Hearty Ranchero Pie



The title says it all for this recipe, hearty. Also, it's easy to make

and will please the family.



Ingredients:



* Filling:

* 1 1/2 lb extra lean ground beef

* 2 tbsp olive oil

* 1 small yellow onion, chopped

* 1/2 cup celery, thinly sliced

* 1 medium bell pepper, chopped

* 1/2 cup shredded carrots

* 1 tsp ground cumin

* 1 tsp chili powder

* 1 tsp salt

* 1/2 tsp black pepper

* 1 cup chopped tomatoes

* 1 cup kidney beans, cooked and drained

* 1/2 cup corn

* 3 eggs, beaten

* 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

*

* Top Crust:

* 2 1/2 cups water

* 1 cup yellow cornmeal

* 1 tsp salt



Method



Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a 8x11.5x2-inch baking dish with

nonstick cooking spray. In a large skillet, brown the ground beef in

the oil. Add onion, celery, bell pepper and carrots. Cook for 5

minutes over medium heat; drain liquid. To the mixture, add cumin,

chili powder, salt and pepper. Stir in the tomato, kidney beans, corn

and eggs. Pour mixture into baking dish, sprinkle with cheese and set

aside. In a medium saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Gradually add

cornmeal in a thin stream, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. When

cornmeal is added, stir in salt. Continue cooking, whisking constantly

until it reaches the consistency of mashed potatoes, about 1 minute.

Spread mixture evenly over meat mixture in the pan and bake, uncovered

on the middle oven rack for 22-25 minutes or until crust is set.



Notes: This is a snap to assemble and makes a great week night,

all-in-one dish for busy cooks.

Number of servings: 6-8

Bold Pepper Steak

1 cup thinly sliced green bell pepper
1 cup thinly sliced red bell pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1 pound flank steak, thinly sliced
3/4 cup A 1 ORIGINAL or A 1 BOLD and SPICY Steak Sauce
1 tablespoon sherry cooking wine
8 flour tortillas, warmed or 4 cups hot cooked rice

Cook and stir peppers in oil in large skillet for 3 minutes or until tender crisp. Remove peppers with slotted spoon; set aside. Cook and stir steak in same skillet for 5 minutes or until no longer pink. Add cooked peppers, steak sauce and sherry; heat to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Serve with tortillas or over hot cooked rice. Serves 4.

Sirloin Fajitas

1 cup sliced onion
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 teaspoon oil
1/3 cup dry sherry
1 pound sirloin tips, well trimmed
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
1/2 teaspoon cumin seed
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon cilantro, minced
4 flour tortillas
1/2 cup salsa
1/2 avocado, sliced thin
1 cup yogurt

In a large skillet over medium high heat, saute onions and mushrooms in oil and sherry for 10 minutes. Cut steak into 1 1/2 inch strips and add to saute, cooking for 2 minutes more. Add chiles, cumin, coriander, and cilantro, and cook 3 more minutes, stirring frequently. Warm tortillas in oven. Set out bowls of salsa, sliced avocado, and yogurt. Wrap warmed tortillas in clean cloth napkin. Serve meat filling from skillet or place in prewarmed serving dish. Serves 4.

Tex-Mex Meatloaf



1 lb. lean ground beef, chicken, or turkey

1 cup cooked rice

1/2 cup crushed crackers or breadcrumbs

1 medium onion, diced

1 can diced tomatoes (with juice)

1 can diced green chiles

2 eggs

Dash of curry powder

Generous amount of garlic powder

Salt/pepper to taste

Salsa (optional)



Mix all ingredients except salsa until thoroughly

combined. Spray large loaf pan with non-stick spray. Pat

mixture into pan and bake at 350 degrees until center is

firm and top is brown -- about 1 hour (or a little more),

depending on pan size and oven. Or bake in crockpot all

day on low - half day on High (no more than 4 hours).

Allow to cool a little before slicing for nicer-looking

presentation -- it tends to fall apart when very hot.

Serve with warm salsa as a sauce.

Beef and Salsa Biscuit Bake



Yield: 8 servings



2 pkg (12-oz.) refrigerated buttermilk biscuits

1 jar (16-oz.) ORTEGA® Salsa - Homestyle Recipe (Mild)

1 lb ground beef, fully cooked, drained and crumbled

1 can (4-oz.) ORTEGA® Diced Green Chiles

1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup sliced ripe olives, drained

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese



Procedures



PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Grease 13x9-inch baking dish.

DIVIDE biscuits into quarters; place into prepared baking dish.

COMBINE salsa, beef, chiles, peppers, onions and olives in medium bowl.

Pour over biscuits.

BAKE for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with Cheddar Cheese and Monterey Jack Cheese;

bake for an additional 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.



Source Dallas Morning News Recipe Of The Day Mailer

Texas Sirloin Quesadillas



1 lb. sirloin cut 1 inch thick

1/2 C. red wine

1 t. ground cumin

2 t. chili powder

1 T. olive oil

3 large poblano peppers

4 T. vegetable oil

1 large onion cut into strips

3 1/2 C. Monterey jack cheese shredded

1 C. cilantro chopped

8 large flour tortillas



Slice steak across the grain into thin slices. In a large sealable

plastic bag combine wine, garlic, cumin, chili powder and olive oil.

Add meat to the bag. Seal bag and turn bag to coat meat in the

marinade. Marinate for 4 hours or overnight.



Cut poblano peppers in half, remove seeds and veins, and cut into

strips.



Add 2 T. of oil to a saute pan. Add the onion and pepper strips.

Saute until the onion is tender. Remove from pan and set aside.



Heat the remaining oil in the pan. Drain the beef and add to the pan.

Saute quickly to brown the beef, add the onions - peppers back to the

pan. Stir fry for 1 minute more.



Place a tortilla on a griddle. Sprinkle with some of the melted

cheese, beef mixture, cilantro and top with more cheese. Cover with

another tortilla. Grill until cheese melts and tortilla is browned.



Cut into wedges and serve. Repeat with remaining tortillas and beef

until it is all gone.



Make 4 large quesadillas or 32 pieces.

Mexican Stuffed Flank Steak



Prep Time: 20 min

Total Time: 26 hr 5 min

Makes: 6 servings



2 cups beef broth

1/2 cup KRAFT Zesty Italian Dressing, divided

6 ancho peppers, crushed (about 1 cup)

1 Tbsp. dried oregano leaves

1 beef flank steak (2 lb.)

1 small potato, peeled, shredded

1 medium carrot, shredded

1 serrano chile, finely chopped

4 slices OSCAR MAYER Bacon, cooked, drained and chopped

1/4 cup chopped cilantro, divided



PLACE broth, 1/4 cup of the dressing, the ancho peppers and oregano

in blender; cover. Blend on medium speed 1 min. Pour into large

resealable plastic bag. Add steak; seal bag. Turn bag over several

times to evenly coat steak with the broth mixture. Refrigerate

overnight to marinate, turning occasionally.



MIX potatoes, carrots, serrano chiles, bacon and 2 Tbsp. of the

cilantro; set aside. Remove steak from marinade; reserve marinade in

bag. Place steak on clean work surface. Spread evenly with potato

mixture to within 1/2 inch of edges. Roll up tightly, starting at one

of the short ends. Tie securely with kitchen string at 2-inch

intervals; set aside.



HEAT remaining 1/4 cup dressing in large skillet on medium-high heat.

Add steak; cook until browned on all sides, turning occasionally. Add

reserved marinade; bring to boil. Reduce heat to low; cover. Simmer 1

hour 45 min. or until steak is medium doneness (160F). Transfer steak

to cutting board; let stand 10 min. Remove string; cut steak into 1/2-

inch-thick slices. Place on serving platter. Spoon broth mixture over

steak slices; sprinkle with the remaining 2 Tbsp. cilantro.



Source: KraftFoods

Mexican Meatballs

Ingredients

• 2 lb. lean ground meat*
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 small can chopped green chiles, drained
• 1 package taco seasoning
• 1 can enchilada sauce
• 1 can tomato sauce
• 1 cup grated cheddar and/or monterey jack cheese

*burger, chicken, turkey, venison, pork or a mixture of any of these. I use ground pork and ground venison

Directions

In one bowl mix ground meat, onion, green chiles and taco seasoning. Mix enchilada sauce and tomato sauce in another bowl. Form meat mixture into meatballs about the size of walnuts.

There are 2 ways you can cook this.

You can fry these in a small amount of oil on the stove, drain on paper towels, rinse out skillet. Return meatballs to skillet with enchilada & tomato sauce mix & simmer for 30-45 minutes. Then top with cheese.

The other way you can cook these is to place meatballs in your crock pot and pour the enchilada and tomato sauce mixture over the meatballs. Cook for 4-5 hours on high. Top with the cheese in the last 30 minutes of cooking. This is wonderful! Enjoy!

Beef Fajitas With Pico de Gallo



Ingredients



1 (8-ounce) bottle zesty Italian dressing

3 tablespoons fajita seasoning

2 (1-pound) flank steaks

12 (6-inch) flour tortillas, warmed

Shredded Cheddar cheese

Pico de Gallo

Garnishes: lime wedges, fresh cilantro sprigs

Preparation

Combine Italian dressing and fajita seasoning in a shallow dish or

zip-top plastic bag; add steak. Cover or seal, and chill 8 hours,

turning occasionally. Remove steak from marinade, discarding marinade.



Preheat a two-sided contact indoor electric grill according to

manufacturer'<WBR>s instructions on HIGH. Place steaks on grill rack, close

lid, and grill 10 minutes (medium-rare) or to desired degree of

doneness. Remove steaks, and let stand 5 minutes.



Cut steaks diagonally across the grain into very thin slices, and

serve with tortillas, cheese, and Pico de Gallo. Garnish, if desired.



Note: When using an outdoor gas or charcoal grill, grill steaks,

covered with grill lid, over medium-high heat (350° to 400°) for 8

minutes. Turn and grill 5 more minutes or to desired degree of

doneness. Proceed as directed. For testing purposes only, we used

McCormick Fajita Seasoning.

Yield



Makes 6 servings

Southern Living, MARCH 2004

15 Minute Taco Rice Skillet



1 pound ground beef

2 cups water

1 package taco seasoning

2 cups Minute Rice

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Coarsely crushed tortilla chips

Shredded lettuce

Chopped tomato

Sour cream



Brown meat in large skillet over medium-high heat; drain. Add water and

seasoning mix to skillet; stir. Bring to boil. Stir in rice. Sprinkle

with cheese, cover. Cook on low heat for 5 minutes. Top as desired with

ingredients above.



Serves 4