Chile Verde Burritos

I went to a Relief Society mid-week activity on easy freezer meals, and this is one of the recipes that was shared by the teacher. I knew it sounded like something we'd like, even though it forced me to make amends with my Crockpot. It has quickly become one of our favorites, and I think you'll like it too!

1 TBSP oil

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

1 onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, diced

6 boneless pork loin chops

7 oz. can diced green chiles

16 oz. jar salsa verde

19 oz. can green chile enchilada sauce

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp chili powder

juice of one lime

salt and pepper, to taste

flour tortillas

Chop onion and bell pepper. Saute in oil (and add garlic) until vegetables are softened.

Add pork, then sauted onion and bell pepper to Crockpot. Continue to add green chiles, salsa verde, enchilada sauce, all spices and lime juice to mixture. Stir together.

Cook on high for 5-6 hours if pork is frozen and 4-5 hours if meat is defrosted.

After pork is thoroughly cooked, shred. Put back into the sauce and add salt and pepper to taste.

Comments from the cook: This recipe makes a LARGE amount, so I have always preferred to half everything. Doing so makes for about 5 burritos at our house, which is enough for us (plus leftovers). You can always make the full recipe and freeze the rest, according to our freezer meals teacher...

I have a very hot Crockpot, so I cooked this recipe for about 2 hours on high, then switched it to low for the remaining 3-4 hours. I also used a pork roast, which worked fine (except for my FATAL error of buying it bone-in...and having to remove the bone myself. Remember how I hate touching meat? Gag, barf, die.)

In order to amp this up even more, we ate our burritos enchilada style. We put the meat and sauce into tortillas, added a little bit of mozzarella cheese to the insides, rolled them up, covered them in sauce, topped them with more cheese and baked them at 400° or so for about 10 or 15 minutes...just to melt the cheese.

Originally shared by JoAnna Moss, freezer meal extraordinaire. :)

California Burritos

2 lbs Carne Asada (recipe below)
4-6 small potatoes
Homemade Pico de Gallo
sour cream
shredded cheese
6-8 uncooked tortillas
canola or olive oil

Carne Asada:

2 lbs steak, cut into small pieces
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
1/2 bunch cilantro, finely chopped
2 limes, juiced
2 TBSP white vinegar
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 cup olive oil

Cut steak into small pieces. Combine all other ingredients in large bowl, and add steak. Allow to marinate overnight.

Fry in skillet over medium-high heat until browned.

Potatoes:

Cut potatoes into 1/2" cubes. Add 2 TBSP canola or olive oil to pan and cook in skillet over medium-high heat until some edges are slightly browned. Add 1/2 cup warm water and cover until potatoes are cooked thoroughly. Flavor with salt to taste.

Pico de Gallo:

Prepare Pico the night before and allow to sit overnight.

Assemble:
Cook tortillas. Add sour cream to bottom of tortilla. Add Carne Asada and potatoes. Sprinkle with cheese and cover with Pico de Gallo.

Serve with Mexican rice or tortilla chips.

Comments from the cook: This recipe is our Cinco de Mayo tradition! When Brian served his mission in San Diego, he discovered the miracle that is the California burrito. Nothing fancy...just lots of steak, cheese, and potatoes. After we were married, he found a local place (called Beto's then) and managed to eat one almost every time I went out of town.

They quickly became one of his favorite indulgences, and it only seemed appropriate that we try to make them ourselves. We've enjoyed them with friends for the last 3 Cinco de Mayos and plan to eat them for many years to come!

Beef Enchiladas

8 flour tortillas
1 can refried beans
1/2 lb ground beef, browned (ours were low on meat, so double if you'd like)
1 large can enchilada sauce (I used Las Palmas, mild)
1 packet McCormick enchilada flavoring
1 cup cheddar cheese

Warm enchilada sauce in medium sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add McCormick packet to enchilada sauce and stir well. Follow directions on McCormick packet (cook 10 minutes).

Spread about 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce in bottom of 9x13 pan.

Next, assemble!

Start with tortilla. Add a heaping tablespoon of refried beans to the shell and spread across length of shell.

Add ground beef. Add about one ladle full of enchilada sauce to tortilla. Sprinkle with cheese, then close. (I do this by lifting up both edges of the tortilla, bringing them together, then folding the two halves to the right and tucking them underneath as you place the finished enchiladas in the pan...so that the edge is at the bottom of the pan. But you can do whatever is easiest for you!)

Use remaining sauce to cover enchiladas, then sprinkle remaining cheese on top.

Bake at 425° for 20-25 minutes. Cover with foil if tops start to brown more quickly than you like.

Makes 8 enchiladas.

Comments from the cook: So, what's with the sauce, you ask? We usually just use tomato sauce and the McCormick seasoning...but decided to take it up a notch this time! You may even want to add a bit of water to thin it out too.

We use/ration the uncooked tortillas (available in UT at Costco) that we bought at Christmas...and they are excellent!

Serve with lettuce, sour cream, and any remaining refried beans.

A CookieSheets&CakePans original!

Restaurant-style Salsa

1 can (28 oz) whole tomatoes with juice
2 cans (10 oz) Rotel (diced tomatoes and green chiles)
¼ cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 whole jalapeno, diced
¼ tsp sugar
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp ground cumin
½ cup cilantro
½ whole lime juice

Combine whole tomatoes, Rotel, onion, jalapeno, garlic, sugar, salt, cumin, lime juice, and cilantro in a blender or food processor. Pulse until you get the salsa to the consistency you’d like (10 to 15 pulses).

Test seasonings with a tortilla chip and adjust as needed.

Refrigerate salsa for at least an hour. Serve with tortilla chips or cheese nachos.

Comments from the cook: I found this recipe on The Pioneer Woman Cooks. I followed it exactly...except for leaving the jalapeno seeds in (which she does, and I would never dream of). It is fantastic. Akin to the salsa at Chili's that we can never seem to get enough of.

It makes a FULL blender's worth, so make sure you've got lots of chips on hand and a little bit of help to eat it. :)

Originally found on The Pioneer Woman Cooks website. (Text taken from her site.)

Fresh Tacos

homemade pico de gallo
1/3 lb ground beef
taco seasoning
sour cream
shredded cheese
shredded lettuce
corn tortillas
cooking spray

Brown ground beef. Season with taco seasoning, as desired.

Warm griddle to 350°. Spray both sides of corn tortillas with cooking spray. Cook on both sides until golden brown.

Assemble all ingredients.

Comments from the cook: This recipe is HARDLY an original, but it has become one of our top 3 dinner favorites. Fresh pico is at the heart of it, so how can you lose!?

Though they are ok (just ok) warmed in the microwave, we wanted to find a new way to enjoy corn tortillas. Obviously, they are best when fried in oil, but we wanted to find a way to cut calories significantly. Cooking spray is a great way to add a bit of flavor (we use the olive oil kind). They're an excellent alternative!

A CookieSheets&CakePans original!

Tacos in a Pan

1/3 lb. ground beef, browned
1/2 cup shredded cheese
1 can Fiesta Nacho Cheese Campbell's Soup
milk (about 2/3 soup can worth)
tortilla chips
taco seasoning, to taste
lettuce
sour cream

Pour 1/2 bag of tortilla chips in baking dish (8x8 or gelly roll pan). Press down on them with your palm a couple of times to make pieces more bite-sized.

Mix cheese soup and milk together in a separate bowl. Pour over chips.

Brown ground beef, season with taco seasoning, and pour over chips (and soup mixture).

Sprinkle shredded cheese over top.

Cook in oven for 15-20 minutes at 375°.

Serve over lettuce and topped with sour cream.

Serves 4+.

Comments from the cook: Might call this the cousin to "Chili/Frito Pie". Probably not the best to eat this after recovering from a heart attack, or if you're at risk for one...but really tasty! :)

I used a house brand of tortilla chips this time that were not quite as thick as those we usually use. In the future, I won't deviate from the Santitas brand! They are a bit thicker and make for a crispier chip after baking.

One of Brian's favorite meals... Would be excellent garnished with fresh tomatoes, a little guacamole, or onions (if you like that sort of thing...).

Another hard one to photograph! But trust me, it's a winner.

Originally shared by Debby Mathias, my mother-in-law.

Homemade Pico de Gallo

10-14 Roma tomatoes
1 white onion
2 jalapeno peppers
3/4 bunch cilantro
fresh garlic
vinegar
olive oil
salt and pepper

Dice and combine tomatoes, white onion, and jalapenos (seeds removed!).

Chop cilantro into small pieces. Add to tomatoes, etc.

Add about 1 tsp minced garlic. (We buy the kind in a jar, but you can use what you have. Amounts will vary based on whether you use fresh or powdered.)

Add 3-4 TBSP vinegar, 3-4 TBSP olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with tortilla chips.

Makes 4-5 cups.

Comments from the cook: This is our ALL-TIME favorite fresh food. We make it for our annual Cinco de Mayo celebration and it is always a hit. Lately, we've been enjoying it over tacos and can't get enough of it.

Generally, I try to find some firm tomatoes, and a few that are more ripe. This recipe is best served the next day, as the flavors really come alive when chilled overnight. Unfortunately, it does not "keep" very well...and only lasts a couple of days in the fridge. That is, if you have any leftovers! :)

For a true onion-hater like me (it's a miracle I eat this, mind you), I like to keep the ratio of tomatoes to onions equal. Choose the size of onion based on your preference. Enjoy!
Adapted from a recipe found online, long ago