Southwestern Chicken Pasta

This is a fun one! It gives you Mexican flavors and pasta all at once! Try adding more veggies for a healthier meal.

1 large chicken breast

1 - 15.25 oz can pablano and red pepper corn - any type of 'southwestern' corn will do fine. I think it's usually called southwestern, this is just what we found today

1/2 box of penne pasta 

1/2 bell pepper

1 cup of tortilla chips

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

1 tbs. olive oil

Your favorite spicy seasoning mix - i personally love the Fiesta Party Dip Mix from Tastefully Simple - works for so much! But whatever you have works :)

Sauce:

1 - 10 oz can hot green chile enchilada sauce - we got the hot and I promise it wasnt hot....good flavor though so that's what I recommend

1 - 8 oz can tomato sauce - I got 'no salt' and this worked really well, but any will do

1/2 packet of taco seasoning

Pinch of salt 

Pinch of pepper

4 slice of picked jalapeños chopped finely

1 tbs. salsa

Serves: 3 (2 with leftovers)

In a bowl, combine your 2 sauces, whisk in your spices and add your salsa and jalapeños. Mix together and then warm on medium low in a medium sauce pan -continue to stir occasionally. The sauce will thicken, which I think is great because it sticks to the food better. But keep it medium low and it won't thicken too much. When tasting this sauce you don't get too much heat, but once all the ingredients are together at the end it really comes through

Warm your olive oil in a large pan and add your garlic. Slice your chicken breast to about 1/2 in thick pieces, sprinkle on your favorite spicy seasoning (if you don't have one, a mix of cayenne and crushed red pepper will do the trick). Get your water for the pasta boiling and add pasta whenever it's boiling (I always add about 1 tsp of salt and 1/2 tsp of oil to the water).

Cook your chicken in the pan until fully cooked and gets a nice golden sear on the outside - the best way to do this is to cook it thoroughly and once you run out of oil just keep an eye on it and don't add anymore, it will golden up in no time.

Add your peppers to the chicken pan when the chicken has about 5 minutes left (including the goldening time - goldening not sure that's a word, but it can be now!) cook the peppers until they are al dente. 

Remove your chicken and peppers and add your corn to the same pan to warm. Cut your chicken and peppers to the desired size (slices, diced, whatever works for you).

Once the pasta is done and the corn is warm it's time to serve!

Put your pasta In a bowl, topped with sauce, peppers, chicken, and corn (drained). Have the tortillas crushed for each individual to top their own bowl with so they don't get too soggy.

Feel free to have cheese available, too! Some taco cheese would be great on this!

Other Options/In Case of Emergency:

Any corn will work because once it's added you won't taste much of a difference

Play with this one! Add peas, beans, zucchini, whatever you think will work!

If you like spicy things - I actually added the whole packet of taco seasoning, but we love spicy so I didn't want to scare anyone. 

Use a different protein too! This would definitely be good with pork or ground beef. Switch it up - use what you like! Or even cut the meat out all together and just have veggies :)

Fresh jalapeño would be fine too if you don't have the pickled.

Bow ties, rigatoni, anything will do in this category (not sure how spaghetti would be, but hey, why not!?)

Beef and Bean Enchiladas

Spicy! My favorite!

These can always be tailored to the heat lovers or the not-so-much lovers!

1 lb. ground beef

1 can refried beans

Taco seasoning

1/4 med. onion chopped

6 soft taco shells

3/4 cup taco cheese

Sauce:

2 - 10 oz. cans enchilada sauce

1/2 tsp. pepper

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp. chili powder

1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper - or any spicy seasoning blend you have

1/2 tsp. onion flakes

Serves: 3

Heat your oven to 350.

Pour your cans of sauce into a small sauce pan, add spice and allow to simmer on medium low. 

Brown the meat in a LARGE pan (trust me on the size). Once almost fully cooked add your chopped onion, allow to cook a little (about 1 minute). Drain 1 tsp of the beef 'juice' into the sauce and stir.

Add your taco seasoning and beans to the beef mixture. Stir until we'll mixed. Allow these to warm together. And add about 1 tbs. of the sauce to the mixture - it helps bring all The flavors together!

Taste your sauce as you go. The one I had was pretty bland so I needed all these spices, make sure you have enough flavoring. Also remember that as things cook the heat of the spices comes out, so if you think it's a little blah allow it to simmer and it may perk up after it goes in the oven.

Pour 1/2 cup of sauce on your aluminum foil covered pan. 

Add your mixture to the center of the shells. (If your shells are older, dampen a paper towel and heat the shells in the microwave with the towel covering them for 10 sec.)

Roll the shells and place them on the sauce with the crease side down. Pour the rest of the sauce over your shells, cover with your cheese and place in the oven.

Because everything is already cooked, you just need to let everything meld together and melt the cheese. Cook for 15 minutes and then broil on high for 2 minutes to give the cheese that lovely golden color - yum!

The center ones are for me! - no cheese :)

Other Options/In Case of Emergency:

For those of you without milk issues, add some of extra cheese to the beef mixture before putting it in the shells! About 1/4 cup will work.

For those with milk issues, don't worry about the cheese on top - they're delicious with out - I promise!

Don't have taco cheese? Use American, Cheddar, Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack - no worries!

No onion flakes? Chop some fresh! No fresh? Use the flakes!