Salsa and Cream Cheese

 cream cheese

salsa

pour your favorite salsa over softened cream cheese and enjoy with chips or crackers

Skinny Black Bean and Corn Quesadilla

prep time: 20 minutes
cook time: 15 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Serving  size: 1 Quesadilla

Ingredients:
15 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup frozen yellow corn
1/2 cup reduced-fat Mexican cheese, shredded
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped and divided
1 cup tomato salsa, divided
4-9" La Tortilla Factory Smart & Delicious Low Carb, High Fiver Tortillas
1 ripe avocado, diced
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

*Optional toppings
jalapenos
lime wedges
tomatoes, diced

Instructions:

1. Combine beans, corn, cheese, 1/4 cup cilantro, and 1/4 cup salsa in bowl
2. Place tortillas on a large baking sheet or platter
3. Spread filling on half of each tortilla (a little more than 1/3 cup on each).
4. Fold tortillas in half, pressing to flatten
5. Add oil to large frying pan and brown tortillas on medium-low heat until cheese is melted, flipping once, about 3-4 minutes on each side.
6. Or grill on T-fal OptiGrill o the sandwich setting
7. Repeat until all tortillas are golden brown and cheese is melted
8. Slice in halves and top with remaining fresh salsa, cilantro, avocado, and any other toppings of your choice.

I

South-of-the-Border Quiche

12 Servings   Prep: 20 min. Bake: 35 min. + standing

Ingredients

• 2 unbaked pastry shells (9 inches)
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1-1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
• 1-1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 8 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 cups half-and-half cream
• 2 cans (4 ounces each) chopped green chilies
• 2 cans (2-1/4 ounces each) sliced ripe olives, drained
• 1/4 cup chopped green onions
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• Salsa and sour cream, optional

Directions

• Line unpricked pastry shells with a double thickness of heavy-duty
• foil. Bake at 400° for 5 minutes. Remove foil; bake 5 minutes
• longer.

• Sprinkle chili powder and cumin over shells; sprinkle with cheeses.
• In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, cream, chilies, olives, onions,
• cilantro, salt and pepper. Pour evenly over cheese.
• Cover and freeze one quiche for up to 3 months. Cover edges of
• remaining quiche loosely with foil; place on a baking sheet. Bake at
• 400° for 35-40 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center
• comes out clean. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting. Serve with
• salsa and sour cream if desired.

• To use frozen quiche: Remove from the freezer 30 minutes before
• baking (do not thaw). Cover edges of crust loosely with foil; place
• on a baking sheet. Bake at 400° for 55-60 minutes or until a
• knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let stand for 10
• minutes before cutting. Yield: 2 quiches (6 servings each).

Mango Salsa Soup

1 48 ounce container of the Mango Salsa from Costco.  (Winco has Mango Salsa too.  Just get two 24 oz containers.  I just like Costco's better.)

2 cups regular salsa

2 quarts of chicken broth

2-3 chicken breasts cooked and cut into small pieces (equal to 4 cans chicken)

1-2 teaspoon cumin

1 can black beans

1 can white beans

Just dump it all in a pot, stir, and let it heat through.  It's especially good if it can simmer on low for an hour or more.  But it doesn't have to. 

Feeds A LOT of people and is so easy!

 

You can also serve it with chips and sour cream.  Yummy!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Servings: 6-8

Poached Chicken:  ***(This will make the chicken more tender)
2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon salt

***My side note:  A quick trick would be to a store bought rotisserie chicken from the deli section and just shred or chop it up (without skin) and add it to the soup base towards the end of cooking just to heat through

Soup Base:​
4 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 -2 tablespoon lime juice
1 cup chunky salsa ***(I use a high quality fresh salsa – not bottled salsa)
1 can of diced tomatoes
***Optional:  You may also add a can of rinsed black beans and/or cooked rice

Condiments/Toppings:
Chopped Cilantro
Sour Cream
Tortilla chips
Shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Diced Avocado

DIRECTIONS:
Poaching Chicken Breasts:
Place chicken breasts in bottom of a small, heavy-bottomed pot. They should fit in a single layer but fit quite snugly. Pour in just enough water or broth to cover the chicken. Add seasonings.

Bring to a boil, and then quickly reduce heat to low so that the water is barely at a simmer. Partly cover with a lid and gently simmer for 10 minutes. Turn off heat completely, and allow chicken to remain in hot water for 15-20 minutes. Remove from water/broth and allow to cool slightly before shredding or chopping it for desired recipe.

Making the Soup Base:
In a large pot over medium heat, add all listed soup base ingredients.  Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low and simmer for about 20 to 30 minutes.  After this is completed, add the precooked chicken.  Stir and serve with the optional toppings.  Enjoy – Freeze any left overs (without the toppings) for future meals.

Black Beans and Rice

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 medium onion

2 tomatoes

1/2 cup salsa

2 cups cooked rice

Saute onion and tomato until tender, add black beans and salsa. Serve on top of rice.

Serves about 4.

Super Duper Chili

1 lb pork sausage
1 lb ground beef
2 15 oz cans hot chili beans
16 oz salsa
1 can (16 oz) pinto beans, drained
14 oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can cream of mushroom soup
8 oz tomato sauce
8 oz processed cheese, cubed (like Velveeta)
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, or less!

Cook sausage and beef over medium heat in skillet until no longer pink; drain. Transfer to a large pot. Stir in remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted. Yields 14 servings or 3 1/2 quarts.

Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup

1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
2 14 oz cans corn, drained
2 14 oz cans pinto beans, drained
2 14 oz cans black beans, drained
1-4 chicken breasts
About 1 cup of your favorite salsa

Put in crock pot. Add 1/2 cup water if you want. Cook on high 3-4 hours or low 6-8 hours.

Serve with: shredded cheese, sour cream, tortilla chips, green onions, whatever you like.

Southwest Chicken Burrito Filling

1 bag frozen corn
4 chicken breasts
1 can black beans, drained
1 jar salsa, any kind
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
Guacamole
Sour Cream
Cheese
Lettuce
Tortillas

Throw corn, chicken, beans and salsa all in the crock pot in that order and cook for 8 hours on low. Shred the chicken and mix together. You may need to take out some excess liquid. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve in tortillas with guacamole, sour cream, cheese, lettuce, etc. Makes a lot.

Good for feeding a lot of people. If you want to make more, just increase how much of everything you put in. It doesn’t have to be exact.

Pork Dinner

Canned pork (available at the cannery)
Salsa

1. Cook on low for 4 hours.
2. Serve with tortillas and cheese and sour cream or corn chips.