Huevos Rancheros

A traditional Mexican breakfast, these eggs are cooked in a fresh tomato sauce and served open faced on corn tortillas with a sprinkle of cheese.  A little bit of hot sauce on it is nice!  From the Foodland Calendar.

2 tsp vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
1/2 sweet yellow pepper, chopped
2 cups chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp dried oregano leaves
pinch each salt and pepper
4 eggs
4 corn tortillas
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped
Hot sauce

1. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat.  Add onion and yellow pepper and cook, stirring occasionally until slightly softened, about 3 minutes.  Stir in tomatoes, tomato paste, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper; bring to boil and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
2. With the back of a large spoon make 4 wells in sauce.  Break egg into each well.  Reduce heat to medium low or low; cover and cook until eggs are firm, 4 to 6 minutes.
3. Heat tortillas in microwave on high until warm, about 20 seconds.  Place 1 tortilla on each plate.  Place egg on each tortilla.  Divide sauce over egg, sprinkle with cheese, and coriander, if using.  Serve with hot sauce if desired.

**flour tortillas can be used instead of corn tortillas.

Fast Spicy Mexican Lasagna

Loved this one!  Tortillas replace the noodles and salsa is a nice change from pasta sauce!

Preparation time:  30 minutes
Cooking time:  15 minutes
Baking time:  35 minutes
Makes:  8 to 10 servings

3 onions
1 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 cups salsa
14 oz tomato sauce
2 tsp ground cumin
2 crushed garlic cloves
1 1/2 lbs (750 g) ground chicken or turkey
2 tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
2 large green peppers
340 g pkg tortillas, about 6 inches wide
1 cup light or regular sour cream
2 cups grated Monterey Jack or mozzarella cheese about 250 g

1. To prepare sauce, chop 2 onions.  Heat oil in a large wide saucepan set over medium heat.  Add onions and cook, stirring often, until soft about 5 minutes.  Stir in salsa, tomato sauce and cumin. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, then remove from heat.
2. To prepare filling, chop remaining onion and place in a large frying pan with garlic, chicken, chili powder, salt and black pepper.  Set pan over medium heat and cook, stirring often with a fork to keep chicken crumbly, until chicken loses its pink colour, about 10 minutes.  Meanwhile, chop green peppers.  Stir into cooked chicken and remove pan from heat.
3. Preheat oven to 375 F.  Lightly oil bottom of a 9 x 13 inch baking dish and spread with a thin layer of sauce.  Cut 5 tortillas in half and arrange so they cover bottom of dish, laying cut edges of tortillas against sides of dish.  Overlap as needed and cover centre of pan as well.  Spread with about 1 cup of sauce.  Top with half of the chicken mixture.  Spread with sour cream.  Slice remaining tortillas in half and form another layer.  Spread with remaining chicken mixture then sauce.  Sprinkle with cheese.  Bake in centre of preheated oven until cheese is golden, about 35 to 40 minutes.  Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting.

No Fuss Mexican Layered Dip

Perfect for watching Football!

1 pkg light cream cheese

1 tbsp taco seasoning mix

1 cup salsa

1 cup drained canned black beans, rinsed

1/2 cup chopped green onions

1 cup cheddar shredded

1 cup shredded lettuce

2 tbsp sliced ripe olives

1 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro or parsley

baked tortilla chips

Beat cream cheese with electric mixer on medium speed until creamy.  Add seasoning mix; beat until well blended.  Spread on a shallow 9 inch dish.  Layer remaining ingredients over cream cheese mixture; cover

Refrigerate at least 1 hour.  For easier dipping, remove from fridge 20 min before serving.

Serve with tortilla chips.

Mexican Vegetarian Chili

This is a quick and easy recipe even the kids will eat.  Based on a recipe from Todays Parent Magazine February 2009

1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp chopped garlic
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 can diced tomatoes (28 oz/796 ml)
1 can black beans or black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed (19oz/540 ml)
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup vegetable broth
salt and pepper to taste

Topping
3/4 cup cornmeal
1 tbsp all purpose flour
1 tbsp granulated or brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup milk
1 egg
1 tbsp canola oil
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

• Preheat the oven to 425 F.  Grease a 9 x 13 in baking dish.
• Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the onion, garlic, chili powder and cumin, and cook, stirring, until onion is softened - about 5 minutes.  Add the tomatoes (including all the juice from the can), beans corn and broth, and bring to a boil.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Lower the heat and let simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally for 10 to 15 minutes or until slightly thickened. (this part of the recipe can easily be prepared ahead of time.)
• Meanwhile, prepare the topping.  In a medium mixing bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, sugar and baking powder.  In another bowl, whisk together the milk, egg and oil.  Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and stir until just combined.
• When the bean and corn mixture is ready, transfer to the prepared casserole dish and spoon cornbread mixture overtop.  (Don't worry if there are gaps; the cornbread will expand to cover the topping as it bakes.) Place in the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the cornbread topping is lightly browned.  If desired, sprinkle the top with grated Parmesan cheese just before serving.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.