Mini Taco Salads

We had Mexican Night on Sunday and everyone brought Mexican themed food. So we are going to continue on with that theme this week. Mini Taco Salads are a great appetizer that are easy to make ahead of time and keep in the freezer till needed.

Mini Taco Salads

Frozen Mini Pastry Shells
1 lb Ground Beef
Taco Seasoning
Small Can of Salsa
Water
Finely Diced Onion
Finely Diced Sweet Peppers
Shredded Lettuce
Sour Cream

Brown ground beef, and drain the grease. Season with Taco Seasoning, and brown a little more, add salsa and water, simmer for twenty minutes.

Finely dice the onions and sweet peppers, shred and dice the lettuce

Spoon taco meat into the shells, top with cheese, and bake in the oven for ten minutes at 350, or freeze for later use.

Take out of the oven, and top with the diced vegetables, a little sour cream, and serve. Never freeze the lettuce, peppers, and onions, always add them fresh when you are about to serve.

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Easy Chile Relleno's

Chiles Rellenos are made of Chile Poblano (Ancho) or Anaheim chiles, with skins removed, dipped in batter, stuffed with cheese, or meat, and covered with lightly spiced green, or red sauce. Blistering fresh chiles is one of the tricks of the Mexican food cooking, and it can be a major pain in the ass if you are making these in any type of quantity. You can however buy mild, whole, canned green chili's which makes putting these together a snap. You can find everything you need at any Super Mercado. I like to make this dish, and bring it to pot luck's, or dinner parties. They are easy to make and always a hit.

Easy Chile Rellenos

2 Large Cans Mild Whole Green Chili's
1 lb Chorizo Sausage
1 lb Grated Cheddar Jack Cheese
6 Eggs
Salt
Cayenne
1/4 cup Flour
1/8 cup Corn Meal
2 cans Salsa Verde

Cook the bulk chorizo until browned and crumbly. Blend with 1/2 the cheddar jack cheese and stuff into the peppers.

Seperate the yolks from the egg whites. Whip the egg whites with an electric mixer till peaks form. Beat the egg yolks with one tablespoon flour and salt. Mix the yolks into egg whites and stir until you have a thick paste.

Roll the chiles in 1/4 cup flour and dip each one in the egg batter. Coat evenly. Fry, seam side down on both sides until golden brown. Place on paper towels to drain.

Place the fried Chile Relleno's in a caserole pan, it's ok to stack if neccesary, and top with Salsa Verde, and the grated Cheddar Jack cheese. Heat in oven at 350 until cheese bubbles and serve.

Low Carb Variation

Substitute Low Carb Thickener for the flour in the egg batter. Substitute Soy Flour for the wheat flour and you cut out all the carbs.

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Grilled Flank Steak with Pesto

I like to marinate Flank Steak overnight before cooking with olive oil, salt, pepper, rosemary, garlic, and either Red Wine Vinegar, or Balsamic. The Balsamic can be a little strong but is great when I am in the mood for it. Sometimes we roll, stuff, and grill it, other times we just grill it, and slice it on the bias, serve it with salad and grilled vegetables.

Flank Steak is incedibly simple, and it tastes great.

One Flank Steak
Red Wine Vinegar
Chopped Garlic
Olive Oil
Rosemary
Kosher Salt
Pepper

Marinate the Flank Steak overnight and grill on the BBQ till done to your liking. Flip only once, and once top with pesto. Slice on the bias, or against the grain.

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