Chile con Queso

Serves 2

8 oz Velveeta, cut in 1/2in cubes
1/4 cup Milk
2 Tbsp Salsa
2 Tbsp TVP Taco Meat
1 Green Onion, Minced

Put all ingredients in a large, unheated skillet. Place skillet on the stove and set heat for medium. Stir occasionally. When all the cheese is melted, it's ready. Serve with chips.

TVP Taco Meat

TVP Taco Meat
yields about 22oz or 5 cups

2 cups dry TVP (Textured Vegetable Protein)
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 can Rotel (chopped tomatoes and chilies)
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp liquid smoke
1 TBSP chili powder
2 TBSP soy sauce
2 TBSP olive oil
1 cup dry red wine
1 TBSP vegetable broth powder
½ tsp salt

Preheat oil and liquid smoke in a Dutch oven on medium heat.
Fry the garlic and bell pepper for about 2 minutes, only until garlic lightly browned but aromatic.
Drain the Rotel, reserving the juice.
Combine Rotel juice, wine, salt, broth powder, soy sauce, and chili powder. Add water to the liquid mix until it measures 2 cups.
Pour liquid mix and Rotel into the pot, still containing the garlic and bell pepper.
Raise heat to high until liquid is boiling.
Add dry TVP, reduce heat to medium and stir constantly for about 5 minutes or until it reaches a consistency similar to cooked ground beef.

Serve on tacos, taco salad, nachos, etc…

Black Bean Enchiladas

Makes 18 enchiladas.

Filling Ingredients:
½ Large Yellow Onion (appx 4oz)
1 TBSP Minced Garlic
1 TBSP Ground Cumin
2 TBSP Oil
15oz can Black Beans
15oz can Refried Black Beans

Remaining Ingredients:
18 Corn Tortillas
Pepper Jack Cheese, 14 prepackaged slices
(2 6oz packs will yield enough)
Cooking Spray
2 10oz cans Red Enchilada Sauce
1 bunch Green Onions (appx 3oz)
Cheddar Cheese, 4oz shredded small
Chili Powder (Mexene is preferred)

Preheat oil in skillet on Medium heat (5 out of 10).
Sauté Onions, Garlic and Cumin about 5 minutes until Onions are soft.
Pour in Beans and juice from the can of regular Black Beans (not the refried).
Stir until Beans and Onions are evenly mixed.
Wait for the mix to boil then add Refried Beans, stirring until smooth.
Raise heat to Medium High (8 out of 10).
Stir constantly for 5 to 8 minutes until mix is very thick.
Remove from heat. When mix cools enough, refrigerate to further stiffen for easier assembly of the enchiladas.

For assembly, microwave the tortillas to soften so they won’t break when rolled up.
Microwave 2 at a time for about 30 seconds or more. The only limit to this cooking time is that the tortillas should not be too hot to touch.

Apply cooking spray to a 9x13 inch baking pan.

Break or cut a piece of cheese into 4 equally sized strips. Place three cheese strips in a row on a tortilla starting at one edge and ending at the middle. Put 2 Tablespoons of the bean filling along the middle cheese strip. Roll tortilla tightly around the filling so that the cheese strips surround the filling, creating an enchilada.

Place the enchilada seam side down into the pan. As you repeat the process of rolling the enchiladas, form a row of 11 enchiladas along one edge. In the remaining space, add a row of 3 enchiladas in each corner, and fill the last space with one enchilada, folded into a square shape instead of rolled. Smaller openings may be filled in with tightly rolled tortillas without bean filling or cheese inside. Press the enchiladas down gently so they spread out and fill any space that may be between them. Spaces between enchiladas may allow sauce to leak away from the surface into the bottom.

Pour enchilada sauce evenly over the top of the enchiladas.
Add Green Onions (both the green and white parts finely chopped) evenly over the top.
Add the shredded Cheddar Cheese evenly over the top.
Shake Chili Powder generously over the surface.

Bake 20 minutes at 375 degrees.