Mock-Chipotle Burrito

This past weekend, after a shopping extravaganza (well Holiday shopping), we stopped at Chipotle.  Although this is just another day for us (we love Chipotle), I sat there and realized I should attempt to make one of their meals at home.  After all, the way to a man's heart is through his stomach...and given Aaron's obsession with Chipotle, he'll be thinking quite positively of his wife come Christmastime.  And I'm hoping he doesn't actually read this blog post.  Ha ha.

Gina's skinny recipe was the inspiration for all of the Chipotle recipes, including Barbacoa Beef and Chili Chicken and Corn salsa.

Ingredients:
Tortillas (I used multi-grain flax, yum)
Beans (Black or Pinto--I used refried black actually)
Meat of choice (Chicken, Barbacoa, Steak, Carnitas, or meatless)
Cilantro-Corn Salsa (or other salsa)
Skinny Cilantro-Lime Rice
Romaine Lettuce, Chopped
Mexi-Blend Shredded Cheese
Sour Cream (optional)
Guacamole (optional)

Directions:

1.  One tortilla at a time, spoon on some beans (or smear on if using refried).  Top with meat, salsa, rice, lettuce, cheese, and sour cream or guac.
2.  Fold (or wrap up if your tortillas aren't huge) tightly and enjoy with a side of Jalapeno pepper sauce, or whatever sauce you prefer.

Serve and enjoy!

Cilantro-Corn Salsa

Corn salsa  is so good in a burrito or eaten with chips.  I love Chipotle's salsas and in my desire to replicate a Chipotle burrito at home, I made this salsa to serve with it.  This recipe was inspired by Gina of Skinny Taste's recipe...and by of course, Chipotle.

Ingredients:
2 Cups (10 oz) Sweet Corn, cooked (organic)
2 Tomatoes, diced (or 1 Can Diced toms)
3 Tbsp. Minced Onion (or 1/2 red onion, diced)
1 Jalapeno, diced (seeds removed unless you want it h-o-t)
3 Tbsp. Chopped Fresh Cilantro (or 3 tsp. dried)
3 Tbsp. Lime Juice (or juice from 1 1/2 Limes)
1/2 tsp. Chili Powder
1/2 tsp. Black Pepper

Directions:
1. Combine all ingredients well.  Refrigerate for 1 hour and serve.

Baked Southwest Egg Rolls

After making my Baked Mozzarella Sticks, I was inspired to make more egg roll wrapper meals.  I've always loved Southwest Egg Rolls in restaurants, but know they are sinful for my health.  I decided to make my version of Southwest Egg Rolls, using healthy ingredients and baking them instead of frying.  These would make a great appetizer (great for fall football games!) or serve them as a vegetarian meal (that's what I did).  They were so good.  I'm looking forward to leftovers for lunch tomorrow. 

Ingredients:
2 Cups Frozen Corn, Thawed
1 Can (15 oz) Black Beans, Rinsed and Drained
1 Bag (10 oz) Frozen Chopped Spinach, Thawed and Squeezed Dry
2 Cups Shredded Mexi-blend cheese (Low or Non-Fat)
1 Can (4 oz) Diced Green Chilies, Drained
2 Tbsp. Chives (Green Onions)

2 Tbsp. Dried Cilantro (or 1/4 Cup Fresh Cilantro)
1 tsp. Cumin (Ground)
1 tsp. Chili Powder
1 tsp. Black Pepper
1 Package Egg Roll Wrappers, Room Temperature

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Combine all ingredients (minus the egg roll wrappers) in a large bowl and stir well thoroughly mix.  

2.  Lay an egg roll wrapper out on a work surface so that one of the corners is pointing toward you and put a large spoonful (about 1/4 cup) of the filling in the center.  

3.  Fold the tip closest to you up over the filling snugly.  You can add a few drops of water to make it stick better.

4.  Carefully (here is where it can sometimes break), fold the right and left sides in to the center (use a bit of water again if you desire).  

5.  Roll up the wrap and use a bit of water to seal it.  Repeat with the remaining filling and wraps.6.  Place the sealed egg rolls on the baking sheet (sprayed with cooking spray) seam side down.   Spray a little cooking spray on top of the egg rolls.

7.  Bake at 400 for 12-17 minutes, or until lightly brown, turning halfway through baking.  

Serve immediately, warm with fresh salsa and ranch sour cream dip.   

Enjoy!

Black Bean & Corn Chicken Bake

With a dissertation to do, moving to a new home, and caring for our 8-month-old son, I am all about easy and quick dinners.  This meal was inspired simply by wanting a quick meal and discovering I had beans, chilies, and corn at home.   It's fairly similar to the Lime Chicken with Black Bean Sauce recipe I have, but there are some differences in terms of ingredients and preparation.  This dish is a great meal for your health too, with lean chicken breasts, heart-healthy and anti-oxidant loaded black beans, salsa, and corn.  And besides that, it's low in calories and absolutely tasty.  And did I mention easy, very easy?

Ingredients:
4 Chicken Breasts, Cut into two strips
1 Can Black Beans
1 Can Green Chilies
1 - 10 oz Bag Frozen Corn
1/3 Cup Salsa
1 Tbsp. Dried Cilantro (or 3 Tbsp. Fresh)
1 Cup Low-fat/Non-fat Mexican Blend Shredded Cheese

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray.  Place defrosted chicken breasts in dish.
2.  Pour remaining ingredients over the top of the chicken.  Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until chicken is tender and juices run clear.

Enjoy!  Top with extra salsa and sour cream if you prefer.

Chili-Roasted Salmon with Cilantro Cream Sauce

Happy Cinco de Mayo!  Considering that May 5th is the day before my birthday, I always especially enjoyed the festivities of Cinco de Mayo because (as a child) it felt like a big huge birthday celebration for me.  :)  This Mexican-inspired recipe is absolutely delicious and provides a ton of healthy heart-brain-eye-healthy omega-3s (among a number of other nutrients).  I adapted this recipe slightly from one I found in Fitness Magazine.  Enjoy!  

Ingredients:

4 Tablespoons Lime Juice
2 Teaspoons Minced Garlic
2 Teaspoons Chili Powder
2 Teaspoons Ground Cumin
3 Teaspoons Olive Oil
4 4-Ounce Salmon Fillets (Wild-Caught, Skinless)
3 cups Frozen Corn Kernels, Thawed
1 Bell Pepper, Sliced (I used Green, could use Red)

3 Tablespoons Minced Onion (or Sliced Red Onion)
Sea Salt
Black Pepper
1/3 Cup Sour Cream (light, organic)
2 Tablespoons Chopped Fresh Cilantro (or 2 Teaspoons Dried Cilantro)

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray. In a small dish, mix together half the lime juice with garlic, chili powder, cumin, and 1 teaspoon olive oil. Add salmon and coat in sauce.  Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, toss together corn, bell pepper, onion, and remaining olive oil. Spread corn mixture on one of the baking sheets.  

3. Remove salmon from marinade and place on second baking sheet. 

4.  Drizzle remaining chili-salmon marinade over corn mixture. Season salmon and corn with sea salt and black pepper.  

5.  Place both baking sheets in the oven and roast for 10-12 minutes, until fish is just cooked through and vegetables are tender (stir corn mixture once if desired).
6. Combine sour cream, cilantro, and remaining lime juice. Place one salmon fillet and 1/4 of the corn mixture on a plate. Drizzle cilantro cream sauce over fish.

Enjoy!

Nutrition facts per serving: 444 calories, 33g protein, 22g carbohydrate, 25g fat (5.9g saturated), 3g fiber

Mexi-Turkey Chili

I like to make chili a few times in the fall and winter, and have a few variations I like to do.  This one is one of our favorite versions--I use healthier ground turkey instead of beef and add in some Mexi-flavors with the black beans and corn.  It's filling and delicious and even better, it can be a great weekday meal.  You can brown the turkey the night before, then put everything in the crock pot/slow cooker before you leave the next AM and it'll be ready for you by evening!


Ingredients:

1 Tbsp. Olive Oil (or use cooking spray)

1 Pound Lean Ground Turkey

1/4 Cup minced Onion (or use regular onion)

1 (10.75 ounce) Can Low-Sodium Tomato Soup

1 (14.5 ounce) Can No-Sodium Diced Tomatoes

1 (15 ounce) Can Tomato Sauce

1 (15 ounce) Can filled with water

2 (15 ounce) Cans kidney beans, drained (I used one light kidney and one dark kidney can)

1 (15 ounce) Can Black Beans, drained

12 oz Frozen Yellow Corn (I have substituted with white corn before)

2 1/2 Tbsp. Chili Powder

1 tsp. Red Pepper Flakes

1 Tbsp. Garlic Powder

1 Tbsp. Ground Cumin

3 tsp. Ground Black Pepper

 

Directions:

1. Heat the oil (or cooking spray) in a skillet over medium-high heat. Place turkey and minced onion in the skillet; cook until evenly brown; drain.

2. Coat the inside of a slow cooker/crock pot with cooking spray, and combine the turkey with all of the other ingredients (tomato soup, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce,  water kidney beans, black beans, and corn).  Season with chili powder, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, cumin, and black pepper.  Stir well to mix.

3. Cover, and cook 8 hours on Low or 4 hours on High.

4. Serve hot with cheddar cheese or jack-cheddar and crackers or tortilla chips.

For freezing, divide soup into two large freezer bags.  Once at room temperature, cool completely in the refrigerator.  Once cold, put soup into a second freezer bag (better safe than sorry with freezer burn) and be sure to label and date the soup (I include the date I made it and the "eat by" date).  Freeze up to 3 months.

To reheat, dip the bag into hot water for 5 minutes.  Then, put soup into stockpot.  Cook over medium heat for about 25 minutes, or until hot, stirring occasionally.

Nutritional Info Per Serving:

Approx 8 servings; 280 calories per serving; 8.7 g of fat (1.9 g sat fat); 42 mg cholesterol; 680 mg sodium; 32.9 g total carbs; 21.1 g protein;

21% Vit A; 43% Vit C; 9% Calcium; 43% Iron; 48% Niacin; 20% Vit B6; 24% Magnesium; 54% Folate

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!  

Garlic Sirloin Steak with Corn on the Cob

Corn!  I have a personal love of corn, having grown up in a state where seeing people wear giant foam corn on the cob hats is normal (i.e. Nebraska--Go Cornhuskers, aka 'Skers).  It's the time of year where you can find local sweet corn in your grocery stores. Corn provides you with fiber, folate (heart and reproductive health), Vitamin C, and Vitamin B1 (brain function and memory).

You might be surprised, but you can eat beef healthily.  Yes, it's true.  Just be sure to choose lean cuts, trim extra fat, watch your portions, and eat sparingly (and when buying, choose little marbling and try to buy grass-fed beef).  In fact, some studies show that lean red-meat eaters lose weight more rapidly than non-red-meat eaters and do not increase cholesterol levels and could actually decrease cholesterol.  Additionally, lean red meat offers Zinc, Iron, and Vitamin B12.  This recipe won't utilize the grill (although this recipe would be equally awesome on the grill), but rather the stovetop.  Five simple ingredients, one great meal.

4 Servings
Ingredients:

• 16 oz Sirloin Steak
• 1 Tbsp. Garlic, minced
• 2 tsp. Garlic Powder
• 3 Tbsp. Butter (Smart Balance Light, Omega-3 infused)
• 1 tsp. Black Pepper
• 4 Ears of Sweet Corn, Shucked/Silk removed (basically corn only, no husk/hairs)

Directions:
1.  Bring large saucepan filled with water to a gentle boil.
2.  Sprinkle pepper and minced garlic on both side of steaks.
3. In separate skillet, melt 1 Tbsp. butter over medium-high heat.
4. Add ears of corn to water.  Boil 5-10 minutes--the longer, the softer (I do 10 min).
5. Place steaks in heated butter for 4-5 minutes.  Turn once, cooking for 4-5 more minutes.
6. Melt remaining butter in small bowl (microwave for 12 seconds).  Stir in garlic powder.

Serve immediately.  Use a brush (spoon also ok) to put garlic butter on both corn and steak.  I am also choosing to serve a simple green salad tossed with olive oil and balsamic vinegar for another side.  Yuuum.