Mexican Cookout

Yesterday I got to spend the afternoon in my favorite place: the kitchen. My wife and I were having a cookout with a few friends and I decided to go with a Mexican theme.

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Grilled Avocados

Guacamole

Refried Beans

Mint Margarita Chicken (my first homemade recipe!)

Taco Burgers

Southwest Potato Salad

Margaritas (highly recommended)

Grilled Avocados

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Level: Easy

Yield: 4 servings


Ingredients

- 1 tablespoon oil

- 1 tablespoon lime juice

- 2 large avocados, halved and seeded

- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

- 1/4 cup bottled picante sauce

- 2 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

- sour cream

- pico de gallo

Directions

Stir together olive oil and lime juice. Brush avocados all over with olive oil mixture. Sprinkle avocados with salt.

Grill avocado halves cut side down over medium heat for 5 minutes. Turn avocado halves over. Fill centers of avocado halves with picante sauce and cover with cheese. Cover grill and grill about 5 minutes more until cheese begins to melt.

Remove avocados from grill. Garnish with pico de gallo and sour cream (if desired).  You can eat these with a spoon or use a tortilla chip to scoop. 

Mint Margarita Chicken

Cook Time: 2.5 hours

Level: Medium

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

- 6 boneless skinless chicken breasts

- 1 cup chicken stock

- 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

- 1 cup pico de gallo

- 1/2 cup tequila

- 1/4 cup lime juice

- 1/4 cup orange juice

- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped mint

- 1 tablespoon cornstarch

- 1 tablespoon sugar

- garlic powder

- salt

- pepper

- lime cut into 6 slices

Directions

Start by cleaning chicken breasts and placing in container for marinating. Add 1/4 cup tequila, 1/8 cup lime juice, 1/8 cup orange juice, garlic powder, and salt and pepper to your liking. Cover, shake to mix ingredients and refrigerate for 2 hours.

While chicken is marinating you can start the sauce. In a small pan, add 3/4 cup chicken stock, 1/4 cup tequila, 1/8 cup lime juice, 1/8 cup orange juice, 1/2 tablespoon mint, and sugar. Bring to boil. Simmer until sauce is reduced by half. In a small bowl add remaining chicken stock and cornstarch; mix well. Slowly whisk mixture into the sauce over medium heat and continue to whisk. When sauce starts to thicken, remove from heat and set aside.

Grill chicken breast for 4 to 5 minutes, before flipping brush on some of the sauce. After flipping, brush on more sauce and grill for another 3 to 4 minutes. Brush on sauce one more time and add cheese. Close the grill so cheese melts. Be sure that chicken is thoroughly cooked and remove from grill.

Garnish chicken with pico de gallo, remainder of minced mint and lime wedge.

Taco Burgers

Cook Time: 1 hour

Level: Easy

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

- 1 pound ground beef

- 1/4 cup chopped white onion

- 1 jalapeno, seeded and diced

- 1 packet taco seasoning

- 3/4 cup water

- salt

- pepper

- 4 slices pepper jack cheese

- 4 hamburger buns

- sour cream

- guacamole

- pico de gallo

Directions

Mix water and taco seasoning in a small sauce pan and bring to boil. Reduce to simmer until mixture is half gone. Set aside and let cool.

In large bowl, mix beef, onion, jalapeno, salt and pepper (to taste). Add cooled seasoning mixture, mix with your hands and patty into 4 burgers.

Grill patties 4 to 5 minutes on each side or until desired temperature. Add pepper jack cheese to burgers. Meanwhile, toast buns on grill until light brown. Remove all ingredients from grill.

Add sour cream to top and bottom of buns. Add pico de gallo to bottom bun, place burger on top, add guacamole and add top bun.