Southwest Chipotle Burgers

Ingredients:

Burgers:

1 1/2 lb. ground chuck or ground sirloin *

1-1/2 chipotle peppers canned in adobo sauce**

1 1/2 T. adobo sauce (from the chipotle chili can)

1/4 c. grated onion ***

1 t. garlic powder

1/2 t. cumin

1 1/2 t. kosher salt

1/4 t. pepper

* I used just 1 lb ground beef. It's what I had on hand

** I've learned from experience that I can't quite handle all the heat a whole pepper brings to the plate, so I just eliminated the pepper.

*** Used my old stand-by of dried chopped oinon

Chipotle-Lime Mayo:

1/2 c. mayo

2 t. lime juice

1 1/2 t. adobo sauce (from the canned chipotle chilis)

2 T. chopped fresh cilantro *

* I actually rarely measure out the cilantro. I usually add a bit more than called for because we LOVE the taste of cilantro.

4-6 good quality buns (try this recipe!)

1 tomato

1-2 avocado

lettuce

jack, cotija, or queso fresco cheese *

* We just used medium cheddar

Recipe:

1. Start by making the sauce. Place may, adobo sauce, lime juice and cilantro in a small bowl. Stir all together. Cover and set in the fridge.

2. Now place the beef in a bowl and gently crumble with your fingers. Add the chipotle peppers, adobo sauce, grated onion, garlic powder, cumin, kosher salt, and pepper. Use your hands to gently mix things together. Just mix it enough to distribute the ingredients.

3. Divide into 4 patties (or 6 little ones) and place on a preheated grill, indoor grill pan, or skillet. If you want to top with cheese, do so in the last few minutes of grilling.

4. While the burgers are cooking, toast buns and spread chipotle-lime sauce generously on each side of each bun. When the burgers are done to your liking let them stand for 5 minutes off the grill and then pop onto your prepared buns.

5. Top with tomato slices, avocado slices, and a crisp piece of lettuce.

Rating: 4.75 of 5

These are, literally, the best burgers I've had! Literally! I don't know what to say except that these were SO SO SO SO GOOD!!!! Between LaDon, Jonas, and I well all liked different aspects about the burger better, but overall it's just a fantastic combination of tastes and textures. I, personally, loved the taste the chipotle-lime mayo added. I loved the cilantro taste in it. And, I think the burger would be really good if you just replaced the lettuce completely with cilantro. Yummy! I've been craving these burgers ever since we made them this week!

Source: Our Best Bites, Southwest Chipotle Burgers

Chipotle-Mango BBQ Chicken Salad

Salad sans dressing

Ingredients:

Chipotle-Mango BBQ Sauce:

1 mango, peeled and chopped

1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, plus 2 t. adobo sauce

1/2 c. ketchup

1/2 c. apple juice

1/4 onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled

juice from 1/2 lemon

2 T. unseasoned rice vinegar

2 T. brown sugar

1 T. canola oil

2 t. paprika *

2 t. salt

1 t. black pepper

*I only had 1 t. paprika, so I substituted the rest with just a 1/2 t. cayenne pepper.

Dressing:

2 T. prepared Chipotle-Mango BBQ sauce

2 T. plain Greek yogurt

1-2 t. lime juice, give or take a little

salt and pepper

Salad:

2 chicken breasts

2 ears sweet corn, shucked

1 vine-ripe tomato, cut into wedges

1/4 c. chopped cilantro

1 bag Dole Romaine Salad mix *

*I used just a head of Romaine

Recipe:

Chipotle-Mango BBQ Sauce:

1. Combine all ingredients for BBQ sauce into a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring often. Let cool then transfer to a food processor or blender, and process until smooth.

Dressing:

1. Whisk together all ingredients in a small bowl. Taste, then add more lime juice, salt and pepper if necessary.

Salad:

1. Marinate chicken breasts in some of the prepared Chipotle-Mango BBQ sauce for at least 15 minutes, or up to 3 hours.

2. Grill over medium-high heat for 5-6 minutes per side until no longer pink in the middle. Allow to rest for 5 minutes off the grill before slicing.

3. Grill corn alongside the chicken, rotating every few minutes until charred on all sides. Let cool for a few minutes, then cut kernels off the cob.

4. Divide lettuce between two plates, then top with grilled corn, tomatoes, cilantro, and grilled chicken. Drizzle with prepared dressing.

Rating: 4 of 5

I really liked this salad. My only complaint is the heat of the dressing, but that is easily remedied by taking out the chipotle pepper before blending. I thought the chicken marinade was perfect and just the right flavor to go with the salad and cilantro. For the corn, I brushed it with olive oil and then grilled it. Loved the flavor in the salad. Super easy salad to make although it does require a little bit of prep time. I'd definitely make this again.

Source: Iowa Girl Eats, Chipotle-Mango BBQ Chicken Salad

Creamy Chipotle Enchiladas

Ingredients:

2-3 lb. pot roast

10 oz. can of diced tomato with green chilies

8 oz. can Ro Tel enchilada sauce

7 oz. can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce

1/2 t. cumin

1/4 t. oregano

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 -1 c. heavy cream

1 can of corn, drained

1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained

8 oz. can tomato sauce

1/4 c. cream cheese, somewhere between softened and melted

6 large tortillas

shredded cheddar and mozzarella cheese

sour cream

cilantro, chopped

Recipe:

1. In a medium bowl, mix diced tomatoes, enchilada sauce, chipotle peppers and adobo sauce, cumin, oregano, and garlic.

2. Place roast in crock pot and cover with tomato-chipotle mixture. Cook on high for 4ish hours.

3. Remove roast from crock pot and shred meat.

4. Using a fine strainer, pour juices from crock pot into a medium bowl. Reserve juices. Remove chipotle peppers from strainer. 

5. Replace tomatoes and green chilies (in strainer) in the crockpot. Pour about 2-4 cups of reserved juices into crockpot. Pour in heavy cream and stir together. Replace meat. Add black beans and corn. Continue cooking for another 20-30 minutes. (The key thing here is to have enough juice/sauce to coat the meat. It's not going to cook that long so it shouldn't dry out.)

6. Mix tomato sauce and cream cheese together in a small bowl.

7. Grease 9x12 baking dish and preheat oven to 350 degrees.

8. Lay out a tortilla and scoop meat mixture on to 1/2 of the torilla. Place a handful of shredded cheese on top and then roll the torilla. Place seam side down in baking dish. Repeat until dish is full. (I actually ended up with extra meat so there would be enough to almost make 2 full baking dishes of enchiladas.)

9. Cover enchiliadas with tomato/cream cheese mixture. Top with cheese.

10. Place in oven for 15-20 minutes, until cheeses are melted.

11. Serve and top with sour cream and cilantro.

Rating: 4 of 5

This was one of those meals that I used whatever I had on hand. It actually turned out really well. I didn't measure anything so the measurements are all my best guess. The chipotle peppers add a pretty good kick, so I used the cream and cream cheese as a way to tone it down a bit. If looking to cut out some of that then you could just remove the chipotle peppers from the adobo sauce before the initial cook time. I really enjoyed this dish and would make it again!

Source: my own