Chipotle Pork Tacos with Guacamole

Looking for heat that gives a one-two punch? Try a spicy marinaded pork that's then pair with sauteed Hatch chili peppers. There was a whole lotta flavor wrapped up in those little corn tortillas - it had us both going back for more!

Chipotle Pork Tacos with Guacamole

1 pound pork tenderloin
3 chipotle chilies in adobo sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon lime
1 tablespoon honey
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 red onion, sliced
1 hatch chili, seeded and sliced
Canola oil (enough to go up 1/4 inch in a skillet)
8 corn tortillas
Guacamole
Sour cream
Cotija cheese

Place the pork in a large ziplock bag. Chop the chilies and place in bag with 1 tablespoon adobo sauce, garlic, lime, honey and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Rub marinade into pork with salt and pepper. Marinade 1-2 hours in refrigerator.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Remove pork from ziplock bag and place in an oven safe dish. Bake about 30 minutes, until pork is 150 degrees. Let pork rest about 5 minutes, then cut into thin slices or shred.

In the meantime, heat the remaining tablespoon olive oil in a cast iron skillet. Saute onions and hatch chilies on medium low heat for about 10 minutes, until soft and lightly charred. Set aside.

In a small skillet, warm canola oil until about 350 degrees, or when the bottom of a wooden spoon forms bubbles around it when placed inside. Cook tortillas in the oil one at a time for about 10-15 seconds per side. Drain on a paper towel.

Assemble tacos by spreading sour cream and guacamole on tortillas, then topping with shredded pork, peppers and onions and topping with cotija cheese. Enjoy!

Vegetable Tortilla Casserole

A few days after making my steak tacos, I still had an infinite number of corn tortillas left and some black beans as well. In an effort to be frugal, I decided to utilize what leftovers I had and purchased just a few items at the store to create this meal. It was filling and delicious, I didn't miss the meat!

Vegetable Tortilla Casserole

1 tablespoon oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 red onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, halved, seeded and chopped
1 green bell pepper, halved, seeded and chopped
Kernels from 3 ears of corn
1 can diced tomatoes, slightly drained
2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1 cup Mexican blend cheese
12 corn tortillas
2 tablespoons butter

In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil and saute garlic and onion about 3 minutes. Add peppers and corn and saute another 2 to 3 minutes. Add tomatoes and black beans and let simmer on low about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 9 x 13 glass casserole dish with cooking spray. Place 4 corn tortillas on the bottom. Spread 1/2 of the vegetable mixture over the tortillas. Next sprinkle 1/4 cup cilantro over the vegetables and then 1/2 cup cheese. Place another 4 tortillas on top of that, then top with remaining vegetables, cilantro and cheese. Top with final 4 tortillas and dot with butter. Bake in oven 25 to 30 minutes. Let sit 15 to 20 minutes, then cut and serve.

We had a hard time waiting before cutting in, so this picture isn't the best, but it sure was delicious!

Mexican Zucchini Lasagna

I love following What's Cooking from my blogger friend Ben. Not only is he a fellow mango lover, but he's always using familiar ingredients in unfamiliar ways. I saw his recipe for Mexican Zucchini Lasagna and had to try it. I have to say, I wasn't disappointed!

Zucchini and Chicken Mexican Lasagna
Makes: 4-6 servings
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Baking time: 40 minutes

For this recipe you will need:

For the “lasagna”:

2 large zucchinis
2 cups shredded chicken breasts
1/2 lb ricotta cheese2 eggs
1/2 cup Romano cheese, shredded
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

For the green creamy sauce:

2 poblano peppers
1/2 onion2 garlic cloves
1 1/2 - 2 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup sour cream
salt to taste

Preparation:

Roast poblano peppers (click here to watch a video) and put them in a thick plastic bag for 10 minutes. Peel them, cut the ends and discard seeds and ribs. Rinse well.

In a blender mix poblano peppers, onion, garlic and chicken broth until smooth. Pour sauce into a large saucepan and cook over medium heat. Add cream, sour cream, salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375ºF.

Slice the zucchini lengthwise into thin ribbons. Kat recommends using a peeler, a mandolin or a Y peeler. In a bowl mix together ricotta, Romano and mozzarella cheeses along with the 2 eggs, oregano, basil, parsley, salt and pepper.

Spoon some of the green sauce into a baking dish. Lay 1/3 of the zucchini slices, 1/2 of the cheese filling, 1 cup of the shredded chicken and some more of the sauce.

Repeat with another 1/3 of zucchini, the rest of the cheese and chicken. Finish with the last 1/3 of the zucchini and pour the remaining sauce into the dish. Bake for 40 minutes until the zucchini is cooked and the sauce is boiling.

This was an exciting change to typical lasagna, and even the boys liked it, which goes to show you don't need pasta to be happy! Though I couldn't serve the meal totally devoid of carbs, so I made my Honey Cilantro Lime Rice to accompany this dish.

Honey Cilantro Lime Rice

1 1/2 cups rice
3 cup chicken broth
1 lime
1 1/2 tablespoon honey
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Prepare rice as instructed, substituting broth for water. In the meantime, combine lime zest and juice and honey in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 20 seconds. stir to combine. When rice is done, stir in honey mixture, cilantro and salt and pepper.

Not your average lasagna!