Quick and Easy Mexican Chicken Bake

I'm always looking for ways to save some time in the kitchen while also preparing yummy, healthy foods.  I made this recipe a few months ago and completely forgot to post it, but it was so good I can't help but share.  I found it on Fast Paleo's website while web searching healthy recipes for store-bought rotisserie chicken.  In case you were confused, this recipe is actually not Paleo because it contains dairy.  I'm not advocating a Paleo diet, but there are actually some pretty yummy recipes on this site.  (By the way, I think there are some compelling reasons to eat a more "paleolithic" diet - more vegetables/fruits, fewer processed grains/sugar - but I wouldn't take it as nutrition doctrine.  Consult with me if you have questions about your own nutrition needs.)

Anyway, back to the chicken cheese goodness.  I decided to make this because I had purchased an organic rotisserie chicken from Whole Foods.  Most grocery store-purchased rotisserie chickens are pumped full of salt and other preservatives and are often made from hormone-treated chickens.  For this reason, I only buy my pre-cooked rotisserie chickens Whole Foods.  They range in price from $8.99 to $11.99 (depending on if you purchase organic - the non-organic is certified humanely raised without hormones or antibiotics).  The best part?  I think they taste better than the ones from your run-of-the-mill grocery store.  

I used organic sour cream and raw organic cheese that I shredded with a fine grater.

Ingredients:

1 store bought organic rotisserie chicken

1.5 tablespoons cumin

1.5 tablespoons chili powder

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped (I used about 3 tablespoons)

Juice of 1 lime

1/4 cup sour cream

1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese (I used about 1/2 cup)

Optional garnishes:
Shredded lettuce
Diced cherry tomatoes
Sliced avocado
Cilantro leaves
Sour cream

Instructions:

I didn't even think to take photos as I prepped the recipe, but it was turning out so delicious looking that I snapped a few shots mid-way through! Don't worry, it's really simple.

Preheat your oven to 375º. In a large bowl place the shredded chicken, spices, lime juice, sour cream, cilantro and salt and pepper to taste then mix well. Transfer to a lightly oiled baking dish and top with cheese.

 

 

Pop into the preheated oven for 15 minutes.  The cilantro will wilt a bit in the heat, but it lends a great texture and flavor.

Garnish the top with shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, avocado slices and serve with a nice dollop of sour cream and your favorite hot sauce.  I topped mine with fresh tomatoes, salsa, and guacamole and served it with a mixed green salad made with various spring herbs and cabbage.

Try it the next time you buy a rotisserie chicken at the store - it's so easy and really delicious, both at the time you make it and for leftovers.

Enjoy!

*M*

Beer-battered Fish Tacos

I'm always on the lookout for healthy taco recipes, and I have to say this one from Eatingwell.com really hits the spot. As always, I adapted it to suit my nutrition and ingredient preferences. The batter fell off the fish a little more than I would have liked, but I just scraped it up and piled it in the taco - same taste, right? I loved that I was able to use up some thawed tilapia that had been on sale at Whole Foods and was waiting in the freezer for a few weeks.

Note - I did not make the salsa; instead, I put together a simple taco sauce using organic sour cream and safflower mayo, adapted from this recipe on SoupAddict.com. I used pre-made salsa to top the tacos as well.

This recipe was a big hit in our house. Serve these babies piled high with shredded cabbage and enjoy with a side of black "refried" beans for a simple, healthy comfort food!

Ingredients:

Sauce:

1/2 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt

1/2 cup safflower mayonnaise

Juice of 1 lime

1/2 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. coriander

1/2 tsp. dill

1/2 tsp. oregano

1 tsp. ground garlic

Cholula, to taste

Sea salt, to taste

Tacos:

3 T. whole wheat flour

1/8 tsp. ground cumin

1/8 tsp. sea salt

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper, or to taste

1/3 cup beer (I only had Bud Light - surprise, surprise)

12 ounces tilapia fillet, cut crosswise into 1-inch wide strips

2 tsp. organic pasture butter

4 whole wheat tortillas, warmed

Jarred or fresh salsa

Shredded cabbage

Instructions:

Combine all ingredients for sauce and season with Cholula to taste. Cover and refrigerate. This sauce can be made 1-2 days in advance.

Combine flour, cumin, salt and cayenne in a medium bowl.

Whisk in beer to create a batter. (Can you tell I get really excited whenever I get to cook with beer - or wine, for that matter?)

Coat tilapia pieces in batter. Heat butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

Letting excess batter drip back into the bowl, add the fish to the pan; cook until crispy and golden, 2-3 minutes per side.

Serve the fish in a tortilla topped with salsa, shredded cabbage, and the taco sauce.

(We also enjoyed it with Trader Joe's vegetable flaxseed chips and homemade guacamole!)

Enjoy!

*M*

Black Bean and Salmon Tostadas

I love any chance to make healthy, tasty Mexican-inspired food. This recipe stood out to me because it uses both salmon and avocado, which are good sources of healthy fats, and is relatively inexpensive. While I don't like using a lot of canned products because can linings can contain BPA, sometimes canned foods help when you don't have a lot of time or energy and are OK when not utilized regularly. This recipe, found at one of my favorite websites, can be seen here.

A few considerations:

- I personally don't like jalapenos (and forgot to buy them!), so I used a bit of cayenne pepper and/or Cholula to add a bit of zip.

- Instead of microwaving, which I try to avoid altogether, I heated up the black bean mixture on the stove in a saucepan. It took about 4 minutes.

- Instead of corn tortillas, which my husband doesn't like, I used organic whole spelt tortillas. If you use corn, make sure it's organic so you're avoiding genetically modified corn.

- The cabbage, avocados, lime, and scallions are all from the North Scottsdale Farmers Market.

- I made extra of the salmon mixture and cabbage so I could have leftovers (and add extra veggies!).

Black Bean Salmon Tostadas

4 servings, 2 tostadas each

Ingredients

- 8 6-inch corn tortillas

- Olive oil cooking spray

- 1 6-7 ounce can boneless, skinless wild Alaskan salmon, drained (I used 2 5-ounce cans that had bones, and these bones, while not noticeable, added calcium!)

- 1 avocado, diced

- 2 cups coleslaw mix or shredded cabbage (shred your own if you can!)

- 2 T chopped cilantro

- 1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed

- 3 tablespoons reduced-fat sour cream (I used organic regular sour cream)

- 2 tablespoons prepared salsa (I used 1/2 cup pico de gallo - more veggies!)

- 2 scallions, chopped

- Lime wedges (optional)

Here are most of the ingredients:

Instructions

Position racks in upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat to 375 degrees. Coat tortillas on both side with cooking spray.

Place on 2 baking sheets. Bake, turning once, until light brown, 12-14 minutes. I only made 3 tortillas because I knew we wouldn't be able to eat 4 (2 each).

Combine salmon, avocado, and jalapenos (or cayenne pepper) in a bowl.

Combine cabbage, cilantro and the pickling juice (or Cholula) in another bowl.

Process black beans, sour cream, salsa and scallions in a food processor until smooth.

Heat on the stove (instead of a microwave) until warm.

Here's what my little assembly line looked like:

To assemble tostadas, spread each tortilla with some bean mixture.

Top with the salmon mixture.

Add the cabbage salad and serve with lime wedges.

It was really filling and light, not heavy and dense like a lot of traditional tostadas. Enjoy!

*M*

Sunday Taco Night

Tonight's dinner was absolutely wonderful. Arizona is starting to get its first taste of 90 degree weather, which makes for superb evening temps and lazy dinners on the patio. I've never made grilled fish tacos, so I figured tonight was the night. (Thanks to Lauren and Terra for your suggestions on a marinade!)

As with most of my cooking ventures, I experiment with whatever is in my cupboard to find flavor combinations I like. For these tacos, I made a marinade of really high quality lemon-infused extra virgin olive oil (thanks to Greg's aunt Ana and uncle Steve), lime juice, cayenne, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, onions, salt and pepper. It sounds complicated, but all you have to do is see what spices you have at your disposal and start sprinkling. I didn't have cilantro, but I would have added that too.

Pour whatever marinade concoction you have over the fish. I used fresh talapia.

Chill the fish, covered, in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes.

In the meantime, I made guacamole. My organic avocados were not quite fork "mush-able," so after cutting them in half, removing the pit (but don't throw it away!), scooping the flesh out with a spoon, and cutting it into chunks, I put it in my hand-held food processor (which is also an immersion blender).

Scooped and cut up:

In the processor:

This is becoming my new favorite kitchen tool, especially when I don't want to chop a whole lot.

Keep the pits to place in the guacamole if you're saving any. It will prevent it from browning.

Next, add chopped onion and tomato to taste. I like really chunky guac, so I'm not shy with the add-ins.

Now stir in the magic: lime juice, garlic (fresh or powdered), salt, and a bit of cholula or tobasco. Delicious!

I like to serve it with Trader Joe's vegetable flax-seed chips. Trust me, these chips have passed the taste test with even the most discriminating eaters (KIDS!), so I'm sure you'll like them. They're slightly healthier than regular tortilla chips because of the various vegetable powders and flaxseeds. Make sure to avoid the soy flaxseed chips, which TJ's also carries, since they have so much processed soy.

Now, while my wonderful hubby put the fish on the BBQ for about 4-5 minutes a side, I prepped the tortillas and fixins. I picked organic whole spelt tortillas (from Sprouts) because spelt is a little higher in protein than wheat and has a great texture. Additionally, I don't eat a lot of spelt, so they're good to add to the mix for some variety in taste and nutrients. These tortillas are thick yet soft, and they're durable enough for a big burrito or taco. If using corn tortillas, choose organic, as most conventional corn is genetically modified. Just wrap them in foil and heat in the toaster/convection oven. Without the foil, they get dried out.

I heated black beans in the toaster/convection oven and put diced tomatoes, a cabbage mix, salsa, guacamole, organic cheese, and a "crema" sauce in bowls. The "crema" is actually organic sour cream, lime juice, and cholula (not exactly authentic), but it's really good.

Once the fish was done grilling, I shredded it into small pieces, and the taco-building began. I couldn't even finish one taco because it was so big and full of goodness! We took our dinner out on the patio for some dining al fresco.

Here are two other family members (plus one temporary transplant) who also wanted tacos...too bad they just got a few black beans.

I think my little boy dog Waldo thought he could lick some guacamole off my face if he got close enough.

Sunday night dinners are a great time to regroup and relax before a big week. The best part? Leftovers for lunch tomorrow! Just bring a tortilla!

Here's to a happy, healthy week.

*M*