I'm Back and I Come Bearing Flautas!

I can't believe I have neglected my blog for so long! I wish I had some great excuse but really I don't :( I had no idea it had been so long. I have a few recipes to post so I will get right to it!

These Chicken Flautas are something I threw together one night and they became a big hit so I have now made them several times. There is not alot you can do to make these super healthy but using low fat cheese and low carb tortillas certainly helps. I also use fat free sour cream for dipping. Hey every little bit counts, right? Right?




CHICKEN FLAUTAS

2 Large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 Can of diced green chilis
1 Can of Rotel diced tomatoes with green chilis, drained
1 ½ Cups of shredded Mexican blend cheese
½ Cup diced onions
3 T Taco seasoning
½ Cup black beans
Flour tortillas, 8 inch size
Salsa, guacamole or sour cream for dipping (optional)

Boil chicken breasts in water until cooked. Cut into rough chunks and place in a food processor. Pulse a few times to get semi-finely chopped. Place in a medium frying pan.

Add remaining ingredients (except tortillas) and stir. When completely blended and the cheese is melted remove from heat. Soften tortillas in microwave by wrapping 5 at a time in damp paper towels for about 1 min.

Spoon about 2 to 3 tablespoons chicken mixture across one side of a tortilla and roll tightly. Make sure the filling reaches each end of the tortilla without spilling out the ends. As you roll, dampen the end of the tortilla with water so the end sticks when you are done rolling. Place in a pile until you have rolled all the tortillas using all the filling.

Heat oil in a medium fry pan just covering the bottom of the pan. Brown both sides of each flauta and place them on a rack on top of a cookie sheet or jelly roll pan. Bake for about 15 minutes

Serve with dipping sauces of your choice!

Crispy Burritos

I don't go to restaurants all that often but when I do one of the first things I look for on the menu are Southwestern Eggrolls, sometimes called Southwestern Spring Rolls depending on the restaurant. I am addicted to those things which is why it is a good thing I don't eat out that often ;).

This is my way of having that taste without all the fat of deep frying and these are easier which I am all for. I don't really use exact amounts of each ingredient so I will list what I put in them and then you can adjust according to how much you want to make and to your tastes. I am guessing at the exact measurements.

For the dipping sauce you can use whatever suits your fancy. I usually eat mine with a sauce that is very similar to Chili's Awesome Blossom Sauce. I found some dipping sauce in the store that was very close!

CRISPY BURRITOS

2 - 3 Boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 C Black Beans - drained and rinsed
1/2 C Chopped frozen spinach - thawed and patted dry
1/2 to 3/4 C finely chopped onion
1 C Shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 - 3/4 C Jarred salsa
8 - 10 Medium sized flour tortillas
Cooking oil
Garlic powder and course black pepper
Butter flavored cooking spray

In a medium to large skillet add oil to just cover the bottom of the pan. Heat over medium heat.

Cut up chicken breasts into small pieces (about 1/2 inch) and add to the hot skillet. Stir often with a spatula until cooked. Add the onion and cook another 5 minutes or so until onion soft. Add the spinach, black beans, salsa and seasonings and mix well. Add the cheese and mix well with your spatula until the cheese is melted and your mixture is moist and sticky but not soupy or runny. Remove pan from heat.

Heat 2 or 3 tortillas at a time in the microwave for about 30 seconds to a minute. You want them very soft. Spoon a couple of tablespoons of the chicken mixture onto the tortilla and roll up like you would any burrito, making sure to tuck in the ends. Place on a plate while you do the others.

Heat up a medium size skillet. Spray the burritos with the cooking spray, turn them all over and spray the other side.

Place one or two in your hot skillet and brown each side until they are crispy but not burnt. Remove them to a plate and do the remaining burritos.

Cut each one in half at an angle and serve with the dipping sauce of your choice.

Apricot-Lemon Chicken

This is another recipe I found on Sparkpeople. I did not follow the recipe itself but it inspired me to make something similar. The flavors were so good with the chicken and I made some simple sweet potato rounds to go with it. All in all it made for a really nice meal. This was also a hit with the hubby, he even ate the leftovers the next night which is rare :)

APRICOT-LEMON CHICKEN

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 C apricot preserves
5 or 6 green onions chopped
lemon zest from one lemon
1 t coarse black pepper
1/2 t salt
olive oil for cooking
1 T butter or margarine
4 fresh apricots, halved and pitted

Slice chicken breasts in half lengthwise to make 4 chicken cutlets.

Heat olive oil in medium to large skillet and add chicken. Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper. Brown on both sides and remove from pan, set aside.

Add butter to same skillet and use a spatula to get up any bits from cooking the chicken. Add the apricots and saute until cooked. Add the green onions, apricot preserves and lemon zest. Stir until it is all smooth and heated through.

Place the breasts back in the pan and cover. Cook on low heat for about 30 min. turning the chicken over a couple of times. Remove from heat and serve.

For the sweet potato rounds I preheated the oven to 400 and peeled a couple of medium size sweet potatoes.

I sliced them into 1/4 in slices. In a large bowl I drizzled some canola oil and added parmesan cheese, cracked pepper, onion powder and garlic powder. I tossed the potato slices in the bowl with the oil and seasonings and then placed them in a single layer on a cookie sheet.

I baked them for about 12 min and then turned them over and baked for an additional 10 min until they were golden brown on each side.

Chicken Parmesan

I substituted crushed Bran Flakes cereal for the coating instead of regular bread crumbs and then added a bunch of seasonings to give it more flavor. You can add whatever seasonings you like depending on your tastes. I brown my cutlets in a bit of oil before baking but I am sure you could just bake the cutlets in the oven and add a little cooking spray to each side and they would crisp up nicely, then you could add the sauce and cheese the last few minutes. That would certainly cut down on the fat calories. I may try it that way next time I make this.

CHICKEN PARMESAN

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 6.5 oz. each)
1 1/4 cups of crushed bran flakes
1/4 cup reduced fat Parmesan cheese
4 T Smart Balance Omega Oil Blend
1/2 cup of egg substitute
3/4 cup of Kraft 2% mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 T cracked pepper
1 T onion powder
1 T garlic powder
1/4 cup water
3/4 cup pasta sauce (I used my own Pasta Sauce)

Preheat oven to 400

Slice chicken breasts lengthwise so you have 4 thin chicken cutlets. Mix egg substitute and water in shallow bowl and set aside. In another shallow bowl combine the bran flakes, Parmesan, onion powder, garlic powder and pepper.

In a large skillet heat the oil. Dip one of the chicken cutlets in the egg mixture, coating thoroughly and place into the bran flakes mixture. Cover the cutlet with the crumbs well while pressing down. When it is well coated place in the skillet. Repeat this with all 4 cutlets.

Cook about 3 to 4 minutes on each side until they look brown and crispy. Remove from oil and place in a shallow casserole dish.

Spoon the pasta sauce evenly over each cutlet and sprinkle each with the mozzarella cheese.

Place in the oven and bake for about 7 to 10 min.

Number of Servings: 4

Nutritional Info

• Servings Per Recipe: 4
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 338.2

• Total Fat: 19.5 g
• Cholesterol: 60.9 mg
• Sodium: 568.9 mg
• Total Carbs: 13.1 g
• Dietary Fiber: 2.8 g
• Protein: 29.5 g

NOTE: Please keep in mind the nutritional info is based on the specific brands that I use for each ingredient so they may be different depending on the brand you use.

Fiesta Chicken Enchiladas - Revamped!

I actually posted this recipe a while ago on my blog but besides the fact that it had a crappy picture I also managed to tweak it a bit to make it healthier. Part of the reason for it being healthier is my wonderful discovery of LaTortilla Factory tortillas. LaTortilla Factory makes a delicious line of healthy high fiber tortillas that come in many flavors.

The only problem I found with these tortillas is they were a little large for this recipe so I ended up putting the filling across 2/3 of the tortilla, rolling it up and then cutting about 2 inches off the end with no filling. I know that seems wasteful but until I can find a smaller size this is what I have to do. On the plus side it means that the nutritional info listed below is actually higher than what you are really eating.

I will warn you though that while these have less fat and carbs and more fiber they are still quite high in sodium so if you are on a strict low sodium diet you may want to avoid these.

FIESTA CHICKEN ENCHILADAS

1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
3 med to lg. chicken breasts;
1 1/4 cup thick 'n chunky salsa, divided
8 oz. light cream cheese, cubed
2 tbsp. chopped cilantro
1 tbsp. taco seasoning
1 cup shredded light cheddar cheese, divided
10 flour low carb tortillas (I use LaTortilla Factory 100 Calorie Tortillas)

PREHEAT oven to 350°F.
Dice chicken into 1/4 inch chunks.

Heat large skillet and add butter on medium heat. Add chicken and cook through. Add onions and garlic; cook and stir 2 min. Add 1/4 cup of the salsa, cream cheese and cilantro; mix well. Cook until heated through, stirring occasionally. Add 1/2 cup of the shredded cheese; mix well.

SPOON about 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture onto each tortilla; roll up. Place, seam-side down, in 13x9-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray; top with remaining 1 cup salsa and remaining 1/2 cup shredded cheese.

BAKE 15 to 20 min. or until heated through.

Number of Servings: 10

Nutritional Info

• Servings Per Recipe: 10
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 294.6

• Total Fat: 10.2 g
• Cholesterol: 62.1 mg
• Sodium: 818.4 mg
• Total Carbs: 29.4 g
• Dietary Fiber: 8.8 g
• Protein: 20.4 g
  

Bacon Wrapped Chicken

We had this the other night and it was SO good. I saw the recipe from Full Bellies, Happy Kids and had to try it. It is so easy to make and tastes delicious. The bacon keeps the chicken nice and moist and the sweetness of the brown sugar offsets the salty bacon perfectly. To make this healthier I would use turkey bacon. I did not have any on hand when I made this so I had to use regular bacon but next time I will definitely make it with the turkey bacon.

The best part of this recipe, apart from the taste that is, it it's so easy to make!

SWEET AND SPICY CHICKEN

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
bacon (uncooked) Turkey or regular
chili powder (I used Taco Seasoning)
salt and pepper
garlic powder
brown sugar

Preheat your oven to 400

Spray a shallow casserole dish with cooking spray.

Cut each breast into 3 or 4 pieces and place in a bowl. Sprinkle the salt, pepper, garlic powder and chili or taco seasoning over the pieces and toss. Be sure each piece is seasoned.

Wrap each piece with a slice of bacon and roll the whole thing in the brown sugar. Place it in the baking dish. Repeat this process with the rest of the breast pieces being sure to only make a single layer of chicken pieces in the baking dish.

Place in the oven and bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until the bacon is brown and crispy.

Enjoy!

Fiesta Chicken Enchiladas

Sorry it has been so long since my last post, I have been super busy with baby showers, births(my first grandson!), family get-togethers and other such time consuming events! I have been taking pictures here and there so I finally sat down today and posted all of them as you can see from all the posts below dated today :)

I found this recipe in a Kraft Foods Magazine and only made a couple of small changes. I love the creamy chicken filling and using the soft flour tortillas. I apologize for the crappy picture but I could not find a place with the proper lighting. This picture was also taken the next day after heating them up in the microwave.

FIESTA CHICKEN ENCHILADAS
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
4 cooked large chicken breasts; , shredded
3 cups thick 'n chunky salsa, divided
8 oz. cream cheese, cubed
2 tbsp. chopped cilantro
2 tbsp. taco seasoning
1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
12 -14 flour tortillas

PREHEAT oven to 350°F.

Heat large skillet spayed with cooking spray on medium heat. Add onions and garlic; cook and stir 2 min. Add chicken, 1/2 cup of the salsa, cream cheese, cilantro and taco seasoning; mix well. Cook until heated through, stirring occasionally. Add 1/2 cup of the shredded cheese; mix well.

SPOON about 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture onto each tortilla; roll up. Place, seam-side down, in 13 x 9-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray; top with remaining 2 1/2 cup salsa and remaining 1 cup shredded cheese.

BAKE 15 to 20 min. or until heated through.

Hot And Cheesy Chicken Casserole

This is a recipe from Better Homes and Gardens that I adapted a little bit. I only changed a few things like adding the french fried crispy onions on top and using only cheddar cheese instead of cheddar and mozzarella. I also added just a sprinkle of Taco seasoning to the soup mixture to zest it up a bit.

There are so many flavors running through this it seems like every bite tastes different. The family seemed to really like it so I am sure I will be making this again. I suppose you could use some of that left over turkey in this instead of the chicken.

HOT AND CHEESY CHICKEN CASSEROLE
3 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 14-oz. pkg. frozen broccoli florets
2 cups cooked rice
1-1/2 cups frozen peas
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can fiesta nacho cheese s; oup
1 10-to 10.5-oz. can diced tomatoes and green chilies
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
1 cup shredded low fat cheddar cheese
1 cup crushed Ritz crackers
1/2 cup french fried onions, crushed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Spray a 3-quart rectangular baking dish. In large bowl combine chicken, broccoli, rice, and peas. Spread mixture over the chicken. In medium bowl combine cream of chicken soup, nacho cheese soup, diced tomatoes, milk, and crushed red pepper. Stir in 1/2 cup of the cheddar cheese . Pour mixture over broccoli mixture in baking dish. Top with remaining cheddar cheese. Sprinkle crushed crackers and onions evenly over all.

Bake, uncovered, 35 to 40 minutes or until topping is golden. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

Orange Chicken

Orange Chicken is incredibly easy to make and full of flavor. This meal has been a family favorite for many years and I haven't really made any changes to the recipe.

I have on occasion replaced the can of Mandarin Oranges for the No Sugar Added variety to lighten up on the sugar content but I usually only do this when I have one on hand. I like my food kind of spicy so I add the Red Pepper Flakes but they are optional.

The weather here has finally dropped about 20 degrees so the evenings have been quite cool and windy, perfect for this kind of dish.

ORANGE CHICKEN
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 medium onion
1 medium bell pepper, any color
1 15 oz can mandarin oranges
4 tablespoon olive oil
flour
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 cup orange juice
2 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes; optional

Cut up chicken into small pieces (about 1 in) and lightly coat with flour. Heat olive oil in a large skillet and add chicken. Saute until lightly browned and crispy.

Cut up onion and green pepper into 1 inch chunks. Add to the chicken.

Add mandarin oranges with juice to chicken and veggies and stir. Stir in orange juice and soy sauce. Reduce heat to medium low and cover.

Simmer for about 30 to 45 min until bubbly and sauce is thickened. Serve over cooked rice.

Quick and Easy Chicken and Dumplings

While I love nothing more than making things from scratch, there are times when I am all about the quick and the easy. This recipe kind of developed when I was in a hurry and did not have time to make the dumplings from scratch and cut up all the vegetables myself. This is also one of those meals that is easy to change up in that you can use any kind of vegetable you like.

For this time I used a bag of frozen corn, peas, carrots and green beans but in the past I have used a frozen Broccoli, Cauliflower and Carrot mix and then added in some frozen corn. Whatever you happen to like or have on hand will work. Instead of the refrigerator biscuits I have also used the frozen kind that come in a bag. Whichever ones you use I learned it is definitely better to pre-bake them a bit before adding to the crockpot. They just take way too long to cook otherwise.

I don't always add the cheese but it does give it a really nice flavor.

CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS
4 - 6 boneless, skinless chicken tenders
3 cans Healthy Request Cream of Chicken Soup
1 bag frozen mixed vegetables
1 small onion, chopped
1 can of skim milk - fill an empty soup can
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded (optional)
1 can of refrigerator biscuits
season to taste

Spray the inside of your crockpot with cooking spray.

Place chicken tenders, mixed veggies (you can use whatever frozen mixed veggies you wish), chopped onion and cheese in the crockpot. In a large bowl place all the soup and one can's worth of milk and blend till smooth. Pour over the chicken and veggies in the crockpot.

Cover and set on high for 2 hours. Stir and scrap sides and cover again. Turn down to low and cook another 2 to 3 hours.

Take biscuits out of the can, place on a greased cookie sheet and bake in a 350°F oven until just barely turning brown. Do not overcook them, you want them just slightly undercooked.

Remove from oven and place 6 of them in a single layer over the chicken mixture in the crockpot. With a large spoon, ladel some of the sauce over the top of the biscuits. Cover and cook an additional 30 min to an hour.

Serves 4 - 6 people.

Crispy Garlic Chicken

Well although my adventure with Tofu noodles was a disaster this chicken recipe was not. Very easy to make and the chicken comes out so tender and moist.

CRISPY GARLIC CHICKEN

1 envelope Lipton Garlic Mushroom Soup mix
1/3 cup light or fat free mayonnaise
1/4 cup fresh finely grated Asiago cheese
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts or 8 boneless, skinless chicken tenders
2 tbsp. plain dry bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 400°.

In medium bowl, combine garlic mushroom soup mix and mayonnaise; set aside. On baking sheet, arrange chicken. Be sure to pat your chicken as dry as possible so that it is easier to spread the topping on. Evenly top chicken with soup mixture, then evenly sprinkle with bread crumbs and then the cheese. Bake 20 - 30 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. If using the chicken tenders then definitely no longer than 20 minutes.

If you want the topping to be a little crispier then bake it under the broil for a couple of minutes.

Makes 4 servings.