Mexican Turkey Stew

I made this up last night for my kids and one of their friends, and they all loved it... they even asked for seconds! It's a fairly thick stew, definitely something you could eat with a fork, so if your kids like something closer to soup, this may not be for them.

1 - 1 1/2 lbs. ground turkey (or use roasted turkey cut into small pieces, about 2 cups)

1 Tbs. vegetable oil

1 medium onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced or crushed

1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes

1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can (4 oz) diced green chiles

1 cup corn

2 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. coriander

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

salt and pepper to taste

1. In large sauce pan, brown the turkey and break it into little chunks as it cooks. Remove from pan and set aside.
2. Add oil and saute onions until soft. Add garlic and continue cooking for 1 minute.
3. Put turkey back in pot and add tomatoes, black beans, corn, green chilis and spices.
4. Heat to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.
5. Serve with corn bread on the side and grated cheese on top. (Some of us also added some Hot Giardiniera and it tasted wonderful).

Enchilada Casserole

We had a bunch of family in over the weekend for my mother-in-law's 80th birthday. Great fun! I made dinner one night for everyone and there were a few restrictions... one relative can't eat wheat and another is a vegetarian. So, I was thrilled to find something EVERYONE could enjoy. I ended up making two -- one with chicken and the other without. I'll tell you how to do both:

This makes enough for one 9"x13" pan.

1 cup chopped onion

1 red pepper, chopped

4 cloves garlic, crushed or minced

1 cup salsa

2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained

1 cup frozen corn, thawed and drained

14 six-inch corn tortillas, each one torn into around 8 pieces

8 oz. Monterey Jack and Cheddar cheese, shredded

1/2 cup sour cream

1 can enchilada sauce

Optional garnish: chopped fresh cilantro, sour cream, chopped black olives

If you're adding meat: 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Saute onion in a little oil until soft and starting to brown. Add red pepper and continue cooking for 2-3 minutes. Add garlic and saute an additional minute. Set aside.
3. Combine beans, salsa, corn and sour cream. Add onion mixture and stir until blended.
4. Spray 9x13 pan with oil. Layer half of the torn tortillas on the bottom. Cover with the bean/sour cream/onion mixture. Sprinkle with half of the grated cheese. If you're adding chicken, put it on now. Top with remaining tortillas.
5. Carefully pour one can of enchilada sauce over entire casserole. Try to cover eachtortilla with a little bit of sauce. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top. (At this point you can cover it and put it in the fridge until you're ready to bake it. Make sure to add 15-20 extra minutes of cooking time if it's cold when you put it in the oven .)
6. Cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking an addition 15 minutes, until heated through and starting to bubble on top.
7. Serve hot and garnish with chopped cilantro, sour cream and black olives.

Vegetarian Tostadas

These are really easy to make and my kids like them because they get to choose what goes on top. Meriel tends to stick with black beans and cheese, but Gavin is a little more adventurous, adding onion and mushrooms. You can dice the vegetables ahead of time and keep them in the fridge until you're ready to use them.

Corn tostada shells

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 onion, diced

2 cups cheddar cheese, grated

Selection of diced vegetables: red pepper, yellow squash, zucchini, spinach, mushrooms, etc. All put in separate bowls.

Optional condiments: salsa, guacamole, hot pepper sauce

1. Microwave the diced vegetables briefly so that they're partially cooked. (Put in the fridge if you're not going to use them right away.)
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
3. Give each person a tostada shell and have them layer their selected ingredients putting cheese on the top.
4. Place the tostadas on a cookie sheet and bake for 5-7 minutes, until cheese is bubbly.
5. Serve with salsa, guacamole or hot pepper sauce.

Tacotini

This is kind of like tacos, but you use rotini instead of taco shells. 

1 lb. ground beef

1 onion, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced or grated

1 package taco seasoning 

OR, 

As an alternative you can create your own homemade taco seasoning with the following: 2 Tbs. chili powder, 1 tsp. ground cumin, 1 tsp. ground coriander, 1/2 tsp. oregano, 1/8 tsp. cayenne, 

1 tsp. brown sugar, 2 tsp. vinegar (preferably cider) -- add the vinegar when you mix the seasonings with the meat.

2 cups uncooked rotini (I use 100% whole wheat rotini)

1 cup salsa OR 1 eight-oz. can tomato sauce (if your kids like things mild)

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

Optional toppings: chopped cilantro, chopped lettuce, chopped tomatoes

1. Cook the rotini according to package directions. Drain and place back in pot.
   
2. Brown the beef, drain. Add onions and cook until soft. Add garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes more.
3. Add seasoning packet or homemade seasonings to beef mixture.
4. Combine beef mixture with pasta. Pour in salsa or tomato sauce and combine. Heat gently until hot.
5. Serve with grated cheddar and other optional toppings.

Carnitas

I made this last night for dinner and it was great. Everyone ate it! It's from the Chicago Tribune, although I modified it a bit.

Pork:

1 boneless pork butt or shoulder (butchers will tell you it's the same thing), 3 lbs, cut into 2" chunks

1 small onion, peeled, halved

2 cups water

2 bay leaves

1 tsp each: ground cumin, dried oregano, salt

2 Tbs. lemon juice or lime juice

1/2 tsp ground pepper

1 orange, halved

Tacos:

36 soft corn tortillas, warmed (we probably only used around 10 tortillas)

Minced onion, fresh cilantro leaves, sour cream, lime wedges

1. Heat oven to 300 degrees. Combine pork, onion, and water in Dutch oven. Add bay leaves, cumin, oregano, salt, pepper and lemon/lime juice. Juice the orange into a bowl; remove seeds. Add juice and the juiced orange halves to the pan.
2. Heat mixture to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Cover; place in the oven. Cook until an inserted fork meets little resistance, 2-2 1/2 hours.
3. Remove pan from oven; transfer pork to a bowl using a slotted spoon and cover. Discard the orange halves, onion and bay leaves. On the stove top, heat liquid to a simmer over medium-high heat; cook down, stirring often, to a syrupy glaze that measures about 1 cup, 10-15 minutes.
4. Using a fork or a spoon mash the pork -- it will fall apart easily. Add pork back to pan and stir to coat in the glaze.
5. At the table, spoon the pork into warm tortillas. We topped ours with cilantro and chopped onion, although I'll bet some sour cream would be good too.