Roasted Chicken Salsa Verde Tostada

Hola! In my opinion, corn tortillas do not taste good. at. all. BUT they are many fewer points than the flour alternative.  I have been experimenting with corn totillas and the broiler a lot lately, and have found that it is possible to create a whole new flavor AND texture that is a crunchy, salty, delicious mix.  I made these tostadas with store bought rotisserie chicken which was a real time saver and will be great for leftovers!

Servings: 2
Size: Two tostadas
Points Plus: 9pp
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 20 minutes (including removing the meat from the bones)
Cook Time: 6 minutes
Rating: 4 stars - Very Good

Ingredient List: 
4 corn tortillas
10 oz. rotisserie chicken
1/2 tomato, diced
1/2 cup shredded, reduced fat cheddar
2 Tbsp. light sour cream
4 Tbsp. salsa verde (I like the Target brand)
Chopped chives
Salsa (it is free, go wild!)

Directions: 
Clean your rotisserie chicken. Measure out 10 oz. and put the rest in your fridge. Set your oven to broil, and broil corn tortillas for four minutes with the rack set closest to the top of the oven. At this point they should be slightly crispy. Remove from the oven and top with chicken, tomato, salsa verde and shredded cheddar, splitting evenly among the four tostadas.  Move oven shelf down one level and broil for an additional 2 minutes.  Watch your tostadas so they don't burn!!!!!!  When they are cooked to your desired crispness. Remove from oven and add 1/2 Tbsp. sour cream to each. Add some chopped chives and salsa!

Tip:
I have a food scale and LOVE it!  I don't use it often, but it really comes in handy when trying to get accurate measurements for things that are hard to measure (ie: soup). It worked very well for this recipe.

XOXO Katie

Buffalo Chicken Salad

I love buffalo chicken!  It’s such a great flavor profile.  Depending on how much you like buffalo, this recipe allows you to add just the right amount to get to your desired level of hotness.  This makes for a hearty, satisfying salad and is easy to pull together for a quick weeknight dinner.

Servings:  2

Size:  Main course salad

Points Plus: 10 pp

Level of Difficulty:  Easy

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time:  n/a

Rating: 4 stars – Very good
* Recipe from www.siriouslydelicious.blogspot.com

Ingredient List:

6 oz. rotisserie chicken

Frank’s hot sauce – buffalo flavor

Chopped romaine

1 cup tomato, diced

2 oz. blue cheese crumbles

1 avocado, diced

12 blue tortilla chips

2 Tbsp. Greek yogurt, plain, fat free

Directions:

Shred the rotisserie chicken with a fork.  Add Frank’s hot sauce to your chicken and stir until the chicken is evenly coated with buffalo sauce.  Chop up hearts of romaine and plate out portions for two main course salads.  Dice the tomato and avocado.  Assemble your salads by adding the shredded chicken (about 3 oz. per serving), tomato, avocado and crumbled blue cheese (1 oz. of cheese per salad).  Crush 6 blue tortilla chips on top of each salad.  For dressing, use a generous spoonful of plain Greek yogurt.

Tip:

Do you struggle with cutting an avocado?  Here’s a quick and easy way to make easy work of it.  Slice the avocado in half length-wise.  Use your knife to lightly puncture the pit, this will allow you to easily pull out the pit using the blade of the knife.  With the avocado still in its rind, make cuts in both directions which would result in diced pieces.  Use a large spoon to scoop out each side of the already pre-diced avocado pieces and add to your salad (or whatever else you are making with diced avocado!).

XOXO Megan

Mashed Cauliflower

Did you know that you can mash (puree) cauliflower and add some spices so that it tastes almost like mashed potatoes?  Well...YOU CAN! This is an easy, guilt-free side dish that is quick and fun. 

Servings: 3

Size: 1 cup

Points Plus: 3 pp

Level of Difficulty: Easy (if you have a blender or immersion blender)

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Rating: 3 stars - Good

Ingredients List:

1 head of raw cauliflower

1 bouillon cube

3 oz. low fat cream cheese

Splash of milk (maybe 1 Tbsp.)

Salt & pepper

Paprika

Chives

Directions: 

Boil water in large stock pot, add a pinch of salt and a bouillon cube (veggie, beer or chicken). Chop cauliflower into small pieces and rinse in a colander. When water is at a rolling boil add cauliflower and boil for 10 minutes, or until soft.  Drain cauliflower in colander and return to pot. Make sure cauliflower is well drained. Move pot to counter, and add cream cheese, salt & pepper to taste, a dash of paprika and milk.  Using your immersion blender, regular blender or potato masher, blend cauliflower to desired consistency.  Place even portions of mashed cauliflower in dishes and garnish with chopped fresh chives. Close your eyes and you will not know the difference!

Tip:

In immersion blending is very handy in the kitchen for dishes like this, soups or other foods that require a food processor (most have a food processor attachment).  Pick one up today for future stress-free pureeing.

Salsa Verde Enchiladas

In honor of Cinco de Mayo yesterday we thought a Mexican recipe was appropriate.  If you like authentic Mexican food, this is a recipe you have to check out!  Paul, my fiance, LOVES Mexican and suggested one weekend that we try out a true, authentic recipe.  He found this one online and we have to say we were impressed - definite authenticity.  We served our salsa verde enchiladas with a side of cooked black beans with onions and cilantro.  Yum!

Servings:  4

Size:  3 enchiladas

Points Plus: 10 pp

Level of Difficulty:  Medium

Prep Time: 40 minutes

Cook Time:  35 minutes

Rating: 5 stars – Excellent
*Recipe from: allrecipes.com

Ingredient List:

2 bone-in chicken breast halves

2 cups chicken broth

White onion, finely diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp. salt

1 pound of fresh tomatillos, husks removed

5 Serrano peppers*

12 corn tortillas

1/8 cup olive oil

½ cup crumbled queso fresco

Fresh cilantro, chopped

Directions:

In a saucepan, combine chicken breasts with chicken broth, ¼ of the onion, 1 clove of garlic and 2 tsp. salt.  Bring to a boil and then boil for 20 minutes.  Reserve broth, set aside chicken to cool and discard the onion and garlic.  When chicken has cooled, shred the chicken with 2 forks.

Place tomatillos and Serrano peppers in a pot with water, enough to cover them (some of the tomatillos will float a bit).  Bring to a boil, continue boiling until the tomatillos turn a different shade of green (they will start out as a bright green and turn to a dull, army green).  Strain tomatillos and peppers, place in a blender with another ¼ of the onion, 1 clove of garlic and a pinch of salt.  Pour in enough of the reserved chicken broth so the liquid covers the vegetables by about an inch in the blender.  Blend all ingredients until they are completely pureed.  Pour salsa into a medium saucepan and bring to a low boil.

Pour oil into a small frying pan; allow it to get very hot.  Slightly fry the tortillas one by one in the oil, setting each on a paper towel to absorb some oil after frying.  Finally dip the tortillas into the warmed salsa verde in the saucepan.  Place on plates, 3 tortillas per serving.  Assemble each enchilada by filling the tortillas with shredded chicken, some extra salsa verde sauce and rolling up. On top, add chopped onion, cilantro and crumbled queso fresco.

Tip:

*Note on the Serrano peppers.  The originally recipe calls for 5 peppers.  Unless you REALLY love spicy food, I would recommend scaling back on this. These are HOT enchiladas (I mean the recipe can’t say it’s authentic if it doesn’t have some heat to it!).  We have made this recipe twice, and used 3 peppers both times.  These peppers definitely have some kick!

XOXO Megan

Asian Lettuce Wraps

This recipe was a kitchen disaster SAVED at the last minute. I wanted to make some Asian lettuce wraps inspired by the popular PF Chang's app. When cutting the lettuce I got three 'cups', but everything else ripped. SO, I improvised and created three lettuce wraps and one lettuce salad.  Both were very good and nothing went to waste.  Also, sesame oil is like the best oil ever!

Servings: 4
Size: 1 cup meat mixture, unlimited lettuce cups
Points Plus: 6pp
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Rating: 3 stars - Good

Ingredients:
1.25 pounds ground turkey, 93% lean
1/4 cup water chestnuts, cubed
1/4 cup mushrooms, cubed
1/4 cub red onion
1/4 cup carrots
1 T + 1/2 t. reduced sodium soy sauce
1 1/2 t. sesame oil
1 T. rice vinegar
1/2 t. sugar
Kosher salt
Pepper
Iceberg lettuce, cut into cups or cubed (for salad)*
Siracha
Cooking spray

Directions:
Prepare lettuce.  Either rip into cups, or cube. Mix soy sauce, sesame oil, vinegar, sugar, a pinch of salt and a some ground pepper.  Whisk together and set aside. Add 1/2 t. to wok and saute ground turkey. As turkey cooks spray a skillet with a dash of cooking spray and saute the carrots and onion, about five minutes. Add the water chestnuts and mushrooms and cook 4 minutes longer.  Add veggie and sauce mixtures to ground turkey and saute until meat is cooked through. Add more salt and pepper to taste.  Remove from heat and divide into four, 1 cup servings. Put in cups or over lettuce and squeeze

 a little hot sauce over the top!

Tip:
After some internet research I found that Bibb or Butter* lettuce works well for lettuce wraps.  I cups may have turned out better if I would have had a little more patience when disassembling the head!

Fruit Kabobs

If you are looking for something fun, super EASY and healthy to bring to a party… let me introduce you to fruit kabobs!  When you’re asked to bring something to a dinner party or book club or any other social event that is centered around food, it’s best to come prepared and bring something that you know is points friendly. This will help you stay in control because you know you have a guaranteed option to snack on.  These fruit kabobs are perfect for any of those occasions!

Servings:  16 skewers

Points Plus: 0 pp

Level of Difficulty:  Easy

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time:  n/a

Rating: 3 stars – Good

Ingredient List:

Toothpicks or kabob skewers (depending on what size you want to make)

2 bananas

Large bunch of green grapes

1 Pineapple

3 kiwi

Directions:

Wash the green grapes and take off the stems.  Cut up the pineapple into small, bite-size pieces.  Peel the kiwi and banana and cut into slices.  Assemble each skewer, alternating types of fruit.  Display on a plate

 Tip:

The picture above shows some fruit kabobs I made for the Packer SUPERBOWL party a few years ago (GO PACK GO!!!).  There are so many options though – you could make 4^th of July kabobs with blueberries, strawberries and raspberries; Luau themed kabobs with pineapple, mango and strawberries; or you can just pick fruits that go well with the color scheme of your party! If you do decide to make these ahead of time for a wedding or baby shower, make sure you save fruits that will brown easily for the day of prep (things like bananas, apples etc) so your kabobs look nice and fresh for your party spread.

XOXO Megan

Mexican Quiche

Quiches are one of those dishes that are SUPER impressive and SUPER easy.  I think they are impressive because of their unique name and easy because you basically add some ingredients to a pie crust, pour a few beaten eggs over them and bake. This recipe contains re-fried beans which help to keep the custard mixture from soaking into the bottom crust.  Degree of spiciness is controlled by the amount of hot sauce used. This Mexican inspired quiche is a veggie recipe and great for breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner or snack time (whenevs)!  There are a ton of flavors and textures going on with this dish. I served this for a small casual dinner party with two side salads, a two bite appetizer and mini cheesecakes! (and wine)

Servings: 8
Size: 1/8 of pie tin
Points Plus: 7pp
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Rating: 5 stars - Excellent 

Ingredients:

1 Pillsbury pie crust (9 inch), unbaked

1/2 package (4 ounces) 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened

1 cup fat free re-fried beans

1 t. oil

1 medium green bell pepper, chopped

6 ounces mushrooms, thinly sliced

1 small onion, diced

1/8 tsp ground cumin

1/8 tsp chili powder

Few drops of hot sauce (optional)

3 eggs

1 cup milk

1 cup (4 ounces) low fat grated cheddar cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and remove your Pillsbury pie crust from the freezer. Once you are easily able to unroll your crust use your rolling pin to even out the sides and make it a  'perfect' circle. Place in pie plate and make it look pretty, making sure to press down the bottom so that it is flush with the bottom and side of the dish. (I am sure you can do a drastically better job at this than my quick version above). Spread cream softened cream cheese over bottom of pie crust, then spread beans over that layer.

Combine eggs and milk, beat slightly and add cheese. Set aside. 

Add one teaspoon vegetable oil to a skillet, and saute green pepper, mushrooms and onions until tender (not too soft). Add cumin, chili powder and hot sauce with measurements above or more to taste. Pour veggie mixture over beans. 

Pour egg and cheese mixture over veggie layer. Make sure it doesn't overflow. Bake for 40 minutes, until top is browned and eggs are set.  Let quiche stand for 10 minutes with a piece of tin fol loosely placed on top.

Tip: 
Practice makes perfect in the case of making a nice looking pie crust edge.  Start by making sure you are placing the rolled out crust in the very center of your pie plate. This will make the 'make it look pretty' part a LOT easier.  Feel free to cut off excess 'side crust' or fold it over to hid it.  

XOXO Katie