Tex Mex Pierogies Recipes

Steps:

• In a large bowl, mix together the corn, jalapenos, red onions and bell peppers.
• In a separate bowl, combine the chili powder, cumin, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and crushed red pepper. Mix together with a fork.
• Heat half the oil in a very large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add half the veggies and sprinkle with half the seasoning. Cook until blackened bits start to appear, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from the skillet; repeat with the other half of the oil, veggies and seasoning. Return the first half of the veggies to the skillet and add the black beans and green chiles. Stir and continue cooking for 3 minutes. Use immediately or allow to cool, then package in smaller freezer bags or containers and freeze.
• To reheat, add 2 teaspoons or more of olive oil (depending on the quantity of vegetables) to a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat and add the desired amount of frozen vegetables. Cook, stirring frequently, until heated through, 5 to 7 minutes. The veggies can be used in a number of ways. Here are some serving suggestions.
• For soft tacos: Lay a warmed fajita-size flour tortilla on a board. Pile on 1/4 cup cooked taco chicken, top with 2 tablespoons shredded iceberg, 1 tablespoon grated Cheddar and a big spoonful of the Tex-Mex veggies.
• For veggie taco salad: Slice 1/2 head each of iceberg and romaine. Mix and spread the lettuce out on a platter to make a bed for the salad. Arrange 1 cup of the Tex-Mex veggies all over the lettuce. Sprinkle over 1/4 cup cotija cheese, dot on 1/4 cup salsa, top with 2 tablespoons sour cream and sprinkle over 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves.
• For quick quesadillas: Melt 2 tablespoons salted butter in a cast-iron skillet; add 1 burrito-size sun-dried tomato flour tortilla. Top with 1/4 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese, 1/4 cup of the Tex-Mex veggies, then a second tortilla. Cook for a minute, then flip and cook on the other side until the cheese is melted. Remove to a cutting board, cut into quarters and serve with 2 tablespoons pico de gallo, 2 tablespoons guacamole and a sprig of fresh cilantro.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a large skillet, cook ground beef and onion over medium heat until beef is no longer pink, 10-12 minutes, breaking into crumbles; drain. Stir in soups, enchilada sauce, milk and garlic powder. , Place half of the broken taco shells in a 13x9-in. baking dish. Layer with half of the meat mixture and half the cheese. Repeat layers using remaining taco shells, meat mixture and cheese. Bake until heated through, 40-45 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Steps:

• Place the sour cream in a large bowl, and mix in flour to make a dough. Roll the dough out on a floured surface about 1/16 inch thick, and cut rounds about 3 1/2 inches across using a cookie cutter or a glass. Re-roll the unused dough to make more rounds, up to 4 times -- after that, it gets hard to work with.
• Place about 1 teaspoon of mashed potatoes in the center of each dough round, fold over into a half-moon shape, and press and seal the edges with a fork. Set the filled pierogies aside under a towel to prevent drying.
• Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat, and cook and stir the onions until translucent, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the cooked onions and set aside, leaving butter in the skillet.
• Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil, and carefully drop a few filled pierogies at a time into the boiling water. After they float to the surface, allow them to gently boil for about 4 minutes.
• Re-heat the butter in the skillet over medium heat. Gently scoop the pierogies out of the water (they break easily) and place them in the skillet to brown on the bottom, about 3 minutes. Place the fried pierogies on a buttered baking sheet, sprinkle them with the cooked onions, and keep warm in the oven on low setting until served.