Easy Gluten Free Baked Taquitos

   Mexican food is one of my favorites.  Maybe because I grew up in Southern California and it was everywhere.  Great spices, lots of vegetables, and some crunch make Mexican food amazingly delicious.

    Over the years I've picked up some great Mexican recipes (and many of them are in the list below)--I like to especially look out for the low-fat versions like this one for baked instead of deep fried taquitos.  This is a modification from a recipe a friend gave me from Family Fun Magazine.  

It has just the right amount of crunch and spice.  I cooked it with a pot of home made refried beans, Spanish rice, and pineapple coleslaw.

Easy Gluten Free Baked Taquitos

1.  Prepare vegetables:   Dice 1 medium onion and 1 clove of garlic.  

2.  Grate 2 cups of colby-jack cheese

3.  Warm up 24 medium size corn tortillas.  I had better results with putting 6 at a time inside a damp napkin and micowaving them for 45 seconds.  If you decide to warm them up in the oven, make sure they should be very pliable so you can roll them or they'll break. 

4. Prepare meat sauce: 
(1)  Put 1 T of oil into a large skillet and sauté onion and garlic for 3-4 minutes.
(2)  Then add 1 pound of lean ground beef and cook until almost done.
(3)  Stir in spices:  1 T of chili powder, 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/2 tsp. black pepper.  Then stir in 1/2-3/4 cup of salsa and cook over medium-low for about 5 minutes.

5.   Assemble taquitos -  Put  meat sauce, cheese, & tortillas  and oil dish on counter:
(1)  Lay a warm corn tortilla out on your breadboard or plate.
(2)  Brush melted butter or oil on the outside.
(3)  Flip it over and spoon 1+ T of meat along one of the edges of the tortilla.
(4)  Sprinkle cheese over the top of the meat.
(5)  On the side  nearest the meat sauce begin rolling the tortilla up tightly.
(6)  Lay seam side down on a baking sheet.

6.  Bake at 350-375 for 10-12+ minutes until lightly browned.

Serve  hot with salsa and sour cream for dipping.

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)