Tex Mex Eggplant Melts Recipes

ALL-PURPOSE TEX-MEX VEGGIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, mix together the corn, jalapenos, red onions and bell peppers.
• In a separate bowl, combine the chili powder, cumin, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and crushed red pepper. Mix together with a fork.
• Heat half the oil in a very large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add half the veggies and sprinkle with half the seasoning. Cook until blackened bits start to appear, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from the skillet; repeat with the other half of the oil, veggies and seasoning. Return the first half of the veggies to the skillet and add the black beans and green chiles. Stir and continue cooking for 3 minutes. Use immediately or allow to cool, then package in smaller freezer bags or containers and freeze.
• To reheat, add 2 teaspoons or more of olive oil (depending on the quantity of vegetables) to a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat and add the desired amount of frozen vegetables. Cook, stirring frequently, until heated through, 5 to 7 minutes. The veggies can be used in a number of ways. Here are some serving suggestions.
• For soft tacos: Lay a warmed fajita-size flour tortilla on a board. Pile on 1/4 cup cooked taco chicken, top with 2 tablespoons shredded iceberg, 1 tablespoon grated Cheddar and a big spoonful of the Tex-Mex veggies.
• For veggie taco salad: Slice 1/2 head each of iceberg and romaine. Mix and spread the lettuce out on a platter to make a bed for the salad. Arrange 1 cup of the Tex-Mex veggies all over the lettuce. Sprinkle over 1/4 cup cotija cheese, dot on 1/4 cup salsa, top with 2 tablespoons sour cream and sprinkle over 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves.
• For quick quesadillas: Melt 2 tablespoons salted butter in a cast-iron skillet; add 1 burrito-size sun-dried tomato flour tortilla. Top with 1/4 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese, 1/4 cup of the Tex-Mex veggies, then a second tortilla. Cook for a minute, then flip and cook on the other side until the cheese is melted. Remove to a cutting board, cut into quarters and serve with 2 tablespoons pico de gallo, 2 tablespoons guacamole and a sprig of fresh cilantro.

TEX-MEX EGGPLANT MELTS

Steps:

• Brush both sides of each eggplant slice with the olive oil.
• Place on a baking sheet.
• Sprinkle the top side of each slice with chili powder.
• Bake at 350 degrees about 30 minutes, or until tender.
• Remove the baking sheet from the oven; top each eggplant slice with onion, tomato, avocado and cheese. Broil 1-2 minutes or till the cheese melts and is bubbly.
• Garnish each serving with a dollop of sour cream and a little cilantro. Enjoy!

TEX-MEX EGG ROLLS WITH CREAMY CILANTRO DIPPING SAUCE

Steps:

• Cook rice according to package directions, using 1 teaspoon salt. Cool completely.
• Cook sausage in a skillet over medium heat, stirring until it crumbles and is no longer pink; drain well. Let cool.
• Stir together rice, sausage, black beans, and next 4 ingredients in a large bowl. Spoon about 1/3 cup rice mixture in center of each egg roll wrapper. Fold top corner of wrapper over filling, tucking tip of corner under filling; fold left and right corners over filling. Lightly brush remaining corner with egg; tightly roll filled end toward the remaining corner, and gently press to seal.
• Pour oil into heavy Dutch oven; heat to 375 degrees F. Fry egg rolls, in batches, 2 to 3 minutes or until golden. Drain on wire rack over paper towels. Serve with Creamy Cilantro Dipping Sauce. Garnish, if desired.
• Process first 5 ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Garnish, if desired. Note: For a beautiful presentation, cut top from 1 large red bell pepper, reserving top; remove and discard seeds and membrane, leaving pepper intact. Arrange bell pepper on a serving plate, and fill with sauce.

TEX-MEX PATTY MELTS

Steps:

• Mix together the ground beef, chili seasoning mix, 2 minced chipotle peppers with adobo sauce, and the beer in a bowl. Divide the mixture evenly into three patties.
• Stir together the mayonnaise and 1 minced chipotle pepper with adobo sauce in a small bowl. Divide the mixture between the bread slices and spread evenly. Place a slice of pepperjack cheese on top of the mayonnaise mixture on each slice of bread.
• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the patties in the skillet until no longer pink in the center, 5 to 7 minutes each side for well done. Remove each burger to a slice of bread, sandwiching them with the remaining slices.
• Drain the skillet, reserving 2 tablespoons of the grease. Heat the reserved grease in the skillet over medium-high heat. Grill the sandwiches in the skillet until the bread is golden brown and the cheese is melted, 1 to 2 minutes per side.

TEX-MEX CHICKEN MELTS

Steps:

• Cut bread into 20 1/4-inch slices. Arrange slices on a baking stone.
• Chop onion & bell pepper. Grate cheese. In a bowl, combine chicken, onion, bell pepper, 1/2 cup of the cheese, mayonnaise, Seasoning Mix and garlic; mix well.
• Divide filling evenly among bread slices. Slice tomatoes. Place one tomato slice over filling on each bread slice. Snip parsley. In a bowl, toss remaining cheese and parsley to combine. Sprinkle over tomato slices.
• Bake 15-18 minutes or until golden brown. Serve hot.