Jared's Burritos

Jared has been craving burritos for a while and we decided to make our burritos vegetarian style. Preparation was quick and easy!

Ingredients:
1 bag yellow rice
1 can black beans
Burrito size flour tortillas
1 can refried beans
1 package taco seasoning mix
1 package of Mexican or taco cheese, shredded
Salsa, to taste
Hot Sauce, to taste
Sour cream, optional

Directions:
1) Cook rice according to package. In the meantime, rinse black beans and prepare to warm.
2) Heat up refried beans. Add half of the taco seasoning mix and stir. Warm up black beans.
3) Warm up flour tortillas.
4) Add 1 scoop of rice, 1/2 scoop of black beans, 1/2 scoop seasoned refried beans, cheese, salsa, hot sauce, and sour cream.
5) Wrap tightly and enjoy. Serve with salsa and sour cream on the side.

Husband Rating: A
More filling than the burrito looks -- pace yourself! Chicken or beef can be added for a meat burrito.

Wife Rating: A
Considering I am not a fan of burritos (not really sure why), I was pleasantly surprised. We did not have sour cream, which would have made it even better!

We'll make these again - most likely with ground seasoned turkey meat.

Taco Salad

This picture does not do justice to the taco salad -- it was delicious. We modified the recipe a bit by sticking to our non-recipe directions.

Ingredients:
1 pound lean ground beef (we used turkey meat)
1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning mix
1 (16 ounce) can chili beans (omitted)
1 (16 ounce) bottle French dressing (we had a spray dressing and used a bit)
1 head iceberg lettuce
1 (14.5 ounce) package tortilla chips
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1 cup chopped tomatoes
4 tablespoons sour cream
1/2 cup prepared salsa


Directions:
1) In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown the ground beef and drain excess fat. Stir in the taco seasoning, chili beans and French-style dressing. Fill the dressing bottle 2/3 full of water and add to the skillet. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
2) Crush the bag of chips, open the bag, and toss the broken chips into a large bowl with the lettuce, cheese and tomatoes. When the meat mixture is done, combine it with the lettuce, tomatoes, chips and mix well. Then, add salsa and sour cream.

Husband Rating: A
Jared liked the crunchy tortilla chips and he added hot sauce to kick it up a bit.

Wife Rating: A
Cheese, tortilla chips, salsa, and sour cream -- I'm set!


We'll definitely make this dish again in the future.

Baked Chicken Nachos

I am so glad that I "borrowed" this recipe from a fellow July Knottie's blog (http://wineloverscookingdiary.blogspot.com/). Jared and I love nachos, but have never made them this way before. They turned out so crunchy and cheesy AND we love cheese! The nachos were extra special tonight because Jared had dinner ready for me when I got home from work. I am so lucky!

Ingredients:
2 cloves garlic, crushed
6 green onions, sliced, white parts and tops separated
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 shredded cooked, whole chicken breast (we used Perdue Short Cuts Chicken)
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup salsa
1/2 (12 ounce) package tortilla chips
1 (8 ounce) package shredded Mexican Cheese blend
1/2 large tomato, diced

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2) In a 12 inch skillet over medium heat, cook and stir the garlic, white parts of the onions in oil until tender. Mix in shredded chicken, salt, and pepper. Toss until well coated with oil. Stir in the salsa.
3) Arrange tortilla chips on a large baking sheet. Spoon the chicken mixture over the chips. Top with cheese blend and tomato. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes, or until cheese has melted.
4) Remove from heat and spring with green onion tops before serving. Top with sour cream and jalapeños (optional).

Husband Rating: A
Awesome!

Wife Rating: A+
I love nachos -- one of my favorite meals!

We will definitely make these nachos again -- especially for parties!

Thanks to April for finding the recipe on www.allrecipes.com.