White Bean Chicken Chili Recipe

This recipe is so delicious and it is South Beach Diet Phase 1 approved! Next time I'll probably make it in the crockpot but I couldn't wait to try it tonight.

Can you blame me?

Yield: 5 servings (It was supposed to be 6 but I couldn't find another piece of tupperware sooo...)

Ingredients:
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
4 oz can of diced green chiles
4 oz can diced jalapenos
2 cans fat free chicken broth
 3 cans cannellini beans (white kidney beans)
16 oz chicken breast, ground or shredded and cooked
Toppings (not included in nutrition):
2% Mexican cheese blend, shredded
Low fat sour cream

Preparation:
1. Heat oil over medium-low heat in a large saucepan. Add onions and stir until softened (4-5 minutes). If you haven't precooked your chicken, you can cook it now in a skillet.
2. Add the chiles and jalapenos, stir, and cook for 3 minutes.
3. Add the chicken, beans, and chicken broth, turn heat up to medium and bring to a boil. Turn heat down to low and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
4. Top with cheese and sour cream. Yum!

10 Minute Incredibly Easy Fish Tacos

This recipe was so quick and easy tonight, I just had to share it! These literally took less than 10 minutes to put together, and they tasted so good!

Yield: 2 tacos (super easy to multiply the recipe though)

Ingredients:
1 tilapia filet (I get these frozen and then thaw them in the sink under running water)
Cajun seasoning (Tony Chachere's is my fav!), about 1 1/2 tbsp
2 corn tortillas
1/2 c shredded cabbage
1/2 avocado, diced
2 tbsp salsa
1/4 lime
2 tbsp reduced fat sour cream


Preparation:
1. Spray skillet with non-stick cooking spray and preheat over medium-high heat.
2. Sprinkle tilapia filet with cajun seasoning on both sides until covered (I probably used one to one and a half tablespoons).
3. Cook tilapia for 3-4 minutes and then flip and cook for another 2-3 minutes until it flakes easily with a fork. Cut the filet in half.
4. Microwave the corn tortillas for 10-15 seconds until warmed and split the cabbage, salsa, sour cream, avocado, and fish between the two tortillas. Squeeze the lime over the two tacos and you're ready to go!

I didn't have the ingredients on hand tonight, but this would be amazing with this black bean soup. Both super easy!!

Weekend Brunch: Breakfast Burritos

Good morning! I woke up craving Whataburger taquitos (SO good). Instead of going through the drive thru, I made some healthier breakfast burritos. For less than the calories of one Whataburger taquito (450 calories, 28 grams of fat), I got to eat two yummy egg, sausage, and cheese burritos.

Yield: 2 burritos per serving

Ingredients:
2 whole wheat tortillas
1/4 cup egg beaters
1 slice low fat cheddar cheese
4 turkey sausage links
4 tbsp chunky salsa

Preparation:
1. Cook egg beaters in a skillet sprayed with nonstick cooking spray over high heat; stir constantly until done.
2. Heat turkey sausage links in microwave according to package instructions.
3. Heat tortillas in microwave for 15 seconds.
4. Split eggs, sausage, cheese, and salsa evenly between the tortillas. Roll up and secure with a toothpick.

I also cut up half of a grapefruit and half of a tangelo and topped it with 1/4 tsp of sugar for a quick citrus salad. Delicious!

Shredded Chicken Nachos (with Homemade Baked Tortilla Chips!)

Today was my first day back to work and I decided to have a really good dinner to clear my head. I'm feeling much better except for my ears, which are still stopped up (like that feeling you get when your ears pop on a plane), and I'm about to go nuts listening to myself breathe really loudly all day. Couple that with the fact that I could only hear about 80% of what people were saying all day -- you get the idea. I needed some good food.

This started out as tostadas and by the time I got done, it ended up as delicious nachos. Mmm!

Servings: Listed as serving 1, but of course multiply by as many as you want

Ingredients:

1/2 chicken breast, grilled and shredded (or really any protein you like...lean ground beef, steak strips, ground turkey, meatless crumbles, etc)

3 six-inch corn tortillas, each cut into six to make 18 pre-chips

1/2 c fat free refried beans

1/4 c Mexican blend shredded 2% cheese

1/2 c shredded lettuce

1/2 c chunky salsa/pico de gallo

1 tbsp diced jalapeños

1 1/2 tbsp light sour cream

Canola oil cooking spray

Salt and lime juice to taste (optional)

Preparation:

I almost burned these...

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and lay the tortilla pieces in a single layer. Make sure that there is space between the edges of each chip - if you put them too close together, they won't crisp up. Spray the tops of the chips with the cooking spray, and then sprinkle salt as desired. Once the oven is heated, put the chips in and bake for 8-10 minutes, until chips become crisp. Be careful not to let them turn brown, they can burn quickly!

2. While the chips are baking, heat the refried beans in the microwave for about one minute fifteen seconds, until hot. Get all your delicious toppings ready!

3. When the chips come out, scoop them on a plate and start layering. My order? Beans, chicken, cheese, lettuce, salsa, jalapeños, and sour cream, with a little fresh lime juice drizzled on the top. If you like your cheese extra melty, put it in the microwave for 30 seconds after the cheese goes on top, then finish with the cold toppings.

Turkey Enchilada Casserole

Since today was a snow day I cooked all three meals and have plenty of leftovers in case I can't make it out tomorrow either! I made scrambled egg beaters with cheese, a light english muffin with light butter, and a turkey sausage patty for breakfast (with a big cup of coffee, of course), for lunch I made some ravioli soup (recipe found here), and for dinner I made this yummy Mexican casserole. 

Before

Yield: 4 servings


Ingredients:

16 oz ground turkey

1/3 c chopped onions

2 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp ground cumin

10 corn tortillas 

1 1/3 c shredded 2% Mexican cheese blend 

29 oz can red enchilada sauce

Preparation:

1. In a skillet sprayed with cooking spray over medium-high heat, stir turkey, onion, oregano, and cumin until turkey is crumbly and no longer pink. Reduce to low heat and stir in a cup of enchilada sauce. Add salt to taste.

2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

3. Cut tortillas in half. Arrange a fourth (2.5 tortillas each) of the halves evenly over the bottom of a shallow 3-quart casserole dish, overlapping to fit. Sprinkle a fourth of the cheese (1/3 cup each) evenly over the tortillas, then top with a third of the turkey mixture and a fourth (1/2 cup each) of the remaining enchilada sauce, spreading each level. Repeat to make two more layers of tortillas, cheese, turkey mixture, and sauce; top with another layer of tortillas and sauce, then cheese.

4. Bake in the oven at 425 degrees until cheese is melted and casserole is hot in the center, 18 to 20 minutes. 

5. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro and top with low fat sour cream if desired. 

After!

And tonight, I'll have hot chocolate for dessert! Hope everyone is staying safe and warm!

Pantry Palette: Black Bean Soup

I left work this afternoon with a dry cough and was looking in the pantry to find something I could throw together that would be easy and soothing for my sore throat. I came up with this super easy black bean soup recipe, and it's made exclusively from things you can keep in your pantry for those sick days when you're tempted to just get chinese food or a pizza delivered because there's nothing good in the fridge.

This recipe took about 25 minutes from opening the first can to dividing out the portions.

Yield: 4 servings (1 1/2 to 2 cups each)

Ingredients:
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
2 cups salsa (I used Safeway Select Southwest Salsa)
2 15 oz cans of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 15 oz can low fat refried black beans
1 15 oz can fat free low sodium chicken or vegetable broth
1/8 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp chili powder (optional)
Garnishes: sour cream, cilantro, lime juice, green onions, tortilla strips...(These are not included in the calorie count to the left!)


Preparation:
1. Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat.
2. Add the salsa and cook for four minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add all other ingredients except the garnishes, bring to a simmer for five minutes.
4. Top with desired garnishes (I used the juice of 1/2 lime, chopped cilantro, and green onions) and serve.

I do have to show some love for one of my favorite kitchen tools of all time, my lemon/lime juicer, pictured below. It's awesome!!

Enchiladas de Pollo con Salsa Verde (AKA Green Chicken Enchiladas for people like me who hate ordering food in different languages.)

My first recipe post! I decided to start the new year off right, so I made some green chicken enchiladas that I can eat on all week. I used a recipe from Cooking Light but modified it to make it easier and even lighter! Their recipe was titled that fancy name in Spanish, but I always feel so stupid ordering things in restaurants when they're in different languages, so I'm just going to call this green chicken enchiladas and avoid humiliation.

This took me about 30 minutes of prep time, but I think with a little practice I can get it down to 20. Cooking time was 3-4 hours for the chicken in the crockpot and then just 25 minutes in the oven. I'm hoping these freeze well. If so, I will plan to make a double batch next time.

Yield: 4 servings (2 enchiladas each)

Ingredients:

8  (6-inch) corn tortillas

Sour cream, if desired

Filling:

3  cups  water

1/4  tsp salt

8  black peppercorns (or 1/4 tsp regular black pepper)

1  yellow onion, quartered (at least big enough to make up 1/2 cup when chopped)

1  bay leaf

1  pound  skinless chicken breast

1 1/2 cup of 2% Mexican blend cheese 

Sauce:

2/3  cup  2% milk

1/4  cup  fresh cilantro

1/4  cup  egg substitute (like Egg Beaters)

1/8  tsp  salt

1  (11-ounce) can tomatillos, drained (I found these in the Mexican section of the grocery store)

1  (4.5-ounce) can chopped green chiles, undrained

Preparation

1. To prepare filling, place all of the filling ingredients listed above except the cheese in a slow cooker and set on high for 3 hours or low for 6 hours. Remove chicken from cooking liquid and shred with 2 forks. Remove onion from cooking liquid and dice to make 1/2 cup. Discard liquid and any remaining onion (or save it for a soup base).
2. Preheat oven to 375°.
3. Combine chicken, 1 cup of cheese, and 1/2 cup onion in a bowl; set aside.
4. To prepare sauce, place all sauce ingredients listed above in a food processor; process until smooth. If you just have a tiny food processor like me, the only things that really need to go in are the tomatillos, the chiles, and the cilantro. You can stir in the rest of the ingredients out of the food processor.
5. To prepare tortillas, fill a medium skillet with 1 inch of water; bring to a simmer. Dip 1 tortilla in water using tongs. Spoon 1/2 cup filling in center of tortilla; roll tightly, and place in a 12x8-inch baking dish. Repeat procedure with remaining tortillas and filling. 
6. Pour sauce over enchiladas. Bake at 375° for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup cheese. Bake an additional 5 minutes or until cheese melts. Top with sour cream if desired. Enjoy!!

For the record, it is delicious. I made some quick Rice A Roni (the whole grain spanish flavor) and divided it into four portions. These will make the perfect lunches to bring to work this week -- don't they look better than a frozen dinner??