Easy Weeknight Meals

Name: Mexican Alphabet Soup
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 1 ½ pounds ripe organic tomatoes, quartered, or one-28-ounce can tomato puree or crushed tomatoes; 1 medium organic onion, coarsely chopped; 1 organic garlic clove; 3 tablespoons vegetable oil; 2 cups (12 ounces) alphabet pasta or other small pasta; 1 teaspoon kosher salt; 8 cups organic low-sodium chicken broth

Beef Picadillo Over Brown Rice

April 18, 2017 By Mary Leave a Comment

Beef Picadillo Over Brown Rice is one of my favorite comfort foods. Picadillo is similar to hash made with ground beef and tomatoes. There are a lot of variations to this dish depending on where you’re from. I have seen people put raisins and olives in it, but I like to keep mine pretty simple. Just some potatoes (a must in my opinion), tomatoes, garlic, onion and some salt and pepper. It’s really all you need.

A few of the things I love about this recipe are:

It’s so easy to make.
It’s cheap.
It’s versatile. I’ve made this recipe using ground turkey to lighten it up a little.
And it reminds me of growing up with my grandmothers in the kitchen making Mexican food when I was little. The aroma takes me back to that time. It’s a beautiful thing.

And the Picadillo isn’t the only star in this recipe. The Brown Rice is pretty tasty too. I have a separate post all about this Easy Baked Brown Rice so be sure to check it out! I’ve also got a Picadillo Taco recipe you might also like.

Follow me on social media: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest. I also have a newsletter called The Weekly Recap where I’ll send one email a week to your inbox with a link to the latest recipe as well as what’s coming up next week! And sometimes I’ll have some behind the scenes stuff to share with you too! So don’t forget to subscribe! Talk to you next week!

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Easy Weeknight Chili

March 27, 2017 By Mary Leave a Comment

Disclosure: Please note that some of the links in this post are affiliate links and I will earn a commission if you purchase through those links. I have used all the products and recommend them because they are helpful and are companies I trust, not because of the commissions that I may earn from you using those products. Thank you for supporting The Cake Chica.

Here is one you can put on your weeknight recipe repertoire. This Easy Weeknight Chili is also a great option for lower-carb dieters since there are no beans in this recipe. It’s also under 500 calories for those calorie counters out there.

A typical beef chili needs quite a bit of simmering time to get those flavors to meld. But I have a secret ingredient to share with you….. and it’s enchilada sauce! Instead of simmering for hours you can use enchilada sauce to add some flavor. Now one very important TIP: Use an enchilada sauce you love!!! This is where this Easy Weeknight Chili gets most of it’s flavor from. I haven’t found a canned enchilada sauce that I liked until I tried Frontera brand enchilada sauce. It’s pretty new, but I’ve seen it at Kroger, Sprouts and Thrive Market. I highly recommend this brand for this recipe. Or make your own enchilada sauce.

Not only does this recipe make a great chili but my husband actually made a sloppy joe out of it because it’s nice and thick and does tend to have the consistency of a sloppy joe filling. He loved it! So, I’ve got a very versatile one for you here this week. Top this with your favorite chili toppings, mine are smoked gouda and sour cream with a few saltine crackers. How do you top your chili? Let me know in the comments below.

You can find The Cake Chica on these social media platforms: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest. I’ve also got a newsletter called The Weekly Recap that you can subscribe to where I send one email a week to your inbox with a link to The Cake Chica’s latest recipe(s), what recipe is coming up next, and on occasion some behind the scenes stuff. Talk to y’all next week!

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Gluten Free Veggie Pasta in Olive Oil Sauce

March 20, 2017 By Mary Leave a Comment

This Gluten Free Veggie Pasta in Olive Oil sauce would be perfect for your Meatless Monday meals or as a great side dish to your main course. This months Degustabox had a box of Tolerant Organic Green Lentil and Kale Pasta inside and I thought it would be perfect to go with this long time family favorite. My husband has been making this pasta for years with pasta such as angel hair or spaghetti. And since he had never actually written the recipe down for his olive oil sauce pasta, I thought this would be the perfect time to get that recipe down.

You can also use regular pasta but if you are using Tolerant’s pasta there are a couple of things you should know:

When you put the pasta in the boiling water keep an eye on it or it could boil over quickly.
The water will be cloudy and foamy but that’s normal when cooking with this type of pasta so be sure to use plenty of water.

Something else you should know, I really like this pasta. And I can see myself using this pasta to lighten things up a little when I want to take in more plant based proteins and nutrients. I love that it’s certified organic, vegan, gluten-free and non-gmo. If you can get past the cloudy water then I would definitely recommend this pasta!

Thank you Degustabox for introducing me to new foods every month. You can can also get your very own Degustabox every month by clicking the banner below. Don’t forget to catch me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest and Yummly! I’ve also got a newsletter if you’d rather catch up by email. I’ll send you one email a week with the latest recipe link, plus what’s coming up on The Cake Chica and even some things I might be lovin’ at the moment. Talk to you soon!

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Easy Mexican Red Rice

November 15, 2016 By Mary Leave a Comment

We all need an easy meal every now and then. Even us folks who enjoy cooking. This Easy Mexican Red Rice was an easy fix while the hubby is away on business. I didn’t want to go out, or pick something up. I wanted to cook a meal, but with not a lot of hassle or dishes. Since the person that cooks usually doesn’t have to do the dishes in my house, but that won’t fly this time.

This recipe fit the bill perfectly! With just a few simple ingredients, and practically no chopping, dinner will be on your table in no time. And with no fuss. The main shortcut here is using jarred tomato salsa. I recommend Frontera Salsa brand.

This makes an easy side dish or make it a complete meal by mixing in some rotisserie chicken like I did. I also wanted to add a little freshness to the meal. so I added some sliced avocado, fresh jalapeno slices and a lime wedge. Have you had lime juice in your rice before? I have!!! And I love it! I also add it to sour cream when I am having tacos. Just a little bit of my Tex-Mex side coming out now. Mix it all together and your easy weeknight meal is ready to devour!

Don’t forget to follow me on social media: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest

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Mexican Alphabet Soup

August 8, 2016 By Mary Leave a Comment

There are so many things I love about this soup.

It’s simple to prepare.
Very few ingredients are required.
Perfect meal for when you’re in bed with a cold.
It reminds me of my grandma Mary. Okay so it probably won’t remind you of my grandma Mary, but it sure is comforting.

So what makes this Mexican Alphabet Soup Mexican? Well, it’s all in the way you prepare the pasta. You fry the pasta. Much like I do for my Fideo. Frying the pasta gives it a toasty flavor. Being a Mexican-American (also a Texan), this is the comfort food I grew up on.

You can use any small shaped pasta available. My grandma would use the tiny star pasta sometimes when making Mexican pasta. Look for small shaped pasta in the international foods isle of your local grocery store if you can’t find small pasta in the pasta isle. You can also use broken up spaghetti.

I hope you will enjoy this simple and easy Mexican Alphabet Soup. Don’t forget to follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest and Yummly. Come back next week, where I will have a bit of a cleaned up rocky road rice crispy treat!

Mexican Alphabet Soup

Author The Cake Chica

Yield 6

Ingredients

1 ½ pounds ripe organic tomatoes, quartered, or one-28-ounce can tomato puree or crushed tomatoes
1 medium organic onion, coarsely chopped
1 organic garlic clove
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cups (12 ounces) alphabet pasta or other small pasta
1 teaspoon kosher salt
8 cups organic low-sodium chicken broth

Instructions

Place the tomatoes, onion and garlic in a food processor or blender and puree until smooth.
Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Add pasta and fry, stirring constantly, for 2 to 3 minutes. The pasta will change color from white to a lightly toasted golden brown. You should smell a toasty fragrance. Be careful not to burn.
Pour the tomato puree into the pot over the pasta and sprinkle with salt. Stir to combine. With the pot partially covered, cook the puree for about 6 minutes, stirring often, until the sauce thickens and becomes deep red in color. Keep stirring so the pasta does not get stuck on the bottom of the pot.
Stir in the broth and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes. Season with more salt if necessary and serve.

Courses Main

Cuisine Mexican

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1 bowl

Amount Per Serving
Calories 332
% Daily Value
Total Fat 8 g		12%
	Saturated Fat 1 g	5%
Sodium 420 mg		18%
Total Carbohydrates 53 g		18%
	Dietary Fiber 3 g	12%
	Sugars 3 g
Protein 10 g		20%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Adapted from Pati’s Mexican Table: The Secrets of Real Mexican Home Cooking

Cheesy Roasted Potatoes with Bacon

May 2, 2016 By Mary 1 Comment

This easy side dish recipe has quickly become a new favorite in my house, and is on regular rotation. Every time Craig sees me getting the bags of little potatoes, he knows I am about to make Cheesy Roasted Potatoes with Bacon. It’s like eating a baked potato just roasted on the stove top.

The original recipe is from Bee at Rasa Malaysia: Easy Delicious Recipes. I’ve kept it pretty much the same; however I did double up a few of the ingredients. Craig and I are a tall couple (me 5 ft. 9in. him 6ft. 3in.) and we need our carbs, so we like larger portions than most. With me lifting weights 6 days a week and being a hard gainer, I have to make sure I eat enough food. Great excuse to do what I love…..EAT!

Try these Cheesy Roasted Potatoes with Bacon for your nest weeknight side dish. They will not disappoint. Enjoy.

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Picadillo Tacos

April 25, 2016 By Mary 4 Comments

My sister gave me the Muy Bueno cookbook for Christmas this past year. My sister Irene loves Mexican food and has been cooking it a lot longer than I have. I remember her making Mexican rice pudding when I was younger and even some flautas when I was a teenager. At that point in my life I still hadn’t discovered my love for cooking or baking but it was only a matter of time. Good cooking just seems to run in my family.

When my sister gave me this cookbook, she said it was the real deal. And after trying this recipe, I agree! As soon as I saw this Picadillo recipe I knew it would be the first one I was going to try. Here in Texas you can find tacos on nearly every street corner, but unfortunately they all don’t offer Picadillo Tacos, at least not here in my little suburb of Houston. So for me that just means making them myself. And I am okay with that!

As soon as the beef hit the pan I smelled the aroma, and was immediately taken back to a time when I was a young girl. My grandma Geneva was in the kitchen making something out of nothing, as usual. This may have not been my grandma Geneva’s recipe for Picadillo Tacos but man it sure tasted like something she had cooked for me before. This is an easy to prepare meal and an affordable one at that. So put this one on your regular rotation.

Looking for more Mexican inspired recipes? Try my grandma Mary’s Fideo, and for dessert, this Tres Leches Cake. Or check out Muy Bueno’s blog for more great recipes and stories.

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Fideo

April 17, 2016 By Mary 3 Comments

This recipe is straight from my Grandma Mary’s kitchen. If you haven’t heard of Fideo before, it’s what I would call “Mexican spaghetti”. This is the stuff I grew up on. It’s my Mexican comfort food. And here in Houston, Texas we have some of the best Mexican and Tex-Mex restaurants in the country, unfortunately Fideo isn’t always available at these restaurants. But on the rare occasion I come across it on a restaurant menu I have to get it. It’s always good, but nothing comes close to my Grandma Mary’s Fideo. It’s in a class of it’s own. This recipe will always warm my soul and make me think of My Grandma Mary and my Great Grandma Butcha, who I hear was a master in the kitchen. I only wish I was old enough to have gotten the chance to cook with my Great Grandma Butcha when she was alive.

Most comfort foods usually take a lot of time and ingredients but not this one. You can make this on a weeknight after work, and is very easy to prepare.

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Gluten Free Chicken Tacos

February 7, 2016 By Mary Leave a Comment

Short on time? Don’t want to go out for dinner? Want something easy, quick and tasty? Well I have the answer right here! These Gluten-Free Tacos will fit into your busy schedule. I admit, I am not someone who eats gluten-free meals. But after trying Rudis Gluten Free Tortillas tortillas, I may be eating more gluten-free meals in the future. Even Craig, who would turn his nose up to gluten-free anything enjoyed them. I also found a new love in Whole Food’s House Smoked Whole Rotisserie Chicken! I recommend finding the best quality rotisserie for this recipe. It will make all the difference trust me! I made this recipe with 3 different brands of rotisserie chicken and the one from Whole Foods far exceeded the others. The ingredients on the Whole Foods rotisserie chicken are as follows: chicken, garlic, sea salt, spices (black pepper, thyme, sage, ginger, bay, celery), brown sugar, onion, red bell pepper, parsley and canola oil. All these ingredients are sold at your local supermarket. Nothing that sounds like it’s made in a lab. Feeling like I won the lottery right now! Enjoy!

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Chicken Parmesan with Zucchini Noodles

February 3, 2016 By Mary Leave a Comment

Lately I have been seeing a lot of recipes for spiralizers on Pinterest. I usually just scroll right past them since I don’t have one (sad face). At first I thought I might have to miss out on all those veggie noodles. But I remembered I once made a recipe with zucchini noodles; before the trend of spiralizing your veggies was popular. It was in an old Fitness Rx For Women magazine. So I started doing some digging and there it was, in my June 2012 issue. I put it on the meal plan as fast as I could and viola, lightened up Chicken Parmesan with Zucchini Noodles was on my plate. No spiralizer needed! I do recommend a good vegetable peeler to make peeling the zucchini a breeze. I like the Titan vegetable peeler . I’ve had mine for about 2 or 3 years now and it’s just as sharp as the first day I used it. I once used my old vegetable peeler since my Titan was in the dishwasher, never again. I got my Titan out of the dishwasher and life was simple again.

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Easy Weeknight Meals

Mexican Alphabet Soup

Ingredients

Instructions

Nutrition Facts

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