Mexican Fusion Lunch

My former bosses from Torreon, Mexico came over for lunch this afternoon. I wanted to make something with a Mexican vibe, but not something they probably eat all the time at home. So I took some basic Mexican ingredients and recipes, and morphed them into what I hoped would be a fabulous lunch! Another couple of friends came over as well, and they brought a delicious homemade Roasted Red Pepper soup. Here's the rest of what we ate:

MEXICAN WONTONS
16 wonton wrappers
refried beans (1 can will be enough for this recipe and the following one)
grated cheese (I used a Nacho cheese mix that was pre-grated)
1 small tomato, finely diced
2 green onions, finely chopped
generous pinch of Caliente Salsa Mix (optional)

Combine tomato, green onions, and salsa mix together in a bowl. Lay wonton wrappers on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. In the middle of each one, put a teaspoon of refried beans, some grated cheese, and a teaspoon of the vegetable mixture. Wet two edges of the wonton with water (in an L-shape) and fold it over, pressing the edges together to seal it. Bake at 350 F for 10-15 minutes, until golden brown. Serve on their own, or with salsa, sour cream, and guacamole. SMOKEY CHICKEN CAESAR TOSTADAS
2 chicken breasts, cubed and marinaded in barbeque sauce with a pinch of Chipotle Chili
small flour or corn tortillas
refried beans
smoked Gouda cheese, grated

Salad:
6 romaine lettuce leaves
1 avocado, diced
2 green onions, chopped
2 tomatoes, diced

Dressing:
1 tbsp. Caesar Salad Dressing Mix
1/8 tsp. Chipotle Chili (I think it could have used more!)
1 tbsp. mayonnaise
1-2 tsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tbsp. milk
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. Parmesan cheese

Grill the chicken (you can do this ahead of time if you like). Lay tortillas on a baking sheet (I cut mine in half in case they are too big for people.) Spread on some refried beans and top with pieces of chicken and grated cheese. Bake at 350 F until cheese melts. Place on a plate and top with chipotle caesar salad. And for dessert, I whipped up something truly Canadian:

SASKATOON BUTTER TARTS
2 tbsp. melted butter

2 c. brown sugar

1 tsp. cornstarch

2 eggs

2 tsp. milk

1 tsp. vanilla

saskatoon berries

24 uncooked tartshells

Mix together first six ingredients. Put 5 or 6 saskatoons in the bottom of each tartshell. Pour the sugar mixture overtop, so that the tartshell is almost full. Bake at 400 F for about 20-25 minutes.

We finished off with an assortment of teas from Sisters Leap.... I pulled out about 6 of my favourite black and rooibos teas, and let people make their own cup of tea.

I hope everyone enjoyed the meal.... I was definitely happy with it, considering all three of my recipes were experiments, and I think they all turned out pretty good! Now if only we could have had some Mexican weather to go along with our meal.... instead, I'm off to re-shovel the driveway that my husband shoveled just before lunch!