Taco Bites

It's Taco Tuesday! After making my Mozzarella Sticks, I had leftover eggroll/wonton wrappers that needed to be used.  So, I came up with a twist on tacos.  These were really easy and tasty.  I'm going to have to try them with other fillings.  Serve for dinner or even at a party as appetizers (they are sort of messy though).

Ingredients:
Wonton Wrappers
Taco Meat (Lean Ground Chicken or Turkey)
Shredded Cheese
Tomatoes
Lettuce
Cilantro
Sour Cream
Salsa (I used a Chipotle Salsa from Safeway, which was awesome)

Directions:
1.  Make taco meat (quick recap, brown meat, add chili powder/garlic/cumin/onion/paprika/water/cornstarch and simmer).  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2.  Place wonton wrappers in muffin pans.  Fill with meat and cheese.  Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until wrapper is lightly browned.
3.  Remove from oven and add remaining toppings.

Enjoy!

Buffalo Chicken Dip

Here's a quick, easy, and tasty appetizer dip.  This makes a great crowd-pleasing dish for game nights (sorry I'm posting it after the Superbowl) and it's a unique, healthier twist on eating regular buffalo wings.  It's really quick and easy to make also, always a bonus!

I adapted this recipe from The Bitten Word, written by two local D.C. guys (whom I've never met) who make recipes from different food magazines.

Ingredients:
8 oz Neufchatel Cheese (or Light Cream Cheese)
1/2 Cup Light (Organic) Ranch Dressing (or Bleu Cheese Dressing)
1/2 Cup Wing Sauce
1 lb. Chicken Breasts (Cooked and Shredded)
3/4 Cup Shredded Monterrey-Cheddar Cheese or Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese (or Bleu Cheese Crumbles if using Bleu Cheese Dressing)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2.  In 8x8 Glass Baking Dish, or a 9-inch glass pie dish, use a fork to combine the Neufchatel (or Light Cream) cheese, ranch dressing, and wing sauce.
3.  Fold in shredded chicken and shredded cheese.  Stir the entire mixture until well combined.  Note: For the chicken breasts, I boiled them, then used two forks to shred the chicken.  
4.  Bake for 25-25 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.

Serve with celery sticks, water crackers, wheat crackers, pita chips, other cut-up veggies, or French bread slices.

Enjoy!

Southwest Chicken Salad

Ok, summer's pretty much gone and I promised more salad recipes.  Oops, sorry. I made a lot of salads this summer and didn't post a lot of recipes for them.  I absolutely love how healthy and filling salads are, as well as how great they taste and how good they make you feel (and look).  This recipe is filled with veggies, fiber, lean protein (beans and chicken) and the spiciness is a metabolism-booster.  I know there aren't photos-but I'll post when those when I make it again.  I hope you enjoy it on one of our last warm days!

Ingredients (4 servings):

• 1 Head of Romaine Lettuce
• 1 lb. Chicken Breasts, cut into 1-2" cubes
• 1 Red Bell Pepper, cut into strips
• 1 Green Bell Pepper, cut into strips
• 2 Ears of Corn, cooked with corn cut off
• 1 Tomato, diced
• 1 Can Black Beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup Cheddar cheese (reduced fat or fat-free)
• 3 Tbsp. Chopped Fresh Cilantro
• 1/2 cup Fat-free sour cream
• 1/2 cup Salsa
• 1 Lime, quartered

Directions:
1. Heat olive oil in skillet over medium-high heat.  Place cubed hicken in skillet and cook for approximately 10 minutes, or until chicken pieces are no longer pink.  Remove from heat.
2. Rinse and cut or tear the romaine lettuce.  Divide onto four plates.
3. Evenly place the red and green pepper strips on each of the salads.
4.  Add the cooked corn (Cooking note: Place ears of corn in boiling water for approximately 5-7 minutes.  Remove from heat.  Once cooled, use a knife to cut the corn off the cob, rotating the corn as you cut each additional row).
5. Add the black beans to the salads.
6.  Place 1/4 of the cheese on each of the 4 salads (1/8 cup each).
7.  Add the cooked chicken to each of the salads.
8. Sprinkle fresh cilantro on each salad.
9. Combine the sour cream and salsa and stir well to create the salad dressing.  Drizzle on top of salad, or place on the side in a small ramekin.

10. Squeeze one lime wedge on each salad.

Serve immediately!  

Turkey Taco Salad (and Turkey Tacos)

I love a great summer salad.  This salad is one of my favorites, because I can make it into a salad for me and my husband can have hard shell tacos.  Plus, it's got a lot of veggies, lean turkey meat (protein), and tastes really good.

Ingredients:
1 lb lean (99% fat-free) ground turkey meat
1 Package Whole-Grain Hard Shell Tacos
1 cup water
1 Head Iceburg or Romaine Lettuce
1 cup Mexican-style Organic Cheese (Nature's Promise is what I used)
2 cans Black Olives
2 Plum Tomatoes (organic if you can)
Taco Sauce
Salsa (again, I used organic)
Fat-free Organic Sour Cream (my preference)

Taco Seasoning:
1 Tbsp Chili Powder
1 tsp. Garlic Powder
1 tsp. Minced Onion
1/4 tsp. Red Pepper Flakes
1 tsp. Ground Cumin
1/2 tsp. Paprika
1 tsp. Black Pepper
1 tsp. Cornstarch

Directions:
1. Preheat Oven to 350 degrees.
2. Brown turkey in a skillet over medium-high heat.  Drain and return meat to pan.
3. Over medium-low heat, simmer the meat, the taco seasoning mix, and the 1 cup water.  Stir every few minutes, for about 15-20 minutes, or until the water has drained.  Meanwhile:
4. Cut up your lettuce.  **If making a salad, put enough lettuce on a plate for a salad.  If making tacos, place lettuce in a bowl.
5. Dice your tomatoes.  **If making a salad, sprinkle a handful of diced tomatoes on your salad.  If making tacos, place toms in a bowl.
6. Put olives on the salad (or in a bowl for tacos).
7.  Put 1/4 cup shredded cheese on the salad (or in a bowl for tacos).
8.  In last few minutes of the meat simmering, place 6 hardshell tacos on a baking sheet.  Bake for 3-4 minutes.  Remove from oven.
9.  Crunch up two hardshell tacos for each salad and sprinkle on top of salad.
10. Spoon some of seasoned meat mixture over salad (or in bottom of taco).
11. Top salad with a spoonful of sour cream and serve with Taco Sauce and Salsa.  If making tacos, put lettuce on top of the meat, then tomatoes, olives, cheese, and sour cream.  Finish with Taco Sauce and/or Salsa.

ENJOY!!

Turkey Burgers

Summer means it's time for grilling, lounging by the pool, picnics, county fairs, fireworks, camping, fresh fruit, slushy drinks, and sunglasses.  :)  Turkey burgers are a great recipe, a healthy version of an American summer classic--The Burger.  This recipe uses turkey, low/no fat cheese, a whole-wheat bun, and has a unique blend of seasonings.  You won't miss the fat or calories and your body will thank you.  This recipe uses a stove-top, yet the same directions can be used on the grill.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. frozen turkey meat (extra lean)
• BBQ seasoning (I use Gates BBQ seasoning from Kansas City, home of amazing BBQ)
• Mrs. Dash Garlic and Herb seasoning (or alternatively, use garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, and dry mustard)
• 1/2 cup Cheddar Cheese (fat-free)
• 1 Tomato, cut into slices
• Leaf Lettuce, 4 Burger-size pieces
• 4 Whole-Wheat Hamburger Buns

Directions:
1. Form 4 Burger Patties.  Sprinkle both sides of burgers with BBQ seasoning and Mrs. Dash.
2. Heat large skillet to medium-high heat.  Lightly spray with non-stick butter cooking spray.
3. Place burgers in skillet.  Cook for 5 minutes, then flip burger.
4. Add cheese to the top of each burger.  Cook for 5 more minutes.
5. Place burger on bun and top with tomato and lettuce.


Pair with baked fries (see BBQ Chicken and Sweet Potato Fries Recipe) or just some fresh veggies or fruit.

Healthy Veggie Pizza

Who doesn't love Pizza?  This heart-healthy pizza recipe allows us to indulge in pizza without the artery-clogging saturated fats in regular pizza.  And it's also loaded with a ton of veggies for a great way to pack vitamins and nutrients in a tasty way.

Ingredients (5 servings):
1 Refrigerated Pizza crust (whole-wheat preferred)
1 8 oz. can Tomato sauce (no sodium)
1 Tomato, diced
2 tsp. Basil
2 tsp. Oregano
2 tsp. Garlic Powder
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
8 oz sliced mushrooms (2 small cans or fresh)
1 Green bell pepper, diced
1 can Artichoke hearts, drained (could use fresh/frozen)
8 oz. sliced Black mushrooms (2 small cans)
1 3/4 cups Mozzarella cheese (I use fat-free-2% also ok for better melting and flavor, but I would use less to limit calories and saturated fat)
1 3/4 cups Cheddar cheese (same comment as Mozzarella)
3/4 cup Feta Cheese (I use reduced fat)
Parmesan Cheese, optional (sprinkle on top)

Directions:
1. Preheat Oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Place/unroll pizza crust onto greased baking sheet.  Bake for 5 minutes.

3. Spread tomato sauce on warmed, slightly-cooked pizza crust.
4. Combine diced tomato, basil, oregano, garlic powder, and olive oil in a small bowl.  Spread this mixture on top of pizza.
4. Evenly spread the veggies--artichoke, mushrooms, olives, and green pepper--on top of pizza.
5. Sprinkle Mozzarella, Cheddar, and Feta cheese on top of the pizza.  Optional: sprinkle Parmesan on top.
6. Place pizza in oven and bake for additional 6-9 minutes, or until edge of pizza are slightly browned.

Serve Immediately and Enjoy!!