Our Favorite Cinco de Mayo Recipes (Not the Usual Stuff!)

¡Feliz Cinco de Mayo! Or, Happy 5th of May!

Surprisingly, Cinco de Mayo is a much bigger deal here in the U.S. than it is in Mexico, perhaps because so many Americans enjoy having an excuse to eat hearty Mexican food with lots of big, zesty flavor and drink beer, tequila shots and margaritas.

If you're planning on celebrating today with Mexican food or dishes inspired by Mexican cuisine and are searching for recipes for Cinco de Mayo, you've come to the right place. Here are some of our favorite Cinco de Mayo recipes at the Carolina Sauce Company, several of which are refreshingly different from the usual "rice & beans, cheese & sour cream, guacamole & chips" fare (not that there's anything wrong with those, but sometimes it's fun to change things up):

Cinco de Mayo Skillet Bread: As easy to make as a cornbread, but made with flour instead of cornmeal and loaded with cheese and chili peppers yet relatively healthy in comparison to other quick breads, this crowd-pleaser is fantastic with any meal, and not just on the fifth of May. Its also festively colorful, as you can see from the photo above on the left. Click for the recipe for Cinco de Mayo Skillet Bread.

Five-Alarm Chili: I can't resist including this recipe, even if not truly authentic in terms of Mexican pedigree. But with a five in the name, and plenty of fiery heat along with ingredients frequently used in Mexican cuisine, this HOT chili is a natural fit for Cinco de Mayo, especially if the weather is still fairly cool in your neck of the woods. Click for the recipe for Five Alarm Chili. By the way, this chili is shown on the right with home-cooked tortilla chips, which are extremely easy to make, a lot tastier served warm from the oven (yes, they're baked but blow away the "baked" chips sold in supermarkets), and far better for you than store-bought chips. Click here for how to make healthy tortilla chips.

If you want to serve chili today but prefer a milder, more family-friendly recipe that's more about the flavor rather than fiery heat, you can't beat my Crock Pot Chili, which I not-so-humbly call the Best Ever Chili Recipe. Are you skeptical about my boast? Go ahead and try my recipe, and I bet you'll agree -- just as everyone has who's already tried it. It's also very easy to make, and you can make it as mild or as spicy as you prefer. Click here for the Best Ever Crock Pot Chili Recipe, which is also shown on the left.

Another non-traditional but Mexican-inspired recipe that's appropriate for Cinco de Mayo is my recipe for Avocado Tuna Melts. This one is extremely popular on Pinterest, and also among followers of low-carb diets. It's high in protein and healthy fats because of the avocado, and is devilishly spicy without being overwhelmingly hot. The avocado becomes decadently creamy when roasted in the oven, resulting in a luxurious and satisfying mouthfeel. It also looks pretty as well as tasting great, and even if you're a hard-core bread addict like I am, you won't miss the bread once you experience a bite. Click for the recipe for Avocado Tuna Melts.

Continuing with the healthy but zesty theme, I give you my Mexicali Tuna Salad, another low-carb recipe featuring Mexican flavors without restaurant-food guilt. Especially if you're celebrating earlier in the day and don't want to get weighed down with the more traditional rice and beans or heavy cheese and sour cream, these feisty and festive spicy salads are perfect -- and they wash down nicely with margaritas or beer. And yes, you can turn the salad into Mexican wraps by spreading it onto flour or corn tortillas and rolling them up, or dig into it with tortilla chips if carbohydrates aren't a concern. Click for the recipe for Mexicali Tuna Salad.

For more Cinco de Mayo recipes, click here.

And if you're in the market for genuine Mexican hot sauces, the Carolina Sauces online store is the place to go -- you can search by country from our "sauces by country" drop-down menu on the left margin of any page in the store, and just select Mexico to see what we have.

Zestfully yours,
Gloria

Authentic Mexican Hot Sauces for your Cinco de Mayo Celebration

Flickr photo by PaulSteinJC (Cinco de Mayo Parade in NYC)

Cinco de Mayo (the 5th of May) might not be much of a big deal in Mexico, but we love to celebrate this relatively minor Mexican holiday here in the U.S. -- perhaps because it gives us an excuse to indulge in all our favorite Mexican foods and beverages.

Instead of blowing your hard-earned cash at a Mexican restaurant and having to arrange for a designated driver while hoping that everyone else on the road also has a sober driver, you can save a LOT of money by celebrating Cinco de Mayo at home.

In fact, many budget-conscious lovers of tacos, chimichangas, burritos, Margaritas and Dos Equis beer will be partying at home this year, and they're already planning their Cinco de Mayo menu and stocking up on their favorite Mexican hot sauces for an authentic and zesty dining experience.

Here at Carolina Sauce Company, we offer an impressive selection of hard-to-find hot sauces from Mexico, including brands usually only found at real Mexican restaurants, taquerias and food trucks. These include:

Bufalo Mexican Hot Sauces, which happen to be the #1 best-selling hot sauce in Mexico, no doubt due to their straightforward pepper flavor and authentic yet not overwhelming heat. Bufalo Jalapeno Hot Sauce is as simple as it gets:  Red ripe jalapenos and fresh carrots blended together for a solid medium heat with that devilishly piquant yet mellow richness of ripe peppers. Bufalo Chipotle Hot Sauce likewise makes the most of simplicity: Earthy, fiery smoked jalapenos, aka chipotle, provide the robust, smoky flavor and deep brown color that's preferred by chipotle aficionados.

El Yucateco Salsa Picante hot sauces are known as some of the hottest Mexican hot sauces around. Their classic habanero sauces, El Yucateco Green and El Yucateco Red, are not to be trifled with, and both are available in 4 oz and 8 oz bottles. For fearless chileheads who like to play with fire, there's El Yucateco XXXtra Hot Kutbil-Ik Mayan hot sauce, said to be made from an ancient indigenous recipe.  For those who prefer a milder heat with plenty of sassy flavor, there's El Yucateco Caribbean Hot Sauce, which is especially good with seafood. And for fans of jalapeno peppers, El Yucateco makes a tangy green Jalapeno hot sauce as well as a smoky-sweet chipotle hot sauce.

The wildly popular Cholula Hot Sauces are equally famous for their rich, complex flavor as for their distinctive wooden tops. From the feisty original Cholula featuring piquin and red peppers to the mild and zesty Chili Garlic Cholula featuring dried arbol and piquin chilies, plus the bright and citrusy Chili Lime Cholula with a mild and gentle heat, and the mysterious and smoky Cholula Chipotle made with a unique blend of chipotle, guajillo, arbol and piquin peppers: We have them all. We also have the original Cholula sauce in 12 oz bottles and even in half-gallon jugs, which are ideal for Cinco de Mayo parties, chili cook-offs, or simply to save money with the larger size.

Tapatio Salsa Picante Hot Sauce is a medium-heat Mexican hot sauce with a festive perky flavor that makes it a crowd-pleaser. Named after the local term for someone from the Guadalajara region of Mexico, Tapatio is an old family recipe that's made with red chilies, garlic and a secret blend of spices for a smooth spicy flavor without that tart vinegar "edge."  To this day, the company that makes this hot sauce is the same family that originated it. Tapatio is gluten-free, sugar-free and has no MSG, which makes it a safe yet fun choice for people sensitive to those ingredients -- and it comes in 5oz and 10oz bottles, each at a great low price!

Valentina Salsa Picante hot sauces are savory, tangy and bursting with peppery flavor. The original Valentina Hot Sauce is moderately spicy and made with a secret blend of chile peppers. Valentina Extra Hot Sauce ratchets up the amount of hot peppers for a serious heat but without sacrificing flavor or overpowering your taste buds. Both varieties come in generous 12.5 oz bottles for a lower price than most smaller, 5oz hot sauces, making Valentina a real steal.

All of our Mexican hot sauces are currently on sale at the Carolina Sauces online store, so shop now for Cinco de Mayo!

Zestfully yours,
Gloria

Quick & Easy Cinco de Mayo Recipes

¡Feliz Cinco de Mayo!  Or, for you gringos out there, Happy Fifth of May!

If you're looking for some quick and easy Mexican recipes to make today for your Cinco de Mayo celebration, here are some that I've posted in the past:

Lemony Jalapeno Guacamole:  Premade grocery store guacamole is a travesty, in my not-so-humble opinion. Good guac is ridiculously easy to make at home (and much more economical than buying the premade stuff). If you want an alternative to everyday basic guacamole, try my zesty version shown on the left. Whether you dip your homemade tortilla chips (keep reading) in it or serve it as an accompaniment to other Mexican favorites, I bet you'll love it.

Avocado Soup: Cool and creamy, avocado soup is a great way to soothe your tongue and tame the fire in your mouth if you're indulging in lots of fiery hot sauce or spicy salsa. You can make it vegetarian by replacing the chicken broth with vegetable broth, too.

Homemade Tortilla Chips: Making tortilla chips at home is easier than you think, and a lot healthier than buying chips at the supermarket because my crispy, crunchy homemade tortilla chips are baked, not deep-fried, and you control how much salt and which seasonings (if any) to add. Trust me, you won't miss the fat or the artificial ingredients found in commercial brands!


Crock Pot Chicken Mole:  Make sure to start this recipe in the morning so that it will be done in time for dinner or your party. Mole sauce is a robust, complex, multidimensional sauce made with unusual ingredients like cocoa powder (see photo below on left), and with infinite variations depending on the region of Mexico.

Spicy Beef Chimichangas: These hearty, filling fried burritos (that's what a chimichanga is, after all) are a thrifty meat recipe -- in fact, you can substitute ground venison for the beef. If you don't eat red meat, ground turkey or "ground meatless" (TVP or soy-based substitute that's appropriate for vegetarians and vegans) can certainly be used instead of ground meat.

Cinco de Mayo Pepper Skillet Bread: This colorful, pepper-studded quick bread takes very little time or effort to prepare because there's no rising time (it doesn't use yeast as leavening) or kneading involved. You can make it as spicy -- or not -- as you want by selecting which kinds of peppers to use in the recipe. And if you leave out the cheese, it's a healthy, low fat bread that's guaranteed to be a crowd-pleaser.

Frozen Mexican Mocha Latte:  Instead of -- or along with -- dessert, serve this cool, eye-opening frozen coffee drink after your meal. You can even spike it with Kahlua or another complementary liqueur of your choice. And if you realize on "Seis of Mayo" (May 6th) that you overindulged in margaritas or cerveza the night before, you can serve my Frozen Mexican Mocha Latte as a pick-me-up to help you start your day.

Zestfully yours,
Gloria

Zesty New Salsas for Cinco de Mayo

In anticipation of Cinco de Mayo (the 5th of May, a day to celebrate Mexican heritage and traditions), we're adding a bunch of new salsas at the Carolina Sauces online store, with heat levels and flavors that cover the spectrum. From mild to wild, and traditional tomato to black bean or fruit salsas, we have a salsa for everyone.

Here's the first batch of new salsas:

If you enjoy fruity tropical salsas, Tahiti Joe's Maui Pepper Co. Pineapple-Mango Sunset Salsa in zesty Medium or fiery Hot is for you. Made by the same company that brought us the delightful fruit-based Maui Pepper Co. Hot Sauces, these chunky tomato-based salsas are packed with real pineapple and mango for a bright, naturally sweetened island-style salsa that will make you smile. The heat comes from a blend of jalapeno peppers and habanero peppers, with the Hot Pineapple Mango Salsa obviously having more habanero fire while the Medium Pineapple Mango Salsa relies more on jalapenos for the right amount of heat that will satisfy most fans of hot & spicy foods. Either of these Pineapple-Mango salsas pairs beautifully with all sorts of fish and seafood (whether grilled, broiled, steamed, fried or baked), pork chops or pork loin, and chicken. Of course they're good with chips, but they also add tropical flavor to fish tacos, veggie burritos, sandwiches and wraps.


Caboom! Black Bean & Corn Salsa is a gently spicy, all-natural tomato and pepper salsa that's enhanced with savory black beans and sweet corn for rich, earthy flavor notes that complement any Mexican, Tex-Mex or Southwestern dish. Of course this hearty salsa is wonderful for dipping tortilla chips or for topping nachos, but it's also a natural with (and in) tacos, burritos, enchiladas, chimichangas, fajitas, quesadillas and more. Add some black bean & corn salsa to your chili recipe, enjoy as a burger condiment, mix with sour cream and cream cheese for a party dip or appetizer, or use it in your taco soup recipe.


Peach 'N Pepper Gourmet Salsa is a little bit fruity and a little bit spicy, for a festive burst of sunny flavor that pairs nicely with roast or grilled pork or chicken as well as fish and seafood. Definitely on the sweeter side from the peaches, brown sugar, a splash of pineapple juice and other naturally sweet ingredients, this tomato-fruit salsa is spiced with jalapeno peppers for just enough of a medium peppery kick to make food spicy without overpowering it. Like any well-made salsa, Peach 'n Pepper Salsa is great with chips or nachos and also in recipes and as a condiment.

Salsa Stoopid: Be careful with this ridiculously hot salsa from the makers of the notorious Liquid Stoopid Hot Sauce. Like the hot sauce, this incendiary salsa is spiked with pepper extract. If you subtract that "turbo boost" which was added solely for heat, Salsa Stoopid is a traditional tomato salsa made with natural ingredients including jalapenos and habanero peppers. But don't let its docile appearance fool you: As the label warns, "One bite will stoopify ya." Be a conscientious host and give your fellow diners the warning before they dig in with chips or spoon it on their food. On the other hand, if you're someone who makes big batches of chili or large quantities of other recipes utilizing salsa, you can add just a little bit of this salsa to boost the flavor and heat of your recipe without breaking your wallet.

Da Bomb Ghost Pepper Salsa is another dangerously hot salsa for only the most experienced chileheads. As indicated by the name, Da Bomb Ghost Pepper Salsa is made with the infamous ghost pepper, aka naga or bhut jolokia, blended into a straightforward tomato-jalapeno salsa, ensuring that it will be noticeably hotter than other jalapeno salsas on the market. Interestingly, there are no habaneros in this extra-hot salsa, so if you prefer the distinctive tang of jalapenos over the subtly citrusy notes of habaneros, Ghost Pepper Salsa is for you. Use Da Bomb salsa in the same manner--and with the same precautions--as you would Salsa Stoopid, keeping in mind that it's made by the same folks who brought us the line of Da Bomb Hot Sauces, which are some of the hottest available.

And finally, one more for folks who enjoy a salsa with a super-hot, unrelenting burn: Jolokia 10 Salsa, made with the Naga or Bhut jolokia chile, also called the ghost pepper. Unlike our other ghost pepper salsa (Da Bomb), Jolokia 10 salsa does feature plenty of habanero peppers in addition to jalapeno peppers, and some would say that this one is noticeably hotter--although to the average palate, they're both unbelievably ultra-hot and best used in tiny quantities. Like our other super-hot salsas, this one looks like a regular, every-day tomato salsa when served, so please be nice and warn your guests before they take an unsuspecting bite and pass out from the fire in their mouth. If you are a seasoned pro when it comes to eating crazy-hot food, you'll enjoy this naga jolokia salsa on or in all your favorite Mexican, Tex-Mex and Southwestern dishes, as well as on nachos or with chips (but keep some sour cream handy to help soothe your tongue and tummy).

Zestfully yours,
Gloria

PS: We'll have a few more new salsas coming soon, including a chipotle salsa, so stay tuned!

PPS: To see our entire selection of salsas, visit our Salsa page.

Avocado Soup

Here's an easy recipe that makes a great starter for a Mexican meal to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. You can make it earlier in the day and store, covered, in the refrigerator until ready to serve. You can serve this soup hot or cold.

Ingredients
1 14 1/2 oz can chicken broth (I use low sodium, fat free chicken broth, or homemade chicken broth)
1 cup light cream, or evaporated skim milk (to reduce fat and calories)
1 large avocado
1 small onion, or half of a sweet onion
1 Tbs dry sherry (for a spicier soup, you can use Pepper Sherry)
Your favorite green Mexican Hot Sauce (I use El Yucateco Jalapeno Hot Sauce or El Yucateco Salsa Picante Habanero Green Hot Sauce)
Sour Cream to garnish
Snipped Cilantro, to garnish

Cut the avocado in half lengthwise, rotating the knife around the pit. Remove the pit and scoop out the avocado flesh in chunks into a blender. Chop the onion and add to the blender. Pour the chicken broth in the blender, and add the cream, sherry, and a few dashes (to taste) of hot sauce. Cover and blend until smooth.
For hot soup: Pour the avocado mixture into a medium saucepan and heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through (about 10 minutes). Be careful not to let the soup boil. Serve hot with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of snipped cilantro.
For cold soup: Pour the soup into an airtight container, cover, and chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Serve cold with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of snipped cilantro.
Serves 6 as a side dish.

Zestfully yours,
Gloria

PS: Looking for authentic Mexican hot sauces for your Cinco de Mayo party? You can't go wrong with any of the 6 flavors of El Yucateco Hot Sauce!

Frozen Mexican Mocha Latte

If you partied a little too hard yesterday for Cinco de Mayo or the Kentucky Derby, this eye-opening frozen coffee drink is guaranteed to wake you up. My inspiration was the spicing in Mexican hot chocolate. This recipe makes two generous servings, or one very large one.

There is no alcohol in my recipe, but if you're looking for "the hair of the dog" you could certainly add a shot of Kahlua or other coffee liqueur, or creme de cacao or other chocolate liqueur.

The red or cayenne pepper provides a noticeably spicy-hot kick the more you use. For a gentler, subtle zip, stick with just a dash or two of pepper. And if you prefer a sweeter drink, use more brown sugar.

Other possible variations I haven't tried (yet) include making this with a couple of shots of very strong espresso instead of instant coffee (and reducing the amount of milk accordingly), and using sweetened condensed milk for a richer drink (omit the brown sugar).

If you make this recipe, please leave a comment with your feedback, and also with any modifications you make.


Ingredients
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup crushed ice
1 heaping Tbs instant coffee
1 Tbs unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp (or more to taste) brown sugar, packed
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
scant 1/8 tsp ground cloves
up to a scant 1/8 tsp ground red or cayenne pepper (to taste)

Combine all ingredients in blender and blend on high until smooth.  If you'd like the drink to look like that in the photo at the top, let it sit in the blender for a couple of minutes until some of the frozen foam settles on top, then pour the liquid into a glass half-way and top with a few spoonfuls of the foam. Alternatively, if you pour the drink right away, it will look like this photo on the right:

If desired, sprinkle the top with a little cinnamon, cocoa or even a bit of red pepper. You could also top with whipped cream if desired.

Zestfully yours,
Gloria

Crock Pot Game: FREE BBQ Sauce & Rubs plus Safari Stew Recipe

It's May 1st, which means a new chance for you to win FREE barbecue sauce & dry rubs from the Carolina Sauce Company!

This month's Prize Pack comes to us from Jim's Own BBQ Sauce, makers of award-winning North Carolina barbecue sauces and rubs that are just as tasty and easy to use in the kitchen as they are outdoors on the grill. The winner of this month's Facebook contest will receive:

• A pint bottle of Jim's Own Mustard BBQ Sauce, an inspired fusion of tangy Piedmont vinegar-tomato barbecue sauce and zesty South Carolina mustard barbecue sauce for a unique flavor that will wow even the most jaded palate. A little bit sweet, a little bit sassy, and with a playfully spicy kick, Jim's Own Mustard Sauce goes well with everything from pulled pork to BBQ chicken, grilled pork chops and even baked ham. You can marinate, baste, grill, bake, dip, slather and more with this versatile sauce. Add it to your coleslaw recipe instead of vinegar for a zesty change of pace.


• A package of Jim's Own Pincho Rub, a robust, savory BBQ dry rub & all-purpose seasoning that's reminiscent of authentic Mexican chili powder seasoning blends (the name "Pincho" is the Spanish word for "skewer," suggesting its suitability for grilling).  This seasoning works well in my recipe for Cinco de Mayo Skillet Bread.


• A package of Jim's Own Safari Rub, a bright, subtly exotic and lightly citrusy blend of herbs and spices based on a traditional South African seasoning blend. In addition to being wonderful on seafood and poultry, Safari Rub really shines on venison, lamb and beef -- in fact, the South African original is most commonly used on those last three kinds of meat, and it's the seasoning to create my Crock Pot Safari Stew recipe, which you'll find below.

If you'd like to receive this FREE Prize Pack of Jim's Own Mustard BBQ Sauce, Pincho Rub and Safari Rub, here's all you have to do:

1. Visit the Carolina Sauce Company Facebook Page, and make sure you click the "Like" button to become our fan.

2.  Find the May 1st Crock Pot Game post on our Facebook page (look for the photo above), and leave a Comment under that post to tell us how you like to use BBQ sauces & seasonings when cooking indoors.

3.  At 9pm (EDT) tomorrow Thursday May 2nd, we'll randomly draw a name from the people who commented, and that lucky person will get the Prize Pack!

***Important: In order to be eligible to win, you must have a US shipping address. You can comment as often as you wish, but only 1 comment per person will be counted for the drawing. And you have to comment on that post on Facebook -- comments on this blog do not count (although comments here are always welcome).

And now for the Recipe for Crock Pot Safari Stew, shown on the left.

This robust and hearty stew was inspired by traditional South African meat stews, and I used Jim's Own Safari Rub as the seasoning (no need to add any other spices or herbs).

I made my Safari Stew with venison but you could certainly use lamb or beef stew meat.  I happened to have rutabagas on hand, but you could certainly substitute potatoes. And because there were no fresh peri peri peppers to be found anywhere (they're native to South Africa and I've never found them in NC), I used the only hot pepper I had at the time: Hungarian wax pepper.  Any kind of hot or mild chili pepper will work in this stew, so use what you like.

Crock Pot Safari Stew is a good weekend recipe because you need to marinate the meat overnight and it will need to cook in the crock pot at least 6 hours before serving, so plan accordingly.

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs venison, lamb or beef stew meat, cut into chunks
1/2 cup Jim's Own Safari Rub
2 medium onions, coarsely chopped
6 cloves of garlic, coarsely chopped
Oil or bacon fat (about 2 Tbs) for sauteing vegs & browning meat
1 1/2 lbs rutabagas OR potatoes (or some of each), peeled & cut into chunks
1 or 2 hot or mild chili peppers, or a small bell pepper, chopped
4 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 Tbs tomato paste
1/2 cup full-bodied red wine, preferably from South Africa

The night before, place the meat chunks in a gallon-size resealable plastic bag, sprinkle with Safari Rub, seal the bag and shake to coat the meat on all sides, gently pressing the rub onto the meat to ensure it's evenly coated. Lay flat in refrigerator and allow to marinate overnight.

The next morning, heat the oil or fat in a large skillet (cast iron is ideal) over medium-high heat, add the rub-coated meat chunks and brown on all sides. Use a slotted spatula to transfer the browned meat to a plate or bowl and set aside.

Add the onions & garlic to the pan, add a little more oil or fat if necessary, and saute until the onion is tender. Remove from heat.

Layer the remaining ingredients and meats in your crock pot in the following order: Rutabagas or potatoes, peppers, browned meat with sauteed onions & garlic (scrape all the crispy bits out of the skillet and into the crock pot), tomato paste, tomatoes and wine.

Cover, set the crock pot on High and cook undisturbed for 4 hours. After 4 hrs, uncover the crock pot, stir well and check the rutabagas or potatoes with a fork to check for tenderness.

Cover and continue to cook on High for another 2 or 3 hours, or until the rutabagas or potatoes and the meat are tender.  Serve in bowls or over rice.

Makes 6 to 8 servings, and you can refrigerate any leftovers for a few days -- the flavors will continue to develop and become even richer over the next day or two. 

Zestfully yours,
Gloria

PS: If you want to add some heat to this stew, I recommend a good peri peri hot sauce, such as any of the flavors of African Rhino Peri Peri Hot Sauce, or the exotic Zulu Zulu hot sauces.

Spicy Beef Chimichangas

Happy Cinco de Mayo! Here's a zesty recipe for spicy Beef Chimichangas, one of my favorite Mexican recipes. I've included some suggested ingredient substitutions in parentheses, to make these chimichangas a little healthier. And if you like fiery-hot foods, just use the alternative ingredients noted at the end with an asterisk (*). This recipe serves 4, with 2 chimichangas per serving.

Ingredients
1 lb ground beef (or ground turkey, chicken or venison)
2 Tbs minced garlic*
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 heaping Tbs all-purpose flour (or whole wheat flour)
1 8oz can chopped tomatoes, undrained*
1 cup tomato sauce
1 8 3/4 oz can corn kernels, drained*
2 Tbs chili powder*
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese (or reduced-fat Monterey Jack)
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (or reduced-fat cheddar)
Vegetable or canola oil for frying
8 10-inch flour tortillas (or whole wheat tortillas)

Wooden toothpicks to secure the chimichangas for frying

2 cups shredded iceberg lettuce and 1/2 cup shredded carrot, combined in a small bowl; OR 2 to 2 1/2 cups bagged shredded salad mix containing lettuce & carrots

Green chili salsa, OR Pepper Dog Salsa Verde
Sour cream (or reduced-fat or fat-free sour cream)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (you'll use it to keep the tortillas warm). In a large skillet, cook the ground beef, garlic and onions until the meat is browned and the onion is tender. Drain off the fat and then stir in the flour. Add the corn, undrained tomatoes, tomato sauce and chili powder. Stir and cook until the mixture thickens and is bubbly, then keep cooking and stirring for another minute to allow the flour to cook.

While the meat mixture is cooking, stack the tortillas and wrap tightly in aluminum foil, and place in the 350 degree oven to soften. Once the meat mixture is cooked, remove a few of the tortillas from the oven, leaving the rest in the oven to stay warm and soft. Spoon a few tablespoons (about 4 or 5, or use a 1/3 cup measuring cup) of the meat mixture down the center of each tortilla. Then spoon about 1 Tbs of each type of cheese on top of the meat mixture on each tortilla. Then fold the chimichangas: Fold in 2 opposite sides of the tortilla in envelope fashion, then carefully roll up the tortilla starting at one of the short sides. The end result should look like a square-ish filled envelope. Secure the rolled tortilla with one or two toothpicks. Repeat for all of the tortillas (you can reserve any leftover cooked mixture in the fridge for future use). Once all the tortillas are out of the oven, reduce temperature to 300 degrees (you'll use it to keep cooked chimichangas warm as you finish frying all of them).

Heat about 1 inch of oil to 375 degrees in a wok or heavy deep skillet. While the oil is heating, prepare a draining surface: I use a cookie sheet lined with several paper towels, or you can use a couple of large plates with paper towels. Once the oil reaches 375 degrees, fry the filled and rolled tortillas, 2 or 3 at a time, until golden brown and crisp, about 1 minute per side. Place the fried chimichangas on your draining surface (cookie sheet or plate), and keep in the oven so that they stay warm while they drain and you finish frying the remaining rolled tortillas.

To serve the chimichangas, arrange some of the lettuce and carrot mixture on a dinner plate, then place 2 chimichangas on top. Spoon some green chili sauce or Salsa Verde on top of each chimichanga, and top with a dollop of sour cream.

*For fiery-hot chimichangas:
-Use 1 minced clove of Twenty Pepper Garlic instead of plain minced garlic
-Use 1 8oz can of chopped tomatoes with chilies, undrained
-Use 1 8 3/4 can of "fiesta corn" (corn kernels with diced chilies)
-Use a combination of Habanero Seasoning From Hell and chili powder to total 2 Tbs -- but BE CAREFUL and "start small" (maybe 1 tsp) with the Habanero Seasoning, because it is seriously fiery-hot!

Zestfully yours,
Gloria