Tex-Mex – Page 2 – FoodWatcher

Pulled Pork Nachos with Pickle Slaw.

We are crazy over these pulled pork nachos with pickle slaw! The pickle slaw is crunchy, crisp and refreshing with the most pickle flavor. Use it for topping melty, cheesy pulled pork nachos and you’ll be the happiest! It’s finally June! We’re kicking off the month with some sheet pan nachos that are basically the […]

The post Pulled Pork Nachos with Pickle Slaw. appeared first on How Sweet Eats.

It’s finally June!

pulled pork nachos with pickle slaw

We’re kicking off the month with some sheet pan nachos that are basically the best thing ever. Juicy pulled pork, crispy tortilla chips, melty cheese and a pickle slaw that will blow your mind.

pickle slaw

Okay, so this recipe isn’t about the nachos at all. Not really.

It’s all about the SLAW!!

This pickle slaw is about to be thrown on everything you eat. If you’re a pickle freak like I am, like if you live and die for pickles (yes!!), then you will be in.love.with.this.slaw.

pulled pork nachos

We have a local restaurant that puts pickle slaw on their tacos. I made a version of it here with my pimento grilled cheese. It’s made with spiralized pickles and is very good, but this slaw here? Life changing. Completely different.

I use my classic slaw ingredients (cabbage, shallots, etc!) and then add tons of pickle things which take it over the top.

I could eat it forever!

pickle slaw

This is what goes into my pickle slaw:

Very thinly sliced green cabbage. As thin as you can get it!

Thinly sliced shallot too. Or it could even be diced.

Tons of chopped dill pickles, of course.

Sweet relish, for extra sweet pickley flavor.

Dill pickle juice! Let’s just do all the pickle things.

Then some honey, vinegar, a dash of mayo and olive oil.

Oh and salt and pepper!

What a DREAM.

pulled pork nachos

I love this slaw the most on nachos with pulled pork. It’s also fabulous on pulled pork sandwiches and tacos too. Next best is chicken, in my opinion. Like my smoky grilled chicken nachos? Add this slaw on there and you are set.

If you love a briney, tart, pickle-based anything, this slaw will be your new side dish BFF. It’s crunchy, crisp, refreshing and lasts well in the fridge for a day.

I will gladly eat this with just a fork, but I’m always truly pickle crazy. Like, I would have a mini fridge simply for a pickle collection, if they didn’t expire after a certain period. I can’t eat all the pickles in the world, after all.

pulled pork nachos with pickle slaw

As for the sheet pan pork nachos, I keep it relatively simple. I have tons of posts on nachos. I make my pulled pork like this in the slow cooker, and if I’m being honest, nachos are only a leftover thing for us. Anytime I have leftover pulled pork, we make nachos! I usually do not cook it just for nachos. If we’re in a pinch and my pork is frozen or something, I will also grab the prepared pulled pork from costco which is pretty good too.

I like to use homemade tortilla chips from my local grocery store and the key is to LAYER!!! Layer the pork and the cheese and the chips a few times, then pop them in the oven so everything warms and melts together. Just a few minutes.

When the nachos come out, top with the pickle slaw and pickled onions. Some fresh cilantro too. (more…)

The post Pulled Pork Nachos with Pickle Slaw. appeared first on How Sweet Eats.

Spicy Strawberry Avocado Salsa.

This strawberry avocado salsa is the perfect snack for warm weather! Serve cold with lots of salty tortilla chips and an icy margarita. There’s a little heat, some sweet and a rich creaminess from the avocado. Good enough to eat with a spoon! Let me tell you all about this salsa that I want to […]

The post Spicy Strawberry Avocado Salsa. appeared first on How Sweet Eats.

Let me tell you all about this salsa that I want to eat with a spoon.

spicy strawberry avocado salsa

It’s an embarrassingly easy recipe, if we can even call it a recipe. It’s an excellent happy hour snack or tex-mex weeknight side. Juicy strawberries, creamy avocado, spicy jalapeño pepper, red onion and all the lime, cilantro and salt that you can eat.

Bring on the chips!

strawberries, cilantro, red onion

I am always looking for a delicious snack that I can make in mere minutes when it comes to spontaneous summer entertaining. Even if that “entertaining” consists of Eddie, the kids and myself sitting out on the patio as the days get longer. A Saturday snack, if you will. One that is fruit forward and perfect for when you’ve had a huge brunch and aren’t hungry for dinner yet.

spicy strawberry salsa

But you’re dying to sit outside and enjoy the gorgeous weather with an icy margarita or cold pinot grigio.

I’ve got you!!

spicy strawberry salsa

I’m basically throwing it back to 2011 today. There was a time here on the site (well over a decade ago!) where I could not get enough fruit salsa. Seriously, if I found a fruit, I would put it in salsa. And that obsession still holds – I love a sweet and savory salsa.

spicy strawberry avocado salsa

Anything that can be prepped ahead of time and served with chips or over a main dish is my kind of food. This is sweet and bright and spicy and refreshing and really packs a punch with flavor.

spicy strawberry avocado salsa

A few other recipes that check this box for me are my mango shrimp salsa, jarlsberg cheese dip, chilled queso, peach bruschetta and marinated cheese. Those can all be made relatively quickly, even ahead of time, and are great for snacking with pretzels, crackers, chips or veggies.

Also let’s just take a moment to note that almost all of those include cheese, and this strawberry salsa does not. So we’re winning there!

spicy strawberry avocado salsa

I usually have spicy strawberry margaritas on the brain when I make this salsa. Now I’m not including a splash of tequila, though I’m tempted. But the combination reminds me of a strawberry margarita with a spicy rim and I just can’t get enough.

Especially in this warmer season where strawberries are incredible. The strawberries are ridiculously sweet, the peppers can be fairly spicy and the avocado cools everything down with the rich creaminess. The combination is unbeatable. (more…)

The post Spicy Strawberry Avocado Salsa. appeared first on How Sweet Eats.

bean and vegetable burritos

While I haven’t been strictly vegetarian in a long time, I still hold petty grudges, grudges that I work out here in the form of the dishes I’d have preferred as options, over the mediocrity, the afterthought-ness, of most meatless entrees (gloopy pastas or vegetables cobbled together from sides from other dishes), sandwiches (cheese and sometimes soggy lettuce or tomato), and burritos (so much filler). A recent trip to a Tex-Mex chain left me surprised as not much had changed. And as I chewed down my football-sized wrap that was 80% rice, 15% beans, 5% salsa and cheese, my old resentment came back in full force. Vegetarian entrees, sandwiches, and tacos can be so much more! Let’s start here.

vegetable burrito-02
vegetable burrito-04
Read more »

Taco Smashed Potatoes.

Taco smashed potatoes are a great weeknight meal! Crispy, crunchy smashed potatoes are topped with seasoned taco meat, guacamole, sour cream, cheese and more. Load up your favorite toppings and go to town! It’s my new favorite way to do taco night! Super crunchy smashed potatoes topped with alllllll our favorite taco fixings. Think seasoned […]

The post Taco Smashed Potatoes. appeared first on How Sweet Eats.

It’s my new favorite way to do taco night!

taco smashed potatoes

Super crunchy smashed potatoes topped with alllllll our favorite taco fixings. Think seasoned ground beef, melty cheese, guacamole, sour cream, diced tomatoes, cilantro, pickled onions and more!

The most versatile dinner is here.

a bite of taco smashed potatoes

What’s your favorite thing? Because I’ll put it on a smashed potato. I swear.

smashed golden potatoes

Instead of a baked potato bar, we’re doing a smashed potato bar. Set up all of your favorite taco toppings, make a pan of smashed potatoes and then go to town.

Hello, how fun!

Also, extra delicious. Very satisfying and filling. Plus, they taste amazing.

crispy golden crunchy potatoes

My love for smashed potatoes knows no bounds! I will put just about anything on a smashed potato… as evidenced here.

Oops.

The classic version is a go-to side dish around here. I don’t even want to tell you how often we make them.

smashed potatoes topped with taco meat

They are just so delicious though! With their golden crunchy edges, their buttery soft bites and the salty, crisp skin. Aside from eating them off the sheet pan alone, I will cover them in all.the.things.

Give me all the sauces. The cheeses. The toppings.

Sprinkle everything on a smashed potato and I’m game.

taco smashed potatoes

I love these so much because everyone else loves them for dinner. So it’s easy for me. You can load them up with ground beef, turkey or shredded chicken or make a vegetarian version. You can do beans instead of (or in addition to!) meat.

Guac or diced avocado, sour cream or a lime crema drizzle. The options are truly endless. (more…)

The post Taco Smashed Potatoes. appeared first on How Sweet Eats.

One Pot Cheesy Nachos.

We love these one pot nachos! The bottom layer is a taco-seasoned ground beef, green chile and pinto bean mixture, topped with tons of cheese and chips. Bake until melty and golden, then serve hot! Best nachos ever. Oh yes, you heard me right!! Nachos. One Pot. ONE POT NACHOS!! These are DIVINE. Layers of […]

The post One Pot Cheesy Nachos. appeared first on How Sweet Eats.

Oh yes, you heard me right!!

one pot cheesy nachos

Nachos. One Pot. ONE POT NACHOS!!

These are DIVINE. Layers of taco-spiced beef, green chile, pinto beans and corn, topped with tons of cheese, crunchy huge tortilla chips and more cheese. Then alllll the toppings.

YES.

spiced ground beef in a pot

When I say this is one of the best things I’ve ever made?? Not joking. Not even close.

It’s quite possible that I’ve now moved on from sheet pan nachos. Because these one pot nachos have totally blown everyone’s mind.

ground beef, beans, chiles and corn

They are hearty. They are so super flavorful. And they are a fun way to serve nachos – plus, you can always throw extra tortilla chips next to them.

The most fun part of these is that the tortilla chips are set down into the nachos and the melted cheese holds them in place. They are SO good.

one pot cheesy nachos

I was worried that the chips would get soggy in the beef mixture, but they really don’t. They get slightly softer, but barely – and if you’re a fan of chilaquiles, then you’ll love them.

Seriously, we could not stop eating these. They are out of this world. So much so that I’m making them again tonight for the fourth time. We are obsessed!

one pot cheesy nachos

Here’s what goes into our pan:

Ground beef. You can use ground turkey too!

Some taco spices and tomato paste. This makes all the difference.

Diced green chiles! Can’t go without them.

Pinto beans. You can use black or kidney or whatever you prefer.

Corn. I just use frozen corn! Stir in a cup and it’s super easy.

All the cheese. I like a mix of sharp cheddar and monterey jack. I like to grate my own because it melts the best – however the only packaged cheese I use regularly is Tillamook farm shreds. They are awesome.

one pot cheesy nachos

Then, it’s time for the chips. Stick them all around the pan, just the very edge into the mixture.

Bake everything together, just for 12 or 15 minutes. The cheese melts. The chips get toastier. The whole thing marries together and the flavor is wild. They make your house smell amazing too.

one pot cheesy nachos

I just need a nacho candle in my life. (more…)

The post One Pot Cheesy Nachos. appeared first on How Sweet Eats.