Pampered Chef Cinco De Mayo Recipes for a Festive Celebration

A couple years ago someone introduced me to Pampered Chef and I fell in love. So much in fact that I became a distributor about 6 months ago so that I could earn a little extra money to buy even more Pampered Chef merchandise.

I was never much of a cook prior to Pampered Chef and only really ever made spaghetti and brownies. Well now, thanks to Pampered Chef, I have quite a vast repertoire of recipes that I can 'wow' my friends and family with. And being that Mexican is one of my favorite cultures of food and Cinco De Mayo is coming up, I thought I would share some of my favorite Mexican recipes for you to try out for your Cinco De Mayo celebration. Enjoy!

Pampered Chef Mexican Lasagna

Serves/Makes: 8

Ingredients
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, lightly packed
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
2 cups Monterey jack cheese, shredded, divided
1 medium onion (about 2/3 cup chopped)
1 (28 ounce) can enchilada sauce
12 (6 inch) corn tortillas
3 cups cooked chicken (diced or shredded)
fresh cilantro leaves, chopped (optional)

Directions
Chop cilantro with Chef's Knife. Place cream cheese in Classic Batter Bowl. Microwave on HIGH 30-45 seconds or until very soft. Add cilantro and 1½ cups of the Monterey Jack cheese; mix well using Small Mix 'N Scraper®. Chop onion using Food Chopper; set aside. Spread 2/3 cup of the enchilada sauce over bottom of Deep Covered Baker. Pour remaining enchilada sauce into Stainless (4-qt.) Mixing Bowl; set aside.
To assemble lasagna, using Sauté Tongs, dip four tortillas into enchilada sauce in mixing bowl and arrange over sauce in baker overlapping as necessary. Scoop half of the cream cheese mixture over tortillas using Small Scoop; spread using Small Spreader. Top with 1 cup of the chicken and one-third of the onion. Repeat layers one time. Dip remaining four tortillas into sauce and arrange over second layer. Top with remaining chicken and onion. Pour remaining enchilada sauce over lasagna and sprinkle with remaining ½ cup Monterey Jack cheese.
Microwave, covered, on HIGH 12-15 minutes or until center is hot. Let stand 10 minutes. Sprinkle with additional chopped cilantro. Cut into squares using Utility Knife; serve using Mini-Serving Spatula.

Pampered Chef Taco Ring

Serves/Makes: 8

Ingredients
1/2 lb (.2 kg). ground beef, cooked and drained
1 1.25 oz (35 grm) package taco seasoning mix
1 cup (225 ml) shredded cheddar cheese
2 tbsp (30 ml) water
2 8 oz (224 grm). pkgs. refrigerated crescent roll dough
1 med. green bell pepper
1/2 head lettuce, shredded
1 med. tomato, cubed
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 cup (125 ml) whole pitted black olives, sliced
1 cup (225 ml) salsa
sour cream

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees (200 C.).
Combine meat, seasoning mix, cheese and water in 2 qt. batter bowl. Arrange crescent triangles in a circle on a 13" round baking stone, with bases overlapping in center and points to outside (there should be a five inch diameter circle in center). Using medium stainless steel scoop (approx. 2 T) spoon meat mixture over rolls. Fold points of triangles over filling and tuck under base at center (filling will not be completely covered).
Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.
Using V-shaped cutter, cut off top of bell pepper. Place bell pepper in center of ring; fill with salsa. Create a mound of lettuce, onion, tomato and olives around pepper. Using easy accent decorator, garnish with sour cream. Cut and serve.

Pampered Chef Touchdown Taco Dip

Serves/Makes: 8

Ingredients
1 (9 ounce) can bean dip
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon taco seasoning mix
1 garlic clove, pressed
1/4 cup (1 ounce) shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 medium tomato, seeded and diced (about 1/2 cup)
2 green onions with tops, thinly sliced
1/4 cup pitted ripe olives, sliced
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
Additional sour cream (optional)
Tortilla chips

Directions
Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

Using small mix 'n scraper spread bean dip over bottom of small oval baker. In classic batter bowl, combine cream cheese, sour cream and taco seasoning mix. Press garlic over cream cheese mixture in batter bowl using garlic press; mix well.

Spread cream cheese mixture evenly over bean dip. Grate Cheddar cheese over top using deluxe cheese grater. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until cheese is melted.

To prepare toppings: Remove stem from tomato using cook's corer. Dice tomato and thinly slice green onions using utility knife. Slice olives using egg slicer plus. Finely chop cilantro using pizza cutter. Sprinkle tomato, onions, olives and cilantro over dip. Garnish with additional sour cream, if desired. Serve with tortilla chips.

Pampered Chef Cheesy Chorizo Bean Dip

Serves/Makes: 8

Ingredients
1 tsp vegetable oil
7.5 oz spicy pork chorizo sausage
1 med. onion
1 poblano pepper
1 can (15 oz) pinto beans, drained
1 can (14.5 oz.) petite diced tomatoes with jalapenos, drained
4 garlic cloves, peeled
Tortilla chips (optional)

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 F. Add oil to skillet; heat over medium-high heat 1-3 minutes or until shimmering. Add chorizo; cook 3-4 minutes, breaking into crumbles. Drain, if necessary.

Meanwhile, grate cheese and set aside. Chop onion and dice pepper. Drain beans and tomatoes. Add onion and pepper to skillet; cook 1-2minutes until tender. Slice garlic into skillet; cook 45-60 seconds or until fragrant. Add beans and tomatoes to skillet and coarsely mash. Cook 2-3 minutes until hot.

Pour bean mixture into baking dish and top with cheese. Bake 7-9 minutes or until cheese is melted. Remove from oven. Serve with tortilla chips, if desired.

For more Pampered Chef Recipes visit my website Cooking with Boni.