Authentic Gluten Free Chicken Flautas & the Best Homemade Refried Beans

     In March we invited over some hispanic families from our church for dinner, but I told them they had to teach me something new.  They decided to teach me how to make flautas; these can either be made burrito style or they can  be rolled.  I feel there's something special that happens when moms share recipes.  And by the way the flautas were delicious!

Authentic Gluten Free Chicken Flautas

1.  Prepare chicken:  Rinse and poach 2 chicken breasts in 1 1/2 - 2 cups of water.  It takes about 15-20 minutes.  Put chicken on a plate and shred.

2.  Prepare filling:  Put shredded chicken in a medium size bowl and add 1 t salt, 1/2 t oregano, 1 cup salsa, and mix together.  Add 2 cups of grated cheddar cheese.

3.  Prepare shells:
(1) Melt about 2 T of butter and brush the outside of 8 tortilla shells.
(2) On the inside of the shell put 1/3 cup of the chicken/cheese mixture.
(3)  Roll up like a  burrito--fold over the side and roll up and lay seam side down on a lightly greased cookie sheet.
(4)  Bake at 400-425 for 13-15 minutes.

Top with avocado slices, sour cream, and additional salsa.

The Best Homemade Refried Beans 

This fantastic recipe was on All Recipes home page during the first week of May for Cinco de Mayo.  I have been making homemade beans for years, and this recipe is now my favorite!  The only thing I did was change the amount of water it called for--9 cups seemed a little bit much.

1.  Prepare beans:  Soak 3 cups of dried pinto beans in a large glass bowl overnight.  In the morning drain.

2.  Prepare veggies:
(1) Seed and chop 1/2 of a fresh jalapeño
(2) Mince enough garlic for 2 T
(3)  Dice up 1 onion.

3. In a crock po put:
(1) 4 cups of water into your crock pot
(2)  And add the drained beans.
(3) Stir in the vegetables
(4) Add seasonings:  1 T of chili powder,  1/2 t cumin, 3 t of salt, and 1 3/4 t of black pepper.
(5) Cook for 8-10 hours on high.  Check to see if it needs a bit more water.
(6) Strain the beans and reserve the liquid for mashing.
(7) Taste and adjust any seasonings.


Other Mexican recipes on this blog:

Mexican Casseroles
Texas Style Gluten Free Stacked Enchiladas  (From my Come & Dine cookbook)
Acapulco Delight - A great Mexican Enchilada (From my Heritage School Cookbook)
Michelle's Favorite Vegetarian Enchiladas   (From my daughter)
Kathy's Baked Chili & Chips Casserole  (From my church cookbook, Come & Dine)
Gluten Free Mexican Quinoa Casserole  (From an Internet search)
Fiesta Gluten Free Tamale Pie   (From my church cookbook, Come & Dine)
Authentic Chicken Enchiladas Verde  (From a church friend)
Rebecca's Favorite Chicken & Chile Enchiladas  (From a church friend)
Delores's Chicken & Tortilla Casserole (Made Gluten Free)  (From my church cookbook, Come & Dine)

Tacos, Chimichangas  & Etc.
Rachel Ray's Recipe for the Best Fish Tacos   (From Food Network)
Fantastic Baked Chimichangas  (From my Syre School Cookbook)
Authentic Chicken Flautas  (My hispanic friend Abbie taught me how to make these!)

Delicious Chicken Fajitas  (A mix of many recipes)
Fabulous Vegetarian Gluten Free Fajitas   (From an Internet search)
Easy Gluten Free Baked Taquitos  (From a newspaper clip)

Beans & Rice
The Best Homemade Refried Beans  (From an Internet search)
Texas Pinto Beans & Rice  (From my Texas airport cookbook)

Mexican Chicken & Beef
Anna's Pollo Guisado (Mexican Braised Chicken)  (From a church friend in Phoenix)
Fantastic Gluten Free Carne Asada!  (From an Internet search--a combination of sites)
Belizean Chicken, Black Beans & Rice, and Belizean Coleslaw  (From my daughter's family)

Soups
Mexican Chicken Soup- A Great Remedy for Colds & Flu  (I got this over 25 years ago from a Mexican cookbook)
Bethany's Crowd Pleasing Tortilla Soup  (From a friend in Califiornia)
Southwest Turkey Soup   (From my Syre School Cookbook)

Salads
Baja Salad with Black Beans & Quinoa  (My own version of something I ate in Seattle)
Mexican Salmon & Mango Salad  (Modification of a Betty Crocker recipe)