ISO - Light & Easy Fast Tex-Mex Recipes

[blazedog]

I'm seeking LIGHT recipes for Tex-Mex dishes that are quick and easy to prepare. My search is coming up with a ton of results most of which are not light:( and/or are fairly complicated or time consuming.

I would love some kid/teen friendly type LIGHT recipes.

Thanks in advance.

[seannasad2k]

This recipe for Huevos Rancheros (http://food.cookinglight.com/cooking/display/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=521440) is just like one that I have made and enjoyed. The recipe that I have used is also a CL recipe. However, it serves four. Same amount of tomatoes, black beans, and chilis. The only difference is that you use 4 eggs, 1 tsp cumin, and 1/4 c of cheese. Don't know about the cilantro (never use it) and scallion (never measure, just use what I want) measurements.

Very easy, tastey dish. I like to serve it over a toasted tortilla. Also, I cook the eggs only about 4-5 minutes so the yolks are a little wet.

[SueK]

What about the Tex Mex tacos from (I believe) the June issue? Those were fast and my family loved them, including DD.

[waltnj]

I think fajitas can be light & easy. You can do chicken, steak, shrimp, or mushrooms, marinated with a little lime juice, salt, pepper, jalapenos, cilantro, & cumin then toss them on the grill. You can saute a pan of peppers & onions (you can get these frozen if you wish) or toss them into a foil packet on the grill too. You can put out salsa, reduced-fat cheese, & sour cream with some warmed flour tortillas. I did it the other night & my DH was raving.
Good luck.

[seannasad2k]

These Chile-Cheese Rice Burritos (http://food.cookinglight.com/cooking/display/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=222452) were also good. They appeared in a Kid-friendly quick & easy article a few years ago.

[blazedog]

Thanks -- These all look great. Is there a name for the tacos SueK suggested?

Also, does anybody have any light Mexican lasagna type things -- ones where you layer tortillas?

Thanks.

P.S. I know I am getting greedy but does anybody have any suggestions for easy wraps or breakfast burritos?

Muchas gracias:D

[DmOrtega]

I recently posted a recipe for Chiles Rellenos (http://community.cookinglight.com/showthread.php?threadid=62028) that is really easy, fast and very tasty.

[Gracie]

What about the Weight Watchers' Taco Casserole (aka Woman's Day Easy Burger Stuffing Supper - as named by Bob! :D ) that I posted on this trhead? (http://community.cookinglight.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=56311&perpage=30&pagenumber=1)

Loren

[SueK]

Here's the recipe. It was actually from the May issue, not the June one.

Tex-Mex Beef Tacos

"This recipe satisfies my craving for Mexican food, and it's low in fat, easy to prepare, and fast. You can also serve it with fresh cilantro, sliced green onions, salsa, and fat-free sour cream." --CL Reader

Cooking spray
1 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound ground sirloin
1 cup frozen whole-kernel corn
1/2 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 to 3 drained canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, chopped
10 (8-inch) fat-free flour tortillas

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion, garlic, and beef; cook 6 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble beef. Stir in corn and next 6 ingredients (corn through chiles). Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes. Warm tortillas according to package directions. Spoon 1/2 cup beef mixture into each tortilla.

Yield: 10 servings (serving size: 1 taco)

NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 266 (25% from fat); FAT 7.3g (sat 2.7g, mono 3g, poly 0.5g); PROTEIN 13g; CARB 27.6g; FIBER 4.6g; CHOL 31mg; IRON 1.9mg; SODIUM 547mg; CALC 25mg;

Cooking Light, MAY 2004

[reneeinnorthwes]

In the June CL magazine there is a Tex-Mex Lasagna with no bake noodles. I actually made it last night. It was the first time I've used no bake noodles and I was not confident it would taste good. It is VERY easy. I used more sauce than the receipe called for and put some green peppers from my garden in each layer. Other than that I followed the recipe and it was good. Also the recipe called for an 8 inch square pan - I used more noodles and put it in a 8 x 11 1/2 glass pan.

This dish is not really 'company' food - unless it is for good friends during the week. It isn't fancy but is quick, easy and yummy. My husband and I agreed it is a 'keeper' mostly because it is soooo easy!

I don't have my magazine at work but could post the recipe tonight if you don't have it. Let me know if you are interested.

Renee

[blazedog]

Thanks Renee - I found the Tex-Mex Lasagna and it looks great -- I would love to find something along the same lines that uses tortillas for added fiber:)

[Gracie]

I make a Mexican Lasagna using a sauce made from Muir Glen fire roasted tomatoes, chopped jalapenos and Mexican spices (cumin, chili powder, etc) and layer a mix of black and kidney beans and corn (with a little sauce to hold it together), WW tortillas, then a mix of cooked ground turkey mix, shredded jack and cheddar cheeses (I use 75% reduced fat cheddar and FF jalapeno jack from TJ's) with a little sauce to hold that together, then tortillas, then the bean mix, etc until the pan is full. Top with the tortillas and the cheeses, bake covered.

To lighten it you can eliminate the cheese from the inside layers and just put it on the top.

Loren

[TerriS]

Chicken Enchilada or Chicken Enchilada Casserole! There are several different recipes floating around the boards, but they are all good! Very similar to the Mexican lasagne above.

This is a base for what I do. It's VERY flexible. The basic idea is chicken-sauce filling and tortilla layers. Sometimes I add different veggies, sometimes I add beans, last time I stirred some fat free sour cream into the filling. Heck, sometimes I leave out the cheese...amazingly it doesn't always need it! You can also do just about anything with the enchilada sauce - Pace makes some good "cooking sauces" these days and I love the green tomatillo sauce from Trader Joes.

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 med onion
1 red bell pepper
1 can of tomatoes with green chiles (Rotel) (10 oz)
1 can enchilada sauce (I just used the packet of stuff mixed with water)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (I used fat free)
1/2 cup salsa
approx. 15 corn tortillas

Thaw and cook the chicken breasts (I used George Foreman, but you could also boil, bake, roast, saute, whatever.) Let cool and cut into small pieces/shreds. Meanwhile, chop the onion and red bell pepper into small dice. Cook in nonstick pan for 5-10 minutes to soften, then place in a large bowl. (garlic would be a nice addition here) Add the cut up chicken. Drain most of the tomato liquid and add the tomatoes/chiles. Add about 1/4 of the can of enchilada sauce and stir. (I also mixed in 1/2 cup of the cheese at this point, but you could skip that and add the cheese in layers.)

Cut the tortillas in half. Layer the tortilla halves on the bottom of a 13x9 baking dish sprayed with Pam so bottom is covered. Spread 1/2 of the chicken mixture and pour over another 1/4 of the enchilada sauce. Put down another layer of tortillas, then chicken, then sauce (again you could also be layering the cheese - and using more if desired.) Cover with a final layer of tortillas and pour over the remaining enchilada sauce and spread the salsa over.

Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 25 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup of cheese, and bake for another 5 minutes until cheese is melted.

[srahndennis]

I like to make quesadillas with semi-mashed black bean, feta cheese and a can of rotel.

Or bake corn tortillas until crisp, top with ff refried beans and a little rf cheddar cheese and heat until the cheese melts. Then I add lettuce, tomato, sour cream, salsa....whatever sounds good at the time!