Recipe Station

This first one is a twist on the traditional dish of chicken enchiladas instead of filling wrapped tortillas with the chicken and cheese mixture, you layer the ingredients much like a lasagna. The end result is a tray of gooey, cheesy yumminess. A tried and true crowd pleaser!

1. Green Chili Chicken Enchilada Casserole

What you will need from the store:

1 lb chicken, cooked and shredded
1 large sweet onion, diced small
3 cloves garlic, minced
two 16oz jars of salsa verde (you can always make your own!)

8oz monterey jack, shredded
8oz sour cream (reduced fat is fine)
12 small corn tortillas
salt and pepper

For directions please visit The Dough Will Rise Again

This next recipe combines my two absolute favorite things, pork and a slow cooker! Carnitas, a Mexican staple, is pork shoulder cooked slow until tender, but doesn’t stop there. After roasting for hours the meat is shredded then added to a pan of oil and lightly fried until the edges are crispy. This meat can be added to anything! My husband throws it over tortilla chips covers it in cheese and puts it under the broiler. I put it on mixed greens with avocado or you can wrap it in a tortilla with onions and salsa and you have a delicious burrito!

2. Carnitas Made in the Slow Cooker

What you will need from the store:

• 1 Tbsp. canola or vegetable oil

• 1 (4-5 lb.) lean boneless pork roast, excess fat trimmed, cut into 3-inch chunks

• 8 oz. beer

• 1 large white onion, diced

• 4 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 Tbsp. chipotle powder (or 1 chipotle in adobo sauce)

• 2 tsp. cumin

• 1 tsp. chili powder

• 1 1/2 tsp. salt

• 1 tsp. black pepper

For directions please visit Gimme Some Oven

You can’t make Mexican food without making beans to go with it! I make a big batch and freeze servings in jars in my freezer. I add them to scrambled eggs for breakfast, wrap them in corn tortillas for an easy weeknight meal of bean tacos and I use them when I make any of the other dishes on this list! My secret is adding one fresh jalapeno, seeded and ribbed and diced small and a handful of chopped to cilantro to the following recipe. I throw those items in and cook with the onions it gives an extra kick and a little fresh flavor to this great Mexican staple recipe!

3. Refried Beans

What you will need from the store

• ¼ cup butter

• 1 small to medium onion, chopped

• 4 cloves garlic, minced

• 6 cups pinto beans, cooked, reserve bean juice

• 3 tsp cumin

• 2 tsp paprika

• 2 tsp salt

• 1 tsp chili powder

For directions please visit Life With Garnish

This next recipe takes a small step away from traditional. What’s great about Mexican food in California is that it has it’s own flair and combining blackened fish with a creamy Cilantro Sauce you get that gourmet California taste. Pair with a cold Tecate with a squeeze of lime and you will feel like you are on vacation!

4. Cajun Style Fish Tacos with a Cilantro Cream Sauce

What you will need from the store

For the Blackened Fish:

• 5 lbs tilapia fillets
• 1 ½ teaspoons smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• ½ teaspoon cumin
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon brown sugar
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 12 corn tortillas

For the Slaw:

• ½ red cabbage, sliced thin
• ¼ green cabbage, sliced thin
• ½ medium-sized onion, diced
• ½ cup cilantro
• Juice of 1 lime

For the Avocado-Cilantro Sauce:

• ½ cup sour cream

• 1 ripe avocado, pitted and skinned

• ¼ cup cilantro, chopped

• Juice of 1 lime

• 1 jalapeno, chopped and seeded

• Salt, to taste

For the full recipe please visit Host the Toast

One last side item I had to share will amaze you with its simplicity and its flavor. Mexican corn combines the natural sweetness of corn with the salty flavor of cotija cheese, a dry crumbly Mexican cheese. If you can’t find cotija substitute feta! If you are invite to party and you are in charge of an appetizer try preparing this, cutting the corn off the cob after its all done and put it in a bowl with some diced fresh jalapenos and serve with a bag of tortilla chips and you have the perfect party pleaser!

5. Mexican Street Corn

What you will need from the store

• 6 ears corn, unhusked

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 2 teaspoons chili powder

• 1/4 cup grated cotija cheese

• 1/4 cup freshly chopped cilantro leaves

• Juice of 2 limes

For instructions please visit Damn Delicious

Pair some of these recipes up! The fish tacos with the corn would be fantastic or the beans with the enchiladas and the corn! Or for three courses make the corn as an appetizer, the enchiladas as your main course served with the beans. Or if you aren’t in the mood for fish, replace the Cajun style fish in the tacos with the Carnitas. The great thing about the flavors of Mexican food is that they compliment each other so well. Mexican food is popular among foodies for good reason!

Whatever recipe you decide to try they are all equally delicious. You are going to love how the flavors come together and how you can put your own spin on each dish.

Let Us Know What You Cooked!