Creamy Chicken Taquitos with Mexican Rice & Black Beans

TAQUITOS

1/3 C (3 oz) cream cheese
1/4 C green salsa
1T fresh lime juice
1/2 t cumin
1 t chili powder
1/2 t onion powder
1/4 t granulated garlic, or garlic powder
3 T chopped cilantro
2 T sliced green onions
2 C shredded cooked chicken (I used canned.)
1 C grated pepperjack cheese small corn tortillas (I used cheddar.)
kosher salt
cooking spray

Heat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.Heat cream cheese in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds so it’s soft and easy to stir. Add green salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder and granulated garlic. Stir to combine and then add cilantro and green onions. Add chicken and cheese and combine well.

You can prepare up to this step ahead of time. Just keep the mixture in the fridge.

Work with a few tortillas at a time and heat in the microwave until they are soft enough to roll without cracking. It helps to place them between damp paper towels. Usually 20-30 seconds will do it. If you find yours are cracking when you roll them or are coming unrolled right away, just try heating them longer and try the paper towel thing.

Place 2-3 T of chicken mixture on the lower third of a tortilla, keeping it about 1/2 inch from the edges.

Then roll it up as tight as you can.

Place seam side down on the baking sheet. Lay all of the taquitos on the baking sheet and make sure they are not touching each other. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray or an oil mister and sprinkle some kosher salt on top.

Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start to get golden brown.

Makes 12-16

Freezer Instructions: Prepare the taquitos through rolling them out and placing them on the baking sheet. Place the baking sheet in the freezer and freeze until solid, then transfer to a large freezer bag. When ready to cook, preheat oven to 425 and place the taquitos on a lined baking sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.

MEXICAN RICE

1 1/2 cups uncooked long grain white rice (I used brown)

1 14 1/2 ounce can Mexican-style stewed tomatoes, undrained and cut up finely
1 14 ounce can chicken broth1/2 cup water1 cup frozen mixed vegetables

In a large saucepan, stir together rice, undrained tomatoes, broth, water. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until rice is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed. Stir in mixed veggies. Let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork before serving. If desired, garnish with lime wedges.

BLACK BEANS

1/2 large onion diced
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can diced tomatoes with green chiles
2 cans black beans (feel free to substitute w kidney or pink)
2 packets of Goya Sazon seasoning (with Arichote, the one in the orange box)
Cilantro
Cumin

Saute onions, add diced tomatoes, cook until 1/2 liquid is gone. Add drained beans and cook until somewhat thick. Add Goya seasoning, cilantro and cumin to taste. If desired, mash 1/2 the beans to get desired consistency.

Two recipes I'm thinking about for March

Option 1) Peanut Chicken Stirfry
A) Bag of frozen stirfried chicken
B) Bag of frozen veggies
C) Bag of frozen stirfry sauce
C) You would stirfry the veggies, defrost the chicken and sauce and add them, and heat until the sauce bubbles and thickens. This will probably take about 10-15 minutes MAX. Then serve over rice or noodles.

This is a family favorite recipe and is really delicious, only question is it too much work?

Option 2) Italian Chicken Soup
This is a soup with sausage, chicken, chickpeas, lentils, barley, spinach and topped off with a bit of salsa (I know that's so italian...). It has a really great rating but I haven't tried it yet, I'll be sampling for deliciousness this week.

Preparation, thaw add water and put into crockpot for 8 hours or so. At the end you can add 1 c salsa for a bit of tomatoey goodness.

The soup was a hit at my house and I really liked it, I think I'm leaning toward this recipe, I might cut it in half though, it makes a truly enormous crock pot of soup.

Let me know what you ladies think :).

Black Bean Taco Soup

Ingredients:
1 lb lean ground beef (or ground turkey works too!)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 package mild taco seasoning mix
1 (16 oz) bag frozen corn
1 1/2 c rinsed drained red beans (about 1 can)
1 (14 oz) cans stewed tomatoes
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
1 (4 oz) can diced green chilis


Directions:
Brown meat and onion, drain. Let meat cool for a minute, then dump into a resealable gallon-sized freezer bag.
Dump the remaining ingredients into the bag, mix together, and zip bag closed.
When ready to eat, remove from freezer and thaw in fridge for 24 hours. Cook on HIGH for 1-2 hours or LOW for 2-3 1/2 hours.
Serve with tortilla chips, cheese, sour cream, and guacamole.

This is the same recipe as Crystal's, but I went ahead and made a couple of changes. I put in less tomatoes and a different type of bean. Hope you like it :).

Mexican Fajitas

Ingredients:

• 1 lb beef flank steak or chicken ( I use Chicken)
• 1 can diced tomatoes with green chiles undrained
• 1 c onion, cut
• 1/2 green pepper, cut in strips (use whatever colors you like)
• 1 Clove minced garlic or powder
• 2 tablespoons fajita seasoning mix

you can use this in flour tortillas or put over rice. Add whatever toppings you'd like: cheese, sour cream,  guac, lettuce, ect. If put over rice, add 1/2 c water to this in crock pot. I have also added black beans and corn to this recipe. Add what you like!

Directions:

1. Place in Crock Pot and Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 4-5 hours. 

2. Remove beef/chicken before serving

And shred. Put back into crock pot.

3. Serve in tortillas or over rice when ready. Add desired toppings.

***This is our Freezer Meal Recipe for this month!! It is DEFINITELY a Family Favorite for us:)**

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Enchiladas

Ingredients:

• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1.25 cups onion, chopped
• 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
• 1.34 cups sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 0.5 Tablespoon cumin
• 1 Tablespoon chili powder
• 0.5 teaspoon salt
• 15 ounces black beans
• 1 cup corn
• 2 cups salsa verde
• 1 cup colby jack cheese, shredded
• 8 flour tortillas, 8 inch

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour oil in skillet and heat over medium high heat. Add onions and garlic, cooking until onions are translucent and garlic begins to brown, about 3-4 minutes. 

Add sweet potato cubes, cover skillet, and allow to cook for 3-4 more minutes. 

Add cumin, chili powder, and salt, re-cover, and allow to cook for 3-4 more minutes. 

Add black beans and corn. 

Cover again and cook until potatoes are soft, about 10 more minutes. 

Remove from heat and allow to cool. Warm tortillas in microwave, so that they won’t crack when you fill them. 

Grease an 8×8 foil baking pan and 1 cup of salsa verde sauce on the bottom. Fill each tortilla with about 0.5 cups of filling and a handful of cheese. Roll the tortilla up and place it seam down in the pan. Repeat with the rest of the tortillas. 

Pour the remaining salsa verde on top of the enchiladas and top with remaining cheese. Bake for 20 minutes or until cheese has melted. 

Freezing Directions:

Prepare as directed above, butdo not bake. Cover with foil, label, and freeze. To serve: Thaw. Heat oven to 350 degrees and bake for 20 minutes or until cheese has melted.

Author/Source:

Regan @ Onceamonthmom.com