Tamara's Chicken Caesar Wraps

I had a delicious Caesar wrap from Chili's years ago, which is where I got the inspiration. My kids LOVE this and so do I. And it's easy to make! My youngest likes the salad on the side, but he still eats all of it. You can use leftover grilled chicken or make it just for this meal. You don't even need to add anything because you have all four food groups, but it is good with a green smoothie. Half of a head of lettuce seems extreme for each one, but trust me...it's necessary and delicous. Serves 4.

Tamara's Chicken Caesar Wraps

2 large chicken breasts

2 Tbsp avocado or olive oil

1 Tbsp smoked paprika

1 1/2 tsp garlic salt 

1/2 tsp dried parsley flakes

1/2 tsp pepper, to taste (or more if you like spice)

4 burrito-sized flour tortillas

1 c shredded or sliced cheese

2 heads romaine lettuce

1/4 c creamy Caesar dressing*

Optional toppings: sliced avocado, sliced tomato, sliced cucumber

1. Preheat the grill to 375 degrees, or medium to medium-high. 

2. Cut chicken breasts in half length-wise (two long skinny pieces, each wrap will get a long skinny piece) and place in medium bowl. Drizzle oil over top. Sprinkle garlic salt and pepper over top. Toss to coat thoroughly with oil and spices (I use my hands but you can use tongs or a large spoon). This is where you can be creative and use any other spices you love. Place on preheated grill and cook 6-8 minutes on each side, or until center is no longer pink. Set aside about 10 minutes. Slice breasts into 1/2" strips, keeping each breast piece separate.

3. Meanwhile, wash and chop both heads of lettuce. Place in a large bowl and drizzle with dressing. (*my favorite is Ken's Steak House brand; add more or less to liking). Toss to coat then set aside.

4. Set oven to broil. Place one tortilla on a 1 1/2 foot long sheet of aluminum foil (or baking sheet). Spread sliced chicken breast (1/2 of a breast) along the center of the tortilla. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup cheese. Set under broiler; check after 1 minute. Once cheese is melted, remove from oven and set on plate; repeat until all tortillas have 1/2 of a chicken breast and melted cheese down the center. (You could microwave them, but  no more than 30 seconds per tortilla.)

5. Place the dressing-coated lettuce in the center of the tortilla, diving equally between the four plates. Add sliced avocado, tomato, and/or cucumber if using. Fold like a taco (my preference) or a burrito (my kids's preference). Serve immediately and enjoy!

Smoked Mahi Mahi

I love mahi mahi. It's healthy, delicious, more firm than other fish, and lacks that fishy taste (and super easy to make). My kids LOVED it, too! You can season anyway you like; the lemon pepper is a suggestion. Serve with sliced lemon, coconut rice and a steamed veggie. Serves 6. 

 Smoked Mahi Mahi 

 6 mahi mahi cuts 

 Olive oil, for coating 

 lemon pepper 

 garlic salt 

 1. Preheat smoker to 250 degrees; make sure the grates are clean. 

2. Pat mahi mahi cuts dry and coat in olive oil. Sprinkle both sides with lemon pepper; set aside until smoker reaches temperature. 

3. Place oiled and seasoned steaks on grill and close lid. Smoke 45 minutes to an hour, or until internal temperature reaches 145 degrees. Serve immediately.

Quesabirria Tacos (birria meat)

 

My husband has fallen in love with these fried tacos. I don't love them as much as him, but the meat is really good. The cinnamon adds a unique depth to the flavor. It can be used in enchiladas, street tacos, sopas, tostadas, anything, really! My kids love the meat, but found it a bit too spicy (they still ate it). Note that it takes hours to marinate and prepare! I tweaked a recipe from Rustic Family Recipes. Serves 8 +.

Quesabirria Tacos (birria meat)

2 lbs. beef chuck roast

4-5 short ribs, deboned

1 Tbsp. salt

1 tsp black pepper

1 10-oz can red enchilada sauce

1 7-oz can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce

1 Tbsp. chili powder*

3 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar

5 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 1/2 tsp oregano

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 c white onion, chopped

2 tsp ground cinnamon

2 bay leaves

32 oz. beef broth

16 yellow corn tortillas

1 1/2 c Oaxaca cheese, shredded

1. Prepare the meat: trim and cube the chuck roast and short ribs. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside in a large container with a lid.

2. Make the marinade: In a blender, place the enchilada sauce, chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chili powder (*cut to 1 tsp for less kick), apple cider vinegar, garlic, oregano, paprika, cumin, and cayenne pepper. Blend until smooth.

3. Pour sauce over meat in container. Apply lid. Refrigerate at least 1 hour.

4. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Drizzle 1Tbsp. olive oil on bottom of a french or dutch oven and heat over medium heat. Add chopped onion and saute 3 minutes or until softened. Add marinated meat and all of the sauce. Stir in cinnamon, bay leaves, and beef broth. Cover, add to preheated oven for 3 hours.

5. Remove stew from oven and pull apart with tongs and/or forks, removing fat and set aside. Stir to coat with sauce. Wa-la! The meat is finished.

6. If making quesabirria tacos, prepare a a paper towel-lined serving platter. Melt the reserved fat in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Dip one side of corn tortilla in stew sauce and place coated side down onto the heated skillet. Top tortilla with Oaxaca cheese. When cheese starts to melt, top with shredded beef and fold in half. Fry on both sides until crispy. Remove and set onto a paper towel-lined serving platter. Repeat with remaining tacos.

7. Top with more Oaxaca cheese and/or fresh cilantro, avocado, etc. Pour some remaining birria stew broth into a cup for a yummy dipping sauce.

Easy Enchiladas

I figured I'd add some easy enchiladas with red sauce for anyone who just doesn't know. For the filling, use cheese, pulled pork (like this or this), pulled beef, carne asada, pulled chicken (slow cooked in salsa), taco meat, etc. You can double the meat and leave out the cheese inside. I just LOVE cheese. Have your filling ready to assemble these babies. Serves 6.

 Easy Enchiladas

12 corn tortillas
1 10-oz can red enchilada sauce
2 c cheese, plus 1 c
2 c FILLING of choice

Topping ideas:
fresh cilantro, chopped
sour cream
sliced avocado
shredded lettuce
diced tomato

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat pile of tortillas in microwave 30 seconds, or until soft and pliable. 

2. Pour about half of the enchilada sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Dip one side of tortilla into sauce from pan. Place 1/12 portion of meat and cheese (about 2 1/2 Tbsp. of each) inside of the non-dipped side. Roll up and place in one side of pan. Repeat for the other 11 tortillas. Spread remaining enchilada sauce evenly over top of rolled-up enchiladas.

3. Cover with aluminum foil and bake in preheated oven 30 minutes. Remove foil and top with remaining 1 cup cheese. Bake uncovered 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Serve warm.

Candied Yams

 

These were a popular Thanksgiving favorite growing up and continue to be in my home. My kids LOVE them, even my guy with texture issues. They're practically a dessert! You can adjust the brown sugar and butter to make them a little healthier. Serves 8.

Candied Yams

4-5 large yams
salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 c butter
3/4-1 c packed brown sugar
bag of marshmallows, large or small

1. Place yams in large steamer (or boil them if you must). Steam about 30 minutes, or until knife enters the largest yam easily. OR steam them in pressure cooker for 10 minutes. Let cool and peel. 

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Chop yams into bite-sized pieces and place in 9x13 baking dish. Sprinkle yams generously with salt and pepper. 

2. Cut butter into small pieces (1/2 Tbsp. or so) and place evenly over yams. Crumble brown sugar evenly over top of yams. Top with marshmallows. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until marshmallows are melted and start to turn golden brown. 

Tuna poke bowl meat

Poke bowls are so healthy and delicious*! For those of you who don't know, they're warm rice with cold, raw (marinated) fish and veggies on top. It's basically a sushi bowl. We ate them as often as possible while we lived in Japan. This tuna recipe was SO GOOD. Next on my to-do list is find a sticky rice recipe. (For the first go-round we used sticky rice bowls you heat in the microwave from Costco.) Use any veggies you want, really, but my favorites are avocado (pretty much a must-have), shredded/thinly sliced carrot, diced cucumber, and sliced green onion. One restaurant in Japan even cracked a raw egg onto the hot rice. It was...kinda good, but I'm not trying it at home. Be creative! The kids don't love raw fish but they ate what they "had" to. Serves 4.

Tuna Poke Bowls
1 lb. sushi-grade tuna
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. sesame oil
1 Tbsp. rice vinegar
1 tsp. honey
4 c cooked sticky rice (warm)

Spicy Mayo
1/4 c. light mayonnaise
1 tsp siracha

Toppings
2 avocados, peeled and sliced
1/2 c peeled, shredded/sliced carrot
1 c peeled, diced cucumber
1/4 c sliced green onion
1 Tbsp. black sesame seeds

1. Dice tuna into 3/4" cubes. Add tuna, soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, and honey to a medium bowl. Toss to combine; let sit (marinade) while preparing veggies and spicy mayo.

2. Spicy Mayo: Add mayonnaise and siracha to a small bowl. Stir to combine; season with salt and pepper. If you want it spicier, add more siracha. Spoon into a plastic bag; cut a small corner tip off. Set aside.

3. Divide evenly between 4 bowls: cooked rice, top with tuna, sliced avocado, carrot, and cucumber. Sprinkle green onion and sesame seeds over top. Squeeze spicy mayo over all. Serve immediately.

*1 bowl has 490 calories, 60 g carbs, 10 g protein, 25 g fat, 4 g sat. fat, 2 mg cholesterol, 649 mg sodium, 754 mg potassium, 12 g fiber, 3 g sugar, 147 vitamin A, 12 mg vitamin C, 63 mg calcium, 3 mg iron.

Red Chili Sauce Pork

This is delicious pulled pork for enchiladas, tamales, burritos, tacos, or whatever any dish you use Mexican style pork! I used it in tamales and it was so delicious my picky kids even loved it. And it's super easy. Enjoy!

Red Chili Sauce Pork

1 1/2 lb. pork shoulder or butt 

1 28-oz can red enchilada sauce 

1 bay leaf 

1/2 tsp salt 

1/2 tsp onion salt 

1 tsp dried oregano 

1 tsp cumin 

1/2 tsp pepper 

1 clove garlic, minced 

 1. Mix enchilada sauce, bay leaf, salt, onion salt, oregano, cumin, pepper, and garlic in slow cooker. Add roast, turning to coat. 

2. Cook on low 8 hours, or until meat pulls apart easily with a fork.

3. Shred pork and mix in with sauce. Serve immediately.

Tamales Deliciosos

I love a good tamale, though they're often too dry. I found this recipe from someone who'd lived in Mexico and was taught by a sweet old lady. They're the best I've ever had! Note this is how to make the dough and cook them, you have to decide on and make a filling yourself. Have your filling ready before making the dough. This pork is perfect! Makes 24 tamales. 

Tamales Deliciosos (that's delicious tamales, gringo)

 

4 c Masa Harina (Maseca brand if available) 

3 c broth (chicken, beef, or vegetable) 

2 tsp baking powder 

1 tsp salt 1 tsp cumin 

1 1/3 c lard or shortening (use lard if available) 

8 oz package dried corn husks square piece of plastic wrap 

Filling ideas: red chili pork salda verde chicken refried beans and cheese authentic Mexican rice 

1. Get your filling ready so the dough won't dry out while it is prepared. 

2. Soak the corn husks in very hot water for 30 minutes, or until softened. 

3. Make dough: In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the lard and 2 Tbsp of broth until fluffy, 3-5 minutes. Combine the masa flour, baking powder, salt, and cumin in a separate bowl, stir into the lard mixture, and beat well with electric mixer. 

4. Add rest of the broth, little by little to form a very soft dough. Beat on high speed for several minutes. The dough should spread like creamy peanut butter and be slightly sticky. Cover the mixing bowl with a damp paper towel to keep the dough from drying out. 

5. Assemble: Lay a corn husk, glossy side up, on the counter with the wide end at top. Scoop about 1/4 c of dough onto the top center of corn husk. Lay a piece of plastic wrap over the dough and use hands to press and spread the dough into a thin layer--about 1/4 inch thick--along the top half of the corn husk (you need room to fold bottom half up). 

6. Place 2 Tbps of desired filling in a line down the center of the dough. 

 7. Fold one long side of the husk over the filling. Fold in the other long side, overlapping the first (like folding a brochure). Fold up the bottom half of the husk. Optional: shred pieces of a husk and use to tie tamales closed. It looks prettier and you can use the tie to differentiate different flavors, but it's unnecessary. 

8. Place tamales upright with the open end up into an instant pot or steamer pot. If using steamer, lay a few soaked corn husks or damp towel over the top of the tamales before closing the lid. 

9. Steamer: Bring water to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and steam for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Check after 45 minutes. Instant Pot: Cook on Manual/High Pressure for 25 minutes. Allow pressure to naturally release 10 minutes, then quick release. 

10: Check Tamales: Remove one tamale and try to pull the husk off. If it pulls away cleanly then they're done. If not, continue to cook and keep checking every 5-10 minutes. Store leftover tamales in the refrigerator for 5-7 days.