Smoky Beef Tacos

These slow-simmer beef tacos have just the right amount of spice.

Prep: 15 minutes
Total: 2 3/4 hours

Ingredients

Serves 8

• 2 to 3 tablespoons chopped canned chipotle chiles in adobo
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 8 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 boneless beef chuck roast (about 3 pounds), excess fat trimmed
• 16 corn tortillas (6-inch), lightly toasted
• Avocado-Red Onion Relish
  

  Top off our Smoky Beef Tacos with this relish.

  Ingredients

  Makes 3 cups

  • 2 diced avocados
  • 1 finely chopped medium red onion
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
  • Salt and pepper

  Directions

• Combine avocados, red onion, and lime juice. Season with salt and pepper.
• 
  
• Corn-and-Tomato Salsa
• Cilantro-Lime Crema

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a heavy pot with a tight-fitting lid, stir together chiles, ketchup, 1 cup water, garlic, oregano, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
2. Cut beef into 4 equal pieces. Add to pot, and turn to coat. Cover, and bring to a boil; transfer pot to oven. Bake, covered, until beef is fork-tender, about 2 1/2 hours.
3. Transfer beef to a bowl. With a large spoon, skim off and discard fat from cooking liquid. Shred beef with two forks; moisten with cooking liquid as needed. Season with salt and pepper. Serve beef with tortillas and desired toppings.

tex mex beef enchaladas

Tex-Mex Beef Enchiladas

This recipe is easily doubled; you can bake one batch tonight and freeze another for a no-fuss weeknight meal.

Prep: 1 hour
Total: 1 hour 20 minutes

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Ingredients

Serves 4

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
• 1 can (14 1/2 ounces) reduced sodium chicken broth
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 small chipotle chile in adobo, minced, plus 1 tablespoon sauce (from a small can)
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3/4 pound lean ground beef
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 8 corn tortillas (6-inch)
• 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (6 ounces)
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Directions

1. Make sauce: In a medium saucepan, heat 1 1/2 tablespoons oil over medium. Add flour and cook, whisking occasionally, 1 minute. Add broth, chili powder, chipotle and adobo sauce, and 3/4 cup water; bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Reduce heat, and simmer until lightly thickened, about 10 minutes.
2. Make filling: In a 10-inch nonstick skillet, heat remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil over medium-high. Add onion, garlic, and beef; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until cooked through, about 8 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. (If freezing, don't place any sauce in baking dish.) Spoon 1/4 cup sauce in bottom of an 8-inch square baking dish. Set aside. Make enchiladas: Stack tortillas; wrap in foil, and warm in oven, 10 minutes. Fill each with a heaping 1/4 cup beef mixture and 2 tablespoons cheese; tightly roll up.
4. Raise oven heat to 450 degrees. Arrange enchiladas, seam side down, in baking dish. Top with remaining sauce; sprinkle with cheese. Bake, uncovered, until hot and bubbly, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes before serving. Serve garnished with cilantro and, if desired, a green salad.
   
   To freeze: make sauce and enchiladas; arrange enchiladas in baking dish without sauce (so tortillas don't become soggy). Place sauce in an airtight container. Cover dish with plastic wrap and foil. Label, date, and freeze enchiladas and sauce. Use within 2 months; bake without thawing.
   
   To bake from frozen: Thaw sauce in refrigerator overnight. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Remove foil and plastic wrap from baking dish. Pour sauce over top, and sprinkle with cheese; cover with foil. Bake 30 minutes. Uncover; bake until lightly browned and bubbly, about 15 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes; serve.
   
   If baking right away: Spoon 1/4 cup sauce in the bottom of baking dish; pour the rest over the enchiladas.

skillet lasagna

Skillet Lasagna

I LOVE this recipe. You get the taste of lasagna without all of the work. Lasagna is one of my favorites. I can't remember where I found it, but I know it was somewhere on line.

1 pound ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove minced garlic
1 1/2 cups diced tomatoes, undrained
1 1/4 cups water
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups bow tie pasta, uncooked
1 cup cottage cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Dash basil, pepper

In large skillet, brown beef with onions and garlic; drain. Add tomatoes, water, tomato sauce, parsley, basil, oregano, and salt. Mix well. Stir in uncooked pasta. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat; cover, simmer for 20 minutes or until pasta is tender, stirring once. Stir in cottage cheese. Cover with and Parmesan cheese, and sprinkle in basil and pepper to taste if desired. Cover and cook for 5 minutes.

My Tips:
* I usually just use dried chopped onion and garlic. It is just easier for me.
* I strain the cottage cheese before adding it.
* I only add 1 tsp. dried parsley.

Tomato Basil Soup

3 tablespoons olive oil (or butter)
1/4 cup grated onion
2 14.5 ounce cans diced tomatoes ( or 3 pounds fresh)*
1/4 teaspoon thyme
2 cup chicken or vegetable broth
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup fresh basil-remove stems
saltfreshly ground pepper.

In a 2 quart saucepan heat olive oil and saute onion until soft. Add tomatoes, thyme,basil and chicken broth. Simmer covered for about 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Using an immerson blender blend soup until smooth. Add baking soda, sugar and cream. Simmer slowly at very low heat without letting soup boil for 30-40 minutes to allow basil flavor to mellow. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper.

*If using fresh tomatoes peel, seed and chop, reserving any juice.