sit on a plate for 10 minutes before shredding.  Put the rest of the crock pot contents in a small bowl or in a blender.  I used an immersion blender and blended until the mixture is smooth.  Set aside to pour on top of shredded beef.  Serve on top of warm flour or corn tortillas.  Top with your favorite taco toppings.  I used hot sauce and sour cream.

Ancho Chili Pulled Chicken Tostadas

A great summertime quick meal that you can make the chicken ahead of time and just throw it together in the oven or on the grill for a delicious lunch or dinner.  I make the refried beans in a large batch in the crock pot and then freeze them in 1 cup containers for future use.  Refried Beans recipe below.

 

Ancho Chili Pulled Chicken Tostadas

1# chicken tenders

1 cup chicken stock

¼ cup onion, minced

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp ancho chili powder

1 tsp salt

½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

Tostada shells

Mexican cheese blend

Tomatoes

Avocados

 

Lemon Crema

1/4 cup sour cream

1 tsp lemon juice

Heat the olive oil in a frying pan.  Add in the chicken fingers to lightly brown and the onion.  This won’t take long to cook.  Remove the chicken and fork shred before returning to the pan.  Add in the chicken stock and spices and allow the stock to reduce down over medium heat.  Use right away or refrigerate for future use.

Place a tablespoon of refried beans on top of each tostada.  Top with the ancho chicken, tomatoes, avocados and a Mexican cheese blend.  Heat oven to 350° and bake for 10 minutes or until cheese has melted.  For the grill, place on carefully and cook for about 4 minutes until the cheese melts.  Drizzle the lemon crema over and serve.

Crockpot Refried Beans ~

2 cups pinto beans
1/2 cup onion, peeled and chopped
2 dried chile chipotle
2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tbsp cumin
1 cup V8 Juice
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Rinse and clean pinto beans and soak overnight in 6 cups of water.  Put in crockpot on high with onions, garlic and chile chipotle on high.  Cook for 8 hours occasionally stirring and adding liquid as needed (the V8 juice and water).

When the beans are soft, mash and add cumin, salt and freshly ground pepper.

Taco Quesadillas

It's college football game day so a special snack is needed for viewing the game.  Today I made these taco quesadillas....yes, I still have a quesadilla maker but you can easily assemble these and cook in a large frying pan (turning once).  Plus you can make these in any size of flour tortilla that you want.  I used the 8" tortillas.  I'm adding in my recipes for refried (crock pot) beans that I freeze in 1 cup containers and my homemade taco seasoning (little salt vs commercial...I just add in the amount that I prefer).  You can make the quesadillas ahead of time and do a quick reheat in the oven to serve a crowd instead of making them one at a time.

Taco Quesadillas

1# ground beef, seasoned with salt and pepper
1/4 cup onions, minced
1/3 cup water
2 tbsp taco seasoning (recipe below)

Brown the ground beef and seasonings.  Add in onions before it's completely cooked and finish cooking with them in.  Add in the seasoning and water and cook another 5 minutes.
Spread one tortilla with refried beans (about 2 tbsp for an 8" tortilla).  Top with 1/3 cup taco meat and then 1/4 cup shredded Mexican or cheddar cheese.  Cook in your quesadilla maker or frying pan until a nice, golden brown.  Cut into 6-8 pieces and serve with hot sauce and sour cream.


Taco Seasoning

1 tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1 1/4 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp parsley
1/4 tsp  oregano
1 tsp pepper, freshly ground
1/2 tsp salt

Place in a sealable plastic bag or container that's airtight and mix well.  Double or triple the recipe to have on hand for future use.

Crockpot refried beans

2 cups pinto beans
1/2 cup onion, peeled and chopped
2 dried chile chipotle
2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tbsp cumin
1 cup V8 Juice
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Rinse and clean pinto beans and soak overnight.  Put in crockpot on high with onions, garlic and chile chipotle on high.  Cook for 8 hours occasionally stirring and adding liquid as needed (the V8 juice and water).

When the beans are soft, mash and add cumin, salt and freshly ground pepper.

Taco Baked Potatoes

Finally a nice Spring day and I had planned to grill hamburgers outside but the wind gusting up to 28 mph and Fire Weather Warnings convinced me that wasn't a good idea.  Instead, I made something I had ordered at a restaurant on Monday and enjoyed.  It's easy and makes 4 servings so you could bake the potatoes in the microwave and have a quick weeknight meal.  I doubled the taco seasoning recipe so I have enough for next time I need it already made.

Taco Baked Potatoes

4 medium russet potatoes (or 2 large that you can cut in half)
1# extra lean ground beef
1/4 onion, minced
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
Taco seasoning
1/4 cup water

Taco Seasoning Recipe ~

1 tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1 1/4 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp parsley
1/4 tsp  oregano
1 tsp pepper, freshly ground
1/2 tsp salt

Place in a sealable plastic bag or container that's airtight and mix well.


Wash the potatoes.  Poke holes into skin with a fork and bake under fork tender.  The length of baking time will depend on the size and type of the potatoes.  When the potatoes are almost ready, brown the ground beef.  When almost done, add in the onions.  When both are cooked, stir in the water and taco seasoning.   Remove the potatoes from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes.  Cut down the center and open wide for the toppings.  Top with the taco meat and cheese.  Here's some additional toppings you might want to add ~

Sour cream
Salsa
Diced tomatoes
Black Olives
Onions

Enchilada Meatballs

I've been fighting a sinus cold for awhile.  I'm slowly getting over it but I wanted to give it a little kick to get it completely out of my system and what better way then with some spicy food.  I lucked out and found a cup of  homemade enchilada sauce that I had frozen so that part was easy, kind of like my recipe for Mexican rice is also, for the meatballs to rest on.

Enchilada Meatballs

1# extra lean ground beef
1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup milk
1 large egg
1/4 cup onions, minced
1/2 tbsp chili powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl.  I've found that hand mixing works the best.  Shape into meatballs and place in a heated frying pan with 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil.  Cook completely.  Pour in 1 cup of enchilada sauce and turn the meatballs frequently so they absorb some of the flavor.  I melted cheese on mine before serving.

Mexican Stromboli

I was watching tv the other day and saw a stromboli with pepperoni and mozzarella oozing out and it made me realize that it's been years since I made one.  I happened to have more ground beef than pepperoni on hand (plus everything else that screams Mexican food) so I decided to make this great weeknight meal or football watching treat for a group.  Plus I had my own taco seasoning and refried beans on hand (recipes below).

Mexican Stromboli

1 can pizza crust dough
1 # extra lean ground beef
4 tbsp taco seasoning 
2 tbsp green chilies
6 oz Mexican shredded cheese
1 cup refried beans

Cook ground beef.  Drain off any excess grease.  Add in 1/4 cup water, taco seasoning and green chilies.  While the ground beef is cooking, spread out pizza dough and let it come to room temperature.  Spread out the refried beans evenly over the dough.  Top with the ground beef mixture and then with the cheese.  Carefully roll up the dough and place on a greased baking sheet.  Heat oven to 370°.  When heated, bake the stromboli for 20 minutes.  You may think that it's ready to go at around 15 minutes but the inside needs the additional time to finish cooking.  Let cool 5 minutes before slicing.  Serve with your favorites.  I used sour cream and salsa.


Taco Seasoning

I usually double this recipe

1 tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1 1/4 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp parsley
1/4 tsp  oregano
1 tsp pepper, freshly ground
1/2 tsp salt

Place in a sealable plastic bag or container that's airtight and mix well.


Crockpot Refried Beans ~

2 cups pinto beans
1/2 cup onion, peeled and chopped
2 dried chile chipotle
2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tbsp cumin
1 cup V8 Juice
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Rinse and clean pinto beans and soak overnight in 6 cups of water.  Put in crockpot on high with onions, garlic and chile chipotle on high.  Cook for 8 hours occasionally stirring and adding liquid as needed (the V8 juice and water).

When the beans are soft, mash and add cumin, salt and freshly ground pepper.  Freeze in 1 cup containers for future use.

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

Sometimes you just get hungry for Mexican food.  This is a very Americanized recipe so creamy with a little bite from the green chilies.  The enchilada sauce can be put together in minutes and you could use rotisserie chicken to whip up in a short amount of time on a weeknight.

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

2 cups shredded chicken breasts
8 oz cream cheese (I used reduced fat)
2 tbsp green chilies
1 1/2 cups cooked rice - white or brown
10 soft taco flour tortillas
1 1/2 cups shredded Colby Jack shredded cheese


Enchilada Sauce ~

1 cup chicken broth
2 tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp garlic powder

Mix all the ingredients together and bring to a simmer.


In the same frying pan you used to cook the chicken or another pan, combine the shredded chicken, cream cheese, green chilies and cooked rice.  When the cream cheese has melted, scoop out and fill the center of the flour tortillas.  Roll and place seam down in a 9 x 13 pan.  Pour the enchilada sauce over and place in a 350°oven for 15 minutes.  Remove from oven and top with shredded cheese.  Return to oven for another 5 minutes.

Mexican Meatballs

Bursts of flavor throughout these meatballs thanks to the salsa mixed in.  Easy to make for a weeknight meal or an appetizer or snack during the Stanley Cup playoffs.  

Mexican Meatballs

1# extra lean ground beef
1/3 cup Panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup salsa, I recommend hot to really take them up a notch
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

1 tsp chili powder
Place all the ingredients into a medium bowl.  Roll meatballs and place on a lightly greased baking sheet.  Bake for 20 minutes at 350°.  Serve on top Mexican rice (my recipe is below) or alone.

Mexican Rice

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup white rice

1 tbsp butter

1 tsp olive oil

2 tbsp onions, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 cup tomato paste

1/2 tsp cumin

1 tbsp parsley

salt to taste

In a medium sized pot, place chicken broth, rice and butter. Bring to a boil, stir one time, cover and turn the heat down to simmer and leave for 20 minutes. Remove from heat after 20 minutes and keep covered for another 10 minutes. While you're waiting, in a small pan heat the olive oil and cook the onions until translucent. Add in the garlic and cook for another minute. Stir in tomato paste, cumin and parsley. Mix into cooked rice and add salt if necessary.

Cheesy Mexican Chicken

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

One last recipe to celebrate this day and it's one that is easy to make and perfect for a weeknight meal.  I chose Cacique Queso Quesadillo cheese because I just love how it melts but you can choose any Mexican cheese to top your chicken

Cheesy Mexican Chicken

2 chicken breasts, flattened and cut in smaller pieces if you like
1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
1 tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp oregano
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1/2 cup milk
Cacique Queso Quesadillo cheese

Place the milk in a flat bowl.  On a dinner plate, mix together the Panko bread crumbs, chili powder and oregano.  Dip the chicken pieces in the milk and then roll both sides in the Panko mixture.  Place pieces then on a grease or no-stick aluminum foil lined baking sheet.  Bake for a half hour at 350° or until the internal temperature of the chicken reads 165°.  Place slices of the cheese on top and return to oven until melted.

Mexican Fried Corn

Corn on the cob is back in the grocery stores and it's been looking fairly good.  I bought 4 ears in hopes that they would be cooked on the grill but the weather is still in Spring denial.  Since I was already making other Mexican foods, I decided to make a fried corn with some Mexican flavors.

Mexican Fried Corn

4 ears sweet corn
2 tbsp butter
1/4 cup onion, minced
2 tbsp chopped green chilies
1/2 tsp oregano
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Slice the corn downward from the cob.  I place it in a bowl so kernels aren't flying all over the kitchen counter.

Place the corn, onion, green chilies and butter in a heated saute pan and cook for 10 minutes.  Stir often. Add in oregano, salt and pepper.

Chicken Enchiladas

It's almost Cinco de Mayo and that means time for Mexican recipes to come about but these are so creamy and good that you'll want to make them more than one time a year.  

Chicken Enchiladas

3 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
2 tbsp chopped green chilies
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour
3/4 cup chicken broth
3/4 cup Half and Half
1/3 cup sour cream
2 cups Mexican blend cheese
8 - 6" flour tortillas
1 tomato, diced

In a medium saucepan melt butter.  Stir in flour and let cook for a minute.  Gradually stir in chicken broth and Half and Half.   Mix in sour cream and cook until it thickens.  Combine the shredded chicken and chopped green chilies.  Place chicken mixture in the middles of a flour tortilla.  Top with a tablespoon or two of shredded Mexican blend cheese and roll up.  Place tortilla seam down in a greased baking dish.  Pour the sauce over the tortillas and top with remaining Mexican cheese.  Bake for 15 minutes at 350°.  Top with diced tomatoes.

Mexican Shepherd's Pie

I ended the weekend on a spicy note.  Also a lazy note, since my fancy piping of cheesy mashed potatoes was done with a quart plastic bag and the corner tip removed.  

Mexican Shepherd's Pie

1 # extra lean ground beef
2 tbsp taco seasoning mix (I used my own homemade recipe ~ see below)
1/4 cup onions, minced
2 tbsp green chilies
6 large red potatoes, peeled, sliced and boiled
butter and milk for mashing potatoes
1 1/4 cup Mexican mix shredded cheese, divided

Brown the ground beef.  When it's almost done, add in onions and green chilies and finish cooking.  Add in taco seasoning, sea salt and pepper.  Place mixture in a greased casserole dish.  In the same pan you cooked your potatoes in, drain them completely and mash with butter and milk.  Stir in 1 cup of Mexican cheese and stir until it's melted in.  Spread or pipe on top of ground beef mixture.  Bake at 350° for 20 minutes.  Remove from oven and top with remaining 1/4 cup of Mexican cheese and return to oven for another 5 minutes.


Taco Seasoning

1 tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1 1/4 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp parsley
1/4 tsp  oregano
1 tsp pepper, freshly ground
1/2 tsp sea salt

Mexican Chicken Fingers & Sauce

Spicy chicken fingers and a creamy dipping sauce that compliment each other.  These chicken fingers are a great meal in a hurry or for a snack.  

Mexican Chicken Fingers & Sauce

1 pound of chicken tenders
1/2 cup flour
1 tbsp taco seasoning (I used my homemade recipe)
1 large egg
1 tbsp water


Dipping Sauce

1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup salsa


In a small bowl, mix together flour and taco seasoning.  Whisk together the egg and water in another small bowl.  Dip the chicken fingers one by one in the egg mixture and then the flour mixture.  Place in a greased or non-stick aluminum foil pan.  Spray the top with a light coating of spray cooking oil.  Bake for 30 minutes at 350°.  In a small bowl, combine the sour cream and salsa for dipping.