Tostadas

I made this for my family in utah and they all raved.

tostadas
shredded chicken seasoned with taco seasoning (and extra dried chopped onion if you've got it). (could use shredded beef or pork too). I boiled chicken breasts, then shredded them with fork, then simmered a bit with seasoning.
guacamole
sour cream
caramelized sweet onions (cut in half and sliced)
cilantro
red onion, diced in small pieces
refried beans
olives
lettuce, cut into shreds
chedder cheese
queso fresco

This was a great meal. Spread refried beans, guacamole, and sour cream on the tostada first. Then put on other toppings as desired.  It was great!

Taco Casserole

http://beautyandbedlam.com/taco-casserole-recipe/

Taco Casserole

This was great. It barely fits in a 2 quart casserole. If you add extra stuff to it beyond the recipe, use a bigger dish.

9/27/2015: This fit great into my oval 2.5 quart casserole dish. I added a hot pepper and a sweet pepper and cooked them with the meat, and also let onion and fresh garlic soften before putting it all together. Also I think it could have used extra tomato sauce. 8 oz wasn't quite enough. I left out the taco seasoning and replaced it with 2 tsp of cumin to balance with the heat from the pepper.

Chicken Enchiladas

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/chicken-enchiladas-i/detail.aspx?src=VD_Summary

I left out the water and used only 12 oz of tomato sauce. Also used enchilada sauce instead of taco sauce. Was very good! Try cottage cheese next time instead of sour cream. (http://allrecipes.com/recipe/cottage-cheese-chicken-enchiladas/detail.aspx)

Update:  This needs more like 10 tortillas, which would need to be in a larger pan than 9x13. There is just SOO much filling. But still good! Also 20 minutes isn't quite long enough in the oven. Maybe do 30 next time.

Chicken Tinga

2 chicken breasts. Boil with garlic and chunk of onion, and chicken boullion, and salt. Shred chicken when done.

1 medium onion, sliced onions really fine
1/2 can chipotles con adobo (1/2 of 7oz can, or 4-5 chipotles)

Blend as sauce in blender:
2 large red tomatoes
1 garlic clove
add chipotles if you don't want chunks

Fry onion in oil in skillet until clear, add sauce, then add shredded chicken. Let cook for 5 minutes on low. And that's it!

Serve with tostadas, sour cream, and green salsa. Put sour cream on first, then tinga, then salsa on top.

Recipe from Cynthia Thompson, learned from her Mexican grandmother.

Mexican Quesadillas

I did not make this recipe, but rather watched a friend from Mexico make it last night.

3 lb masa dough (lime treated corn meal mixed with water)

1 cup white flour

water

Knead ingredients together until you get a soft pliable dough.

Use a cast iron tortilla press (which is lined with plastic from a cut apart zip lock bag) to press dough into rounds. Then put a small amount of filling into the center of the pressed dough (but to the side of the place where you will fold) and fold the dough over (which is still sticking to the zip lock bag). Through the plastic, seal the edges of the dough together. Then peel off the plastic and drop quesadilla into boiling hot oil. Deep fry until medium brown and crispy on both sides.

"Picadillo" Filling:

ground beef

chopped carrot

peas

white onion, chopped,

tomatoes, chopped

She sauteed the vegetables with raw ground beef for at least 30 minutes until everything was cooked.

Chicken Filling:

Shred the chicken from four chicken breasts. She boiled the chicken breasts (still on the bone) in water that was salted and had a large clove of garlic in the water as well as half an onion. After it is cooked, remove from water and let cool enough to touch. Shred the chicken. Mix chicken with chopped white onion and chopped tomato. Sauté mixture until onions are cooked.

While putting filling in the quesadillas, she would use either filling. Sometimes when she used the chicken filling she would also add some mozzarella cheese.

The amount of dough made about 16 quesadillas. (They looked like empanadas.)

To eat, cut open the quesadillas and put sour cream, grated fresh cheese (queso fresco), avocado, and salsa.