Homemade Taco Seasoning

Do you ever make out a menu and go to make a particular meal and realize you have forgotten ONE of the ingredients?!?  My achilles heel always seems to be taco seasoning!!  For some reason, I remember the other 100 ingredients in taco salad except the seasoning.  After {cough} years of repeating this problem, I finally decided to research homemade taco seasoning.

This is the first and only recipe I tried.  I really liked it.  We prefer mild when it comes to spices, so I don't add all the chili powder, crushed red pepper or cumin.  You may want to mix just a little bit in a bowl and try it first.  I will hopefully be mixing a larger quantity and saving it in an air-tight container, so I can just spoon out what I need while cooking next time.

Taco Seasoning

1/4 c chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 - 1 tsp crushed red pepper
2 tsp oregano
2 tsp paprika
2 Tbs cumin
3 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

Mix all ingredients together.  Store in an airtight container.

Photo from bing images.

BLT Chicken Salad

One of my favorite flavor combos is Bacon - Chicken - Ranch.  Adding Salad makes me think it's a healthy combination.  Proabably not, but I will keep telling myself it is.

My friend shared this recipe with me.  Unfortunately, I never got around to making it, but my Mother-in-Law did.  She's made it a couple times, and it's YUMMY!  (Speaking of yummy, have you ever had warm bacon dressing?  Talk about to die for! Oh, my.  I'd love to have a recipe to make it myself; although, again, I'm sure it wouldn't be healthy.)

BLT Chicken Salad

1/2 cup mayonnaise
4 tablespoons barbecue sauce
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon pepper
8 cups torn salad greens
2 large tomatoes, chopped
1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
10 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
2 hard-cooked eggs, sliced


1. In a small bowl, combine the first five ingredients; mix well.


2. Cover and refrigerate until serving.

3. Place salad greens on a large serving platter. Sprinkle with tomatoes, chicken and bacon; garnish with eggs. Drizzle with dressing.
 
Recipe came from Allrecipes.com and photo was found online also.

Mandarin Salad

(Started this last week and never got it finished because I didn't have a computer for much of last week.)

My MIL has made this salad for years, but this Christmas is the first time I've made it. This salad is very refreshing and different from your usual salad. (Just pretend you see mandarin oranges in this salad. They are in there. I must not have tossed very well.)



Mandarin Salad

1/2 c sliced almonds
3 tbs sugar
1/2 head iceberg lettuce*
1/2 head romaine lettuce*
1/2 c chopped celery
2 green onions, chopped (optional)
1 - 11 oz can mandarin oranges, drained

In a small pan over medium heat cook almonds & sugar, stirring constantly until almonds are coated with dissolved sugar. Sugar will be a light tan syrup. DO NOT BURN! Cool on waxed paper or foil that has been sprayed with cooking spray and store in container in refrigerator.

Dressing:
1/2 tsp salt
dash pepper
1/4 c vegetable or olive oil
1 tbs chopped fresh parsley (or more)
2 tbs sugar (or more)
2 tbs vinegar of choice

Mix together adding oil gradually and beat with a wire wisk.

Mix vegetables together. Add oranges, nuts and dressing just before serving. Toss & enjoy!

*I bought 2 bags of lettuce to save on time and work -- romaine and a blend of lettuce.

Chicken Enchilladas, Mexican Layered Salad & Cornbread Casserole

As I was thinking about posting this week's recipe, I realized it is again something that contains chicken! I promise next week I'll come up with something else. We live off the sale ads. I tend to stock up on chicken when it's on sale, so we eat a lot of chicken. You can always replace the chicken in the enchilladas with taco-flavored ground beef and make Beef Enchilladas. Come to think of it . . . I might try that!

Mexican Layered Salad

1 bag chopped Romaine lettuce
1 small cucumber, sliced and quartered
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 ripe avacado, chopped
1 small green pepper, chopped
1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
1/4 can chopped green chilies
2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 cup crushed tortilla chips
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese


In a trifle bowl or glass serving bowl, layer the first five ingredients. Combine the mayonnaise, chilies and seasonings; spread over the top. Sprinkle with chips and cheese. Serve immediately.

Yield: 10 servings


Every where I have taken this recipe, it gets rave reviews. We personally opt out of the chilies, but that just a personal preference. Add and omit as you please. I don't care for avacados either, but they are wonderful in this salad.


Chicken Enchilladas

(Please excuse the cell phone picture. I took enchilladas to a friends house and forgot my camera.)

8-10 (10 inch) flour tortillas
1 - 1 1/2 lbs skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cubed
1/2 onion, chopped

1/3 cup chopped green pepper

1 cup sour cream
1 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1 tbl dried parsley
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp salt (optional)
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
1/2 tbl chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 (12 oz) jar taco sauce


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a non-stick skillet over medium heat, cook chicken, onion and green pepper. Add sour cream, 1 cup cheddar cheese, parsley and black pepper. Stirring until cheese melts. Add the salt, tomato sauce, chili powder and garlic powder. Stir to combine.
3. Spoon the mixture into tortillas and roll up (fold in sides and roll). Arrange the tortillas in a lightly greased 9x13 pan. (They will slightly over lap and some will have to fit on the side.) Cover with taco sauce and 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes, let cool and serve.

And while I'm already typing recipes, this one will round out a whole meal for you . . .


Cornbread Casserole

1 (15 1/4 oz) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (14 3/4 oz) can cream-style corn
1 (8 1/2 oz) box corn bread / muffin mix
1 egg
2 tbls butter or margarine, melted
1/2 tsp galric powder
1/4 tsp paprika

1. In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients. Pour into a greased 7" x 11" baking dish.
2. Bake, uncovered at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until the top and edges are golden brown.

Yield: 8-10 servings

Sorry there isn't a picture of the Cornbread Casserole. I hadn't planned to include it until just a few minutes ago. You can bake the enchilladas first and up the temp to cook the cornbread since the enchilladas need to set anyway -- Cover to keep warm.