***A recipe for Spanish Rice is below.
My family loves mexican food, which is good because we eat it all the time. We buy a package of 90 corn tortillas every couple of weeks (this costs $3.00) and we use them in a variety of ways.
Tortillas can be warmed on the burner of your stove or in a skillet, and they can also be fried to make chips (these taste so much better than any chips in a bag!) or taco/tostadas shells.
To fry the tortillas, heat 1 inch of oil in a large skillet. (When I fry food in oil I always have the kids stay out of the kitchen for safety.)
--For chips: Cut the tortillas into 6 pieces (I usually cut them like a pie, but you can also cut strips) and then fry them until crisp. Add some salt.
--For taco shells: Place a whole tortilla in the heated oil and when it becomes slightly bubbly, fold it in half. Cook these until they are almost crisp, but still pliable.
--For tostada shells: Place a whole tortilla in the heated oil and cook until crispy.
--For a lowfat version, you can bake tortillas in the oven (400 degrees) until crisp.
Once they are cooked, all you have to do is top/fill them with something tasty and a little spicy:
--Saute red, yellow and green peppers with some onions and garlic. Add a can of black beans and wrap in a tortilla.
--Add chicken to the above mix, if desired.
--Top tortilla chips with seasoned ground beef, beans and cheese (nachos).
--When you find roasts on sale at the grocery store for $1.00 per pound, simply cook one in your crock pot, shred it, and wrap meat in a tortilla.
--To save money on meat, use 1/2 meat and 1/2 black beans or 1/2 cooked potatoes.
--Sprinkle some shredded cheese between two tortillas and heat in a skillet until melted (quesadillas).
--For tacos and tostadas: top with lettuce, tomatoes, red onion, cabbage, radishes, sour cream, cheese, salsa, hot sauce, etc., etc., etc. (Don't use all of these at once!)
To season meats/beans/veggies, add a bit of cumin, oregano, basil, red pepper (this is hot!), garlic (use lots!), salsa, enchilada sauce, etc., etc., etc. (Don't use all of these at once!)
Spanish Rice
1 cup brown rice (you can use white rice as long as you adjust your cooking time)
1-2 TB. cooking oil
1/3 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
2-1/4 cups water
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1/2 tsp. cumin
salt and pepper to taste
Heat oil in a saucepan and add the rice, onions and garlic:
Saute until lightly browned:
Add the water, sauce and spices, and bring to a boil. Cover and cook over low heat for approximately 40-45 minutes, until water is absorbed and rice is tender.
This rice tastes great topped with salsa!
Happy cooking!
