Make Mexican cuisine healthy at home
This weekend I was craving Mexican food so I decided to cook
some at home that would be a bit healthier than what I can get at a
restaurant. Instead of shredded beef or ground beef, I used chicken
breasts as a filling for some soft tacos served in whole-wheat
tortillas. With a bit of low-fat, shredded cheese, fat-free sour
cream and vegetables, the tacos had plenty of flavor. I served them
with Spanish rice and fat-free refried beans. The meal came to 700
calories and 18 grams of fat, a lot less than the same option would
be eating out.
Make Mexican cuisine healthy at home
This weekend I was craving Mexican food so I decided to cook some at home that would be a bit healthier than what I can get at a restaurant. Instead of shredded beef or ground beef, I used chicken breasts as a filling for some soft tacos served in whole-wheat tortillas. With a bit of low-fat, shredded cheese, fat-free sour cream and vegetables, the tacos had plenty of flavor. I served them with Spanish rice and fat-free refried beans. The meal came to 700 calories and 18 grams of fat, a lot less than the same option would be eating out.
Below is the recipe for the chicken soft tacos as well as ones for chicken enchiladas and Spanish rice.
Chicken soft tacos
4 chicken breasts
2 c. salsa
½ c. low-fat shredded cheddar cheese
1 c. shredded lettuce
1 c. diced tomatoes
½ c. fat-free sour cream
2 avocados, sliced
1 onion, sliced
8 wheat tortillas, soft taco size
Extra virgin olive oil
Chili powder
Ground cumin
Ground oregano
Salt and pepper
Season the chicken breast with olive oil, chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper.
In a baking dish, cover the chicken with the salsa and cook in the oven at 400 degrees for 40 minutes until the chicken is tender. Allow the chicken to cool and then shredded it to use as taco filling.
Warm the tortillas and fill with the chicken mixture. Serve with lettuce, tomatoes, shredded cheese, avocados and sour cream.
Chicken enchiladas
Recipe courtesy of Rachael Ray
8 soft corn tortillas
Filling:
3 c. chicken broth
4 pieces boneless skinless chicken breast, 6 to 8 ounces
1 bay leaf, fresh or dried
2 sprigs fresh oregano
1 small onion, quartered
2 tbsp. tomato paste
1 tsp. chili powder, 1/3 palm full
1 tsp. ground cumin
Salt
Sauce:
2 c. tomato sauce
2 tsp. hot cayenne pepper sauce, several drops
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon, 2 pinches
1 tsp. chili powder
2 1/2 c. Monterey Jack shredded cheese, available in dairy aisle
Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F.
Wrap corn tortillas in foil and warm in the oven. Bring broth to a boil in a saute pan. Set chicken into broth with bay and oregano and onion. Return to a boil, cover and reduce heat to simmer. Poach chicken in broth 10 minutes. Remove chicken breasts to a bowl and shred with 2 forks. Add 1/2 cup of cooking liquid and tomato paste, spices and salt and work through the chicken using the forks.
Combine all sauce ingredients and heat through, keeping warm until needed.
Remove tortillas from oven and switch broiler on high.
Pile chicken mixture into warm corn tortillas and roll. Line casserole or baking dish with enchiladas, seam side down. Pour hot tomato sauce over the chicken enchiladas and top with cheese. Place in enchiladas in hot oven 6 inches from broiler and broil 5 minutes to melt cheese and set enchiladas. Serve.
Guy’s spicy Spanish rice
Recipe courtesy of Guy Fieri
1 red bell pepper
1 poblano pepper
1 jalapeno pepper
1 serrano pepper
1 ear corn, shucked
1 tbsp. canola oil
1 yellow onion, diced, about 1 cup
1/2 yellow bell pepper, seeded, ribs removed and diced
1 chayote squash, peeled, seed removed and diced
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. freshly cracked black pepper
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 c. basmati rice
5 c. chicken stock
1/4 c. roughly chopped Spanish olives
1/2 c. canned black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 c. diced tomatoes
1/3 c. freshly chopped cilantro leaves
Heat the grill or broiler to high.
Arrange the red bell, poblano, jalapeno, serrano and corn on the grill or under the broiler. Char, turning frequently, until the peppers have blistered and corn is starting to brown slightly. The smaller peppers will finish first, as they do, transfer to a small paper bag and close. Let the peppers sweat and cool, then remove the seeds and skin and dice. Cut the corn kernels from cob. Add the peppers and corn to a small bowl and stir to combine. Set aside.
In a large Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, yellow bell pepper and chayote. Saute until just starting to caramelize. Season with salt, pepper and cayenne. Stir in the garlic and rice and saute for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the chicken stock, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Stir in prepared peppers and corn, the olives, black beans and tomatoes. Cook until the rice is tender, about 6 to 8 minutes.
Turn off the heat, add the cilantro and adjust seasonings, if necessary. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve immediately.
