Crunchwraps at Home

I really, really enjoy reading recipes and seeing all the amazing things people are cooking up all over the internet. It inspires me and motivates me to try new things with my family. Sandra, at Full Bellies, Happy Kids, never disappoints and I owe this recipe to her! I'm just going to show you how we recreate the fast food crunch wrap, which ironically, I've never eaten there! I've only heard about it and when I saw Sandra make it I knew I had all those ingredients and should give it a go in lieu of our regular taco night.

Making our own Crunch Wraps:

You'll need:
taco meat
sour cream (optional)
lettuce- shredded iceberg is better than green leaf (I was out for these pics)
cheese
chips/Doritos
refried beans for the non-meat eaters
tomatoes
burrito sized flour tortillas

Step 1: Warm your tortilla slightly in the microwave or on your skillet. If you like sour cream, go ahead and shmear it on your tortilla first, then top with taco meat and shredded cheese

Step 2: Add shredded lettuce and some chips, we chose Doritos because they're fun and tasty. You could also add some tomatoes on top of the lettuce and some more cheese on top of the chips, you're world.

 Step 3: practice origami with your tortilla. You're going for a hexagon like shape, so begin by folding in one side and then work your way around clockwise until all the food is tucked inside

Step 4: Carefully flip it onto a skillet, you could butter it or not. Press down slightly to seal it all in there!

Step 5: Pretty or not, bring them all to the table and CHOW DOWN!

Mexican Pizza ~ 10.1.11

I've been declaring my love for *Pinterest* on my other blog, but really, it has provided the Crafty Cafe patrons a wonderful assortment of good eats over the past 2 months!

Lately, I've been craving Mexican-inspired foods. I haven't stepped foot in or driven through a Taco Bell drive thru in over 5 years and suddenly.... the bean burrito is my new best friend! LOL
So, when I saw this recipe for Mexican pizza using ingredients I almost ALWAYS have on hand... I was sold and knew it would make the list of recipes to try immediately!

But first, a good salsa is not a bad thing to have in your fridge and this homemade restaurant-style version from Ree is a winner! It's been on my to-try list for awhile, anyway, so Mexican pizza and the fact that I didn't have a jar of salsa on hand at all were the perfect reasons to give it a go!

It comes together super-duper fast, if you have a food processor. And Thankfully, I do! But if you don't, I bet a blender would do the trick.

PW's Restaurant Style Salsa

And that wonderful creation goes beautifully inside this next recipe for Mexican Pizza.

Here's the original post that I saw and my take on the recipe! I don't have exact amts b/c it all depends on how many you're making it for. I usually get all the ingredients ready so that throughout the week, I can have mexican pizza whenever I want it!

Mexican Pizza
my version

tortillas- I like whole wheat
1 can refried beans- I choose the one with least amt of sodium and opt for vegetarian - we are going to doctor these up!

couple green onions- chopped
salsa of your choice
couple tomatoes- chopped
shredded cheese- colby jack is good
optional: onion, jalapeno, sour cream, taco sauce

Preheat your oven and line a pan with foil.
Take 2 tortillas and brush them with a little canola oil.
Place in oven for about 10 min.
While the tortillas as warming/crisping-- heat your refried beans in a small saucepan. Add in a 1/4 cup water,  couple Tbs chopped onion (no, thank you), 1 tsp taco seasoning (if none, use a little cumin and chili powder and garlic powder), I added some of my fave- Adobo seasoning and a couple turns of freshly gr black pepper.
Let the beans heat on the stovetop, on low, careful not to burn.
Chop your veggies and grate your cheese- some tomato, green onions and if you'd like more heat- jalapeno

Take the tortillas out and build your pizza!
1. spread a good amt of beans on one tortilla. Add a dollop of salsa- not too much.
2. top with second tortilla and spread a dollop of salsa on that and add some chopped veggies: tomato, green onion and jalapeno
3. Top it all with cheese and put it back in the oven for about 12 min.

Remove from oven, slice and serve! Ole!

Southwestern Tomato & Pinto Bean Soup ~ 3.31.11

[ in a perfect world this soup would be flipped counterclockwise to appear normal. but blogger doesn't like me and I want you to see the soup all pretty in the bowl. so just tilt your head for me, to the right. there.. doesn't that look delish?]

I'm pretty sure many of you know by now my love for all things tomato, especially tomato soup (see here and here)!

I've had this in my 'to try' file for far too long so it was time to give it a go. This year, during Lent, I'm working hard on planning my menu for the week and using recipes that are simple and as many meat free choices as I can. It's been a great experiment and I'm writing down what we're having on a calendar I received for free from half price books! I love sitting down and thinking through what we'll have for the week and looking back to see what we've already eaten!

So this recipe that I clipped 6 yrs ago from Eating Well magazine was right up my Lenten alley. It has just the right amt of kick in it if you used the fire roasted canned tomatoes. And I just loved the addition of the crispy tortillas that took just a few extra minutes of my time, but were well worth it in the end.

If you're looking for a little bit of a twist on traditional tomato soup and you love the flavors of the southwest, please do yourself a favor and make a batch of this very soon!

Southwestern Tomato and Pinto Bean Soup

ingredients:
2 corn tortillas
1 can diced green chiles or 1 poblano chile
1- 15 1/2 oz can pinto beans, rinsed
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, diced fine
1 cloves garlic, minced
2 1/2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
1- 14 1/2 oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes, not drained!
1/2 tsp cumin
couple shakes red cap Goya Adobo seasoning (optional)
1/3  cup reduced fat sour cream, garnish
1 Tbs coarsely chopped cilantro- I think this made the soup stellar
1 lime, wedged, for garnish

instructions:
1. preheat oven to 425. stack tortillas and cut into strips, then in half again. you want smallish strips. scatter on baking pan or stone and toast about 10 minutes
2. Meanwhile, if using a fresh poblano ( I did not), roast it over a gas burner, turning often with tongs, until the skin is blackened, about 10 minutes. Place in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let steam 5 min. to loosen skin. Scrape off skin, core and remove seeds and inner membranes and cut into 1/2 inch dice.
3. Mash 1/2 cup beans in a small bowl with a fork. Set mashed and whole beans aside.(Alternatively- you could save 1/2 a can of beans out of the soup and puree the whole pot with a stick blender or regular blender, then pour the soup back in the pot, add the whole beans and heat- I say this again, below)
4. Heat oil in soup pot over med heat, add onion and cook, until softened, 3-4 min. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, 30 sec. Add broth, tomatoes, cumin, green chiles, beans (all), bring just to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered, 10 min. (I believe I left out the whole beans initially and pureed the soup a bit before adding in the pintos- I like my soup a little creamier and chunky, so go for what you like)
5. Ladle into bowls and garnish with sour cream, cilantro, tortilla strips and lime wedge. Enjoy!

{original recipe called for more beans and more broth, I cut it in about half and still had plenty of beans and soup!)

Brunch staples ~ 1.10.11

Southwest Sausage Bake
adapted from Taste of Home

6-10 flour tortillas, cut into 1/2 inch strips
4 cans chopped green chiles, drained
1 1/2 lbs bulk sausage, cooked and crumbled (I used a package of sweet turkey sausage that I squeeze out of the casing and then cook and crumble)
8 oz shredded jack cheese (I use some pepper jack, too)
10 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp each salt, garlic salt, onion salt, pepper, cumin, (Adobo seasoning, my addition)
paprika
4-5 Roma tomatoes, sliced
sour cream & salsa- to garnish

grease 9 x13 inch baking dish, layer half of the tortilla strips to cover the bottom of the dish.
Sprinkle sausage crumbles, chiles, cheese on the bottom layer. Repeat until you have three layers, you may need more tortillas, so adjust and go with the flow.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs, milk and seasonings; pour over all the layers. Sprinkle with paprika, cover and refrigerate overnight.

Remove at least 30 minutes before baking (Sometimes I'll take it out before church and then bake it when I get home)
Bake, uncovered, 350 degrees for 50 minutes. While it bakes, slice your Roma tomatoes to place on top of the casserole. After 50 minutes, put the toms on top and bake an additional 10 minutes or until a knife comes out clean. 10 should do it.

Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.

The recipe says 12 servings, but it's so filling, you could get 24 out of this 9x13 dish. I served 8 adults and 9 kids (granted not all the kids ate it, mine love it) and STILL had half of this leftover!


Shredded Potato Casserole

{this recipe was given to me by my good friend, Rachel. It's been a hit for years and I cannot have a brunch without it. I will get in BIG trouble if this casserole is not present! I have adapted the recipe to fit my tastes, but I'm writing the original here with my adaptations in parenthesis.}

1 bag shredded potatoes- thawed
1 cup cubed Velveeta (I use 8oz shredded cheddar)
1 onion, grated or minced really fine
1 container (small) french onion dip
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup of sour cream (light)

**the last time I made this I used Tastefully Simple's Onion Onion in place of the french onion dip AND the minced onion. It was lacking onion flavor, so if you're going to skimp on something, don't skimp on the fresh onion! I used a whole cup of sour cream and 2 Tbsp of Onion Onion in lieu of the french onion dip. See, versatile, use what you have or just stick to the original recipe. I thought it was still pretty good.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix all the ingredients except the potatoes.
After all the ingredients are incorporated, add the potatoes and mix.
Put in a greased 9x13 baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese and dot with 4 Tbs butter (I've skipped that and no one was the wiser)
Cover and bake 30 minutes. THEN, uncover and bake 20 minutes more. Test to see that it's hot all the way through by inserting a knife and touching the blade to see if it's nice and hot.

Southwest Stuffed Peppers ~ 11.19.10

This recipe hails from my cousin, Karen, who is a foodie like myself. In fact, she, too, has a wonderful food blog that I think you should check out: Farmhouse Foodie.

She made these stuffed peppers one summer and I was an instant fan. I make my own version of an enchilada sauce that I found via Creatively Domestic and combined it with my cousin's recipe. I really recommend you just make it yourself, it's so simple to throw together and it's definitely more economical.  I swap out a few extra ingredients and use one jar of Tastefully Simple's Corn, Black Bean Salsa. You can adjust the heat on these according to your family. I've been making it with a bit more kick each time I throw it together!

Southwest Stuffed Peppers
from my cousin, Karen DiPasquale

6 large red peppers (I just buy the red/orange/yellow asst. at Sam's club)- you can cut these the way you like, I prefer cut crosswise and cored. I have steamed them to remove some liquid but it's not a necessary step
1 pkg sweet turkey sausage: browned and crumbled- you buy the links and squeeze out the sausage from the casing- flatten it and saute until browned and cooked through
8 oz pkg corn bread stuffing
8 oz Monterey Jack cheese (or Pepper Jack for more heat)
1/2 can chicken broth (the last time I made this I added beef broth by accident- it was FINE!)
1 jar Tastefully Simple Corn, Black Bean Salsa (or any store brand you like OR 1 15 oz can diced tomatoes; 1/2 can black beans;1 cup frozen corn)

Combine all in a large bowl. Scoop into peppers. Pour a little sauce on the bottom of 9x13 pan and then add filled peppers. Pour sauce over the top of peppers and bake covered for 30 minutes at 350 degrees, Uncover and bake 30 minutes more. Can add additional sprinkling of cheese at the end.

Enchilada Sauce:
1 Tbs veg oil
1 onion, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 of a chili (from chiles in adobo sauce can)
2 tsp cumin
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp sugar
1 large can tomato sauce (you can add an additional small can and it will give you extra sauce to freeze or to have to reheat these)
1/2 cup water

Cook onion and garlic in veg oil. Add spices and stir and coat the onion- about 30 sec. Stir in tomato sauce and water. Simmer until warmed through and slightly thickened- about 5 minutes. Season with S &P.

These are great served with Lime Cilantro Rice and an ice cold beer!

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas ~ 11.9.09

(Enchiladas just do not photograph well... I tried this in a few different places and this will have to suffice.)

This recipe was posted over at The Sister's Cafe and I've made it twice now. The kids wouldn't touch it the first time and the second time... they gobbled it UP! Love the sweet and spicy combination of these and that they do not contain any condensed soups. So many enchilada recipes are just heavy and laden with those soups (sorry if you like that type). These are more my style. I added cilantro to my chicken mixture  because it just works well with all the flavors and because I had some in the fridge that I needed to use up.

Honey Lime Enchiladas
via The Sisters Cafe with my creative license added

about 2 cups of cooked chicken - pulled/shredded (or pork)

Marinade:
Mix together:
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup lime juice
1 Tbs chili powder ( may need to use less for my weaklings next time)
1 tsp garlic powder

2 cans green enchilada sauce or 1 can and some green salsa (it worked and I had some salsa to use up)
1/2 cup heavy cream 

shredded monterey jack- some for inside and lots of ON TOP!
(the Sisters use a combo of mozzarella and cheddar)

flour tortillas - I like the wheat ones

Directions:
Mix together your sauce ingredients and add them to the chicken (or pork). Let marinate for about 30 minutes. I've let mine sit overnight.

Lightly spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray. Pour in some enchilada sauce- just enough to coat the bottom of the pan.
Fill the tortillas with an ice cream scoop of filling and cheese (oh, I mixed in the cheese with my marinated chicken mixture right before I filled the tortillas). Roll them up and line them up in your pan. I had to squeeze one along the side, but I believe I wedged 10-12 of them in there. You can always carry over to another pan if you need to do so.

Mix remainder of the green enchilada sauce with 1/2 cup whipping cream. Pour over the enchiladas and top, generously, with more cheese! I also sprinkled some chopped cilantro on top.
Bake uncovered at 350 for 30 minutes. Turn on the broiler and let the cheese get all brown and crispy on top- just a few minutes should do the trick!

Serve with a side of Lime Cilantro Rice with pineapple!

another not so photogenic shot of these delicious little treats!

Review: Walking Tacos ~ 10.12.09

Today's meal is brought to you by Corona and Doritos.

Kidding. But they go great together and are somehow involved in this meal I'm about to share.
I was reminded it of it last weekend while I was at Applefest up in Franklin, Pa. Tons and tons of food vendors and I saw a sign for walking tacos! You're going to love this recipe. I discovered it over at Mennonite Girls can Cook and/or Bless Us O Lord- maybe both.


A walking taco (they're a.k.a. campfire tacos) is: all your essential taco ingredients contained in a very convenient little bag of doritos! Brilliant!

I love them that way b/c :
a) my kids can eat them without tears (they get SOOOO very frustrated when their taco shell breaks and all the stuff pours out of them) and
b) they're so darn fun!

You can make whatever taco meat recipe your little heart pleases, I prefer the America's Test Kitchen one which I'll post down below. You get all your taco ingredients together in little bowls and you buy a bunch of little bags of doritos (Target has them and Walmart, too)- you can buy JUST snack size doritos, as I discovered when I went to make these the first time around.

Here we have taco meat, shredded lettuce, taco sauce, tomatoes, avocados, monterey jack cheese and queso.

Open up your dorito bag and fold the top over just a little. Scoop in your taco fillings, mix it up and bit and eat it with a fork or spoon. Grown ups, add corona with lime. YUM!

If you have leftovers, you can scoop all the ingredients onto broken up pieces of taco shells or tortilla chips.... fun and yummy snack! Little open-faced tacos. Taco bruschetta. Whatever, it's good.

My favorite taco meat recipe:

Beef Tacos - serves 4; (can double, but you'll want to cook the meat in batches)

2 tsp veg oil

1 small onion, chopped small

3 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed

2 Tbs chili powder

1 tsp gr cumin

1 tsp gr coriander (I don't have this)

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

salt

1 pound 90% lean ground beef

1/2 cup tomato sauce

1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth

1 tsp brown sugar

2 tsps vinegar, preferrably cider vinegar

black pepper

• Heat oil to medium and saute onion until softened, about 4 minutes.
• Add the garlic and spices and 1/2 tsp salt; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute
• Add ground beef and cook, breaking up with spoon and scraping the bottom of the pan to prevent scorching, until the beef is no longer pink, about 5 minutes.
• Add the tomato sauce, broth, brown sugar and vinegar; bring to a simmer.
• Reduce heat to med-low and simmer uncovered, stirring frequently and breaking the meat up so that no chunks remain, until the liquid has reduced and thickened (the mixture should not be completely dry), about 1o minutes.
• Adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper to taste.
  
  
  

Creamy Latin Pasta Salad ~ 5.20.09

This would make a great side dish for your Memorial Day picnic this weekend! It is THE OFFICIAL start of summer and I'm hoping the weather cooperates with the calendar b/c we intend to grill!

Oh how I love a grilled burger or veggies or hot dog or... anything!

I made this when I had the twin's birthday party back in March. We went for a Mexi-themed party and I served Beef and Bean chimichangas, Sweet Potato Burritos, Taco cups (for the kids) and this Creamy Latin Pasta Salad. OH and my favorite Black Bean Salsa made an appearance as well!

So Friday night, 2 days before the party... I was just, you know, looking around on the web for what I was going to make. I already knew the main course, I just needed my sides. AND I went looking to Ingrid Hoffman of Food Network fame.

This recipe doesn't disappoint. It lives up to it's creamy name and gets it's latin flavors from cilantro and lime juice. I add whatever veggies I have around the kitchen. But, the past 2 times I've made it, black and green olives and grap tomatoes have always been present!

Give this a try if you're tired of the same old Italian pasta salad and you'll be glad you did. I just wish my kids liked pasta salad- I think they can't get past the "it's pasta and it's cold" thing. their loss.

Here's what you need and how do make it!

1 lb rotini pasta --- cook to al dente in boiling salted water

Dressing (I double this!- the salad seems to be too dry without adding more dressing)
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves
1 lime juiced
S&P

place all the dressing ingredients in a blender and whirl until smooth and creamy. toss with drained pasta and fold in your add ins....

Add ins:
choppped black olives
chopped green olives
zucchini- I cut into thin slices, stack and then cut into strips
red pepper
red onion (no thank you)
grape tomatoes- cut in half
thin sliced ham
jicama- thinly sliced
1 cup frozen peas

Chill, covered, for at least 2 hours. Mix before serving and taste to see if you need to add a bit more dressing. I did. It seemed dry. As I didn't want to add too much more, I added a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil to loosen it up a bit.

Makes 6-8 servings, at least. I'd say more. I only made this much and had plenty for our large group of 25 + people ('cause not everyone eats it...)!

Sweet Potato Burritos! Ole~ 4.24.09

Now with PICTURES!

I've had this recipe dog-eared to try for a LONG time, but I could never justify making it b/c I figured I would be the only one eating it. It does sound like a strange combination, but trust me, it is so darn good! I've made them twice now since the first attempt and may try sticking to the recipe a bit more. I would say I'm often "inspired" more by recipes lately, than I am at making them verbatim. Nothing wrong with that, it helps me be more creative in the kitchen!

I made these along with another recipe from the same cookbook for Z & D's second birthday a few weeks back. A good crowd pleaser and 5 thumbs up from me! It does help if you like sweet potatoes b/c they are the star ingredient!

Addictive Sweet Potato Burritos
inspired by Allrecipes dinner tonight cookbook, pg. 163

1 can refried black beans
2 large sweet potatoes (or more depending on who you're feeding)
8 oz shredded monterey jack cheese
10-12 burrito size tortillas- the whole wheat ones were great for this!

1. Roast your sweet pototoes until they start to ooze, split open and are easily pierced with a knife. Peel and mash up those potatoes until nice and smooth. Get a baking sheet ready with foil and a little cooking spray on it. (NOTE: since this step takes a good hour +, I often do it ahead of time, say, the night before when I'm making dinner. I just throw the taters in while I'm cooking something else!)

2. Get your ingredients ready assembly line style: refried beans and spreader, mashed sweets, shredded cheese, tortillas.

3. Heat up a couple tortillas in the microwave to help make them soft and malleable- spread on a little refried beans- keep them away from the edges. I usually spread enough to make an oval shape in the middle of my tortilla- remember you're rolling them up and you don't want them to ooze out on the baking sheet. Then spoon a couple tablespoons of sweet potatoes. Lastly, sprinkle on some monterey jack cheese.


4. Roll 'em up and line 'em up on your baking sheet. Keep going until you have enough or you're out of ingredients.

5. Bake at 375 until hot- about 12-15 minutes. I rub a little olive oil on top of the tortillas to crisp them up and b/c it tastes good!

Serve with chips and salsa or my favorite Black Bean Salsa!

But today, I had mine with Our Best Bites Lime Cilantro Rice with Pineapple... c'mon, you know this is good stuff!

I think I'll start adding who in the house likes the recipe I write up, so that I can have a good reference when I'm searching for something to make.

Mr. Crafty hasn't tried these yet... somehow, they're always gone before he gets to them.
G gobbled them up with me.
The other three are a mixed bag- depends on the day, the hour, the moon's phase and the weather.

I'll also try and get some pics up a bit later so you can see the finished product...