salsa – Page 3 – The Pajama Chef

So, I think I’ve mentioned a time or two that the first Sunday every month I organize food for a church event. It usually appears on my Menu Plan as an “appetizer and dessert” night. Sometimes “organizing” means planning, shopping, recruiting help to cook/bake, and setting/cleaning up the actual event. Other times, things are a little more involved. For one reason or another, I end up doing most of the cooking and baking. And that’s okay. For the most part, I don’t mind since I love food. But sometimes that gets a wee bit time consuming. So those months, I turn to something easy and delicious that I know everyone will love. Something that is always a hit are my Mexican Rollups. I think I’ve made these on [or had a friend make them] no less than three separate occasions. For someone who’s an avid nonrecipe repeater, how could I not when I had a cheesy, spicy hit on my hands? Each of these two-bite appetizers is absolute packed with taco spiced deliciousness. Black beans and corn. Two kinds of cheese. Cilantro. Onions. Salsa. All wrapped up in a soft flour tortilla. Amazing. Though they aren’t really healthy, I do have ideas for healthifying them [add spinach, cut down on cheese, etc.]… but I just haven’t. Sometimes you gotta be a bit excessive. Besides being tasty, these Mexican Rollups are incredibly easy to throw together in about 15 minutes or less. You can even make them a day or two ahead–for ease on the day of a party or get-together, as well as for better marriage of flavors. All you gotta do before serving is cut them up. Perfect, right? Or guess what… if you happened to not be making these for an event, I won’t tell anyone if you just eat them burrito-style. I may have done that a time or two…. shhhh! Just kidding. But now I am uber-tempted. Seriously though–these rollups are simple and well-loved. Every time I make them, I get so many compliments and recipe requests that I figured it would be easier to just blog about them. No one gets tired of them and they are always devoured [and I always make a double batch. Wowsers!]. One bite of this fresh yet indulgent Mexi-flavored app and you’ll see. 🙂 I guarantee anyone who tries them will agree… even those who say they don’t like black beans. There’s so much other good stuff in there. I don’t usually say that you have to try something… but you have GOT to try these. Enjoy!

Mexican Rollups

Servings: 80-100 slices, approximately 20-25 servings total
Time: 15 minutes + 2 hours to chill
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12 ounces cream cheese, softened [I used Neufchâtel]
2 cups frozen corn, thawed
15 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese [I’ve used Sharp Cheddar and a taco blend]
½ bunch cilantro, diced
6 green onions, chopped
1 package – 2 ounces – taco seasoning
1 cup sour cream
1 cup salsa
20 flour tortillas

Combine cream cheese, corn, black beans, cheese, cilantro, onions, and taco seasoning in a large bowl. Add sour cream and salsa gradually [if it seems too runny use less of either]. Microwave tortillas to just warm up before adding filling. Spread evenly in each tortilla and roll up tightly. Don’t overfill; you don’t want it to be difficult to roll. Place all tortillas in a baking dish, separating each layer of rolled tortillas with foil or wax paper. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before cutting into small slices–approximately 4-5 per tortilla, and continue separating each layer with wax paper or foil.

Confession time: I like meatloaf.

I know, I know. Meatloaf isn’t exactly gourmet or pretty or anything like that. While it tastes good, it looks funny and kind of gross. I mean, it’s a lump of meat with some sauce. But once you get over that initial aversion and flashbacks to the elementary school cafeteria’s mystery meat… it’s not that bad. Just some meat, baked in a pan, with some flavorings thrown in. Not so bad, huh? And if you make it yourself, then you know exactly what is in it–no mystery at all!

I have several meatloaves [is that a word?] that I like to make–a classic recipe of my mom’s, and a BBQ bacon cheddar meatloaf that is tasty too! While my husband likes both meatloaves and inhales them because he loves meat, there is one thing he dislikes about my meatloaves: the inclusion of the onion.

Ben despises and hates onions with a passion. This hatred of onions was exacerbated when he lost a March Madness bet in college and had to eat an onion like an apple.

I didn’t know him at the time, but from what I’ve heard, this was not a fun night. Fortunately the girl [yes–a girl bet him on this one :)] was nice and let him off the hook pretty soon after these photos were taken. However, the damage was done. The hatred Ben had prior to this event has just grown. While he will tolerate onions in many dishes, he’ll pick them out most of the time. This happens a lot, because many of my favorite recipes include onions–and I love the flavor of onions. However, because I love him, I will decrease the amount of onion but if it’s there, it’s there, and Ben knows it.

So, what does all this talk of onion have to do with meatloaf? Well, recently we had meatloaf on the menu… and I decided to create an onion-less meatloaf. To do this, and do it well, I decided to avoid the traditional tomato-based flavor palate of meatloaf and branch out. The result? A dish made with a combination of Southwest and Indian-esque spices with just enough kick to remind you of their presence, paired with beef, bread crumbs, egg, and cheese to remind you that this is meatloaf after all.

Delicious.

Savory.

Spicy.

Satisfying… even when onion-less.

Finally, I apologize for this picture… meatloaf is ridiculously hard to photograph! This dish is really tasty, I promise, even if it doesn’t look it!

A Different Kind of Meatloaf

Servings: 6
Time: 75 minutes
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Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef
1 egg, beaten
1 1/4 cups milk
1 1/2 cups bread crumbs
1 teaspoon cilantro
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/4 cup salsa – be sure to pick an onion-less variety if that’s an issue for you
1/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese, optional
cooking spray

Directions:

Grease a 9×5 inch loaf pan with cooking spray. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, use your hands to combine all ingredients well, then transfer to the loaf pan. Top with cheddar cheese if desired. Bake for 60 minutes or until cooked all the way through.

Are you into meatloaf… the dish or the singer, take your pick!