Mexican and Southwestern Food Recipes
Classic Guacamole
The best guacamole keeps it simple: ripe avocados plus a short list of flavorful add-ins in just the right amounts. Perfect as a dip, in tacos, on sandwiches, burrito bowls, and more. I tend to tuck recipes away and wait for what I hope will be just the right occasion for my readers. This…
Slow Cooker Mexican Flank Steak
Slow Cooker Mexican Flank Steak combines veggies and lean protein in one, easy-to-assemble meal that can be customized with a variety of toppings. It’s family-friendly and worthy of a spot on the weekly rotation! I’m a big fan of recipes that incorporate a variety of vegetables with a basic protein in one,…
Loaded Tex-Mex Potatoes
I have a random memory of a bitterly cold day last winter. I was standing in front of the washing machine, folding laundry. It was such a simple task, yet I was completely exhausted. Folding one more shirt or matching one more pair of socks seemed just plain impossible. As I slumped over my pile,…
Chipotle Turkey Lentil Chili
Lentils replace the beans while ground turkey stands in for beef in this spin on the traditional bowl of chili. It does so with a relatively short list of ingredients and a familiar flavor profile that even my kids enjoy! With their own distinct crusts and toppings, various cities and restaurant chains lay claim…
3-Ingredient Pizzadillas
A short list of ingredients yields delicious results in this speedy, hand-held recipe that’s easy to make and fun to eat. A delightful accompaniment to soups and salads, pizzadillas are great game-day fare, too! Thirty minute meals are convenient, but sometimes we need to crank out some seriously fast–or just plain fun–food.…
3-Ingredient Mexican Cheese Bites
A curious thing happened a few days after my Mango Chicken Chili recipe appeared in this column a few months back. The chili recipe included mango salsa as a key ingredient. Figuring this might not be a regular grocery list item for many readers, I mentioned two reliable brands. Several days later, I received…
Slow Cooker Spicy Mango Chicken Chili
A couple of Sundays ago, this recipe appeared in my weekly newspaper column. A few days later, I received an email from Jane from Mrs. Renfro’s salsa company thanking me for mentioning their product. As a thoughtful gesture, she offered to send me any four of their products. I truly love the flavor and ingredients…
Freezer Breakfast Burritos
A little advance prep will reward you with a freezer full of these loaded burritos, and a helpful tip explains how they can go from freezer to microwave without getting soggy! Three summers ago, we hopped on the backyard chicken bandwagon. My husband had a small flock as a boy, and my kids had…
Slow Cooker Cilantro Lime Chicken Tacos
Whether it is kids’ sports practices, crazy work schedules, meetings, or a class at the gym, weekdays can be especially full. Everyone seems busy, it’s just the details that are different! I often find myself cooking extra on the weekends to guarantee a couple of quick meals throughout the week. There are many nights when…
Barbecued Bean Salad
A crowd-pleasing, family-friendly alternative to baked beans, this protein-rich salad can be prepared in advance and the flavor improves over time. As I walked to school with my younger son one morning last month, he mentioned that his 6th grade history class’s Colonial unit would be culminating with a special lunch. All students were…
Balsamic Lime Vinaigrette
As many of you know, I’m a big fan of homemade dressings and vinaigrettes. Typically, they are easy to mix up with ingredients readily had on hand and the flavors have the ability to turn a basic recipe into something fantastic. As an added bonus, there’s usually a cost savings over store-bought varieties and no…
Loaded Dinner Nachos
You could say it was love after the first neatball! In all seriousness, I was truly skeptical when Laura Lapp first offered me a bite of the healthy meat alternative that she crafted in her kitchen. But it tasted great. By way of background, Laura began her experimentation process to address her two daughters’ decision…
