Green Chile Smothered Chicken

Yield:4 Servings
Ingredients:
8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs
olive oil cooking spray
2 Tbsp. lime juice
3 Tbsp. taco seasoning
8 canned whole green chilies, drained
1/2 c blended Mexican cheese, shredded

1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2.Oil a baking dish and arrange the chicken on a baking dish. Drizzle lime juice evenly over chicken thighs and sprinkle taco seasoning evenly over them.
3.Slice chilies lengthwise in half and place on top of chicken thighs.Bake chicken for 30 minutes.Sprinkle cheese over thighs and continue baking for an additional 5 minutes.or until cheese melts.

Chicken with Chunky Tomato-Chili Sauce

Yield:4 Servings
Ingredients:4 (6oz.) skinless,boneless chicken breasts
olive oil cooking spray
3/4 tsp. ground cumin,divided
1/4 tsp. salt
1 (10oz.) can mild diced tomatoes and green chilies, undrained
3/4 c preshredded Mexican-blend cheese
2 Tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped

1. Preheat broiler.
2. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, coat pan with olive oil cooking spray.Sprinkle both sides of the chicken with 1/2 tsp. cumin and salt.
3. Cook chicken for 6 minutes on each side or until done.Remove from pan, keep warm.
4. Add 1/4 tsp. of the cumin and tomatoes and chilies to the pan, cook for 1 minute, stirring continuously.Return the chicken to the pan and mix withe sauce.
5. Place chicken in an ovenproof skillet.Garnish with the shredded Mexican cheese and top with the cilantro.Broil for about 3-4 minutes until cheese melts.Serve immediately.

Shrimp with Orange-Chipotle Sauce

Yield:4 Servings
Ingredients:
2/3 c half-and-half
1 large chipotle chili, seeded, julienned
1 tsp. grated orange rind
cooking spray
1 1/2 lbs. large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped

1. Place first 3 ingredients in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth.
2.Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.Coat pat with cooking spray and add the shrimp.
3.Sprinkle shrimp with cumin and salt.Saute 4-5 minutes until shrimp are done.Remove from heat and place in a warmed serving platter.
4. Add the chipotle cream to the pan and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.Remove from heat and pour sauce over shrimp.Garnish with the fresh cilantro.

Chili-Lime Shrimp

Yield:4 Servings
Ingredients:
olive oil cooking spray
3/4 c green onions, chopped
1 1/2 lbs. large shrimp, peeled & deveined
1 tsp. chili powder
2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice (about 1 lime)
2 Tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp. salt

1. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.Coat pan with cooking spray.Add 1/2 c of the green onions and cook for about 1 minute,stirring occasionally.
2.Add the shrimp and chili powder and cook for about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.Add the lime juice, butter, and salt and continue cooking for an additional 1 minute.
3.Remove pan from heat and add the remaining green onions.Serve with Spanish rice.

Catfish with Chipotle -Cilantro Rice

Yield:4 Servings
Ingredients:
4 catfish fillets
oil cooking spray
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/4 c bottled chipotle sauce

For the Chipotle-Cilantro Rice:
1 package (10oz.) prepared rice(Uncle Ben's)
1/3 c bottled chipotle salsa
1/4 c fresh cilantro, chopped

1. Heat a large skillet over medium heat.Coat pan and fillets with oil.Sprinkle fillets with salt and pepper.
2.Add fillets to the skillet and cook for 1 minute each side.Add the chipotle sauce to the pan and continue cooking till fish begins to flake.Remove from pan and place on a serving platter and keep warm.
3.To make the chipotle-cilantro rice, Prepare the rice according to package directions.Transfer rice to serving dish and add chipotle sauce and cilantro and mix well.Serve immediately.

Chipotle Shredded Beef Tostadas

Yield:8 Servings
Ingredients:
2 lbs. boneless beef eye round, fat removed, cut into chunks
1 small white onion, sliced
5 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp. salt
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1-14.5oz. can diced tomatoes
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1/4 c bottled chipotle sauce
8 tostadas
chopped onions, to serve
2 large avocados, sliced, to serve
shredded cheese, to serve
sour cream, to serve

1. Combine beef, white onion, crushed garlic, and salt in a large saucepan.Add enough water to cover.Bring to boiling and skim off any foam that rises to the surface.Simmer beef, uncovered,over medium-low heat for about 1 hour or until meat is tender.Remove from heat and shred meat.Reserve broth.
2. In a medium skillet, heat the chopped onions and minced garlic over medium heat and cook for about 5 minutes or until tender.
3.Add the beef, canned tomatoes, oregano, thyme, bay leaf, and chipotle sauce and cook for an additional 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.If beef mixture is to dry, add some of the reserved broth.
4. Remove from heat and place equal amounts of shredded beef on each tostada.Top with avocado slices, shredded cheese, and sour cream, if desired.

Garlic & Onion Steak Fajitas (Fajitas de Carne con Cebolla y Ajo)

This is a simple dish to put together and doesn't require much in the way of ingredients or time.Great for a quick lunch, snack, or can be doubled for a get together.

Yield:4 Servings
Ingredients:
3-4 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
2 tsp. olive or canola oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp. black pepper
3/4- 1 lbs. beef flank steak, cut into chunks
4 flour tortillas

To Serve:
tomatoes, chopped, to serve
bunch of cilantro, chopped, to serve
2 Hass avocados, sliced, to serve
chillies of your choice, chopped, to serve

1. Heat oil on a large pan.Add the onions and garlic and cook, stirring for few minutes.Add the flank steak and cook for 5 minutes, stirring every so often.
2. Add salt, cayenne pepper and black pepper.Stir the meat till the spiced are evenly blended.Cook meat for another 10 minutes or until evenly cooked through.
3. Remove meat from heat and set aside.Heat the tortillas.
4. Add meat to tortillas, serve with tomatoes, cilantro, avocados and chillies.Serve immediately.

Carnitas

Yield:6 Servings
Ingredients:
3-4 lbs. boneless pork shoulder, visible fat removed, cut into pieces
6 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 c fresh orange juice
salt
1 tbsp. sunflower oil
corn tortillas, to serve
salsa, to serve

1. Put pork pieces into a heavy, wide frying pan with the garlic, orange juice, and 2 tsp. of salt.Add water to the pan barely covering the meat and bring to a boil over medium heat.Reduce the heat to medium low, cover partially, and cook, stirring occasionally until all the liquid has been absorbed(should take about 50 min to 1 hour).
2. Uncover the pan , add the sunflower oil and continue cooking for another 10-15 minutes.
3. Remove pork from pan with a slotted spoon and transfer to a paper-lined dish to drain away excess fat.After few minutes,transfer carnitas to a serving platter.Serve on corn tortillas garnished with salsa and a side order of refried beans with rice.