These smoky-flavored beef tacos are extremely easy and sooo good! I've made this recipe several times and no matter how much beef I cook up, we always wish I'd made more. The beef simmers for two hours in a chipotle-tomato sauce and emerges from the oven tender and delicious. Once you shred the meat, mix in some of the sauce it baked in (to keep the meat moist). The garnishes are easy to make and really compliment the beef so I suggest making all of them. The shredded beef would also be great in enchiladas.

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Tags: Beef, chipotle peppers, smoky beef tacos

Smoky Green Deliciousness, that's what I call it. This guacamole is simple yet very tasty! Many guacs call for chopped jalapenos but this recipe uses chipotle chilies (smoked jalapenos), which not only provides a little heat but a subtle smoky flavor, too. While the recipe calls for using a molcajete (the large, 3-legged mortar & pestle made out of stone), you can just as easily use a potato masher or fork to make the guac. Serve as a topping on your favorite Mexican food or just scoop it up with chips. Olé!

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Tags: avocados, chipotle chilies, chipotle guacamole, cilantro, Dip, Mexican, onion

If you're a cilantro fan (like me), you're going to LOVE this chicken! It's delicious, extremely easy, and can be served as either an appetizer or a main dish. And, you can use the leftovers (if there are any) to make a Mexi-inspired salad (greens, corn, tomatoes, red onion, avocado, etc) the next day…think jazzed up chicken taco salad.

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Tags: Chicken, cilantro, cilantro pesto, grill, skewers

The other day I was in one of those "what am I going to make for dinner" quandaries. I knew I wanted to use some fresh corn I had on hand and I was NOT going to make a special trip to the store for any dinner ingredients. After a quick inventory of what I had in the pantry/fridge and a quick recipe search, I decided to make Mexican Chicken Soup. Now I know that September isn't quite soup weather but, hey, we live in the Pacific Northwest and it was overcast and rainy on this particular day. Soup was definitely going to be on the menu!

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Tags: beans, chipotle chile, cilantro, corn, Mexican Chicken Soup, tomatoes

These tacos are quick, super easy, healthy and very tasty! The recipe calls for Tabasco Chipotle sauce (not to be confused with regular Tabasco sauce). Tabasco Chipotle sauce can be found next to regular Tabasco sauce (and other hot sauces) in the grocery store. Regular Tabasco sauce would probably be much too spicy and vinegary for this recipe. Cholula Chipotle hot sauce can also be used if you can't find the Tabasco Chipotle sauce.   

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Tags: Mexican, Quick Cooking, tacos, turkey

Wow…this salad is good! The dressing is smoky, slightly sweet and slightly spicy with a nice tang from the balsamic vinegar. I love the combination of southwestern flavors: cilantro, chipotle, avocado, red onion, corn.

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Tags: chicken salad, chipotle, romaine, Salad, spicy

This recipe rocks! The whole meal can even be cooked on the grill (meaning no kitchen mess…always a bonus). The tacos call for skirt steak which is a long, thin cut of beef. Flank steak or rib-eyes would work great, too, if you can't find the skirt steak (you will need to alter the cooking time if you use a thicker cut). The skirt steak I bought was folded in half for packaging. After unfolding the meat, I cut the skirt steak into shorter pieces for grilling (adjusting the cooking time for smaller pieces of meat). After cooking, I let the steak rest then I sliced it thinly against the grain (the meat will be very chewy if you slice it with the grain). You can substitute corn tortillas for the flour tortillas if you prefer.

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Tags: Beef, grilled tomato salsa, Grilling, Mexican, Quick Cooking, skirt steak, tacos

Now don't let the word casserole scare you away. Festive Chicken Casserole is simply a chicken, cheese and tortilla dish, similar to enchiladas only layered instead of rolled and served with salsa instead of baked with enchilada sauce. I substituted chile powder for paprika and cheddar cheese for the jack cheese. I also added some thawed frozen white corn for added flavor. To add a little color to the finished casserole, I garnished with chopped red peppers and green olives. Serve with plenty of good salsa.

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Tags: Casserole, Chicken, Mexican, tortillas

I like the traditional Thanksgiving turkey dinner but I don't like it so much that I want to eat the same meal multiple days in a row. After the main Thanksgiving meal and a meal of leftovers the next day, I've pretty much had my fill of turkey and stuffing to last me until next Thanksgiving. At that point, I'm ready for something new. That's exactly why I like to use the leftover turkey in a different dish like these delicious, creamy enchiladas. I brought them to a potluck and they were gone in no time. I doubled the recipe but probably should have tripled it.

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Tags: Casserole, Main Dish, Mexican, turkey