Tex Mex Trash

1 bag microwave popcorn, popped
1 cup corn chips
1 cup goldfish-type crackers
1 cup dry roasted peanuts
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 tablespoon dry taco seasoning (mild or hot, your preference)

Combine popcorn, corn chips, crackers and peanuts in large
bowl.

Combine melted butter and taco seasoning, then drizzle over the
popcorn mixture.
Mix well, place on cookie sheet and bake at 275
degrees F for 10 minutes.

Store in a tightly covered container.

Tex-Mex Baked Potatoes

4 baking potatoes
1 pound lean ground beef
1 (12 ounce) jar mild or hot salsa
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/4 cup diced green bell pepper
1 tablespoon chopped stuffed green olives
1 cup shredded Monterey jack cheese
1 cup thinly sliced iceberg lettuce
Sliced tomatoes

Scrub potatoes; pierce skin with fork.
Bake at 400 degrees F
until tender, about 1 hour.

Fifteen minutes before potatoes are done, saute meat in hot
skillet until all pink disappears.
Add salsa and chili powder to
meat.
Cover.
Cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes.

Add green pepper and olives to meat mixture.
Heat through.

Cut baked potatoes open.
Spoon hot meat mixture into potatoes.
Top at once with cheese so that it melts slightly.

Serve with lettuce sprinkled on top and with sliced tomatoes
alongside.

Tex-Mex Fajitas

2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cups lean steak strips or 4 cups chicken breast strips
1 tablespoon chipotle pepper (or to taste)
1 cup thinly sliced green bell peppers
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced onions
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons lemon juice
10 large flour or corn tortillas
2 cups basic red sauce or prepared salsa
1 pint sour cream
2 cups shredded extra-sharp Cheddar cheese
Salt, to taste (optional)

Put olive oil and garlic in a preheated wok.
Stir-fry the steak
or chicken and add the salt and cook until it is almost done.
Then
add onions, green peppers, lemon juice, Chipotle pepper and cook
until the onions and peppers are limp.
When finished, pour into a
bowl and prepare the fajita on a tortilla with the salsa, sour
cream and Cheddar cheese.

Makes 8 fajitas.

Tex-Mex Pork Chops

4 (4 ounce) boneless pork chops
1 (16 ounce) can whole berry cranberry sauce
1 to 2 fresh jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped
1 green onion, sliced
1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon lime juice

In a large nonstick skillet, brown pork chops on one side over
medium-high heat.
In a medium bowl, stir together remaining
ingredients.
Turn chops; pour cranberry mixture over chops in
skillet, bring to a boil.
Lower heat, cover and simmer for 10
minutes, until chops are just done and still tender.

Serve with rice, if desired.

Serves 4.

Grilled Texas Shrimp

1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup tequila
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons Mexican lime juice
1 tablespoon ground red chiles
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
24 large raw shrimp, peeled and
de-veined (tails left on)

Mix all ingredients except shrimp in shallow glass or plastic
dish.
Stir in shrimp.
Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Remove shrimp from marinade, reserving marinade.
Thread 4 shrimp
on each of six (8-inch) metal skewers.
Grill over medium coals,
turning once, until pink, 2 to 3 minutes on each side.

Heat marinade to boiling in a non-reactive saucepan.
Reduce heat
to low.
Simmer uncovered until bell pepper is tender, about 5
minutes.
Serve with shrimp.

Makes 6 servings.

If you would prefer to broil the shrimp instead of grilling
them, place the skewered shrimp on a broiler pan rack.
Broil with
tops about 4 inches from heat, turning once, until pink, 2 to 3
minutes on each side.

Grilled Tex-Mex Salad

2 ears corn
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 jalapeno chile pepper, chopped, seeds in if you like it hot
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon mild chile powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Place the corn on the grill and roast, turning often, until
golden brown on the outside, about 15 minutes.
When it cools, cut
the kernels off into a bowl.

Add the onions, beans, jalapeno, red pepper, and cilantro.

Combine the oil, lime juice, chile powder, and cumin in a
smaller bowl.
Pour over the corn and bean mixture, and toss to mix.
Let sit in the refrigerator for half an hour before serving.

Yield: 4 servings