Chef LaLa Homemade: Mexican quick and easy

Showing posts with label Mexican quick and easy. Show all posts

Chicken Tamales - Tamales de Pollo

Chicken Tamales
Tamales de Pollo

8 ounces corn husks
1 (3½- to 4-pound) whole chicken
1 onion, halved
2 cloves garlic
3 quarts water
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons canola
or vegetable oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 medium potato, thickly sliced
1 large carrot, thickly sliced
1 cup green peas
4 ounces tomato paste
½ tablespoon salt
½ tablespoon black pepper
½ tablespoon garlic powder
1 cup canned Anaheim chiles,
roasted
3 pounds prepared tamale masa

1. Soak husks in large bowl filled with warm water 2 hours. Carefully separate
when softened and lay on a towel to dry.
2. Cook chicken, half of onion, garlic, water and oregano in large pot, covered,
over medium heat 30 minutes. Remove chicken; cool. Shred into medium-sized
pieces. Reserve broth.
3. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir onions and garlic 3
minutes. Add potato and carrot; cook 4 minutes. Add shredded chicken, peas,
tomato paste, reserved broth, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Cover; simmer 10
minutes. Add chiles; stir to combine. Remove from heat. Uncover and cool.
4. Spoon prepared masa into center of husk. Add small amount of filling in
center and bring sides together, folding to enclose filling. Twist ends of tamale
and secure with small strip of husk.
5. Place in steamer. Cover with tight-fitting lid and steam 1 hour, adding water
as needed. Tamales are ready when masa pulls away from husks.

Makes 3 dozen tamales

Per Serving: 250 calories, 9.6g fat (1.2g saturated, 4.7g monounsaturated, 3g polyunsaturated),
21mg cholesterol, 179mg sodium, 31.7g carbohydrate (5.6g dietary fiber), 10g protein

Orange Chipotle Chicken Torta

2 Frozen Chicken Patties

6 ounces Chef LaLa Homemade Orange Chipotle Marinade

2 French Roll or birote bread

4 leaves Lettuce

1 medium Tomato, sliced

½ medium Avocado, sliced

4 ounces Mexican cheese (cotija or queso fresco)

2 tbs Chipotle Mayonnaise *

Chipotle Mayonnaise *

2 tbs reduced fat Mayonnaise

2 tbs Chef LaLa Homemade Orange Chipotle Marinade

Place frozen burger in either a non-stick or lightly oiled (1 teaspoon) skillet and cook over medium heat for approximately 8 minutes, turning burger occasionally. Add Chef LaLa Homemade Orange Chipotle Marinade covering them with the sauce. Simmer for 2 minutes until the sauce is heated through.

To make Chipotle Mayonnaise: In a small bowl, combine Mayonnaise and Chef LaLa Homemade Orange Chipotle Marinade

Meantime slice bread horizontally for filling. Toast bread. Add ½ tablespoon Chipotle Mayonnaise to each side of bread. Top bottom bread with 2 leaves of lettuce, then cooked chicken patty, then tomato, then avocado and crumbled cheese. Cover with bread top. Slice in half to serve.

Servings: 2

Carne Asada Tacos

3 lbs skirt steak

1 bottle Chef LaLa Homemade Carne Asada Marinade

½ cup yellow onion, diced

½ cup cilantro, chopped

24 corn tortillas

2 cups fresh salsa

Marinade beef for 2 hours (or overnight) in the refrigerator. Drain excess marinade.

Cook to desired doneness.

Allow meat to rest for 2-3 minutes, then slice against the grain into bite sized strips or cubes, and serve in warmed tacos with cilantro and onions and fresh salsa.

Makes 24 tacos.

CHEF TIP: To soften tortillas by warming in microwave (with damp paper towel), in skillet, or on direct heat.

Red Chicken Enchiladas

1 bottle CHEF LALA HOMEMADE TOMATO-SERRANO RED SAUCE *

12 oz cooked shredded chicken (or other filling of choice)

6 corn tortillas (warmed so they are pliable)

6 oz cotija cheese, crumbled (or other cheese of choice)

Place 4 tablespoons Chef LaLa Homemade Red Sauce in a 12-in. skillet to cover bottom evenly.

Working one at a time, place 2 oz chicken in center of tortilla. Roll tortilla and place into skillet, overlap facing down. Repeat.

Pour remainder of sauce over the tops of the enchiladas, and sprinkle with cheese.

Cover and cook over medium heat for 5 – 10 minutes.

Serves 2-3.

* --For Enchiladas Suizas, use CHEF LALA HOMEMADE GREEN SAUCE!

MODERN TIP FOR SOFTENING CORN TORTILLAS:

warm 15 seconds in microwave in a damp paper towel.

Chef LaLa cooks with Tony Tantillo on CBS

Nice and slow Tony. Photo of on the set filming with Tony Tantillo in NY CBS.

Chipotle 3-minute Green Beans

The simplest things in life are the best! I took 1/2 pound of green beans, rinsed them and trimmed them. In a hot pan, I added 1 Tablespoon of Chef LaLa Homemade Chipotle Flavored Oil. Then I tossed the green beans for 3-5 minutes. Season with kosher salt.

YUM!

Chicken Wings - Carne Asada Style

Yes, Carne Asada means Char-broiled Steak. But this marinade made with garlic, onion, citrus and soy sauce - is so diverse I decided to use it with Chicken wings. 1 bottle of Chef LaLa Homemade Carne Asada Marinade is all I needed for 2-3 pounds of wings. I marinaded them for 2 hours and drained the excess marinade. I placed the wings on a baking sheet and placed them in a preheated 400 degrees F oven for 45 minutes - 1 hour, or until juices run clear.

Conchita Pasta Soup

This is a soup that always reminds me of a rainy day and mom. She used to make this for us all the time...and once in a while I'll drop by my parents home and love that they still make it for my son Maddox, he calls it "sopita"

3 cups of Shell Pasta (conchitas)

1 cup Chef LaLa Homemade Tomato Serrano Sauce

4 cups Chicken Stock

1 cup can corn

Place all ingredients in a saucepan, cover and simmer on low for 20 minutes or until pasta is tender.

Turkey Enchilada recipe by Chef LaLa

Still have turkey leftovers? check out this video from recent my appearance on KTLA -

Catie's Cottage cheese delight

Thank you Catie for this low-fat protein-rich recipe suggestion - you are right, this combination is awesome.

Here's the recipe:

3 tablespoons Chef LaLa Homemade Tomato Serrano Sauce

3 tablespoons lowfat cottage cheese

Enjoy!

Turkey Red Enchiladas

TURKEY RED ENCHILADAS

1 bottle CHEF LALA HOMEMADE TOMATO-SERRANO RED SAUCE *

12 oz cooked shredded turkey

6 corn tortillas (warmed so they are pliable)

6 oz cotija cheese, crumbled (or other cheese of choice)

Place 4 tablespoons CLH Red Sauce in a 12-in. skillet to cover bottom evenly.

Working one at a time, place 2 oz turkey in center of tortilla. Roll tortilla and place into skillet, overlap facing down. Repeat

Pour remainder of sauce over the tops of the enchiladas, and sprinkle with cheese.

Cover and cook over medium heat for 5 – 10 minutes.

Serves 2-3.

* --For Enchiladas Suizas, use CHEF LALA HOMEMADE GREEN SAUCE!

MODERN TIP FOR SOFTENING CORN TORTILLAS:
warm 15 seconds in microwave in a damp paper towel.

Healthy Holiday Tips - Bread

Healthy Thanksgiving tips: Try dipping your bread in tomato based sauce instead of a cream or butter based sauce. Remember that fat has more than twice the amount of calories than carbs and proteins per gram, so try to limit your intake of fat in order to avoid the overcosumption of calories.

Healthy smashed potatoes

When Preparing your potatoes, leave the skin on for extra fiber. It helps you feel full (which means you will eat less...hopefully ;) and can lower your cholesterol.

I boil my red potatoes until tender. Drain water, smash them and drizzle on some Chef LaLa Homemade Chipotle Oil for a smokey touch. Add salt and pepper. Serve warm