My “Eat Mexico” authentic recipe book only has two recipes: chicken enchiladas with green sauce or cheese enchiladas with homemade masa tortilla shells. I like ground beef enchiladas with “red sauce”.

As usual, I have four different recipes for ground beef enchiladas, and some are quite complicated, or rather, involved. To make the “red sauce” or “enchilada salsa”, I have one recipe that is oil, flour and chili paste. I have another recipe for enchilada seasoning with salsa, chili powder and mixed pepper. It’s all just me trying too hard. Enchiladas should be simple.

As much as I love enchiladas and believe that they should be made with corn/masa, I do like my Aunt’s American version, which uses flour tortillas. They’re quite delicious. So, in copycat taco bell enchirito-style, I’m going to simplify all of these recipes to make Lazy Enchiladas.

Easy Authentic Beef Enchiladas

First, the beef mixture doesn’t need seasoning – just fresh diced onions.

Secondly, the required corn tortillas will need to be cooked before filling them and baking them.

Thirdly, a good canned enchilada sauce will make these super easy “Lazy Enchiladas”.

Ingredients

• ground beef
• diced onion
• canola oil
• corn tortilla shells
• your favorite enchilada sauce (we use La Victoria)
• any melty cheese (Colby, Monterey jack, queso, Asadero, brick cheese, farmer cheese)
• (optional) any [slightly] sharp cheese (cheddar, Longhorn cheddar)

Prep

• cook the ground beef & onion
• shred your cheese(s)
• cook your corn tortilla shells

How to prep the corn tortilla shells:

Heat a small skillet with 1 Tbsp Canola oil. Warm the tortilla for 60 seconds, flip it and cook another 60 seconds. Remove from pan to drain on paper towel. Tortilla should show some browning, and have firm, but not crispy edges.

Cook a few extra, just in case you have some that crumble during assembly. You might need to add a bit more vegetable oil halfway through.

Assembly

Drizzle 1/2 cup enchilada sauce in the bottom of your 9×12 baking dish. (I used a 7×13 Pyrex baking dish.)

For each enchilada, spoon about 2 Tbsp each of beef mix, sauce & cheese. Wrap tightly and place in baking dish, seam-side down.

If you rip a tortilla, you can wrap it in an extra tortilla or cook it as-is.

Tip: I used the back of the spoon to squish the meat so I could roll the full tortilla tightly.

Some filling might spill out the side, that’s okay, you’ll just have a little meaty sauce to serve with your enchilada.

When you’ve filled the pan with all your enchiladas, drizzle about 2 cups of enchilada sauce over your enchiladas. Be sure to get the center, but also drizzle along the sides (don’t drown them – if you have enough sauce, you can stop). You do want some to bake crispy on the edges.

Put your remaining cheese mixture on top and bake at 350, uncovered, for 20 -25 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

Note that you will likely have some leftover ground beef; the nutrition facts in the recipe below are for all 10 corn tortillas using all of the ground beef. The recipe instructions are for 4 servings of 2 enchiladas each.

Allow five minutes to cool before serving.

Garnish with chopped cilantro leaves & serve with sour cream.

Serve with Mexican red rice & refried black beans.

Alterations

Some people like to add beans to their enchiladas, you can use refried beans, black beans or kidney beans.

Garnish with sliced green onion & serve with fresh Pico de Gallo.

Heat it up by adding diced jalapeño to the beef mixture.

A note on Cheeses

Don’t use packaged/pre-shredded cheese. Just try to never buy it. Simply put, you want to eat cheese, not anti-caking agents (Modified Cornstarch, Potato Starch and Powdered Cellulose) or mold prevention products/inhibitors (Natamycin). Sure, shredding can be a pain – here’s a tip: allow the cheese to come to room temperature, especially if it is a hard cheese like cheddar. I find shredding cold cheese takes some strength, but warming it (to room temperature) lets it slide across the grates using its own oiliness as a lubricant. Plus, its softer and easier to cut.

Quesadilla cheese is Chihuahua – its white, softer and super melty. You can also try Cotija and/or a mix with Oaxaca cheese. You can usually find the Quesadilla/Chihuahua cheese at your grocery store, but you might need to go to a Mexican grocery store for the others. Sendik’s carries Cotija cheese, for example, but Pick N Save/Kroger does not. You can also try it with crumbled queso fresco (remember to crumble it yourself).

You can turn the broiler on low for the last 3 minutes to give the top of the cheese a light brown crisp, if that’s how you like your cheese dishes.

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Lazy Enchiladas

Easy, authentic beef enchiladas make a quick weeknight dinner.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Mexican

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Calories 711kcal

Cost $13

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 onion
• 2½ c enchilada sauce La Victoria
• 8 oz Monterey jack cheese
• 10 corn tortilla shells Mission, or La Banderita (white corn)
• 2 Tbsp canola oil

Instructions

• Cook the ground beef with diced onion.
• Cook the corn tortilla shells according to package instructions (frying pan instructions preferred).
• Shred the cheese.
• Pour ½ c. enchilada sauce in the bottom of a 9×12 baking dish.
• Scoop about 2 Tbsp ea. ground beef mix, cheese, enchilada sauce into tortilla shell. Roll tightly and place into baking dish seam-side down. Repeat for remaining tortilla shells until the pan is full.
• Cover enchiladas with remaining enchilada sauce. Top with remaining cheese.
• Bake at 350° F for 20-25 minutes, until cheese is melted. Allow 5 minutes to cool before serving.

Notes

Note that you will likely have some leftover ground beef; these nutrition facts are for all 10 corn tortillas using all of the ground beef. The recipe instructions are for 4 servings of 2 enchiladas each.

The post Lazy Enchiladas appeared first on Food Love Affair.

You could make a large batch and keep it in your cupboard, using 2 Tbsp to season your ground beef with next time you make tacos.

Taco seasoning mix should be simple. Ours is just chili powder, garlic & onion powder, paprika, pepper, cayenne and a pinch of sugar.

We like classic American tacos on a crunchy shell with ground beef, cheese, lettuce, tomato and sour cream. Yum! Sometimes I like to spice it up a bit with hot sauce, or do it bar-style with the cheese on the bottom. Or, I’ll make my pico de gallo and just use that instead of plain tomatoes.

Cook your ground beef, mashing it up real good, until brown, or no longer pink. Then add the seasoning with about 1/2 c water, bring it to a boil, reduce heat and simmer ten minutes.

Then, build your tacos!

I’d like to note that while this may serve as an interim seasoning for burritos, the only burrito seasoning you really need is cumin.

Optional: When cooking your ground beef, you can add some finely chopped onions to your beef mix to really enhance the flavor; then, omit the onion powder from the seasoning mix.

I like to pre-mix this so it’s ready to go on taco night, using one of my empty glass seasoning containers (gotta love those screw top lids).

I like to pre-mix this so it’s ready to go on taco night, using one of my empty glass seasoning containers (gotta love those screw top lids).

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Taco Seasoning Mix

Easy taco seasoning mix for your next taco night!

Course seasoning mix

Cuisine American

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp chili powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• 2 tsp black pepper
• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 pinch sugar

Instructions

• For each 1 lb. of ground beef: cook the ground beef, crumbling it well, until browned. Drain the grease. Add the seasoning plus ½ c. water. Bring it to a boil, reduce heat and simmer ten minutes.

The post Taco Seasoning Mix appeared first on Food Love Affair.

The trouble I have always found with making chicken fajitas is getting the fajita seasoning just right. I suppose you don’t really have to add seasoning, I think the original skirt steak just gets flavored by the onions & bell peppers while cooking. But, I do. Season it. The chicken, I mean. And then I just add the veggies so they get coated in the flavor, too.

The original fajita was skirt steak, with onions and bell peppers, served on a tortilla.

The skirt steak was payment to vaqueros (Mexican cowboys) in the 1930’s.

Fajitas became commercially available in 1969, at a concession stand, and at the Round-Up Restaurant in Pharr, Texas, presented in the sizzling-platter style.

I’m not sure how to make it sizzle; spray some water on a hot skillet? Anyway, we’re not a restaurant.

For my seasoning, I prefer a thickening saucy base, so I use corn starch.

This combination of spices can be a bit on the spicy side, so if you’re sensitive, consider skipping the cayenne red pepper and reducing the chili seasoning.

Fajitas can be served with lettuce, cheese, sour cream, guacamole, refried beans and salsa.

I served mine up with a side of Spanish rice (from a can – for shame, I know). But I usually just top it with sour cream, and sometimes cheese or tomatoes. Fresh pico, if you’ve got any.

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Chicken Fajitas

Seasoned fajitas for a quick weeknight dinner.

Course Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine Mexican, Tex-Mex

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Calories 354kcal

Cost $4

Ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts
• 2 bell peppers
• 1 onion
• 4 tortilla shells, fajita-size

Fajita Seasoning

• 1 T corn starch
• 2 t chili powder
• 1 t paprika
• 1 t sugar
• ½ t onion powder
• ½ t garlic powder
• ¼ t cayenne pepper
• ½ t cumin
• ½ t black pepper

Instructions

• Slice the chicken breasts into thin strips, about 1" thick.
• Slice the onions & peppers lengthwise, about 1" strips.
• Combine all Fajita seasoning ingredients.
• Heat a large frying pan with oil. Add chicken and cook until no longer pink, about 6 minutes.
• Add the fajita seasoning and 1 c. water, mixing well. Continue to cook another 4 minutes.
• Add the onions & peppers and cook until onions become translucent, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes.
• Warm the tortilla shells according to package instruction.
• Assemble fajitas with the chicken fajita mix, sour cream and other toppings to your liking, folding into a tortilla shell.

Notes

The post Chicken Fajitas appeared first on Food Love Affair.

I love tomatoes. I love fresh tomato salsa.

I love tomato sandwiches. My mother hates tomatoes. Isn’t that weird? So, if she never really ate them, how did I fall in love with this plump, juicy fruit? We didn’t have a garden, but when I went to my friends house, she invited me to pick a tomato and bite right into it. You know what I’m talking about.

It’s funny how at some Mexican restaurants, they will call it “chunky salsa”, or “medium salsa”, when we all know it’s “Pico”! Pico de gallo is fresh tomato salsa (vs. a traditional, mild, blended salsa, or a chile-based salsa).

The rules are simple:

1. chop some tomatoes and onions into bite-size pieces (so you can get as many pieces on your tortilla chip as possible)
2. dice some jalapenos or Serrano peppers
3. obliterate some cilantro leaves
4. squeeze a lime into the mix
5. top with salt
6. mix
7. taste-test

Alterations

For less hotness, you should seed the peppers first, and cut them into larger pieces, so you can see them and maneuver your chip around them, if you’re afraid.

If they don’t scare you, leave the seeds in and dice them really small, so the hot juices blend more into your salsa bowl. Or, use Serrano peppers instead of jalapeno. Serrano peppers rank between 5,000 – 15,000 Scoville units, whereas the mild jalapeno ranks between 2 – 5K.

Some say leave the tomato seeds in, some say to seed the tomatoes. I think it depends on the season of the tomato: if they’re fresh and firm, you can seed the tomatoes, or just seed half of them to reduce the tomato juice that pools at the bottom of your salsa bowl. If they’re extra ripe and juicy, you might opt to leave much of that juice out. You don’t want a sloppy, sloshy salsa, you want it crisp, chunky and fresh.

First, I learned from Ree Drummond, and while I can no longer find her pico de gallo post, I think that her friend seeded the tomatoes but didn’t seed the jalapenos.

But then, my lovely friend bought me the book “Eat Mexico” for my birthday, and I felt empowered – no more trying to copycat the Mexican restaurant when I have an excellent and accurate source for “authentic” Mexican cuisine.

Try this on Taco night with my taco seasoning, or use any leftovers (as if) in a Southwest Veggie Wrap.

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Pico De Gallo (Fresh Tomato Salsa)

Authentic Mexican Salsa

Course Appetizer, Sauce, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine Mexican

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 4 cups

Calories 28kcal

Cost $8

Ingredients

• 2 lbs roma tomatoes diced
• ½ white onion coarsely chopped
• 10 stems cilantro chopped
• 3 jalapenos or serrano peppers cut into half-moons, with seeds
• ½ lime juice
• salt to taste

Instructions

• Put tomatoes, onion, cilantro and chiles in a bowl.
• Squeeze the juice from ½ a lime into the bowl and mix well. Season with salt to taste.

Notes

% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0.3g	0%
Saturated Fat 0g	0%
Cholesterol 0mg	0%
Sodium 26mg	1%
Total Carbohydrate 6.2g	2%
Dietary Fiber 1.9g	7%
Total Sugars 3.8g
Protein 1.3g
Vitamin D 0mcg	0%
Calcium 16mg	1%
Iron 0mg	2%
Potassium 318mg	7%

The post Pico De Gallo (Fresh Tomato Salsa) appeared first on Food Love Affair.

Food prep tip:

To easily make shredded lettuce, take your iceberg lettuce leaf and roll it up like a cigar. Then, make thin slices.

The stack:

• Burrito shell
• ½ c. ground beef
• Liquid cheese
• Tostada
• Sour cream
• Lettuce, tomato, cheese
• Small taco shell

The wrap:

Many people have a hard time folding burritos or wrapping presents. When you wrap your crunchwrap, treat it like a Christmas present. Slowly fold pieces over in a circle.

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Homemade Crunchwrap Supreme

Copycat Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme

Course Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine Mexican

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 50 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Calories 617kcal

Cost $16

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 packet Taco Seasoning mix
• 1 15-oz can nacho cheese sauce
• 6 burrito shells
• 6 tostada shells
• 1 c sour cream
• 2 c shredded lettuce
• 1 tomato, diced
• 1 c colby jack or cheddar jack cheese, shredded

Instructions

• Cook ground beef and drain any fat, crumbling the meat well.
• Add Taco seasoning and 1 c. water to the ground beef. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer on low for 20 minutes. There should be no water mixture left in the pan, and the meat should be soft and moist.
• Warm the nacho cheese sauce & the burrito shells. You can warm the tostada shells in the oven if you want a little extra crunch.Pop them into a warm oven on a baking sheet for 2 – 3 minutes.
• While your meat is simmering, shred your cheese & lettuce and dice your tomato.

Assembly

• Lay one flour burrito shell flat and put ½ c. of meat in the middle. Drizzle 2 T of cheese on the meat. Top with one tostada shell. Spread a thin layer of sour cream on top of the tostada, about 2 – 3 Tbsp. Top with lettuce, tomato and cheese.
• Using the rim of a small bowl, try to cut a tostada-shaped circle out of an extra burrito shell so that you can make at least two (it's okay if it's not a complete circle, or if there's an inch missing from the edge of one of your home made mini-shells).
• Fold the bottom of the flour tortilla up and over the center, working your way around. Place the cut tortilla into the top center of your crunchwrap.
• Repeat Assembly steps 1-3 until you have your crunchwraps all assembled.
• Spray a non-stick skillet with cooking spray, or lightly oil and preheat to medium. Place your crunchwrap seam-side down into the pan. Cook about 3 minutes until golden-brown and flip. Cook the flat side until golden brown. Repeat with the remaining crunchwraps.

Notes

% Daily Value*
Total Fat 30.5g	39%
Saturated Fat 15.3g	77%
Cholesterol 80mg	27%
Sodium 951mg	41%
Total Carbohydrate 56.2g	20%
Dietary Fiber 6.3g	22%
Total Sugars 0.4g
Protein 26.8g
Vitamin D 0mcg	0%
Calcium 203mg	16%
Iron 4mg	20%
Potassium 290mg	6%

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Taco Bell’s Mexi-American food used to taste good. You didn’t have to get drunk to get that all-day taco crave. They used better ingredients, as evidenced in their classic Mexican Pizza.

I’m pretty sure in 1985, you had to ask for the sour cream, because I don’t remember it being a default. This weird food invention used to be one of my favorites, next to the Cinnamon Crispas – not those twisty, fake plastic things they call food today. And then one day, the black olives disappeared. And then the green onion. And it became a creamy tomato mess. Though still tasty because of the red sauce, it became much blander.

The post Mexican Pizza (Taco Bell Copycat Recipe) appeared first on Food Love Affair.

There are many copycat Enchirito recipes out there, but we’re going to make ours quick & easy.

Most other recipes try to recreate the taco bell taco seasoning by hand, but since you can get the exclusive seasoning at the grocery store, we’re going to take that shortcut.

Another shortcut we’re going to take is with the Enchirito “red sauce”. The Taco Bell Red Sauce is not available at the grocery store, but we found an equivalent that works perfectly: La Victoria mild red enchilada sauce. The can comes in 28-oz, and while this recipe calls for about 1 ½ c., don’t worry – save the rest for the Mexican Pizza recipe.

We like using fajita-size tortilla shells and usually buy the super soft Mission brand, but you can choose a flour tortilla that you like. We find the Mission tortillas to be less “chewy” than other brands that cook and bite on the tough, chewy side.

Assembly:

• Tortilla shell
• 2 Tbsp. refried beans
• 2 Tbsp. ground Beef
• Sprinkle of onions
• Roll & place seam-side down
• Cover with ½ c. enchilada red sauce
• Top with ½ c.  cheese 

Your measurements will be based on the size of your shells.

If you go with large burrito shells, use ¼ c. beans & beef and pour 1 cup of enchilada sauce over them.

We filled 2 9×9 baking dishes with our 8 fajita-sized enchiritos.

For the optional Black Olives, slice them and place them before baking.

If you want green onions, slice them and sprinkle them after baking.

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Taco Bell Enchirito

Another copycat Enchirito Recipe. You might find it tastes just like Taco Bell's classic.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Mexican

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Total Time 50 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Calories 511kcal

Cost $14

Ingredients

• 1 packet Taco Bell Seasoning Mix
• 1 lb ground beef, 85% lean
• 1 ½ c La Victoria enchilada red sauce
• 4 large flour tortillas
• 8 oz refried beans
• 1 c cheddar cheese, shredded
• ¼ c white onion, chopped
• sliced black olive optional

Instructions

• Cook ground beef and drain any fat, crumbling the meat well.
• Add Taco seasoning and 1 c. water to the ground beef. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer on low for 20 minutes. There should be no water mixture left in the pan, and the meat should be soft and moist.
• Heat enchilada sauce on low until warm, about 10 minutes.
• Heat the re-fried beans in a small pan until warm.
• Preheat oven to 350° F and grease a 9"x9" glass baking dish.

Assembly

• Spread ¼ c. refried beans on tortilla. You can warm your tortilla to make it easier to fold.
• Add ¼ c. ground beef and a few teaspoons of onion.
• Roll tortilla, place seam side down in baking dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
• Cover with sauce and top with cheese.

Bake

• Cover pan with foil to prevent the sauce from drying out and bake for 15 minutes.
• Top with sliced black olive for that '70's flavor.

Notes

% Daily Value*
Total Fat 24.5g	31%
Saturated Fat 11.6g	58%
Cholesterol 101mg	34%
Sodium 1065mg	46%
Total Carbohydrate 35.7g	13%
Dietary Fiber 4.2g	15%
Total Sugars 1.8g
Protein 35.1g
Vitamin D 3mcg	17%
Calcium 322mg	25%
Iron 5mg	27%
Potassium 493mg	10%

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It’s customary to add a few vegetables and serve it before the main meal. You can serve it with sliced hard-boiled egg and salsa on a tortilla for a taco placero, but Mexican rice is classically called sopa seca.

Also known as Spanish rice, it doesn’t originate from Spain.

Ingredients:

• Rice
• Tomato Puree (or fresh Roma tomato)
• Canola Oil
• Onion
• Chicken Broth
• Peas & Carrots
• Serrano Pepper (Or Jalapeno)

Recipe Tip

When cooking with white rice, to get the best, fluffiest rice, rinse and wash it several times. Pour your dry rice into a bowl and fill it with cold water, using your hand to swish the rice around in the bowl for a few minutes. Drain the rice with a sieve and repeat the wash cycle three times for up to 15 minutes. This method works to make perfectly fluffy Chinese white rice just like take-out, so I always wash my rice whether using the rice cooker, the pot or any cooking method. In Mexico City, fluffy rice is achieved by soaking in hot water, but you don’t want to do that, here in the US. A cold water rinse will suffice, but can easily be skipped altogether.

Dice up your onion. Preheat oil in a pan.

Add the Rice, then the Onion, and stir-fry until raspy.

Add your tomato, broth, peas & carrots. Top with diced serrano pepper.

Bring it to a boil, reduce heat, cover & simmer about 25 minutes.

Rice is done when liquid has been absorbed.

You should check the rice for firmness before serving. If it’s still a bit hard in the center, continue steaming about 5 minutes.

This recipe was inspired by the recipe, Sopa Seca De Arroz from “Eat Mexico” by Lesley Tellez, which uses fresh tomatoes instead of canned. It saves about 15 minutes, but doesn’t lose much flavor.

Storing Leftovers

Keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator and eat within 5 days (it will keep for about a week).

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Mexican Red Rice

Authentic Mexican Red Rice, but easier!

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Mexican

Keyword rice

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 8 servings

Calories 258kcal

Cost $1

Ingredients

• 1 c Tomato Sauce or Puree
• ¼ c Canola Oil
• 2 c Long-Grain White Rice (not instant)
• ⅛ medium Onion, chopped
• 3 c Chicken Base or Broth
• ½ c frozen Peas optional
• 1 Carrot, finely chopped optional
• 1 ½ t salt to taste
• 1 Serrano pepper, finely chopped optional

Instructions

• Heat the oil over medium heat in a large saucepan. Add the rice and stir to coat. Add the onion and fry, stirring often. Cook until the rice sounds raspy, like pebbles in the pan, about 10 minutes.
• Add the tomato sauce or puree, the chicken broth, and the peas, carrots and salt. Stir, then top with the Serrano chile.
• Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cover. Cook 15 minutes, or until all the liquid is absorbed. Stir well and serve.

Notes

% Daily Value*
Total Fat 7.7g	10%
Saturated Fat 0.7g	4%
Cholesterol 0mg	0%
Sodium 893mg	39%
Total Carbohydrate 40.6g	15%
Dietary Fiber 1.6g	6%
Total Sugars 2.4g
Protein 5.9g
Vitamin D 0mcg	0%
Calcium 25mg	2%
Iron 3mg	14%
Potassium 272mg	6%

Recipe analyzed by 

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