Guacamole

There are as many recipes for guacamole as there are texmex cooks. A funny thing happened in the “lowfat” era of a couple of years back, people were making what they were calling guacamole but it contained no avacado whatsoever. Remember pureed pea, beans, or lentil guacamole. Or even worse, tofo! Avacado has got to be the main ingredient in texmex guacamole. And actually, avacados are good for you. They have more protein, potassium, magnesium, folic acid, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, and vitamin K than any other fruit. They do contain fat but 60% is monounsaturated, the good kind. We’re going to give you a couple or three recipes here but please try the simplest one that I use.

This is a very simple recipe that I promise I’ve used for years and it never fails to get rave reviews. I once saw a recipe for guac in the San Diego newspaper food section that had something like 15 ingredients. I just had to laugh. This has 4. Pay attention there is really only one "secret" ingredient. You’ll need probably about 2 avacados per 3 people to be served.

Here’s the ratio of ingredients- you do the math to figure out how many you’re feeding

* one avacado

*scant 1/4 cup of YOUR favorite salsa ( check our salsa section and make our favorite from scratch, it’ll blow you away )

* 1/2 clove of FRESH garlic, smashed ( here’s the "secret" ingredient...don’t use that jarred stuff, it tastes old to me )

* salt

Smash everything together with a fork to the consistency you like. That’s it. No lime juice, no onion. Try it and let me know what you think.

****TEXMEX TIP!

Are you still putting the pit back into the guac after you’ve prepared it? Stop. It does no good, throw it away and put plastic wrap right down on the surface. It will last 3 times as long.

You probably already know this but the dark green ,"bumpy skinned" avacados are the ones to buy. Stay away from the bright, smooth skinned ones. If you can’t find the right ones, serve chile con queso instead.

****TEXMEX TIP!

To prepare avacados, cut in half lengthwise and rotate the halves like an oreo cookie to separate. Pop out the seed by striking it with a sharp knife and twisting. Scoop out the pulp with a spoon or if you’re using slices (as to fan out across a bowl of tortilla soup), slice down the fruit in 1/8 inch wide and carefully scoop out the slices.

* To ripen avacados, leave them in a cool place, preferably between 60-76 degrees. I realize that’s a little hard to do in Texas in the summer but keep them out of direct sunlight at least. At higher temperatures, they will ripen unevenly and develop off flavors.

* To speed ripening, place in paper bag. Not a plastic bag, that cuts off Oxygen and halts the ripening process.

* Only refrigerate if you have a totally ripe fruit and you’re not planning on using it for a couple of days. Keep them on the counter if at all possible.

Here’s another recipe I thought sounded interesting and tasty.

New Mexico green chile guacamole

3 ripe avacados, processed and ready to be smashed

3 large New Mexico green chiles, roasted, peeled, and chopped

1 small tomato, seeded and chopped

3 large cloves garlic, peeled and smashed

¼ minced onion

Salt and pepper to taste

Red pepper sauce to taste

Worcestershire sauce to taste

Mash it all together!

4 oz of canned green chiles can be substituted

Queso

Texmex chili con queso is definitely not rocket science. Most restaurants merely melt American cheese and call it queso, catering to the kiddies. At home we Texans have made it with Velveeta and rotel for years. We’re here to expand your queso knowledge by providing a couple of recipes that aren’t quite as easy as those..

Queso in Mexico is quite different from what we are used to. It’s called “queso fundito” or “queso flameado”. It’s made with white cheese as opposed to the orange cheese we use here. In Mexico, chorizo, strips of roasted poblanos called “rajas”, and onions are usually added to the dish. In this lesson you’ll learn how to create both types.

Basic Texas chile con queso

This is the one you learn to prepare at six years old. You’ll need one can of rotel tomatoes and a pound of Velveeta. You may want to drain a little of the liquid from the tomatoes (but save it ) to get the consistency you like. Chunk the Velveeta, pour in the rotel, and microwave til everything is melted. Like I said, it’s not rocket science.

Better basic queso

For this you’ll need a pound of American cheese. Go to the deli department at the store and ask the person behind the counter for a chunk of yellow American about 3 ½ inches thick. Prepare the fresh salsa on our salsa page. Cut the cheese into chunks, pour ½ to ¾ cup fresh salsa into the cheese and microwave until everything is melted. You can also use a double boiler.

This queso can be improved by using the roasted salsa recipe on our salsa recipe. It takes a little more effort, but the results are awesome.

****Texmex tip: If your ‘re planning on serving tacos or meat burritos, add a scoop of the taco meat to your queso. If guacamole is on the menu, add a scoop to the queso. ( This is called “dip compuesto” at a favorite texmex institution in Austin called Jaimes. If you’re serving pico de gallo, you guessed it, add a scoop. The ultimate queso is a combination of all three, then topped with jalapeno slices. A meal in itself!

Queso fundito

This the texmex version of the classic Mexican dish. Any type of meat can be used but like we said earlier, chorizo is the standard. I’ve used sauteed shrimp, left over fajita meat (chicken and beef ), even crumbled bacon would work. And the beauty is you won’t need much meat at all, about a quarter pound will do.

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.

Cook chorizo and ½ small onion in skillet til barely done.

If you want to make it authentic, roast a poblano pepper, peel the charred skin, and chop into strips.

Butter the inside of a small baking dish.

Place 8 oz shredded monterey jack or mozzarella in a buttered, ovenproof dish, pour chorizo over the top and bake for about 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly. If you’re not using chorizo, you’ll want to add about a tablespoon of either olive oil or butter because of the fat that will be rendered from the sausage. Serve with warm flour tortillas.

*If you’re preparing shrimp fundito, saute a small handful (or a quarter pound) chopped shrimp in butter with 1tsp Tuldys all purpose bean seasoning. Proceed as directed above.

If you’re using leftover meat, saute it with the onion as you did with chorizo.

Fajitas

Contrary to popular belief, Chiles Grill and Bar did not invent fajitas in the mid 80’s. Although they did do a great job of educating the general public, we here in Texas already had the art of fajitas down pat. I personally have been grilling fajitas for over 25 years and am here to pass a few tricks and tips on to those interested.

Fajitas actually date back to at least the 40’s and some say they can be traced to the 30’s when Mexican ranch hands were given skirt steak as partial payment. They were also given other less popular parts of the steer such as the head and stomach. They used other recipes for the head and stomach but grilled the skirt steak directly over or on hot coals. Combined with the ever present tortilla and a few wild peppers, and you’ve got the great, great, grandfather of your back yard cookout.

Fajitas are one of my favorite foods to eat and cook. I like to serve boracho beans, guacamole, chile con queso, pico de gallo, and fresh roasted salsa with my fajitas. I know that sounds like a lot of work but actually most of the ingredients “overlap”. The same basic goodies go into the salsa and pico. Once the salsa is made, it goes into the guacamole and queso. Once the pico is made, it goes into the beans. Nothing to it! Stay with me and the entire meal is planned out for you with a shopping list!

Remember, to be real fajitas, skirt steak must be used. I’ve seen all cuts of meat used

from sirloin ( they think they’re classin it up or something ) to pot roast. Some have

actually been quite good too, but they aren’t fajitas. The actual word fajita means

“little belt” or “sash” in Spanish, and the cut of meat does resemble a cummerbund. There is only about 8 pounds of skirt steak on full grown steer, and when I begancooking

fajitas back in the dark ages, you were lucky to find it because most of the time the

butcher ground it up for hamburger. I worked in a grocery store way back and I remember there just wasn’t much call for it in the mid to late 70’s. It also was extremely cheap usually costing about the same as hamburger. My how times have changed! It now demands T-bone prices but the good thing is, it doesn’t take much meat to fill a tortilla.

So far we’ve only talked about beef fajitas. I know there are plenty of you out there that love chicken, shrimp, and even veggies ( what a bastardization of the word- remember “fajita” refers to the skirt steak of a steer, not a zucchini!) done fajita style, and we’ve got you covered. The evolution of the term fajita or “ fajita style” now means more of what ingredients go into the tortilla than the cut of beef used. If you’ve been to a “Chipotle” restaurant you know if you order your burrito “fajita style“ you get sautéed onions and peppers. If you order it “burrito” style it comes with beans. Ah, the evolution of South Texas peasant food still fascinates me!

To marinate or not to marinate

With beef I can go either way. I love them both ways. When I grill chicken fajitas, I always marinate. Same with portabello mushrooms. With beef, it depends on time and my mood. We’ve developed an incredible fajita seasoning that allows you to be ready to grill in minutes.( well, maybe 30-45) It’s the classic blend of seasonings that give fajitas their distinctive flavor. When I marinate here’s the recipe I use for chicken and beef: ( I need to mention, here in central Texas we even have premarinated fajitas at the grocery store. Personally I don’t care for them and never buy them. I’d rather marinate them myself.)

¼ cup light soy sauce

¼ cup Worcestershire sauce

½ cup pineapple juice

2-3 cloves fresh garlic, smashed or pressed

1 tbsp Tuldys fajita seasoning

This should cover up to about 2 pounds of meat. Let it marinate for several hours or even overnight. I usually put the meat and marinade in a large Ziploc bag. I have personally used this marinade for 20 some odd years and it always gets thumbs up!

Here’s my marinade for portabello mushrooms and veggies. Once again, place in large Ziploc bags to marinate. They really don’t have to marinate long, about an hour should be plenty.

½ cup light soy

¼ cup balsamic vinegar

¼ cup honey

Fresh ground pepper

I would also use this one for shrimp fajitas but DO NOT marinate shrimp over 10-15 minutes. Baste shrimp as it cooks with marinade but shrimp cook fast so be careful.

Ok, you’ve got your meat marinated and you’re ready to hit the grill.

*****TEXMEX TIP: Mesquite wood should be used to grill fajitas. Not only is it customary ( If you’ve ever been to south Texas, you know what I’m talking about!) but it burns hot and clean and imparts a wonderful flavor. If you can’t find mesquite charcoal, buy some big chunks of mesquite wood. My favorite though is the big irregular shaped “hardwood” charcoal. It’s a little hard to find but well worth it. A hot fire is essential because fajitas don’t cook long. You’ll spend a lot more time building the fire than you will cooking.

Like I said, I like to serve fajitas with borracho beans, guacamole, chile con queso, and roasted salsa. If you’d like to prepare the same meal and have a fajita party for 10, here’s what you’ll need and the order of preparation. Break out the blender and take me to margaritaville!!!

First of all, make sure your pantry/frig has soy sauce, worcestershire sauce, pineapple juice, Tuldys fajita seasoning, dried pinto beans, Tuldys all purpose texmex bean seasoning, fresh garlic, lard, and mesquite charcoal or a reasonable facsimile.( come to think of it, you should always have these things around )

Now here’s your list of fresh ingredients:

3 pounds fresh tomatoes

2 bunches cilantro

10 jalapenos/serranos-you pick the heat

3 medium onions

2 large bell peppers or if you’re feeling frisky, buy poblanos

4-5 avocados

3 ½ to 4 pounds skirt steak

Fresh flour tortillas

2 pounds American cheese ( go to the deli dept )

Chips

Flour tortillas

Sour cream ( if you’re one of those who likes it on their fajitas )

First thing first, prepare beans up to adding the fresh ingredients (click here) Prepare as borracho beans and let them simmer as you prepare the rest of the meal.

Fire up the grill and roast half of the tomatoes, one of the onions cut into slices and half of the peppers( jalapenos/serranos) Char ‘em good. Place charred goodies into your FOOD PROCESSOR along with one bunch of cilantro and fresh garlic, and a little salt. Process to a fairly fine consistency.

Chop remaining tomatoes, jalapenos, one of the onions, cilantro by hand and combine along with fresh garlic for pico de gallo.

Remove skins from avocados and mash. (Click here for the easy way!) Add fresh garlic, salt, and about a cup of the roasted salsa. Sit aside with plastic wrap placed on the surface of the guacamole.

*While you’re preparing the salsas and dips, keep an eye on the fire. We want it HOT for fajitas and you may need to go add some more charcoal to the existing fire.

Cut cheese into cubes or grate in your food processor. Save a handful for garnishing the fajitas and place the rest in a microwavable bowl. Add a cup of roasted salsa and microwave. You may need to add more salsa to get the consistency you desire. Add some of your prepared pico de gallo if you like, it’ll do nothing but improve it!

OK, salsas are done. Ditto on the queso and guacamole. Beans are simmering with fresh pico so it’s time to cook some meat.

Drain the marinade and slap it on the fire. You can baste the meat with the remaining marinade if you like. If your fire is the correct temperature, the meat should cook about 5 minutes per side. You do not want well done fajitas. This is for beef, chicken will take a little more time maybe 10 minutes per side. I’m trusting your judgment, you’ve grilled meat before.

The customary accoutrements are grilled onion and bell pepper. Believe me, you don’t actually want to grill them, no one does. You will need to sauté them and our multi purpose texmex seasoning is just the thing you need to make them even better. Just slice the peppers and onions, sauté in butter with a tablespoon or two of our seasoning until slightly wilted.

Ok, meats done. Let it sit for 5 minutes. Lay the meat out in front of you. If you’ve kept it one piece, it should measure about 18-24 inches long. Cut it into steaks about 5-6 inches long. Now comes the tricky and vitally important part. Slice it AGAINST the grain. If you don’t, it will be extremely tough If you do, it should melt in your mouth. This is when I take a minute to toss my flour tortillas directly on the grill to warm them. They don’t need to cook long at all so watch them!

Serve it all up together along with the sour cream and grated cheese. Oh yeah, pour me another margarita!

Rice ( arroz )

Here are a couple of recipes that will rival any texmex joint in town. Usually, not a whole lot of thought is put into the rice in your basic mom and pop joint because of the quantity produced. But with a couple of minor additions to this home version, you’ll be proud to serve it alongside your awe inspiring frijoles.

Basic Spanish Rice

What you’ll need:

½ cup long grain rice

½ medium onion

1 can rotel tomatoes

1 clove garlic, smashed

1 tsp Tuldys all purpose bean seasoning ( or cumin )

1 ½ cups water or chicken broth

Saute rice in large skillet until opaque or even slightly browned. Add onion, garlic, and rotel. Add Tuldys seasoning and water ( or broth ) Cook over med high heat until boiling. Cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook about 30 more minutes. Check several times during the cooking process and if it looks dry, add water around the edges. If mushy after 30 minutes, uncover and cook until it dries up a bit. When rice is fluffy, turn off heat and let stand covered 10 minutes. Serves 4-6...

Spicy Rice

1 cup uncooked long grain white rice

2 cups water or broth

1 teaspoon salt

3 slices bacon, chopped

½ onion, finely diced

2 jalapenos, chopped

1 cup tomato juice

¼ tsp pepper

½ tsp cumin

1 tsp chile powder

OR

2 tsp Tuldys all purpose texmex bean seasoning

For the pepper, cumin, and chile powder

Combine rice, water, and salt in a 2 quart saucepan and bring to a boil. Turn heat down to low and cover, then cook 15 minutes. Leave the lid on while the rice is cooking. Remove the rice from the heat and sit aside. Cook bacon. Cook onion and pepper in the drippings.

Add tomato juice, seasonings, and bacon to the cooked rice. Simmer 10 minutes or until most of the juice has been absorbed by the rice, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.

Tacos

They’re probably the definition of “Mexican food” to the average person. They’re cheap, delicious, portable, and nutrition wise, they pretty much cover the entire food triangle. The shell covers your grains, the meat, your protein, the cheese covers dairy, and the veggies, well, cover your veggies! We can thank Taco Bell for the “nationalization” of one of my favorite foods. Started in 1962 in California, it took only about a half dozen years for the taco to become mainstream throughout the Midwest also. Tacos in Mexico are never served in a crispy shell, always soft corn. Actually the crispy shell is a texmex invention. Even flour tortillas are rare in Mexican tacos, always corn.

Like I said before, I eat texmex nearly every day. One of my favorite “ on the run” lunches is tacos from the local “taco trailer”. You’ve seen them, they’re the portable trailers usually about 15-18 feet long, usually painted up with eye catching colors. They offer at least a half dozen different kinds of meat filling and I’m here to tell you, if you haven’t stopped in to sample their goodies, you owe it to yourself to stop. The food is authentic and delicious. And boy are they cheap! Breakfast tacos are usually a buck and the lunch tacos are never more than $1.50. A sampling of the different fillings include beef and chicken fajitas, carne guisada, tacos al pastor ( marinated pork ), piccadillo, and carnitas. All delicious, fast, and cheap. Give them a try, you won’t be disappointed, I guarantee. We’re going to give you recipes for several of these so you can try them at home.

As for basic taco meat seasoning, the kind you get at say, Taco Bell or Taco Cabana, I’ve always hated the choices from the grocery store. Too much salt and chile powder. Here’s where we’ve got you covered again! As I was developing our Tuldys texmex bean seasoning, I discovered it has a lot more uses than just with pintos. It’s a combination of pure pasilla powder, cumin, garlic, and few other goodies and has proven to be the quintessential texmex seasoning. To make the ultimate taco meat, here’s what you’ll need:

Ultimate taco meat

1 pound ground beef

½ med onion (finely diced)

1 large bell pepper ROASTED! (split it in half and place under the broiler until charred, remove outer skin and chop.) or you can use a can of chopped green chiles

3 tbsp Tuldys texmex seasoning

Brown the meat, add the rest of the ingredients plus a little water or beer, and simmer for 30 minutes. I promise this absolutely blew me away, it’s that good! This makes enough for like 20-25 crispy tacos. This is the meat filling we use in burritos, taquitos, chile rellenos, and beef enchiladas.

Sirloin guisada tacos

When I order carne guisada tacos anywhere, they tend to be a little too greasy for my taste. The meat is usually really cheap and filled with gristle. Here we’ve done it with sirloin which happens to be my favorite cut of beef. They turn out lean and delicious.

What you’ll need:

one sirloin steak about 1 inch thick, 2 steaks if you’re feeding a group

1 large bell pepper or 2 poblano peppers sliced (double for the group)

1 large onion sliced (2 for a group)

1 package Tuldys texmex enchilada sauce

Dozen flour tortillas (2 for a group)

Prepare enchilada sauce BUT only use 2 cups water instead of 4 (we want a thicker gravy)

Cut steak into 1 inch cubes

Slice onion and pepper into long strips

Sprinkle meat with Tuldys all purpose texmex seasoning

Add a little oil to a large skillet, brown meat. Deglaze pan with ¼ cup water and boil until almost evaporated. Add onions, peppers, and sauce, lower heat to a low simmer and cover. Cook for 45 minutes to an hour. Serve with warm flour tortillas.

Fajita tacos

See our fajita section. Click here

Carnitas

These are taco stand tacos of legend. Long simmered pork, fork tender in a sweet and spicy sauce. I actually stole the concept from the Chevys/ Rio Bravo Freshmex cookbook, with my spice mix, of course. Give these a try, I promise you’ll love them.

What you’ll need:

2 ½ pounds pork butt or shoulder

Tuldys all purpose texmex spice blend

1 orange, quartered

2 cloves fresh garlic, smashed

1 cup Pepsi cola-you heard right Pepsi!

Oil for frying

1 cup fajita marinade (click here)

Trim away fat from meat and cut into 2 inch cubes. Dust the meat with Tuldys all purpose seasoning. Squeeze the juice from the oranges into a large Ziploc bag, add peels, garlic, seasoning, Pepsi, and marinade. Marinate overnight.

Remove the meat from the bag and reserve the marinade. Heat oil in large heavy skillet until almost smoking. Add pork and brown for 10-15 minutes. Reduce heat and add reserved marinade. Simmer for 2 hours, adding additional Pepsi as needed. Remove the meat and chop into desired size. Serve with warm flour tortillas. Yum!

Appetizers

Texmex Eggrolls

This is a knockoff of “Cliles” new appetizer. If you haven’t tried it, it’s delicious, and great finger food. Here’s what you’ll need:

1 bunch green onions

½ medium red bell pepper, chopped

2 packages frozen chopped spinach

1 15oz can of black beans

1 15oz can of whole kernel corn

1 package of Tuldys salsa mix

1 tbsp Tuldys all purpose texmex seasoning

1 cup (4oz) shredded monterey jack cheese

10 egg roll wrappers

Oil for frying

SAUTE onions and bell pepper in oil over medium heat for 5 minutes. Stir in spinach and next 4 ingredients until spinach wilts. Remove from heat and let stand 15 minutes. Stir in cheese.

SPOON 3 tablespoons mixture into center of each egg roll wrapper. Fold top corner over filling, tucking tip of corner under filling; fold left and right corners over filling. Lightly brush remaining corner with water and bring together and seal well. Fry in enough oil to cover at 360 degrees until brown.

This great served with our “holy chipotle” dip mix. I would thin the dip mix out with a little water or heavy cream though. It’s also fabulous with ranch dressing or ranch dressing with a little salsa added to it.

Chile Rubbed Shrimp with Cilantro Butter

This is easy, delicious, and quick with very few ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need:

16 jumbo shrimp peeled

2 tablespoons olive oil

Tuldys all purpose texmex seasoning

1 tablespoon kosher salt

¼ lb (1 stick) unsalted butter

1 tablespoon cilantro, finely chopped

Skewer the shrimp, 4 to a skewer. Brush the shrimp with olive oil and sprinkle Tuldys seasoning all over. Grill or broil the shrimp over medium fire for about 3-4 minutes until pinkish orange. While the shrimp are grilling, melt the butter and cilantro over low heat on the stovetop or off to the side of the grill for 2 or 3 minutes to blend the flavors. Remove shrimp from skewers and serve with the warm cilantro butter as a dipping sauce.

Nachos

I know, anyone can make nachos. Yeah, but not everyone makes them like we do. I like to buy the 5 inch tostada chips and completely cover the chip with a nice layer of our borracho beans, mashed. Then add a good layer of cheddar/jack cheese and 4 good sized chunks of leftover fajita meat to each chip. Broil quickly just until the cheese melts and cut into 4 equal quarters. Serve with guacamole and sour cream on the side. (or another thing I like to do is put my sour cream in a squirt bottle, one with a small tip. You can control the amount you use much better and you can make great designs on whatever you’re eating/ decorating) This is one of the reasons I usually make a full pound of beans when I cook-they keep well and freeze well. It’s also why I usually grill way more meat than I know we’ll eat in one night.

Quesadillas

These are the equivalent of grilled cheese sandwiches in texmex cooking. I like to use cheddar/jack cheese, you get the great taste of cheddar and the “stringiness” of the jack cheese. You could also use mozzarella or a combo of mozzarella and cheddar. Take a small, nonstick skillet and heat it to medium heat. Add about a teaspoon of butter and melt. Take it off the heat. Place one 6 inch tortilla on the counter and place a thin layer of cheese on it. Now place anything else you wish on the cheese. A few suggestions:

Chopped ham

Chopped bacon

Cooked chorizo

Green onion

Jalapenos

Sliced avocado

Chopped green chilies

Cooked, chopped shrimp or shrimp AND green chiles is delicious

Taco meat

Leftover fajita meat

Sautéed onion and bell pepper like for fajitas ( sauté with a tsp of Tuldys all purpose seasoning )

As you can see, the sky’s the limit!

Now place another thin layer of cheese on top, cover with another tortilla, place pan back on the fire and cover with a lid that just covers the tortilla if you have one. Cook until golden. Flip over and cook until golden on the back side. Cut into quarters and serve with salsa, sour cream, and or guacamole

Chicken taquitos

These are great little finger foods, perfect for a party. Try several dipping sauces for a big hit. (suggestions follow)

Here’s what you’ll need:

1 large full chicken breast (both halves)

1 can rotel (get the chopped kind, not whole tomatoes)

½ cup diced green chiles or a small can of diced green chiles

2 cloves fresh garlic

1 tablespoon Tuldys all purpose texmex seasoning

24 soft corn tortillas

Dipping sauce (follows)

Oil for frying

Place chicken in a pan of water to cover. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to simmer. Cover and cook for 25-30 minutes or until done. (you can also use leftover chicken fajita meat-remember I told you to cook more than you could eat in one meal) Remove chicken when done and sit aside to cool. After you can handle it, shred or cut into small pieces. Add green chiles, Tuldys seasoning, and drained rotel (reserve the juice to make the filling moist) Mix well and add enough reserved juice to make the filling slightly moist.

Heat a nonstick skillet to med-high heat. Lay soft corn tortillas in skillet one at a time, both sides, for about 3-5 seconds (this will prevent them from cracking when you roll them) Lay on the counter and place about a tablespoon and a half filling in each tortilla and roll up. Place a toothpick through 3 at a time to keep from unraveling. Heat oil to depth of 1 inch and to 360 degrees. You can test it by sticking the end of a tortilla in to see if it sizzles. Fry for about a minute. This recipe makes 20-24 taquitos.

Here are some dipping sauce recommendations:

Pepper jelly

Tuldys “holy chipotle” dip ( thinned with a little water or cream )

Ranch dressing

Guacamole

Chile con queso

Any salsa

Enchiladas

Sour Cream Enchiladas

You won't find these babies on your basic mom and pop texmex menu but they're quick, easy, and incredibly delicious. This recipe takes me back twenty plus years to a restaurant on the east side of Austin called Vicashmos. It's been gone for many years but the taste has lingered with me ever since. They stuffed the enchiladas with just basic shredded chicken breast but you can stuff them with fun things like spinach, mushrooms, shrimp, jack cheese, or a combination of any or all! You will need about a cup and a half to 2 cups filling for a regular 9x13 pyrex.

The sauce is quick and easy. Just melt ¼ cup butter over medium heat in a med sauce pan. Add ¼ cup flour and whisk until combined and thickened (about a minute or so). Add a can of chicken stock and whisk until mixed thoroughly. Remove from the heat and stir in an 8 oz carton of sour cream. Viola! Superb sauce.

At this point you can make an incredible chipotle sour cream sauce by adding a Tbsp of pure chipotle powder. If you prefer ancho to chipotle, add a Tbsp of pure ancho powder. You can order fresh powders at the link below.

When I make chicken enchiladas, I simmer 2 med breasts until done, about 25 minutes. Cool, then shred or chop. Add ½ can rotel tomatoes (chopped version, drained) and a generous sprinkling of Tuldys all purpose seasoning. Great filling!

For spinach enchiladas I microwave a frozen package of chopped spinach until hot then add about a half of a handful of jack cheese. You can also add canned mushrooms to this mixture. Do keep in mind, you only need 2 cups total filling.

Shrimp enchiladas need about 1 cup cooked and chopped shrimp and about a cup of shredded jack cheese.

Microwave until everything is hot and bubbly or bake (covered) for 20-30 minutes at 375.

AND! Remember, there's no need to dip your corn tortillas in hot oil anymore! Just spray the tortillas on both sides with PAM spray, stack on a plate and microwave for 3-4 minutes. You should be able to prepare these in less than thirty minutes!

Click here to order fresh chipotle or ancho powder

Email us if you have a great recipe idea that you would like to see included on this site.