Cinco de Mayo Recipes

I always enjoy cooking with a theme in mind. Since Cinco de Mayo is tomorrow, here are two recipes you may enjoy.

I found this one here and have made it a few times for my family. They are easy and fabulous! They are called Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos.

1/3 cup (3 oz.) cream cheese
1/4 cup green salsa
1 Tb fresh lime juice (1/2 lime)
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp granulated garlic
3 Tb chopped cilantro
2 Tb sliced green onions

2 cups shredded chicken
1 cup grated pepperjack cheese

fajita size flour tortillas (or small corn tortillas)
cooking spray
kosher salt

Soften cream cheese in microwave for 20-30 seconds. Stir in green salsa, lime juice and spices until well mixed then add cilantro and green onions. Stir in shredded chicken and pepperjack cheese and combine well. **this can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line cookie sheet with Silpat (or tin foil, lightly sprayed with cooking oil).http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

Working with 3-4 tortillas at a time, briefly heat in microwave so they are more malleable and easier to work with. (Any time you want to heat up flour tortillas, it’s a good idea to place a damp paper towel draped over a small stack of them in the microwave. If I have more than 5, I will place a damp paper towel in the middle of the stack as well.) Spoon 2-3 Tb of mixture in a row across the bottom third of tortilla, keeping 1/2 inch away from edge. This makes it possible to roll it up very tightly. Place taquitos seam side down on cookie sheet, making sure they are not touching. Lightly spray with cooking spray and sprinkle with kosher salt. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and edges start to turn golden brown.

Serve with your favorite salsa, guacamole, and sour cream.

The second recipe was found here. It's what I'm making for Cinco De Mayo...Taco Salad .

2 large cans of Ranch Style Beans
1 can Rotel, I use mild
1/1/2 pounds ground beef, browned. For this recipe, I just cover the meat with water, add garlic powder, salt and one medium onion chopped. Then let it simmer away for about an hour. You could just brown the meat, but it is really tasty this way. I just add in the whole pot of beef/water after it's cooked.
One packet of Ranch Dressing
Two cloves of garlic, minced

Combine all of these ingredients in the crockpot and cook on low for about four hours. Have it over lettuce with cheese, sour cream, green onion, corn chips, avocado.