Everybody loves nachos, right? We’ve been fixing them in various ways over the years, but recently, we hit on a great mix of ingredients that suits our palates just fine.

Ingredients

• 1/2 can of Bush’s Texas Ranchero Grillin’ Beans
• 1 small can of sliced black olives
• 1 cup Kraft Authentic Mexican Style Cheese
• 1/2 lb of ground beef
• Taco Seasoning
• Tortilla chips
• Salsa or Taco Sauce
• Sour Cream

Instructions

Cook ground beef and add taco seasoning to taste. Then, on a 9″ heavy stoneware plate or in an oven-safe dish, place a layer of tortilla chips, and top with ground beef, beans, black olives, and cheese. Place in oven, preheat to 350 degrees, but leave in only long enough to melt the cheese. Remove from oven, and serve onto plates. Top with sour cream and salsa or taco sauce of your choice.

Other suggested toppings: fresh chopped cilantro and green onions.

I tried my hand at making enchiladas for the first time this last weekend and the end results were quite tasty, indeed.

Filling

Ingredients

• 3-4 (medium-size) chicken breasts boiled and shredded
• 1 1/2 cup chopped yellow/white onion
• 1/2 cup chopped red onion
• 1 small can of diced black olives
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 1 10 oz.-can of cream of chicken soup
• 1/2 cup of chopped green chiles (fresh is best but canned will do)
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2-3 cups of shredded Mexican cheeses
• 1-2 tbsp of garlic powder (to taste)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions
Boil chicken breasts until done. Shred the chicken but pour the broth (2 cups) into a bowl and set aside for now. Put the shredded chicken back into the pan and mix in the cream of chicken soup, sour cream, yellow/white onion, one cup of the cheese, and garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste, heat but don’t boil.

Possible variation: Cut back a bit on chicken and add black beans and corn

Sour Cream Sauce

Ingredients

• 1/2 stick of butter
• 1/4 cup of chopped green chilies
• 1/4 cup of flour
• 1 cup sour cream
• Salt to taste

Instructions
In a sauce pan, melt butter, blend in flour, add chicken broth, and cook until mixture thickens and bubbles. Stir in sour cream and green chilies and salt to taste. Heat on low. DO NOT BOIL.

The rest

You can fry the tortillas in the traditional method, but they add a heaviness that I’d prefer to avoid for a number of obvious reasons. So I found another method that’s a light lighter: Spray both sides of each tortilla with a non-stick cooking spray then wrap them in a paper towel and place in the microwave and cook on high for 60 seconds.

Once tortillas are ready, spoon filling into each tortilla, roll and place them in a baking pan(s). Sprinkle a light layer of cheese over the tortillas then pour the sour cream sauce over top and bake at 425 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes. Serve piping hot.

Makes about 12-15 enchiladas.

A variation on the taco theme…

Ingredients

• 1 box Zatarain’s Spanish Rice
• 1/2 can of Rotel (or Mexican-style diced tomatoes, chilis and lime juice)
• 1 can of Bush’s Low Sodium Black Beans
• Fresh Cilantro
• Salsa (fresh if possible — check the deli at your local grocery store)
• Corn and/or Flour Tortillas
• Taco Seasoning*

This makes about 8-10 tacos

Instructions

Cook the rice according to instructions on the package, adding 1 cup of instant rice and the can of Rotel. Note, this will probably make more rice than you’ll need for the tacos, so you can serve it as a side dish or refrigerate leftovers and eat later — or add another can of beans and more torillas!

While the rice is cooking, put the can of beans (do not drain) into a small sauce pan and heat, adding taco seasoning to suite your taste. Chop cilantro.

Layer ingredients atop a warm tortilla of your choice, flour or corn. I warm my tortillas on a heated griddle pan on the stovetop — turn heat to medium, then once pan is hot, turn down low and warm the tortillas slowly. Top rice and beans with cilantro and salsa.

* I make my own taco seasonings, but your favorite packet mix will probably work. My particular taco seasoning, if you wanna use the same ingredients, features chili powder, garlic powder, two kinds of fajita seasoning (one salt-free, the other mesquite-flavored), and dried cilantro.