Tortilla Casserole

This sounds rather plain, but it is actually really good!

INGREDIENTS:
1 lb ground beef
1 large green bell pepper, diced
1 large tomato, diced
2 to 3 cups shredded cheddar (I don't measure, but more is always better!)
4 flour tortillas (8 inch round)
Sour cream
Salsa

DIRECTIONS:
Brown ground beef. I usually season with black pepper and onion powder, but not necessary.
Grease an 8x8 pan. Place 1 tortilla on the bottom. Tear off pieces of another to fill in empty spots. Layer bell pepper, tomato, cheese, and beef. Repeat tortilla (filling in spots), bell pepper, tomato, cheese, beef. Place last tortilla and top with cheese.
Bake @350 for 25 minutes.
Serve with sour cream and salsa.

Taco Salad

This was one of the first meals Matt and I made together. It's really quick and easy (15 minutes, tops), but cooking is always more fun with someone else in the kitchen! Delicious on a hot day! Or a cold one haha, but I always think of it as a summer food.

INGREDIENTS:
1 lb ground beef
1/2 cup taco sauce
6 cups bite-sized lettuce
1 medium green bell pepper, cut into strips
2 medium tomatoes, cut into wedges
1 small can black olives, drained
1.5 cups shredded cheddar
Fritos
Thousand Island Dressing

DIRECTIONS:
Brown Beef. Drain. Stir in taco sauce. Cook 2-3 minutes.
Toss lettuce, bell pepper, tomatoes, olives, and cheese in a large bowl.
Spoon hot beef mixture over lettuce mixture. Toss.
Serve with dressing and Fritos.

NOTES:
Fritos and Dressing can be mixed into the salad, but stuff will get soggy if they sit for long. We like it better to just put some on the salad after dishing up.

Egg rolls

These are better than any restaurant egg rolls I have ever had. This recipe makes a lot, so be prepared to spend a couple hours making them. They are definitely worth it though. Depending on how much filling is used per egg roll, it makes 40-50.

Tastes great with sweet and sour sauce, or my homemade sweet chili garlic sauce.

INGREDIENTS:
1 lb ground beef
1 lb pork sausage
2 large carrots
1 large green bell pepper
1 large onion
5 celery stalks
4 cans of bean sprouts
1 can water chestnuts
1 can bamboo shoots
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
1 Tablespoon ginger
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 packs of large egg roll wrappers

DIRECTIONS:
Brown ground beef and sausage. Let cool.
Chop carrots, bell pepper, onion, celery, water chestnuts, and bamboo shoots. (A slap chop works best!) Drain excess juices.
In very large bowl, combine all filling ingredients.
Fill and wrap according to wrapper instructions. (I don't know how much I put on each wrapper, I do what looks good to me). 
Heat deep fryer to 350F. Fry egg rolls until golden brown.

NOTES:
I have used both egg roll wrappers and lumpia wrappers (similar to spring rolls. the picture above is using this kind).  Both work, but I prefer the egg roll wrappers. They are best fresh, but still good reheated. Bake in the oven @350 until filling is hot, or broil for a few minutes.

Crispy Southwest Chicken Wraps

When I saw this recipe, I knew we would love it! I made a few small changes to suit our tastes. It is definitely going to be a common meal in our house! Makes excellent leftovers as well. I made how many we would eat for supper, then saved the rest of the mixture to make more for lunch the next day.

The jalapeno cream cheese we used is just a block of regular cream cheese, with jarred jalapenos chopped and mixed in by hand. Since the boys usually don't like spicy foods, I didn't put the cream cheese on theirs. Instead, I used sour cream. They both really liked it. Matt tried one with just sour cream and he said it was really good too...I will continue to stick to my cream cheese though!

The tortillas we used were on the smaller side (they say burrito sized, but I have seen bigger burrito sized ones), so we were able to make about 9 wraps (I put less in the kids, more in matts, so it all just depends).

The filling:

 The Jalapeno cream cheese:

Ready to roll:

 All rolled up:

Ready to eat:

INGREDIENTS:
1.5 cup cooked brown rice, warm or at room temperature
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 green onions, finely sliced (white and green parts)
1/2 green pepper, diced
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon garlic salt
shredded cheese (at least 2 cups)
flour tortillas
jalapeno cream cheese

DIRECTIONS:
Mix rice together with chili powder, cumin and garlic salt. Add chicken, beans, green onions, and green pepper. Spread desired amount of cream cheese over tortillas. Top with cheese, leaving small border around edges. Spoon chicken and rice mixture down the center of each tortilla. Roll stuffed tortillas, folding in edges like a burrito. Spray top and bottom with cooking spray.

Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-low heat for 1 minute. Put 2 wraps at a time, seam-side down, in pan and cook until golden brown and crisp, about 3-4 minutes per side. Enjoy!