quick and easy rotel salsa

my dad loves salsa - he puts it on everything.  and the hotter the better.  but he really struggles with finding a salsa that he loves.

so he recently created his own (now you know where i get it).  we loved it at our house too.  and it takes about 3 minutes to make.  doesn't get better than that!

quick and easy rotel salsa

pictured here topping crispy cheese and egg burritos

2 cans mild rotel tomatoes (with green chilis)
1 can hot rotel tomatoes (with habaneros) (this is the ratio we like - you could use any ratio of rotel tomatoes)
diced white onion, to taste
a clove of garlic, minced
chopped cilantro, to taste

1.  combine all ingredients in a large tupperware.  adjust onion and cilantro until the flavor is what you want.  store in the fridge. 

secret spaghetti and parmesan crusted meatballs

a few weeks ago my 3-year-old surprised me by requesting spaghetti and meatballs for dinner.  my 1st reaction... "that's boring... not to mention a lot of plain carbs and not enough vegetables..."  and my 2nd thought... "unless i fix that problem..."

so here is the skinny bovine's version of spaghetti and meatballs.  there are 4 very tightly packed cups of spinach and 1 whole zucchini in this meal.  that's a whole lot of good for you in a traditionally non veggie-packed meal.   they were the yummiest spaghetti and meatballs our family of 4 has ever had and my kids were none the wiser. 

secret spaghetti and parmesan crusted meatballs

6 servings

1 pound whole wheat spaghetti/linguine

1/2 pound lean ground beef

1/2 pound ground turkey (or all one or the other - it's up to you)

1 egg

1 slice of wheat bread - toasted and turned into crumbs in your blender

1 tablespoon parsley

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon basil

dash pepper

1 medium zucchini, grated

2 tightly packed cups spinach, chopped

1/2 cup chopped onion

3 cloves garlic

1/3 cup kraft-style parmesan cheese

1 cup panko bread crumbs

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 jar of your favorite pasta sauce

2 tightly packed cups spinach, chopped

fresh grated parmesan cheese (optional)

 1.  cook spaghetti according to package directions.  preheat oven to 400 degrees. 
2.  in a sauce pan, heat a dash of olive oil over medium heat.  add onion and garlic.  cook until onion is translucent.  add zucchini and 2 cups spinach and sprinkle with salt.  cook til veggies are soft.  remove from stove and let cool a bit. 
3.  in a large bowl, combine raw meat, egg, bread crumbs, parsley, oregano, basil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a dash of pepper.  stir til combined.  add onion, zucchini, spinach mixture.  stir til combined. 
4.  grease a mini muffin tin.  in a shallow dish, combine parmesan cheese, panko bread crumbs and 1/4 teaspoon salt.  use a small cookie scoop to form meatballs and then roll each meatball in the cheese/crumb mixture, pressing the crumbs into the meatball until well coated.  place each meatball into a slot in the mini muffin tin.  (i made 30 meatballs so i used a whole mini muffin tin + a few slots in a regular muffin tin.)
5.  bake meatballs at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. 
6.  while meatballs are baking, combine a jar of pasta sauce and 2 tightly cups packed spinach, chopped, in a pot.  heat over medium until sauce is hot and spinach is cooked. 
7.  combine spaghetti and sauce, stirring to coat.  dish up servings and top each serving with meatballs.  sprinkle with parmesan cheese if desired. 
8.  smile because you just ate all those veggies in your spaghetti and meatballs.

chipotle roasted veggie quesadillas

okay - easy meal idea! take the chipotle roasted veggies below, combine with tortillas and cheese, crisp them up on your stove - and viola!! amazing flavors! loved this easy way to use up leftovers, too.

chipotle roasted veggie quesadillas

chipotle roasted veggies
cheese (i'd use jack or pepper jack)
flour tortillas

1. place cheese on half of a flour tortilla. sprinkle on some chipotle roasted veggies. fold in half. cook on stove until cheese is melted and tortilla is crisped. serve with your favorite toppings - salsa, sour cream, guacamole, the works.

up next - that deliciously easy salsa you see in the pictures above!

chipotle roasted vegetable layered salad

here's another delicious way to eat some roasted veggies. i love cafe rio-style salads more than almost any food on this earth (except cheeseburgers, i've made that confession before). mexi-style salads with beans, rice, lettuce, salsa, guacamole, cilantro lime ranch dressing.... and now chipotle roasted veggies - all over a warm, toasted, cheesy tortilla.

i may even like this better than the meat in these salads. and when you roll up the tortilla at the end with the leftovers still in the tortilla after the lettuce is gone, the flavors are just perfect.

chipotle roasted vegetable layered salad

cilantro lime rice
ala a friend of the skinny bovine

3 cups cooked white rice (1 1/2 cups uncooked)
1 cup loosely packed cilantro
1/2 cup chopped white onion
1/4 cup chopped green onion
1 1/2 tablespoons lime juice
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon olive oil

pulse cilantro, onions, lime juice, salt and oil in blender, scrapping down the sides as needed, until well combined. fold mixture into warm rice.

chipotle roasted veggies
from perry's plate

1 red bell pepper, cut into matchsticks
1 poblano pepper, cut into matchsticks (i used green here once and it was great!)
1 medium zucchini, cut into matchsticks
1 medium onion, halved and sliced very thinly
1 cup fresh or frozen corn
3 T olive oil
1-2 tsp minced or pureed chipotles in adobo sauce (see note here)
1 tsp ground cumin
salt and pepper, to taste

place all sliced vegetables on a large rimmed baking sheet. in a small bowl whisk together the oil, chipotles, and cumin. pour over the vegetables and sprinkle a pinch or two of salt and pepper, to taste. using your hands, toss the vegetables in the oil mixture and ensure that everything is coated well. spread evenly in the pan and roast for 35-40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes or so and shaking the pan to redistribute the vegetables evenly.

black beans
from perry's plate

1 15-ounce can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 tsp ground cumin
pinch of salt
1/2 cup salsa or pico de gallo

to prepare the beans, place the drained and rinsed beans in a small saucepan with about 2-3 tablespoons of water. stir in cumin, salsa, and season to taste. let them simmer over medium heat until they're heated through.


i posted this dressing below a few years ago, but i've since refined it a bit by thinning it with salsa verde and milk. i've tried a few of the tomatillo-based cafe rio-style dressings and still like this one better!

cilantro lime ranch dressing
ala skinny bovine

1 1/3 cup fat free sour cream
3/4 cup low fat mayo
1 bunch cilantro
1 package ranch dressing mix
4 tablespoons salsa verde (green salsa)
1 clove garlic
1/8 teaspoon tabasco sauce (or more to taste if you want it spicier)
juice of 1 lime

blend all ingredients in blender until smooth. thin to your liking with milk and more salsa verde and blend again.

putting it all together...
toast a tortilla on your stove top in a pan. flip the tortilla and spread cheese to melt on the other side. when cheese is melted remove from heat.

on the tortilla, place a spoonful of rice, beans and roasted veggies. top with lettuce to your liking. add cilantro lime ranch dressing and any other toppings you desire - sour cream, guacamole, tortilla strips, etc.

let's roast some veggies: stacked roasted vegetable enchiladas

let's roast some veggies! i've been roasting everything around here. i never thought i'd find a reason good enough to turn on my oven when it's so hot outside (my my typical summer-type cooking here), but i have! ooooh, the flavor.

the only veggie i'd roasted previously is tomatoes (for this heavenly roasted tomato soup), which i'd recommend doing for almost any recipe. i always want my tomatoes roasted now. and yes, i know tomatoes aren't technically a veggie. :)

turns out roasted anything is amazing.

we'll start with these, even though they are pretty far off the beaten enchilada path. i found them on perry's plate and i love what she said about them - "I love ooey-gooey, cheesy enchiladas, but I thought this fresher, lighter version was great as well." i completely agree. these were a fun, healthy way to change it up.

stacked roasted vegetable enchiladas
from perry's plate

find the recipe here!

my only changes were to use more salsa and tortillas, only 1 red bell pepper, less onions, and to spread it in a 13x9" pan.

more roasted veggies to come!

crispy cheese and egg burritos

before we roast us some veggies, i just have to share this recipe. i eat it often. okay, more than often. my bff's husband makes these for them and from the minute i made it its my go-to lunch or dinner when there's no other plan (remember, my hubby works out of town sometimes... we often run on no dinner plan these days). this is my bff who i remember frying just cheese in a pan in a pan in college. ha. love her. and her crispy cheese. wowsers!

make sure to follow the directions closely - the cheese all crisped to the bottom of the egg rocks my world. enjoy!!

crispy cheese and egg burritos
ala mark and bek

1 egg
salt and pepper
a handful of cheese (cheddar or cheddar jack)
tortilla
salsa

1. heat a frying pan over medium heat. spray with non-stick spray. crack egg into small frying pan. break yolk and spread around. lightly season with salt and pepper.
2. let the egg cook until 1/2 way done. spread a generous handful of cheese over the egg and let it cook another minute while the cheese oozes into the gooey side of the egg.
3. flip the egg so the cheese side is now down. finish cooking egg and make sure cheese gets brown and crispy.
4. when egg is almost done, put the tortilla on top of the egg in the pan and let it get warm.
5. wrap egg in warm tortilla, crispy cheese side down (otherwise the salsa will soak in and make the cheese not crispy), and top with salsa.


that's my dad's new salsa on the burrito. i'll share that recipe soon!

baked creamy chicken taquitos

okay, i'll get back to blog land. i've been busy roasting every vegetable i can get my hands on. i'll be posting recipes on that. roasted vegetables have changed my life! yum!

i really can't believe i haven't posted these delicious little numbers from our best bites yet. they are amazing. i make them at least once a month. great on both corn and flour tortillas!

baked creamy chicken taquitos
from our best bites - here

just use the link above. they are perfection in the original form.