Chicken Enchilada Soup

Ingredients

• 2 Cups Beef Broth, fat free
• 2-3 Chicken Breast
• 1 Can Sweet Cream Corn (or half bag of frozen corn)
• 2 Cans Enchilada sauce
• 1 Can Rotel
• 1 Can Green chiles
• 1 Can Black beans, rinsed
• 1 Onion, chopped
• 1 Teaspoon Cumin
• 3 Teaspoons garlic, minced
• 1 Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese (or use reduced fat 2% milk)
• 1/2 Package Cream cheese (can use reduced fat)

Directions

1. Step One

   Put the first 11 ingredients in the slow cooker. (To make it a freezer meal, put these ingredients in a gallon freezer bag)

2. Step Two

   Cook on LOW for 6-8 hours.

3. Step Three

   Pull the chicken out and shred it. Use a hand mixer to blend everything else in the slow cooker. When you blend the beans up, it thickens the soup so you don't have to use masa or corn starch.

4. Step Four

   Add the cream cheese and 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese 30 minutes before cooking time is done.

5. Step Five

   In your bowl, top with black pepper and sprinkle with cheddar cheese, a dollop of sour cream (or Greek yogurt) and some broken up tortilla chips. If you want to make this soup healthier, use the low fat options indicated with the (parenthesis ).
6. 
   
7. From Crockin'Girls.com

Tortilla Soup

1 1/2 lbs. cooked chicken (3-4 breasts)
1/2 chopped onion
1 clove of garlic, chopped
oil (enough to saute onion and garlic)
32 oz. chicken broth
14.5 oz. can diced tomato with juice
8 oz. can tomato sauce
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp cilantro
1 tsp parsley
1 can rotel
1 tsp oregano
4-5 corn tortillas cut into strips

After cooking and tearing up chicken, saute onion and garlic until soft. Mix all ingredients together in a large pot and let simmer for a while! (the longer the better so the tortilla strips can get soft)

(From: Joy Haynes - I puree all of the veggies or "giblets" and then Chris loves it!)

Taco Pasta

1 lb. grass-fed ground beef

8-12 ounces medium pasta shells

1 small onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 (14 oz.) can diced tomatoes with mild green chilies, or just plain diced tomatoes

1 packet taco seasoning

3 ounces cream cheese

1/2 cup sour cream

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Salt and pepper

~ Directions: Cook pasta according to the package directions. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of pasta water. Set aside.  In a large skillet, cook the ground meat over medium-high heat until no longer pink. A few minutes before the meat is cooked through, add the chopped onion to the skillet. Once the meat is cooked through, mix in the garlic and cook about 30 seconds. Add in the diced tomatoes and taco seasoning and let simmer over medium heat for about 5 minutes.  Stir in the cooked pasta, cream cheese, sour cream and reserved pasta water, and continue stirring until the cream cheese is melted and the sauce is well blended. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer over medium-low heat 5 minutes to reduce the sauce a bit if it is still too thin.  Toss in the cilantro right before serving for some fresh color and flavor. Serve with a green salad.

(From: Green Cattle Blog)

Mexican Haystacks

1 lb. grass-fed ground beef

1 small can of tomato sauce

salsa

tortilla chips

1 can Ranch Style Beans

favorite toppings:  lettuce, tomato, avocados, sour cream, shredded cheese

~ Directions:  Brown beef then add tomato sauce and salsa to your liking.  Put some chips on a plate, top with beef, beans and all your favorite toppings.  Could not be any easier than that!

(From: GreenCattleBeef.com - Leslie is a friend from college and now lives in Lubbock with her cute family raising her three boys, cattle and other farm animals and always has great recipes!)

Tex-Mex Lasagna

2 C chopped cooked chicken
1 C chopped red bell pepper
1/4 C chopped fresh cilantro
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
1 (15.25oz) can corn, drained
1 (15oz) can black beans, drained
1 (15oz) can tomato sauce
1 (10oz) can Rotel
1 (8oz) can tomato sauce
2 tsp ground cumin
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1 (16oz) container sour cream
1 (8oz) package cream cheese, softened
6 oven ready lasagna noodles
1 (8oz) package Monterey Jack cheese with peppers, grated
1 (8oz) package Cheddar cheese, grated

In a Dutch oven, combine chicken and next 12 ingredients. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes.

In a medium bowl, combine sour cream and cream cheese.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 13x9x2-inch baking dish.

Spoon 1/3 of sauce into prepared dish. Top with 3 uncooked lasagna noodles. Spread 1/2 of sour cream mixture over noodles, top with 1/3 sauce. Sprinkle with half of cheeses. Repeat layers. Bake 35-45 minutes, or until hot and bubbly. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

(From Paula Dean Magazine (Sept/Oct 2010))

Touchdown Taco Dippers

(Prep Time: 20 minutes; Cook Time: 10 minutes; Makes 12 dippers)

1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 package (1 oz.) Lawry's Taco Spices & Seasonings
1/2 lb. ground beef
1 container (13.8 oz.) refrigerated pizza crust
12 mozzarella string cheese sticks
1 jar (16 oz.) prepared salsa

1) Combine oil with 1 teaspoon taco seasoning; set aside.
In sauce pan, heat salsa with 1 teaspoon taco seasoning; set aside.
2) In nonstick skillet, brown ground beef with remaining taco seasoning; drain, if desired.
3) Roll pizza crust into 10x18-inch rectangle. Cut in half lengthwise, then cut each half into 6
strips. Arrange 1 tablespoon beef mixture and 1 cheese stick down center of each piece. Fold
edges over, then pinch to seal tightly.
4) Arrange dippers on greased baking sheet, seam-side down; brush tops with oil mixture. Bake
at 400 degrees, 10 minutes or until golden. Serve with salsa.

(From: the coupon section of the paper; I made these last night for the first time and they were a big hit!)

Brisket Tacos

Cook in a slow cooker on high for 6 hours or low for 12.

1 medium well trimmed roast – I used shoulder
1 can Rotel tomatoes – I used mild
1 can chopped green chilis
1 can cream of onion soup
½ can of water

After cooking ¾ of the way add two cans of pinto beans. Enjoy in soft flour tortillas with whatever taco toppings you like! It make a lot!

(From: Jana Bishop - she brought this to us for dinner when Mackenzie was born and it was one of our favorites!)

Taco Rolls

½ lb. ground beef – cooked and drained
1 C shredded cheddar cheese
1 pkg. taco seasoning
2 t. water
2 pkgs. Crescent rolls
½ head of lettuce
1 med tomato
1 small onion
1 C salsa
1 C sour cream

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine meat, seasoning mix, cheese & water. Open crescent rolls and spoon meat mixture onto the largest part of the triangle. Pull up the sides and end of the roll around the meat mixture to enclose it. Bake 20-25 min.

The summer before Chris and I got married, he interned at First Baptist West Palm Beach under Keith Thomas and when the summer was over, I flew out to Florida to drive with him back to Texas. While there, the Thomas' had us over and they made these Taco Rolls that are now a Kouba Family Favorite!

Mexican Fiesta

4 lbs. ground beef
3 onions, chopped
2 large cans tomatoes
2 small cans tomato paste
4 T. chili powder
2-3 t. garlic salt
1 large can ranch style beans
1 large can tomato sauce

Directions:
Brown meat and drain grease. Add onions and all other ingredients and simmer and hour and a half. (This is good served with fresh fruit, green salad, or guacamole)

Serve in the following order:
1) Fritos (the regular small ones)
2) Meat mixture
3) White rice (8 servings)
4) Chopped red onion
5) Grated cheddar cheese
6) Chopped tomatoes
7) Lettuce
8) Green olives (chopped)
9) Chopped pecans
10) Coconut (1/2 bag)
11) Picante sauce
12) Raisins

This is a great meal to do for a lot of people. My mom served this up in Colorado a few summers ago when the Blanton and Burns families were all there for dinner.

Mexican Corn Casserole

2 C sweet creamed corn (1 can)
½ C of Wesson oil (try a little less than ½ cup)
2 eggs
½ C of Mexican corn bread mix (½ package)
¾ tsp. garlic salt
2 green peppers, chopped
1 C grated cheese

Mix above ingredients and back at 350˚ in a greased pan for 45 minutes.

(From: Ronda Kouba)

Chris' mom gave me this recipe and it is always one of our favorites!