Mexican food who's good at cooking it?

[Edensmum]

I have a very picky eater, dd eats only a handlful of things however she loves Mexican food, especially chicken quesadillas. I have seen several presentations of them and she will eat a whole one which is more calories than she typical takes in all day.
SHe loves the ones with cube mostly unseasoned chicken and white cheese and the one with shreaded chicken that has the tomatoes/onion taste and white cheese.
What cheese is that? I have tried making it and it's not cheddar or jack.
I know I could use the crock pot salsa chicken recipe but I am not sure that will work and then I'd be the only one eating all of it. Anyone know how this chickedn is typcially prepared?

Also looking for good bean recipes/pico de gallo, or fresh salsa.

Many thanks to anyone who can help. I love that she will eat this much protein and she eats so little this is good.

[kijip]

Is the white cheese she likes possibly manchego?

For quesadilla chicken, I would either cube chicken breast meat and simmer it in a lightly seasoned broth or cook chicken in the crockpot and shred it with a fork. You can keep this frozen in the freezer or just in the fridge for 4-5 days.

Hopefully a more patient tomato chopper than me will chime in on the pico de gallo question. ;)

[StantonHyde]

I have actually seen shredded white cheese for tacos or Mexican food. I just make mine with cheddar and the kids like it. I buy canned black beans and they are good. Buy some taco seasoning mix in a pouch. Grill the chicken (or saute it) and sprinkle some of that on top.

Pico is tomatos, onion, cilantro, lime, and chili. I buy mine already made from a Mexican local place and I love it. I also buy prepared salsa--lots easier than making my own. Does she like sour creme? That's another way to add calories.

Try the Pace website--I have found good recipes for pumpkin on the LIbbys site, maybe they have ideas for what to do with salsa etc. Quesadillas are easy--chicken, tortilla, cheese and salsa.

Ohhh--does she like guacamole? TAlk about good for you stuff. YOu can make it just by smashing an avocado and adding some pico to it. That's what I do. I would be happy just being face down in guacamole every day :D

[boogiemom]

Here's what I use for shredded chicken in my mexican dishes:

Shredded Chicken Filling 2 medium to large whole or 4 split chicken breasts

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

4 jalapeño chiles, stemmed, seeded and minced

1 onion, chopped 6 small to medium tomatoes, chopped

2 teaspoons oregano

1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Approximately 1 cup chicken broth (from cooking chicken breasts)

Simmer chicken in water to cover until just done. Remove the meat, reserving 1 cup broth for later use in recipe and the remainder for another use. When the meat is cool enough to handle, remove it from the bones, cut it into 1-inch pieces, and shred it in a food processor fitted with a plastic blade.

In skillet or Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat and sauté garlic, chiles and onion until soft but not browned.

Add the tomatoes, shredded chicken, oregano, salt and enough chicken broth to barely cover the ingredients. Simmer, stirring frequently, until nearly all the liquid has evaporated. Makes 2 1/2 cups filling


For the white cheese I do:
1 lb. white american cheese (available in your deli section)
1 c. half and half
1/2-3/4 c. jalapeno juice (drained from sliced jalapenos in a jar)
dash of black pepper

Melt together in a small saucepan - You can adjust the consistency by playing with the cheese to half and half ratio so you can make it how she likes it.


My boys love Mexican food and we make it regularly around here. Hope this is what she is looking for! :)

[fivi2]

You may be able to find queso blanco that would work, but I think it is usually softer than you'd want.

We usually use monterey jack or cheddar.

My girls like manchego, but I would test it out before making a whole quesadilla - it is not as mild as say jack or mozzarella.

[Twoboos]

As far as a sauce, Trader Joes has an excellent one - Salsa Verde. DH is from SoCal and would gladly eat this daily! It's very mild. We use it for enchiladas but would be fine w/quesadillas too I would think.

[bnme]

I often boil chicken tenders/breasts, shred, then do a quick saute with any jarred mild salsa (or fresh if you do find a recipe!). So easy.

[sadie427]

The white cheese on traditional mexican food is Cotija, you can find it in some supermarkets. A good substitute is a good feta. Manchego is delicious but it is Spanish, not Mexican.

Here is my quick recipe for a sauce for chicken or beef to make tacos or serve over rice (adapted from a Gourmet magazine recipe for tostadas a few months back):

about 4 to 6 tomatoes, cored and halved
one or two jalapenos or serranos (fresh)
a few cloves of garlic
one small white onion quartered

coat the veggies w/ a small amount of olive oil or vegetable oil. Broil for a few minutes until soft and slightly charred. Core and de-seed the pepper when it's cool enough. Put everything in the blender, whir to make a sauce, and salt to taste. Pour the sauce into a saucepan and simmer shredded leftover chicken or browned ground beef. Serve over rice or in a warmed tortilla. w/ a little cotija or feta cheese or sour cream, sliced avocado, sliced radish, shredded lettuce, anything you like! This recipe is very easy although there are a few pans and things to wash.

It's not too authentic, but Trader Joe's sells a bagged shredded "Mexican" cheese mix that is tasty and handy for quick quesadillas (I like to eat one for breakfast sometimes, and it's nice not to have to grate cheese in the morning.) I like the TJ's greek feta sold in a tub for the recipe above.

[mytwosons]

We always just used the TJ's tortillas and "Mexican" shredded cheese; I think the cheese blend contains Queso Blanco, which is white. I would have salsa (TJ's has a good one and we also really like the WF's brand), sour cream and Guacamole (TJs, but WFs is SUPER good, but super $$) for dipping or spreading on top. You could certainly add in pinto or black beans, or spread refried beans on the tortilla.

A big hit here was mixing a can of refried beans (pinto or black) with salsa, heating and serving with sour cream and/or guac. Lots of protein and fiber from the beans. Oh, you can add shredded cheese, too. One of my favorite lunches, too!

You could also try tacos or fajitas, although my sons got frustrated with them until they were old enough to eat them without spilling everything out of the shell/tortilla. Actually, for that reason, they both preferred taco or fajita salad and I liked the idea of the salad since it provides more nutrients than the shells or tortillas.

Tangent: How old is your daughter? It might have been the Ellen Sater book that mentioned a lot of kids prefer spicy food and that is why they appear to be picky eaters. This was true for my son. He also loved Indian food in addition to Mexican. If he didn't like something, I'd just add more spice (any appropriate spice, not just hot spices) and he'd gobble it up. If you are looking to boost her calorie intake, an Indian sauce made with cream might help.

[StantonHyde]

Your post inspired me to cook Mexican tonight. I have made this recipe as a saute, but today I put it in the crockpot and it was great!!

I just did one chicken breast
1/4 c peanut butter
2 T "Mayan" hot chocolate--cocoa with chiles and cinnamon that I buy from a specialty shop
1 can fire roasted tomatos
chicken broth to cover and add moisture

I cooked for 3 hours, then shredded the chicken and cooked for 2 more. Served over rice--yum!

If you can serve your DD beans and rice that is a better, complete protein. But if she only eats beans, that is ok.

[tylersmama]

DS loves quesadillas, too. I use pepper jack, and I sprinkle ground flaxseed in for a little extra nutrition. If I have it, I'll also put a little corn in. He actually *insists* (as in won't eat the quesadilla without it) on guacamole. I make mine fairly simply...avocado, fresh lime juice, some minced onion and serrano pepper (I keep a ziplock bag of minced pepper and onion in the freezer so I always have it on hand), and kosher salt. Yum.

[fivi2]

Tangent: How old is your daughter? It might have been the Ellen Sater book that mentioned a lot of kids prefer spicy food and that is why they appear to be picky eaters. This was true for my son. He also loved Indian food in addition to Mexican. If he didn't like something, I'd just add more spice (any appropriate spice, not just hot spices) and he'd gobble it up. If you are looking to boost her calorie intake, an Indian sauce made with cream might help.

Not the OP and I haven't read the book, but one of my 3 yos definitely prefers spicy food. Her twin sister, on the other hand, pitches a fit if anything is either slightly spicy or even heated up above room temperature! Makes meal time interesting...