Make Pizza at Home Part 2: Taco Pizza

Taco Pizza, hot from the oven, topped with seasoned burger and cheddar and Monteray Jack cheese

Here's a different take on making pizza at home, Taco Pizza. This is NOT the fat and calorie laden fast food one you may be familiar with, but something my sister and I came up with years ago, when we REALLY wanted tacos but had no taco shells or corn tortillas to fry.
FIRST, I made my usual pizza crust recipe but instead of using 1T. cornmeal, I removed 1 T. flour and used 2 T. cornmeal.  I also dusted the crust liberally with a little more cornmeal. Then, instead of tomato sauce, I spread salsa over the uncooked crust. We like Chi Chi's Original in the medium heat. Don't be too generous with the salsa, just spread it evenly and thinly.
Next, I added some leftover taco meat (made from 93% lean ground beef, but whatever your family likes is fine) from dinner a few nights before. If you don't have any leftover meat, try spreading some refried beans on the crust BEFORE the salsa, and then you'll have a vegetarian version of this, which is just as tasty! Next, the pizza gets sprinkled liberally with cheddar and monterey jack cheeses, black olives and some roasted red peppers, diced up, and pickled jalapeno peppers. Into a 400 degree oven for about 17 minutes, and the result you see above!
Now, here's the twist: When you serve this pizza, top it like you would a taco. We used shredded lettuce, a little sour cream, as well as more salsa, jalapenos and cheese, because you can NEVER have enough cheese!  And, voila, an original creation that is super tasty. See the completed slice below:

A perfect slice of Taco Pizza, topped with lettuce, salsa, black olives and a little more cheese

Doesn't that look good? I promise -- you will LOVE this take on pizza! You'll never want to go back to that fast food pizza thingie from the place with the bell! Happy Holidays!

Chile Rellenos

Chile Rellenos

I've written before about my friends' mom in Tampa, Florida, who first introduced me to Mexican cooking. They were an Air Force family who came to Tampa by way of California. In Cali, they had an Hispanic maid, who taught them her way of cooking. My friends' mom taught me at the tender age of 14, because I was SO taken with this way of cooking. I've been cooking the dishes she showed me ever since, and they are always a big hit!

When she first taught me how to make chile rellenos, there was no great abundance of fresh peppers in the markets like there are now. Over the years, I've tried this dish with different kinds of fresh peppers, but I always come back to the original canned peppers. They are peeled, ready to use and just the right size for an appetizer or a side dish! If you want a bigger version, like the ones sold in so many Mexican Restaurants, you can try a poblano pepper or any that you like, but this is what I've used for many years:

Canned Chilies for Chile Rellenos

Whole Chilies draining on paper towels

First, you need to lay the chilies out on a paper towel and drain them, like this:
Next, mix up the batter:

1/2 c. Bisquick

1 large egg

1/4 c. beer

Mix this well, pressing a fork into the mixture to get rid of all the lumps. You will have enough batter for about 6 of these smaller sized chilies. Most cans have 3 to 5 chilies in them, so if you need more, you'll have to buy 2 cans. I made four and discarded the rest of my batter. (NOTE: this batter is good for onion rings too!!)

Now, stuff your chilies:

1/4 med. onion, finely minced

about 2 ounces of white cheddar cheese, cut into rectangles and slightly tapered at the bottom

Put a few pieces of onion into the bottom of the chile, then slide in the cheese and stuff in a little more onion. Make sure to cut the onion VERY finely and slice the cheese into a shape that will fit your chilies!

Preheat about half an inch of vegetable oil in a large skillet. The oil is ready when a drop of the batter sizzles and floats to the top when dripped into the skillet. If the the oil starts to smoke or the drop to burn your oil is too hot.

While the oil is preheating, put the chilies carefully into the batter and turn them over until they are completely coated, including the open tops. Plenty of batter will prevent your cheese from melting out of the chile.

Place them carefully into the hot cooking oil, and drizzle a little more batter on the side facing up ( a small tsp. works well for this, just be careful so the oil does not pop and splatter). Let them fry for a minute or 2 and turn them over, keeping the oil hot enough to sizzle but not burn. Cook them until they are golden brown. Serve with a little salsa if desired. Enjoy!

Yummy Chile Rellenos, topped with salsa and cheese oozing out!

Hurricane Irene and Fish Tacos

Fish Tacos, Refried Beans, Guacamole and Chips -- Yum!

Hurricane Irene is ON TOP of us, here in Midlothian, VA -- winds are blowing, and the rain is coming in sideways! What to do? COOK of course!

I love fish tacos in the restaurants, but was hesitant to try them here at home. I really don't know why, except that I'd never made a fish taco before, and I want everything I cook to turn out delicious! I am sometimes unwilling to try something new out of fear that it might not be THAT good, but what a silly attitude.

We must try new things in order to grow, right?? !! ??
So, here's my take on Fish Tacos. They are measured against Cabo Fish Tacos in Blacksburg VA, where I have never eaten, but where my family keeps RAVING about and sets the standard as far as Fish Tacos go. I hope you enjoy them, we did! I think, after about 4 tries, I nailed it!

I like to make the slaw for the tacos earlier in the day, so that the flavors can meld.

Tilapia Fish Tacos with Jalapeno Slaw
4 tilapia fillets
2 limes
soft, fresh corn tortillas
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. cumin
dash cayenne
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray. Lay your fillets side by side and squeeze 1/2 of one of the limes over them. Spray the fish lightly with a little more cooking spray and sprinkle on your spices evenly. Be careful with the cayenne pepper if you are not a fan of spicy! (You could even substitute paprika to get the color without the heat, but it will change the taste a little.)
Bake them for about 20 minutes. Squeeze a little more lime juice over the fish and chop it all up -- no knife really required with tilapia -- and put it into a bowl for serving. Warm your tortillas up just a little, wrapped in a damp towel.

Jalapeno Slaw
1/2 of a small to medium green cabbage ( you need about 2+ cups shredded)
1 T. finely minced onion
1 jalapeno, seeds mostly removed, finely minced
1 small bunch cilantro, stems removed and chopped
Juice of 1 lime
2 rounded T. light mayo (I like Dukes)
1/2 tsp. sugar
salt to taste
1 T. cider vinegar
zest of 1/2 lime
First, make your dressing:
In a small bowl, combine mayo, lime juice, sugar, vinegar, lime zest and a pinch of salt. If your lime is not juicy and the dressing looks too thick, add a little more vinegar until it thins out.
Next, thinly shred your cabbage until you have 2 heaping cups. Add the onion cilantro and jalapeno and toss until well combined. Pour your dressing over and mix well. At this point I put the slaw into the refrigerator and stir it a few times to let it all come together.

To serve your tacos, put a few spoonfuls of fish on a warm corn tortilla and top with a little slaw. We like this with jazzed up, fat free re fried beans and some guacamole! Oh, guacamole!! See the recipe below:

Fantastic guacamole
2 ripe avocados
juice of one lime
a little garlic salt
2 T. of your favorite salsa
1 heaping T. light sour cream
a few dashed of hot sauce or 1/2 minced jalapeno
Put your avocado into a nonreactive bowl (not metal). Squeeze your lime juice all over it and sprinkle with garlic salt. Mash this with the back of fork or mince up with a knife. Mix in the salsa and sour cream and either the hot sauce or the minced jalapeno. If not serving immediately, place some clear plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the guacamole. This will help to keep it from turning brown.

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Once again, I find myself craving Mexican food, specifically Chicken Enchiladas Suizas from the of blessed memory Richmond fave, La Siesta. Those ooey, gooey, cheesey, rich white sauced enchiladas, loaded with fat and calories. What's a girl to do? Gotta' have 'em! So, to satisfy my craving and not break the bank -- uh, calorie bank that is -- I created this casserole, using leftover baked chicken (rotisserie from the store works fine) and some lower fat, lower cal ingredients. I also eliminated frying the tortillas briefly in oil, as most recipes call for, which helps out. I bet you are going to like this one, next time you want something rich and creamy!

Beth's Chicken Enchilada Casserole
2 cups cooked chicken, diced, skin removed
6 corn tortillas
1 c. shredded cracker barrel 2% milk low fat sharp cheddar cheese
1 c. shredded monterey jack cheese
1 can chopped green chilies, divided use 1 can 98% fat free cream of chicken or mushroom soup
1/3 c. light sour cream 
1/4 c. salsa verde
1 green onion, sliced, green and white parts
6 black olives, halved (optional)
Cooking spray

First make your sauce: In a medium bowl, mix together 1/2 of the canned chilies, soup, sour cream and salsa verde. Remove 1/2 c. of this mixture and in another bowl, mix it with the chicken, the remaining green chilies and the sliced green onion.
Cut your tortillas into four pieces. Spray an 8X8" square baking dish with cooking spray. Take 3 of the tortillas (12 pieces) and layer them in a single layer on the bottom of the dish. Dump in the chicken mixture and spread it evenly over the tortillas. Add the two cheeses. Cover this with the remaining 12 pieces of tortillas. Spread all of the remaining sauce over the top of this as evenly as you can. Sprinkle with the halved black olives if desired. Bake it covered with foil, low and slow, about 325 degrees for 50 minutes to 1 hour until it is hot and bubbly. Let it cool at least 10 minutes before you cut it, to give it a chance to come back together. Makes 6 big pieces. We like to serve it with fat free refried bean from the can, gussied up with a few spoonfuls of our favorite salsa and topped with some shredded lettuce. My son insists I serve guacamole with it too, but he's a growing boy and can take the calories better than his old mom!

Eating Healthy Mexican

My family loves "Mexican" food. I put that in quotes because I suspect, like "Chinese" food, the Mexican food we eat here bears very little resemblance to the real thing. I learned to cook Mexican from a friends mother, an air force wife, who had just been transferred to Florida after 5 years in California. She taught me 3 basic recipes for taco filling, cheese enchiladas and chile rellenos. We could not get queso fresco at that time in Florida, at least not in our mainstream, suburban grocery store, so she substituted, of all things, velveeta cheese. I imagine because of the texture. It was while living in Florida -- I am an army brat -- that I also learned to love Cuban food. The lunch ladies who ran the cafeteria at my junior high school were all Cuban, and man oh man, cuban chili with rice, black beans and rice, cooked pork and cuban bread were the food of the day many days in that little school cafeteria! Sorry, I digress, as my point was to talk about eating healthy, mexican food. Here are some recipes that I found in a Cooking Light cookbook. I've made them both several times, and they were a big hit with my family. I've made a few modifications to suit our taste, and you can too! Have fun and be creative! Spicy Black Bean Soup 6 oz turkey sausage, spicy if you like it, if not get keilbasa, sliced 1 cup diced green, yellow or red peppers, or a combo of all 3 1/2 small onion, small dice cooking spray 14.5 oz. can of fat free, low sodium chicken broth or stock 1 (15 oz.) can of black beans, rinsed and drained juice of 1/2 lime a few drops of tabasco sauce 1/4 cup of your favorite salsa 4 T. low fat sour cream chopped cilantro or flat leaf parsley Coat a non stick sauce pan with cooking spray and put it on medium heat. Add sausage, onion and green peppers. When sausage begins to brown, add the veggies get a little tender, add the chicken broth and bring it to a boil. Reduce heat to low, add beans and salsa, and simmer, covered, for about 15 minutes. When done, squeeze in the juice of the lime. Divide amoung 4 bowl, top each with one T. light sour cream and cilantro or parsley, if desired. This makes 4 one cup servings. Approx. 172 (without sour cream) 4.5 grams of fat and 3 grams of fiber. Check your sour cream for it's calorie and fat content or leave it off. Serve it with Speedy Quesadillas 4 - 8" fat free tortillas (look for the kind with 2 or more grams of fiber in them) 1 cup Cracker Barrel reduced fat cheddar cheese 1/4 cup green onions cooking spray Coat one side of a tortilla with cooking spray and lay it in your skillet. Top with 1/2 cup of the shredded cheese and half of your green onions. Top w/another tortilla and spray that with cooking spray. Cook about 2 minutes over med - high heat and turn it over. It should be lightly brown. Remove the first one and do it again. Cut each one into 6 wedges, for a total of 12. Serves 4 people, 3 wedges each, approx. 198 calories, 5.6 grams of fat and 2 grams of fiber.