Grilled Chicken w Chipolte Garlic Sauce and Healthy Refried Beans

I love grilled chicken and come on who doesn't love tacos! A super secret splurge of mine used to be Taco Bell, I know, I know, but it was so good! Here is a healthy spin on tacos and one of the best parts is that you can eat three of these!  Depending on how many tortillas come in your package, figure each taco has about 4 slices of chicken in it all about an inch thick.  I had a ten tortilla package, but I also grilled extra chicken for lunch the next day.  So you kind of have to eye ball it a bit- leftovers are never bad.

Let’s start with the tortillas and chicken

· 1 package of corn tortillas (8in taco size)

· 2-3 chicken breasts- butter flied

· cooking spray

So if you have ever eaten a corn tortilla raw- it is pretty gross- rubbery and no flavor, but if you have been to a restaurant and had then- super delish. Why? Because most likely they were deep fried.  Anyway since deep frying is not an option- we will bake! I got this idea from I think it was Eating Well website where you bake the tortillas instead of frying or cooking on the stove top. 

Couple pointers here: you have to microwave these things for about 30 seconds so they do not rip when in the oven.  As you can see from the picture, I had to experience this first hand.

Don't mind my dirty oven

Start by preheating your oven to 375 degrees F.  After you microwave them for 30 seconds (careful they are probably a bit hot) spray with some cooking spray and lay on the rungs of your oven grate.  If you have a taco shell baker thing go ahead and use it.  Cook for about 7 minutes.  I would suggest doing this step last because if you let them sit, they might harden up too much to open and stuff later.  You can also drape them over two prongs depending on your particular oven. (If you're worried they will break- just slide a pan under to catch them if they do)

Chicken- super easy- just butterfly open season with a bit of salt and pepper and throw on the grill

So onto the super secret recipes for healthy indulgence...

Chipotle Garlic Sauce

· 1 cup of plain non fat yogurt

· 1 chipotle in adobe sauce, minced

· 1 garlic clove, grated (or minced fine)

· 1/2 lime, juiced (other half we use for the salsa!)

· small pinch of salt

Combine everything in a bowl and stir until mixed though! You won't believe this was yogurt- and the whole cup of yogurt is about 130 calories and no fat! Booyah.

Simple Salsa 

Salsa is one of those things you can just pile on because it is no fat and all veggies.

• 5 plum tomatoes, chopped
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 1 jalapeno, chopped (optional)
• 1 garlic clove, grated or minced
• 1/2 red onion, chopped (other half we use for the beans!)
• 1/2 lime, juiced (other half we used in the sauce)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cumin

Again, just combine everything in a bowl and mix until combined! Taste before serving!

Healthy Refried Beans

Classic refried beans are made with pinto beans, but I used what I had in the cabinet which happened to be black beans.

· 1 can of beans, drained and rinsed

· 1 tbsp of oil

· 1/2 medium onion, chopped

· 2 garlic cloves, minced

· 1 tablespoon of chili powder

· 1 tsp of cumin

· salt and pepper

· about 2/3 cup of low sodium chicken broth

· 1/2 cup of corn (I used frozen)

In a skillet heat the oil and then sauté the onion and garlic until soft.  Add the beans and spices, stir to combine.  Add the chicken broth and heat through, about 5 minutes.  Then mash (with a spoon or potato masher) until it becomes a paste, you might have to mash then let it cook out a little.  Then add the corn and heat through.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  You can even top with some cilantro.

Building the taco is easy, just add the beans, then chicken, then salsa, then top it all off with the sauce!

California Chicken Burgers with Cabbage Carrot Slaw

I know I have been slacking! Just realized my last post was the beginning of the month! Tomorrow I hope to post some cookie recipes I will be trying out.  I don't do much baking, so we will see how good they come out.

Here in New York it definitely doesn't feel like winter and if the BBQ wasn't all packed away I just might have broke it out.  So instead I got the trusty George Foreman grill going and made some of these tasty tasty burgers.  Chicken burgers are not the same as beef, because 1) they have no flavor on their own and 2) you MUST cook them all the way through.  Both reasons might make chicken burgers a bit tricky but with all these big flavors and my trusty meat thermometer we are ready to go.  I also have to add that these are pretty healthy- we ground boneless skinless chicken breasts ourselves, flavored with spices and low calorie items and used turkey bacon.  The slaw is good for you too- no mayo and we used heart healthy extra virgin olive oil. (I can only hate on the bread because of the carb count- but what the heck- it's the holidays right?)

A chicken burger is not exactly an original but I couldn't find a recipe that was exactly what I wanted so obviously I just made up my own with all the flavors I liked the best.  This idea came from a wrap that was on the menu at one of our favorite diners, that unfortunately closed down :(  But now will live on in this recipe :)

For 6 burgers:

• 2 ½ boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 2 tablespoons of McCormick Montreal Grill Seasoning
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• ½ red onion, diced
• 1 ½ carrots, shredded (shred 3 all together if making the slaw too)
• 2 chipolte in adobo, chopped

1. In a food processor (or a meat grinder) grind up the chicken.  If you want to buy already ground chicken, I would say this came out to about 2 pounds worth.

2. Then mix the meat and all the other ingredients in.  Then form the patties (I got about 6, it might vary on the size of your chicken breasts)
3. Get your grill or frying pan hot and cook until done- about 160 degrees, the carry over heat will cook it to the safe 165 degree mark.  About 6-8 minutes each side if in a frying pan.  The GF grill took about 6-8 mins all together (obviously because it cooks both sides at once)

For the Red Cabbage and Carrot Slaw:

• ½ of a medium sized head of red cabbage, shredded
• 1 ½ carrots, shredded
• the other ½ of that red onion, sliced thin
• juice of one orange
• extra virgin olive oil to coat
• 2-3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar (or red wine vinegar would be good too)
• salt and lots of fresh cracked pepper

Mix all ingredients in a bowl, cover and let marinate in the fridge while you make your burgers.

Toppings

Really they are whatever you want- BUT when people classify something as "Californian" for some reason it always has avocado. So this is what I topped mine with:

• Turkey bacon or regular bacon
• Avocado, sliced
• Tomato, sliced
• Cabbage and carrot slaw
• Baby spinach

If you needed a dressing of some sort I would go with a honey mustard or blue cheese.  OR instead of mixing the chipolte in with the meat- you could mix it up with some mayo and use that as a dressing.  I skipped the cheese but a spicy monteray jack cheese would be awesome (because it originates from CA!) or maybe a tangy provolone.

Pile it high on a crusty but soft bun and this is one burger you will be making again!

Spicy Mexican Stir Fry (Fajitas)

This recipe is basically a fajita recipe without the tortillas.  Fajitas are traditionally served with a tortilla so that's why I named it a stir fry instead of a fajita recipe.  I love spicy food. I even got to use my homemade pickled jalapenos to top it all off.  This recipe could seriously feed about 6 people.  If you are making for a lot of people I would probably just double the rice recipe. This is why I call it budget friendly, because with just a few ingredients and big bold flavor you can feed a bunch of people some delicious stuff.  Honestly, this is one of my go-to cheap, fast and easy recipes.  It really isn't original, but its damn tasty.  Even my boyfriend walked into the kitchen and said "FAJITAS!?" LoL.  This recipe is also wonderful because you can tweak it to your preference and you subsitute any meat (I used chicken in this one). You could add beans and/or corn to the rice to push more flavor and texture.  I actually prefer the fajita way (wrapped in a tortilla)- because it's just more fun to eat :)

Sazón: This is why the rice is orange.  It is a Latin seasoning that I used sometimes to incorporate flavor into, well really anything.  The box says you can add it to meat as a rub, or soup, or stews, or veggies- it's an all purpose seasoning.  There are different brands and blends but it usually has a bit of cilantro, paprika, saffron, garlic powder, ground cumin and salt.

Chipolte in Adobo: This little secret is just one of my favorite cooking ingredients.  They are smoked jalapenos in a sauce that is made up of tomatoes, salt, vinegar, and other spices.  I did say I liked spicy foods.  You can find these in a small little can- might have to look in the Mexican/International food aisle.  These can get spicy so start small and work your way up.  Besides the spice, you get this awesome smokey flavor. So good.

Vegetable Oil: I used vegetable oil, which is a switch-up from my usual extra virgin, but veggie oil has a higher smoke point- which means it can get way hotter then EVOO- which makes for quick cooking and brown food. Whenever making a stir-fry (Mexican or Asian influence) always use a high smoke point oil.  How do I know the smoke point? A good rule of thumb is that the lighter the color of the oil- the higher the smoke point.

Ingredients

(Tbsp= Tablespoon)
For the Stir-Fry/Fajitas Mixture:

• 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 3 red bell peppers, sliced into strips
• 2 medium onions, sliced
• 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 small can of tomato sauce (8oz)
• 1 chicken bullion cube
• 2 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1 tsp of coriander
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 chipolte in adobo, chopped
• salt, pepper, vegetable oil

For the Rice:

• 1 cup of rice (I used Jasmine rice)
• 2 cups of water
• salt, pepper
• 1 packet of sazon

Directions

1. For the rice: put all ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for about anywhere from 10-20 mins.  You could wait for the water to boil, then add the rice, but I was just being lazy, and it still turns out the same.
2. Slice the chicken into strips and prepare all your veggies.
3. Using the biggest skillet you have- put it over high heat and add the oil. Make sure the oil is super hot and throw the chicken in and season will all the spices (including the bullion cube).
4. When the chicken is almost completely done cooking throw in your veggies and garlic. Keep stirring to incorporate the spices- Using tongs helps here.
5. At the very end add the tomato sauce and chipolte in adobo.  Taste it and make sure its good and you're ready to serve along side or on top of the rice.
6. My favor garnish is pickled jalapenos and sour cream- as you can tell from the pictures.