Category Archives: Mexican

June 1, 2018 · 12:52 am

Healthier Taco Bowls

I had fun using several of my kitchen gadgets to make my healthier version of taco bowls. First, I “fried” the taco shells in my new Power Air Fryer oven. I cooked my chicken breast in my Instant Pot Duo Mini 3-quart, shredded it using my Cuisinart, and heated my cheese sauce in my microwave oven. The payoff was a delicious and filling meal that counts only 3 Weight Watchers SmartPoints.

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RECIPE

HASTY TASTY TACO BOWLS

Serves 4

Ingredients:

OLE tortillas
½ pound chicken breasts (Fresh or frozen)
1 can Ro*Tel (you pick heat level)
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can corn kernels, rinsed and drained
1 onion, chopped
1 jar Tostitos Queso con Salsa (or similar brand)
Fresh cilantro (optional)

Directions:

Form each tortilla into a bowl using a mold or oven-proof bowl.
Air-fry at 370°F for 12 minutes.
Place chicken breasts and contents of a can of Ro*Tel into the pot of a pressure cooker. Cook under pressure 10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow pressure to drop on its own.
While chicken cooks, prep beans, corn, onions, and cilantro and combine.
Carefully open pressure cooker and remove the chicken (replace lid to trap in the heat). Shred chicken and return to cooker.
Stir in beans, corn, onions, and cilantro mixture with the shredded chicken. Cover and allow residual heat to warm the beans and corn.
Pour Queso con Salsa into a heatproof measuring pitcher and heat 2-3 minutes in the microwave oven, stirring occasionally.
Place taco bowl shell on a plate, fill with 1/4 of the mixture, and then drizzle with 2 Tbsp. of the queso con salsa. Serve immediately.

Chicken Taco Bowl

We love Mexican flavors and Southwest cuisine, and I love pressure cooking, so here is my version of a spicy taco bowl. It’s faster than messing with taco shells and making filling, so it’s a hasty and tasty meal for taco night. Enjoy.

RECIPE

Chicken Taco Bowl

Makes 5 – 6 servings

Ingredients:

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs (frozen or thawed)
1 cup dried black beans (not soaked)
1 cup brown long grain rice
12 ounces salsa or 1 regular size can Rotel® diced tomatoes with green chilies
2½ cups chicken broth or water
1 ounce chili or taco seasoning mix
8 ounce block Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded
(optional) fresh cilantro sprigs

Directions:

In the pot of a pressure cooker, place chicken, beans, and rice. Pour salsa and broth over them. Add 1 ounce chili seasoning mix.
Seal and bring to pressure. Cook 18 minutes (stovetop) or 23 minutes (electric).
Remove from heat (or hit “cancel”) and allow pressure to drop on its own. Natural depressurization takes approximately 15 minutes.
Carefully open cooker and stir. Chicken should easily shred, or you may remove it, shred it separately, and stir it into the rice and beans mixture. Top with cheese and cover. Do not return to heat.
After a minute or two, the residual heat will melt the cheese and the taco bowl is ready to serve with optional garnish.

Variation: add 1 cup frozen corn kernels before adding the cheese.

2 Comments

Filed under Cilantro, cooking, Healthful Eating, Mexican, poultry

Tagged as chicken, Mexican, Pressure Cooking, Recipes, Tex-Mex

May 5, 2016 · 10:11 am

Cinco de Mayo

Thanks to Olé, we can enjoy healthier Mexican fare as we celebrate today. Here is a hasty tasty chicken fajita recipe:

RECIPE

Chicken Fajitas

Serves 2

Ingredients:

2 OLE brand High Fiber Low Carb tortillas

8 oz. chicken breasts, cubed or shredded

1 Tbsp. Chili or Fajita seasoning blend

1 Tbsp. peanut or canola oil

1 cup julienne-cut bell peppers (I mix green, red, and yellow)

1 cup sliced onions

2-3 Tbsp. prepared salsa

1 spring cilantro (optional)

Directions:

Slowly simmer chicken with the seasoning blend in a dry, covered pan.

Prepare peppers and onions.

After chicken is fully cooked, remove from the skillet. Add oil and return skillet to medium heat.

Saute onions over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add peppers and stir-fry together until peppers are firm-tender. Remove skillet from heat.

Warm tortillas for 10 seconds in microwave oven. Add salsa to the center of each.

Divide the chicken between the two tortillas. Cover each with half the peppers/onions.

Serve with chopped fresh cilantro if desired. Fold, eat, and enjoy!

SOUTHWESTERN BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP

Butternut squash has vitamin A, vitamin C and beta-carotene . It is a good source of vitamin B6, potassium, manganese, and magnesium. I realize butternut squash is healthful, but it was a hard sell to my family. I finally developed a recipe even they will eat. I know by putting a southwest spin on a dish, my family will eat almost anything. Including my newest recipe, Southwestern Butternut Squash Soup. Enjoy!

RECIPE

Ingredients:
• 1½ pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into equal size chunks
• 1 Tbsp. safflower oil (or spray generously with Pam®)
• ½ cup onion, sliced
• ¼ cup sweet pepper, chopped (I used an orange pepper to preserve that lovely orange color)
• 1 tsp. Kosher salt or pink Himalayan salt
• 1 Tbsp. Chili seasoning mix (I use Bloemer’s brand)
• 1 quart vegetable stock (or chicken stock)
• 1 Tbsp. lime or lemon juice
• (optional) Cilantro for garnish
• (optional) sour cream for garnish

Directions:
1. Heat the oil in the bottom of a 4 quart pot.
2. Add onions and peppers. Cook for 1 minute over medium heat.
3. Add squash to the pot. Salt.
4. Reduce heat to low, cover, and steam until squash is fork-tender* (approximately 30 minutes)
5. Remove from heat. Stir in half of the stock and deglaze the pan with a wooden spoon or spatula.
6. Ladle the squash into a Vitamix (or food processor). Puree until smooth. Don’t overfill container. If necessary, process in batches.
7. Return squash puree to the pot, add the chili seasoning mix1, and stir.
8. Return the pot to medium heat and add the remaining stock. Cook until heated through, stirring occasionally to combine. For a thicker soup, simmer until soup reduces.
9. Remove pot from heat. Stir in the lime juice and serve with a sour cream and cilantro garnish with tortilla chips on the side.

Yum!
Variations:
Kick up the heat level by adding a seeded and thinly sliced jalapeño pepper garnish.
1Vitamix users: During the pureeing of the squash, add the chili seasoning. Then to rinse the container, Add the rest of the stock to the container, run just enough to remove the stuck on squash, then pour into the pot.
*If your cookware isn’t waterless, add one cup of the vegetable stock to steam the squash.