Mexican Turkey Burgers

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup salsa, divided
• 1/4 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
• 3 teaspoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 3/4 teaspoon sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 pound extra-lean ground turkey
• 1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
• 4 hamburger buns, split
• 1/2 cup torn curly endive
• 1 medium tomato, chopped

Directions

• In a large bowl, combine 1/4 cup salsa, cheese, paprika, oregano, cumin, sugar, garlic powder, thyme, salt and cayenne. Crumble turkey over mixture and mix well. Shape into four burgers.
• Moisten a paper towel with cooking oil; using long-handled tongs, lightly coat the grill rack. Grill, covered, over medium heat or broil 4 in. from the heat for 5-7 minutes on each side or until a thermometer reads 165° and juices run clear.
• In a small bowl, combine sour cream and remaining salsa. Place burgers on buns; top with endive, tomato and sour cream mixture.
• Serve immediately or before grilling, wrap each burger in plastic wrap. Transfer to a heavy-duty resealable plastic bag or airtight container and freeze burgers for up to 3 months.
• To use frozen burgers: Thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Unwrap burgers and grill or broil as directed. In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup sour cream and 1/4 cup salsa. Place burgers on buns; top with endive, tomato and sour cream mixture. Yield: 4 servings.

I used ground beef because I had some to use up.  I didn't use the curly endive. 

Orginal recipe is at:  http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Mexican-Inspired-Turkey-Burgers

Chicken Enchiladas

I got this recipe from Joyful Momma's Kitchen.  It's a very tasty and easy recipe that everyone seems to like.


Chicken Enchiladas with Green Chili Sour Cream Sauce


10 soft shell tacos  (I usually use whole wheat)
2 cups cooked chicken
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
3 TBSP butter
3 TBSP flour
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup sour cream
1 (4 oz) can diced green chilies

Mix chicken and 1 cup of cheese.  Roll up in tortillas and place in greased 9 x 13 pan.

In a sauce pan, melt butter.  Stir in flour.  Add broth and whisk until smooth.  Heat over medium heat until thick and bubbly.

Stir in sour cream and chillies.  Do not bring to a boil, you don't want curdled sour cream.

Pour over enchiladas and top with remaining cheese.

Bake for 22 minutes at 350 degrees.  Then under high broil for 3 min to brown the cheese.

Chicken Queso Soup

This is a very tasty and spicy soup recipe I got from Lynn's Kitchen Adventures.  With the cumin and ground red pepper it is pretty spicy but I like spice so it was perfect for me.  I didn't give this to the kids because of the spice and this isn't really something they would eat anyway. 

Chicken Queso Soup

• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons oil
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 1 can rotel tomatoes ( tomatoes with green chilies)
• 1 – 14ounce can diced tomatoes
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 4 ounces cream cheese, cut into chunks, and room temperature
• 1 ½ cups milk
• 2 cups shredded Colby jack cheese
• 3-4 cups cooked chicken

1. In a larger pan saute onion in oil until tender and lightly browned.
2. Add tomatoes, broth, cumin, and red pepper.
3. Cook on low for 10-15 minutes. Then add cream cheese, milk, and chicken. And cook until heated through.
4. Stir in shredded cheese and serve.

Mexican Chicken Casserole

This is a really easy and yummy chicken casserole recipe.  It's so easy my husband can even make it!  The original recipe came from the Kraft Foods website.  I usually don't add the tomato because others in my family don't like tomatoes, although I think I will one of these times because I don't think they would even notice it.  I also leave the green pepper out if I don't have one on hand. 

Mexican Chicken Casserole

3/4 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces

1 tsp ground cumin

1 green pepper, chopped

1-1/2 cups Thick 'N Chunky Salsa

2 oz. (1/4 of 8-oz. pkg.) cream cheese, cubed

1 can  (15 oz.)  black beans, rinsed

1 tomato, chopped

2  tortillas (6 inch)

1/2 cup  Mexican Style Shredded Cheese, divided

HEAT oven to 375ºF.
COOK and stir chicken and cumin in nonstick skillet on medium heat 2 min. Add peppers; cook 2 min., stirring occasionally. Stir in salsa; cook 2 min. Add cream cheese; cook 2 min. or until melted. Stir in beans and tomatoes.
SPOON 1/3 of chicken mixture into 8-inch square baking dish; cover with 1 tortilla and half each of the remaining chicken mixture and shredded cheese. Top with remaining tortilla and chicken mixture; cover.
BAKE 20 min. or until heated through. Sprinkle with remaining shredded cheese; bake, uncovered, 5 min. or until melted.

Taco Pasta

This was an easy and versatile recipe that I recently came across on lynnskitchenadventures.com. Everyone seemed to like this. It's actually a "casserole" but I made it into a skillet meal to save some time. The original recipe says that you can use 16 oz of pasta and then add a can of rotel so it's not dry. That's what I did and I still thought it was a little dry. I added a little salsa and that seemed to help. I did not add the green chiles just because I thought the rotel added enough spice and the kids were going to be eating this. If not using the rotel, I would definitely add the chiles. Using 16 oz of pasta made a lot. If you don't want a lot of left overs, I would only use 8 oz of pasta.

Taco Pasta:

1 pound ground beef
1 package taco seasoning
1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
1 package (8 oz) shell macaroni, cooked and drained
1 can (4 oz) chopped green chiles
shredded cheddar cheese

In a skillet, brown ground beef over medium high heat. Drain and add taco seasoning, tomato sauce, and green chiles. Stir in cooked macaroni. At this point, you could either sprinkle some cheese on top and let melt and serve. Or, place in a 9x13 inch baking dish, top with cheese, and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until heated through.