Chicken Taco Soup

I LOVE this taco soup recipe. It's easy, full of FLAVOR, very yummy, and everyone in the family will love it!

• 4-5 Chicken Breast
• 1 med. onion
• 1 pkg. taco seasoning
• 1 tsp. cumin
• S&P to taste
  
• 1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
• 3-4 Cups chicken broth
  
• 1 can of corn
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 can green chilies
• 1 can kidney beans
• 1 can black beans
• Grated cheese and sour cream for topping.

Now here is the hard part... you put it all in a crock pot and cook it on low for 5-6 hours or until chicken is cooked. Shred the chicken with about a hour left so it's moist and absorbed all the good flavor!
This soup goes a long way so if you have LOTS of leftovers, freeze it and when you want to feed it to your family again, put in a large pot and let cook till thawed and bubbling.

Chicken Tacos

Super easy, full of flavor, and great left overs as well. This is a must have for your recipes.

What you will need:

• 4 chicken breasts
• 1 can black beans
• 1 can corn
• 1 package taco seasoning mix

Mix all together and throw it in a crock pot for 6-8 hours. Shred chicken before serving. Serve on top of tortillas with:

• Lettuce
• tomato
  
• sour cream
• cheese
• olives

whatever you can think of!!!

*** My families personal fav is those uncooked tortillas from Costco. It takes seconds to cook them and they are fresh and delicious. I know you can also get them at Macey's as well.

Cowboy Caviar

This recipe comes from my sister who got it from her friend, which I've revised just a bit. There is no wrong way to do it, and its a delicious (and healthy) snack or appetizer!!



*2 cans diced tomatoes with green chilies, drained
1 can regular diced tomatoes, drained
1 can black beans rinsed and drained
1 can black eyed peas rinsed and drained
1 can corn drained
1 bunch of green onions, chopped
2 tsp. Garlic Salt
1-2 avacados (I usually dont cut these up till right before I serve)
approx. 1 cup chopped cilantro
1 pkg. Good Seasons Italian Dressing mix (mix dressing as directed on package)

Mix all together, serve with tortilla chips and enjoy!

*You could also use fresh tomatoes instead!

Semi-Homemade Warm Mango Salsa

Fast! Easy! And OH, so good!

It's sweet with a kick. Heavenly good... and healthy-ish!
What you need:

• 1 Can drained, sliced mango (I used fresh mangos)
• 1 Can tomatoes with green chilies
• 1 lime cut in 1/2
• S&P
• 2 tbs. fresh cilantro

Combine mangos and tomatoes in a pan over heat. Bring to a boil then add lime juice, S&P, and cilantro to taste. Break up mangos with a spoon so they are consistent in size with tomatoes. Heat over med. heat for 5 more min. Stir occasionally.

I used this with my pork chop recipe and it was so good or even just a yummy treat with some chips!

Cool Ranch Salad

This is one of those recipes that comes from a friend of a friend. My good friend, Corey brought this to a shower and everyone inhaled it. It was sooo yummy. I made it the following Sunday to go with my Mexican menu. I just omitted the chicken when I served it, since I already had meat as a main dish. It is good either way. This one is a MUST try!!



1 green pepper diced
1 yellow pepper diced
1 red pepper diced
diced chicken
1 Can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2-1 red onion-diced
1 can jolly green giant white shoe peg corn
1 cucumber diced
2-3 limes
1-2 T rice vinegar
lettuce
tomatoes
1 Avocado (optional)
Cheese (Optional)
One bag cool ranch Doritos

Dressing for salad

1 pkg. dry hidden valley ranch
1 cup mayo
1 cup chopped cilantro
2 cloves garlic
3 tomatillos
1/3 cup buttermilk
1/4 t cayenne pepper

Directions:
Mix peppers, onion, cucumber, black beans, and corn. Squeeze limes over the top. Add the rice vinegar and chill. Chop up lettuce and tomatoes,and chicken and mix with the chilled mixture. Serve on the side Avocado, cheese, and Chips.

For the dressing just put all of the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

Cafe Rio Pork Burritos

The picture here really doesn't do these babies justice. These burritos are the best thing you can imagine. Try them for your next Fiesta or just if you're hankerin' for some good Mexican!

(These were reheated the next day when the picture was taken. These taste- and look- better when they are fresh out of oven!!)

1 Can or small bottle of Coke (not diet)
3 pound pork
1/2-1 cup brown sugar
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 (15 oz.) cans mild green chile sauce, divided
2 cups Mexican cheese or Monterey Jack Cheese, grated
1 bunch of cilantro, chopped
Salt and Pepper to taste
Garlic to taste
1 (10 count) pkg. flour tortillas

Garnishes:
chopped tomatoes sour cream
salsa guacamole
lettuce

Marinate the pork overnight in coke in a ziploc bag. In the morning, place pork in slow cooker with the coke marinade. Cook on low approx. 7 hours. Remove pork from slow cooker and drain out liquid. Shred pork in a bowl. Stir in 1 can (or 1 cup) of chile sauce and brown sugar. Place back in slow cooker and let cook for 30 min- 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350*. Spray 9x13 inch pan with cooking spray. Warm tortillas in microwave so that they are easy to roll.

Pour 1/2 cup chile sauce into prepared pan. Place 1/3 cup of meat mixture down the middle of each tortilla. Sprinkle 1-2 tsp. black beans and 1-2 tsp. cilantro on top of meat. Roll burrito and place seam side down in baking dish. Continue until you've used all tortillas/meat. Pour remaining chile sauce over burritos and sprinkle with cheese. Cover with foil and bake 25-30 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve with desired garnishes.

Garden Fresh Salsa

Mmmm! Nothing like fresh, straight from your very own garden, salsa! (Okay, so I DID have to buy 2 limes and some cilantro, but other than that, it's my very own home-grown goodness!)

The great thing about doing your own salsa is, there is no wrong way to do it. It's pretty much just adding a little of this, a little of that. So, if you don't like the measurements provided, do it your own way. It's your salsa after all. We loved it this way. Not too spicy, but enough of a kick which is perfect for me. Hope you enjoy!!


(15) medium tomatoes
(2) jalapeno peppers, seeds removed
juice from 2 limes
(1) yellow pepper (or green)
(1) green chili
(2) sweet onions (white)
2-3 Tbsp. Cilantro
2 tsp. minced garlic
Salt and Pepper, to taste (We had to add LOTS of salt. Start with approx. 1 tbsp and go from there)



After you're done with all your choppin', throw it all in a big bowl and give it a taste test.
Again, this is all approximate. So do it your own way and you can't go wrong. My husband likes his salsa chunky, so we just chopped his batch. I like mine more pureed, so after we were done choppin' we throw it into a blender. Both ways work great!

This amount of salsa will give you approximately 5 medium sized Kerr jars full. (refer to picture above)

Chicken Enchiladas

2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 small, white onion, sliced
1 tsp. salt
1 can cream of chicken soup
16 oz. sour cream
1 small can diced, mild green chiles
shredded cheese (Mexican or cheddar)
flour tortillas

Boil chicken together with onion and salt. After chicken is cooked, shred it and put in medium bowl. Mix green chiles in with chicken. In a separate bowl mix together cream of chicken soup and sour cream. Take 1/4 of the creamed mixture and add it to the chicken and combine.
Take 2-3 tbsp. of cream mixture and spread on the bottom of a 9x13 in. casserole dish. Add about 2 tbsp. of chicken mixture to the center of a tortilla and roll-up. Do this until all of your chicken is gone. It should give you 6-8 enchiladas. Spread your remaining cream mixture over the top of your enchiladas. Sprinkle with cheese. I like to add halved olives onto the top of each enchilada, so I know where to cut after they're done cooking.

Bake at 350* for 25-30 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Taco Soup

2 cans campbells vegatable beef chunky soup

1 jar of salsa

1 can kidney beans

1 can stewed tomatoes

simmer on stove until hot. add sour creme, cheese and fritos. Yummy and easy!

posted by:MEG

Imitation Cafe Rio Salad Dressing (pretty darn close)

1 packet ranch seasoning
1 cup mayo
1 cup milk
a couple garlic cloves
a couple cilantra sprigs (is that a word?)
1/8-1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper
3 tomatillos

blend ingredients in blender then add

1 cup sour cream

(I usually add a ton of garlic and cilantro because I love those flavors. I also use the olive oil mayo and fat-free milk so it is healthier and I think it tastes just as good).

Posted by Brianne Larsen

Cafe Rio Chicken

1 small bottle Kraft Zesty Italian dressing

1tbsp. chili powder

1 tbsp. cumin

cloves of garlic, minced (chopped into tiny pieces. i used half of a whole garlic)

chicken

So, take your chicken( breasts or tenderloins) and put then in the crock pot. put all other ingridients in the crock pot. cook all day, shred when done. It says to serve with lettuce, pico de gallo, guacamole, tomatillo dressing, tortilla strips ect... I just went over to costa vida( or you can go to cafe rio) and I bought a side of black beans, some of their ranch sauce and chips and brought them home and served them with the chicken. This is some of the best chicken I have ever had, and super easy!! 5 STARS!!

posted by: Meg