For the first time in months, I have a co-host! For this episode, I welcome Emily Quetel to the kitchen to share her avocado knowledge with us all. This is a very important step in this episode as I’m making fajitas. What better to accompany good Mexican cuisine than guacamole and fresh salsa? Be sure to check out this episode for the full scoop on how to create a delicious dish for one or the entire family.

Ingredients:

For fajitas:

• 2 chicken breasts
• 2 red bell peppers
• ¼ to ½ red onion
• Some paprika and Cajun seasoning
• Dash of salt and pepper
• Large tortillas

For Salas:

• 2 tomatoes
• 1 Serrano chili
• Handful of cilantro
• Olive oil
• Dash of salt and pepper

For Guacamole

• 2 or 3 avocadoes
• 1 tomato
• Dash of salt and pepper
• Dash of garlic salt
• Lime juice to taste
• Handful of cilantro
• ¼ of red onion

Whenever I see a company pushing recipes that incorporate their particular ingredients, I’m always curious how they will work out. Are the recipes actually any good or are they just an excuse for the product maker to sell more goods.

Campbell’s® has really taken this idea to another level by setting up an entire web site full of recipes using their products. Enter the Campbell’s Kitchen and you are presented with countless options. For this test, I decided to give a recipe a try that sounded like it could be trouble. Find out if my suspicions were right or if I was just being too skeptical of good ol’ Campbell’s.

Ingredients:

•    1 pound ground beef
•    1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell’s® Condensed Tomato Soup  (Regular or Healthy Request®)
•    1/2 cup salsa
•    1/2 cup water
•    6 flour tortillas (6-inch), cut into 1-inch pieces
•    1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions:

Cook the beef in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until well browned, stirring often to separate meat.  Pour off any fat.

Stir the soup, salsa, water and tortillas in the skillet and heat to a boil.   Reduce the heat to low.  Cook for 5 minutes.  Stir the beef mixture.  Top with the cheese.

Creamy Mexican Fiesta: Stir in 1/2 cup sour cream with the soup.

Ranchero Style: Use corn tortillas instead of flour tortillas and shredded Mexican cheese blend instead of Cheddar.

I’m just going to say it upfront, this is my favorite episode so far. I have made tacos countless times but never have they been as fresh, flavorful and delicious as what I created for this episode. The biggest factor playing into the flavor is without a doubt the fresh tortillas given to me by Nicole Misencik (@NicoleWTHR). As a fellow food lover (and great local meteorologist), Nicole was nice enough to bring back some fresh tortillas from her favorite Mexican restaurant in Phoenix. A huge thanks goes out to her for making this recipe possible.

I even get so excited at the end that I fail to recognize the difference between a lemon and a lime.

Ingredients:

• Package of eye of round or skirt steak
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 lime sliced in half
• fresh cilantro sliced
• 1/2 onion

For salsa:

• 8-12 chili peppers
• 1/4 onion (I added some additional fresh onion after blending)
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tomato
• 2 jalapeno peppers

Directions:

Over medium-high to high heat, cook steak seasoned with salt and pepper until a nice char forms on both sides. Once cooked, cut into thin strips.

Boil a pot of water and add in the vegetables for the salsa. Cook until they become soft.

Add your salsa ingredients into a food processor and blend until you reach desired texture. I added in some additional fresh onion and cilantro for added taste.

Warm your fresh tortillas in a pan over medium to medium-high heat just enough to get both sides nice and warm. Place on a plate and cover with a clean cotton towel to keep warm. Once all tortillas are ready, build your tacos by topping with salsa and fresh onion, cilantro and a squirt of lime.

As my final taping for 2009 I decided to make a dish to bring over to my friend’s house to celebrate bringing in the new year. Looking through some of my viewer submitted recipes, I found one that I knew would fit the bill perfectly – Mexican lasagna. The preparation is easy and reheating is simple. Even better, the taste is amazing!

Ingredients:

• 16 oz lean ground beef/turkey
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped green pepper
• 1 diced jalapeno pepper
• 2 cups canned and diced tomatoes, drailed
• 1 envelope taco seasoning
• 2 cups small curd cottage cheese
• 2 eggs
• 6oz cheddar cheese
• 1 cup chopped fresh tomato
• 2 cups shredded lettuce
• 3 flour tortillas (6-inch)
• 3 corn tortillas

Directions:

Brown meat with onion, green pepper and jalapeno. Mix chopped canned tomatoes and taco seasoning then simmer uncovered for 5 minutes

Combine cottage cheese, 4oz cheddar cheese and eggs in bowl.

Spray an 8×11 pan with cooking spray and place 3 tortillas across the bottom. Spoon meat mixture on top then place 3 more tortillas on top.

Cover with cheese mixture and bake covered with foil for 40 minutes and 350 degrees. Sprinkle the remaining cheddar cheese on top and bake uncovered for 5 minutes.

Garnish with fresh tomatoes and lettuce.

In an effort to make at least one healthy dish, we take on some chicken tacos with a surprising result. In only about 15 to 20 minutes, we were rewarded with some very tasty tacos that look good and are good for you. This is definitely a recipe to give a try for those days when you don’t want a heavy meal but you want a tasty treat.

Ingredients:

• 6 corn tortillas
• 1/2 boneless skinless chicken breasts trimmed of fat and cubed
• 1/8 tsp. salt (to taste)
• 1 tsp. canola oil (to coat pan)
• 1/2 large sweet onion
• 1/2 green bell pepper
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1 jalapeno pepper (seeded and sliced)
• 1/2 Tbsp ground cumin
• 1/4 cup salsa
• 1/8 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• Other condiments to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Wrap tortillas in foil and bake until heated through for 10 to 15 minutes.

Season chicken with salt and heat oil in large heavy skillet over high heat until very hot. Add chicken and cook, stirring until browned on all sides. This should take about 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to bowl.

Reduce heat to medium and add remaining oil to skillet. Add onion, stirring often, until they start to brown. After about 3 to 5 minutes, add bell pepper, garlic, jalapeno and cumin. Cook, stirring, until peppers are bright green but still crisp.

Stir in salsa and chicken. Cook for a few more minutes stirring often until chicken is reheated. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro. Spoon into warmed tortillas with garnish and serve.

It’s Thursday night in the middle of a very busy work week and I look at the clock. The time is after 9 PM and I realize I have not eaten dinner. This seems to be a regular occurrence for me lately and I soon realized groceries were in short supply. I was going to eat some cereal but then came to the realization I didn’t have any milk. What I did have was corn tortillas, eggs, cheese and salsa.

Not wanting to make the full egg tortilla casserole again, I decided to make up some quick breakfast tacos given they only take about 10 minutes to make. These are even better when you have more fresh ingredients available for topping. I was a bit limited.

Ingredients and Directions:

• Put a small amount of cooking oil in a pan and heat to medium.
• While oil heats up, shred about 1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese or whatever kind of cheese you prefer on your tacos.
• Crack two eggs and beat so they are ready to scramble.
• Mix in chili powder, black pepper, cumin, seasoned salt, red pepper and hot sauce.
• Once oil is hot, fry up two or three corn tortillas by placing in grease for about 15 to 30 seconds until hard but still a bit chewy.
• Let shells cool for about 2 minutes and then place eggs, cheese, hot sauce and salsa in shell and fold.
• Enjoy!