A virtual recipe swap with dozens of new recipes from some of the TOP recipe
creators online and on Pinterest!
Take a look at these amazing recipes featured from last week's Weekend Potluck (recipe links listed with full photos just below), then scroll down to
see all the NEW recipes this week!
A virtual recipe swap with dozens of new recipes from some of the TOP recipe
creators online and on Pinterest!
Take a look at these amazing recipes featured from last week's Weekend Potluck (recipe links listed with full photos just below), then scroll down to
see all the NEW recipes this week!
A virtual recipe swap with dozens of new recipes from some of the TOP recipe
creators online and on Pinterest!
Take a look at these amazing recipes featured from last week's Weekend Potluck (recipe links listed with full photos just below), then scroll down to
see all the NEW recipes this week!
A simple recipe using a packet of ranch dressing mix, lime juice, cilantro and
just a few other common ingredients that tastes better than any store-bought
dressing.
Do you ever pop over here to South Your Mouth and think, “Dang, Mandy, for a
Southern cook, you sure do make a lot of Mexican food…”?
Well, I’ll tell you why… my whole family loves it. And I never have to
convince them to try a new recipe and I never hear any flack about what’s for
supper when they know it’s Mexican food.
Mexican food, or to be more accurate, Americanized Mexican food, is easy to
prepare, super versatile and usually pretty inexpensive so it’s easy to lean
that way when making my meal plan for the week!
I’ve bought enough Cilantro Lime Ranch from the grocery store to know I don’t
love any of it. And I made a recipe or two I found online and never thought
they were worth the effort. So I decided to make my own.
I wanted the recipe to be EASY and delicious so I knew exactly where to start:
with a packet of ranch dressing mix.
Since I always whip up my ranch dressing mix with buttermilk instead of
regular milk, I knew EXACTLY how to bring the lime juice into things – by
making a “homemade” buttermilk from the acidic lime juice mixed with regular milk.
And when I’ve got a fresh lime on-hand, of course I’m going to zest that
sucker and wring every bit of flavor out of that lime.
INGREDIENTS FOR EASY CILANTRO LIME RANCH
Packet of Ranch Dressing Mix
Lime juice & zest
Milk
Mayonnaise
Onion Powder
Cilantro
RECIPES TO USE WITH EASY CILANTRO LIME RANCH
Whether you drizzle it on top or serve it with an easy side salad, these
recipes are perfect alongside Easy Cilantro Lime Ranch:
Chipotle Chicken Taco Meat
- An easy, flavor-packed recipe using ground chicken and canned chipotle
peppers in adobo sauce that’s surprisingly low in fat, calories and carbs for
tacos, burrito bowls and anything else taco meat is used with.
Smothered Beef & Bean Burrito Bake
- An easy Mexican-inspired casserole recipe made from flour tortillas stuffed
with ground beef, cheese and refried beans smothered in a savory queso sauce
that comes together right in the oven.
3-Ingredient Crock Pot Chicken Tacos
- A super simple slow cooker recipe for shredded Mexican chicken taco meat
made with chicken breasts perfect for tacos, burritos, rice bowls and more
made with only three ingredients.
Chipotle Shrimp Tostada Bites
- A super fun and easy appetizer recipe made with tortilla chips, chipotle
glazed shrimp and guacamole sprinkled with a confetti of red onion and
cilantro.
Taco Rice with Queso
- A one-pan skillet dinner recipe made with ground beef, taco seasoning and
Mexican style rice drenched in an easy queso cheese sauce.
NOTES ABOUT MAKING EASY CILANTRO LIME RANCH
I like this best a little on the thin side (as you can see in the photos) so I
use 1 cup of milk. If you prefer a thicker dressing, use 3/4 cup milk instead
of a full cup.
Combining the lime juice and milk first allows it to thicken like buttermilk
before we mix the other ingredients together.
Don’t use a metal mixing bowl as the citric acid in lime juice may react with
certain metals.
For AVOCADO Cilantro Lime Ranch, reduce mayo to 3/4 cup, add one mashed
avocado and a pinch of salt. PRO TIP: to easily mash the avocado, scoop out
the pulp then add to a zip-top bag. Seal the bag then use your hands to mash
it into a creamy paste. Snip one corner off the bag (about an inch wide) then
squeeze the avocado into the bowl.
Recipe for Easy Homemade Cilantro Lime Ranch
Easy Homemade Cilantro Lime Ranch
Yield: 2 Cups
Author: Mandy Rivers | South Your Mouth
Prep time: 10 MinInactive time: 30 MinTotal time: 40 Min
A simple homemade recipe using a packet of ranch dressing mix, lime juice, cilantro and just a few other common ingredients that tastes better than any store-bought dressing.
Ingredients
1 1-oz packet ranch dressing mix
1 lime
3/4 - 1 cup milk (see notes)
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 cup minced cilantro (packed)
Instructions
Zest and juice the lime. Add zest, 1 tablespoon of lime juice and milk to a glass or plastic mixing bowl. Stir well then set aside for 10 minutes.
Add ranch dressing mix, mayo, onion powder and cilantro then whisk until smooth.
Add more lime juice or cilantro if desired.
Refrigerate at least 30 minutes before using so the dressing can thicken.
Refrigerate in an airtight container to store up to 2 weeks (or whatever the expiration date is on your milk).
Notes
I like this best a little on the thin side (as you can see in the photos) so I use 1 cup of milk. If you prefer a thicker dressing, use 3/4 cup milk instead of a full cup.
Combining the lime juice and milk first allows it to thicken like buttermilk before we mix the other ingredients together.
Don’t use a metal mixing bowl as the citric acid in lime juice may react with certain metals.
For AVOCADO Cilantro Lime Ranch, reduce mayo to 3/4 cup, add one mashed avocado and a pinch of salt. PRO TIP: to easily mash the avocado, scoop out the pulp then add to a zip-top bag. Seal the bag then use your hands to mash it into a creamy paste. Snip one corner off the bag (about an inch wide) then squeeze the avocado into the bowl.
A virtual recipe swap with dozens of new recipes from some of the TOP recipe
creators online and on Pinterest!
Take a look at these amazing recipes featured from last week's Weekend Potluck (recipe links listed with full photos just below), then scroll down to
see all the NEW recipes this week!
An easy, flavor-packed recipe using ground chicken and canned chipotle peppers
in adobo sauce that’s surprisingly low in fat, calories and carbs for tacos,
burrito bowls and anything else taco meat is used with PLUS my recipe for Easy
Cilantro Lime Ranch!
This is a recipe I started making a few years ago when I was trying to cut
calories. We all liked it so much, it became a regular on the weeknight supper
lineup.
Funny thing… if I don’t tell them it’s healthy, my family won’t
hesitate to scarf something down if it’s delicious! But, y’all, if I’d have
told them it was, not only low calorie, but also low fat AND low carb, they
wouldn’t have thrown themselves on the floor and feigned abuse.
When we have anything for supper that includes common taco accoutrements, I
just set it out like a bar and let everyone make what they want. The boys like
soft tacos, the girls like burritos and bowls, I like lettuce wraps or salads
and Mama usually just puts it all on a plate and eats it however the spirit
takes her.
We’ve also fashioned this into a fantastic way to meal-prep soft tacos with
the leftovers. I’ll explain how and list all the ways we use this taco meat
below.
WHAT CAN I MAKE WITH CHIPOTLE CHICKEN TACO MEAT?
Soft or Crunchy Tacos are great (obvi) but we use this meat to make all
sorts of meals and snacks like:
Chipotle Chicken Quesadillas – sprinkle a soft tortilla with shredded
cheese (we like white American because it melts like a dream) then place in a
HOT skillet that’s drizzled with a little oil. Add taco meat to one side of
tortilla then fold the tortilla in half. Flip a time or two to ensure the
tortilla has a few nicely browned spots and cheese is melted.
Lettuce Wrap Chipotle Chicken Tacos – this one’s my go-to fix. Assemble
your favorite taco toppings (for me that’s cilantro, lime juice and red onion)
over taco meat in a 5-inch section of a romaine lettuce leaf.
Chipotle Chicken Burritos or Bowls – make your burrito or bowl how you
enjoy it best. Consider using shredded lettuce, diced cucumber, rice, pinto or
black beans, shredded cheese or queso and Easy Cilantro Lime Ranch (recipe
below).
Nachos with Chipotle Chicken & Queso – this one’s perfect for
leftovers. You don’t need to me to tell you how to assemble a plate of nachos
but you might like how we make ours. For a single serving, use a toaster oven
and for multiple servings, use a standard oven. Tear of squares of aluminum
foil then fold the sides up just enough to keep anything from rolling off. Top
with tortilla chips, taco meat and store-bought queso then heat at 350 degrees
until chips become fragrant and cheese is ooey and gooey. Eat as-is or top
with salsa, pico de galo and/or sour cream.
Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad – Line the bottom of a salad bowl or
crunchy salad shell with beans (refried, black or pinto) then top with taco
meat, shredded lettuce, tomatoes, onions, sliced avocado or guacamole then top
with shredded cheese and Easy Cilantro Lime Ranch (recipe below).
Heat & Eat Chipotle Chicken Soft Tacos – I make these up with any
leftovers we have for the kids to zap in the microwave for a quick snack or
meal. Simply place taco meat and shredded cheese in a soft flour tortilla (I
usually use the fajita size) then fold over into the shape of a taco. Layer
the tacos in a zip-top bag then store in the fridge. Reheat one for 30 seconds
in the microwave.
NOTES ABOUT COOKING THIS RECIPE
Ground turkey can be substituted but I really prefer ground chicken in this.
You wouldn’t think there would be a difference but there is.
I almost always add about a cup of grated or minced carrot with the onion
when I cook this to smuggle in extra nutrients. The color of the carrots
blends into the taco meat perfectly so picky eaters will never suspect a
thing!
This is a little spicy but nothing my kids bat an eye at. If you’d like to
increase the heat, chop a couple peppers then add to the taco meat (with
seeds).
FAQ ON CHIPOTLE PEPPERS IN ADOBO SAUCE
WHICH BRAND TASTES BEST? Every brand of has both tomato paste (or
puree) and vinegar in its ingredients but the brands I prefer have tomato
listed before vinegar. A couple brands have more vinegar than tomato
which give them a slight pickled taste I don’t care for in this recipe. The
brands I like best are Goya, Embasa and San Marcos.
HOW MUCH SAUCE IS IN THE CAN? Canned chipotle peppers have varying
amounts of adobo sauce. When shopping brands, shake each can to find a brand
with plenty of sauce. If you can hear and feel the contents being shaken,
there is ample sauce. If the can makes no sound at all when shaken and you
feel no movement, it is packed with more peppers and won’t have as much sauce.
WHAT IF I DON’T HAVE ENOUGH SAUCE? If your peppers don’t have enough
sauce to easily spoon out 3 tablespoons, gently empty the contents of the can
into a bowl, remove any broken peppers, then add 2 tablespoons HOT water.
Gently agitate the whole peppers in the water to “rinse” the sauce off then
add all of the liquid to the taco meat.
HOW SPICY IS IT? The adobo sauce has a tiny kick (nothing my kids seem
to notice if that helps) but the seeds inside the peppers hold a lot of heat.
If you’d like to kick up the heat, dice one or two of the peppers then add
them with the seeds to the chicken.
I’ve tried several recipes found online that use a dozen ingredients, I’ve
bought every brand the stores have to offer and NONE of them are as good as
this easy recipe:
1 1-oz packet ranch dressing mix
1 lime
3/4 - 1 cup milk (see notes)
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 cup minced cilantro (packed)
Instructions - Zest and juice the lime. Add zest, 1 tablespoon
of lime juice and milk to a glass or plastic mixing bowl. Stir well then set
aside for 10 minutes. Add ranch dressing mix, mayo, onion powder and cilantro
then whisk until smooth. Add more lime juice or cilantro if desired.
Refrigerate at least 30 minutes before using so the dressing can thicken.
Recipe for Chipotle Chicken Taco Meat
Chipotle Chicken Taco Meat
Yield: 16 Servings
Author: Mandy Rivers | South Your Mouth
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 20 MinTotal time: 30 Min
A simple, flavor-packed recipe using ground chicken and canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce that’s surprisingly low in fat, calories and carbs for tacos, burrito bowls and anything else taco meat is used with PLUS my recipe for Easy Cilantro Lime Ranch!
Add ground chicken then cook and crumble over medium-high heat about 5 minutes or until meat is cooked through. If your chicken renders a lot of liquid when cooked, pour excess off so meat sears instead of boils.
Stir in minced garlic, paprika and next six ingredients (through pepper), reduce heat to medium-low.
Spoon out 3 tablespoons adobo sauce from canned chipotle peppers then stir into chicken. Continue cooking for 5 minutes. Taste for seasoning then add more adobo sauce if desired. Turn off heat then cover until ready to serve.
Serve taco meat with soft or crunchy taco shells or use to make other favorites like burritos, bowls, nachos or taco salad.
Notes
Ground turkey can be substituted but I really prefer ground chicken in this.
I almost always add about a cup of grated or minced carrot with the onion when I cook this to smuggle in extra nutrients.
You may remember my recipe for
Mexican Street Corn
(Esquites), which is an off-the-cob version of Elotes, the famous street food
in Mexico where hot roasted cobs of corn are slathered with crema or mayo then
dusted with chili powder and cojita cheese then eaten on a stick like a
corndog or candy apple.
Man, dang! My mouth is watering just thinking about it.
I decided to combine Mexican Street Corn with my
Creamy Corn Salsa
(equally drool-inducing and currently holding the #1 spot as BOTH my
daughters’ favorite dip) to make a hot dip for tortilla chips.
AND make it in a slow cooker because football season and the upcoming
holidays mean we’re all going to be reaching for our crock pots and recipe
books for some crowd-pleasing party dips!
INGREDIENTS FOR CROCK POT MEXICAN STREET CORN DIP
Canned Mexicorn or Fiesta Corn
Cream cheese
Queso fresco cheese
Mayo
Milk
Diced red onion
Diced, seeded jalapeno pepper
Spices: Cumin, garlic powder, chili powder
Zest & juice of a lime
Chopped cilantro
NOTES ABOUT CROCK POT MEXICAN STREET CORN DIP
This recipe uses Queso Fresco instead of Cojita (which is traditionally served
on Mexican Street Corn) because it is softer and melts better. If you can’t
find Queso Fresco, substitute shredded Colby Jack cheese in the dip then top
with grated Cojita (or parmesan could be substituted for topping the dip if
you already have some on-hand).
The Mexicorn (also called Fiesta Corn) used in the recipe is canned yellow
corn with red and green peppers. If you can’t find it, just substitute regular
corn.
You can also 4 10-oz bags frozen “steam-in-the-bag” Southwestern-style corn.
You can prepare the dip on the stove, set to low heat, if needed then transfer
to a crock pot or chafing dish to keep warm.
The dip is NOT spicy. If you would like some heat, add in some of the jalapeno
seeds or add cayenne pepper.
Be sure to set the crock pot to Warm once everything is melty and creamy. If
the dip cooks too long the onions and jalapenos become too soft and the cheese
could get punky.
Don’t skip the lime. For one reason, it’s a key ingredient in traditional
Mexican Street Corn. But also, I have had it both ways and the lime really
makes the flavors pop and cuts through all of the creaminess.
Adding the lime juice at the end ensures the acid in the juice doesn’t cause
the creamy dip to look curdled or separated.
Recipe for Crock Pot Mexican Street Corn Dip
MORE HOT DIPS TO TRY!
CRISPY BAKED JALAPENO POPPER DIP
- Gooey cheese and jalapeno peppers baked under an extra crispy breadcrumb
coating that crunches just like the famous fried appetizer.
HOT CHICKEN SALAD
- A retro appetizer recipe made with chicken, almonds, cheese and celery
topped with crushed potato chips served as a dip or entree.
ROTEL SAUSAGE DIP
- A classic party dip recipe with Rotel tomatoes, sausage and cream cheese served with tortilla chips perfect for crock pots, tailgating and gameday!
Crock Pot Mexican Street Corn Dip
Yield: 25 Servings
Author: Mandy Rivers | South Your Mouth
Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 2 HourTotal time: 2 H & 15 M
A creamy, cheesy slow cooker party dip recipe with all the flavors of hot Mexican Street Corn served warm with tortilla chips.
Ingredients
4 11-oz cans Mexicorn
1 8-oz block cream cheese
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup milk
1 cup diced red onion
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded, diced
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon chili powder, plus more
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 12-oz block queso fresco, divided
1 lime
3/4 cup chopped cilantro
Instructions
Add corn to a colander and allow to drain well while prepping everything else.
Add cream cheese then next eight ingredients (through salt) to crock pot.
Crumble or shred 3/4 of the queso fresco then add to crock pot. Finely grate or crumble remaining 1/4 queso fresco then refrigerate until later.
Add drained corn then gently stir. The cream cheese can stay on the bottom of the crock pot – no need to try to stir it until it’s melted.
Heat dip on Low for 3-4 hours or High for 1-2 hours, stirring occasionally. When cream cheese has melted and everything can be easily stirred, set to Warm until ready to serve.
When ready to serve, zest and juice the lime then stir both the zest and juice into corn mixture.
Top corn dip with cilantro, reserved queso fresco and additional chili powder then serve with tortilla chips.
Notes
Mexicorn (also called Fiesta Corn) is canned yellow corn with red and green peppers. If you can’t find it, just substitute regular corn.
You can also use 3 15-oz cans Fiesta Corn or 4 10-oz bags frozen “steam-in-the-bag” Southwestern-style corn (just whatever gets you about 40-45 ounces… it doesn’t have to be exact)
Queso Fresco is very similar to Cojita (which is traditionally served on Mexican Street Corn) but it is softer and melts better. If you can’t find Queso Fresco, substitute shredded Colby Jack cheese in the dip then top with grated Cojita (or parmesan could be substituted for topping the dip if you already have some on-hand).
The dip is NOT spicy. If you would like some heat, add in some of the jalapeno seeds or add cayenne pepper.
Be sure to set the crock pot to Warm once everything is melty and creamy. If the dip cooks too long the onions and jalapenos become too soft.
Adding the lime juice at the end ensures the acid in the juice doesn’t cause the creamy dip to curdle or separate.
1 lime should yield about 2-3 tablespoons of juice. Don’t use more than 2-3 tablespoons.
Don't skip the lime. I made this with once without it and it was just sorta… blah. The lime makes the flavors pop and cuts through all of the creaminess.
This can be prepared on low on a stovetop then held warm in a slow cooker.
