My BEST Mexican Dish

I LOVE Mexican food so when I'm trying to eat right it's one of the hardest things for me to stay away from, this is something I make at home that goes a long way toward satisfying my craving.

Ingredients:

1 lb unflavored pork or beef loin or roast (something shreds easily)

1 can Ro*Tel Tomatoes (I like the spicy one)

1 package of taco seasoning

1 cup of water

Directions:

Place the roast along with the Ro*Tel tomatos and the water in your crock pot on a high setting. If the liquids evaporate before the meat is cooked through, simply add a little bit more water. Leave the meat to cook for about 2-3 hours, it could iffer depending on your crock pot but just make sure the meat gets cooked all the way. Remove the meat from the crock pot onto a cutting board. Start the shredding proccess on the meat. The best way I know to do this is to use a meat fork to hold the meat in place and drag a large fork through the meat.

Before putting the meat back in the crock pot, make sure there is enough liquid in the bottom of the crock pot, you typically need about 1 cup. Use half of the package of taco seasoning and stir it in with the liquid. Place the shredded meat back in the crock pot and make sure to stir it around so that it gets coated in the seasonings. I don't usually use the rest of the package of taco seasoning but if you like a strong flavor, you could.

Put you crock pot on a low setting and let the meat soak up all the juices and seasonings, this usually takes about an hour.

Once its done, put as mush as you like in a tortilla and roll it up! I always make my burrito with cheese, onion and cliantro, but any toppings you like could be used!

I use my slow cooker a lot for Mexican inspired dishes, in fact this is what I'm making for dinner tonight

 Layer in order:

4 bone in, skin removed chicken thighs

1 small chopped onion,

2 cloves chopped garlic

A can of low sodium black beans, drained & rinsed

A can of corn kernels (I use frozen and just use the bean can as a measure)

2 whole chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped

A cup of favorite salsa

Mexican oregano and cumin to taste - about a teaspoon each.

Blast it on high for 4 hours or low for 8.  You can top it with cilantro, raw onion or mexican cheese - makes 4 Servings

That sounds almost like my "taco meat"!  Except I don't use the taco seasoning, instead I add in a chopped onion, some garlic and a liberal amount of cumin powder.  Turns out great!

My new favorite thing to make is a taco salad, minus the taco shell or chips.  Just lots of lettuce and tomatoes, sauteed onions/bell pepper/jalapeno and little reduced fat cheese, ff sour cream, and taco sauce.  Sometimes I throw in some sliced olives and green onions.  It is satisfying and has that mexican flare!

http://caloriecount.about.com/claires-chicken -mexicana-recipe-r15015

I dice the chicken before I cook it and then I put the mixture over brown rice. If you want it saucier then add more salsa.

As a tribute to Claire who did this forum before she passed and shared her recipe with me (above), I cook this the last week of every month usually on the 29th.  RIP, Claire (August 2010)

This is a fast and simple recipe. 

Take care and enjoy!

God Bless.

I make some mean lean enchiladas with either chicken or beef. The chicken is leaner. With the chicken, I only use breasts. I usually just boil them in seasoned water until tender, let cool and shred. Then I add tomato sauce, sauteed onions and green peppers along with chili type seasonings. Either I get lazy and use a package mix or I use my own combination of chili powder, cumin, paprika and hot pepper.

I do not fry the corn tortillas. That adds a lot of fat and calories to the dish. I take a good non stick pan and heat it on med hight. I throw a corn tortilla onto the pan, wait about 10 seconds, flip and then add another tortilla to the pan. I take the flipped one off and throw on another, flipping the 2nd one.

I take the hot one, put a couple tablespoons of stuffing in it, roll it and put into a pan that I've sprayed with cooking spray. Then I repeat until all my filling is gone. I then top all the enchiladas with sauce. You have to use way more sauce than if you fried, but tomato sauce is pretty low calorie. I then top with a thin layer of cheese. I bake until cheese is nice and bubbly in a 350 oven, takes about 20-30 minutes.

I take all the extras and put either 2 or 3 together in containers or freezer bags and use them to take for lunches. I make this several times a year and everyone loves them.

@moonikins- have you tried using the microwave for your corn tortillas?  I used to fry them but found putting them in the micro saves me time and a pan and they come out soft enough to roll up without cracking!

It's actually more work in the micro. You have to roll them when they are hot and steamy. You can't do too many at once or only 1 at a time. If I do them on the stove like that, I get in a rhythm of flip, flop, roll, flip, flop, roll. It's quite easy and no mess because the pan is non stick so it's a just a matter of letting the pan cool down and wiping off.

I suppose if I was only making 2 or 3 enchiladas, I'd do it in the microwave, but since I make a big pan or several pans at a time, I do it the other way.

Good point   I always have done my flour tortillas in a pan and starting doing my corn in the micro.  I just nuked the whole stack and rolled them warm, but I think I am going to try the dry pan method and see if I like that as well!  Thanks for the tip!