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.

Lime Chicken with Black Bean Sauce

I love a meal with the spicy, exciting, flavorful tastes of Mexican and Spanish cuisine.  This recipe combines traditional Mexican flavors of lime, cilantro, black beans, tomatoes, and green chilies in a heart-healthy way.  Serve with some Spanish rice, or as a meal by itself.

Ingredients (serves 4):
Lime Chicken:
Juice of 1 Lime (Roughly 2 Tbsp. Lime Juice)
1 1/2 Tbsp. Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
3 tsp. Dried Cilantro (or 3 Tbsp. Fresh)
Black Pepper and Sea Salt, to taste
1 lb. Chicken Breasts, Thawed

Black Bean Sauce:
1 Can (15.5 oz) Black Beans (Organic)
1 Small Can Green Chilies
1 Can (15.5 oz) Diced Tomatoes (Organic)
1 tsp. Chili Powder
1 tsp. Onion Powder
2 Tbsp. Minced Garlic
3 tsp. Dried Cilantro (or 3 Tbsp. Fresh)
1/4 Cup Light Mexican-blend Shredded Cheese

Directions:
1.  In a small bowl, stir together olive oil, lime juice, cilantro
2.  Place chicken breasts in 9x9 baking dish (sprayed with cooking spray).  Pour lime marinade over the top and let sit for about an hour or two (could let sit overnight in refrigerator if you'd like).
3.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Put chicken in oven for 30 minutes.

4.  Meanwhile, over medium heat in a large saucepan, stir together the black beans, green chilies, tomatoes, and minced garlic.  Stir to combine flavors for 15 minutes.
5.  Reduce heat to low.  Add in the cilantro and shredded cheese to the black bean mixture.  Stir occasionally for 10 minutes.
6. Either using a masher, or a blender (immersion or regular), lightly puree the black bean mixture.  Don't over-mix, just a short minute to slightly puree the mixture (but you still want some big chunks of beans, etc).
7.  Remove chicken from oven.  Place chicken breast on plate and top with heaping spoonful of black bean sauce.  Serve immediately with a fresh lime quarter to squeeze over chicken.

Enjoy!

White Chicken Chili

Chili day calls for another version of chili!  This time I'm making it with chicken and white beans, and adding some green chilies, for a yummy White Chicken Chili.  Cuddle up and stay warm with a bowl of this!

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1/3 Cup Minced Onion
3 Cloves Garlic, Chopped (or 3 tsp. Minced Garlic)
1 Can (4 oz) Chopped Green Chillies
3 tsp. Ground Cumin
1 tsp. Oregano
1 tsp. Chili Powder
4 Cups Chicken Broth
1 lb. Cooked Chicken Breast, chopped or shredded (I shredded)
2 Cans White Beans (I used Northern, but can use Cannellini or Navy)
1 Cup Monterey Jack (or any White Cheese)

Directions:
1. Heat oil in large saucepan (or stockpot) over medium heat.  Add in onion and stir for a couple minutes. 
2. Add in the garlic, green chillies, cumin, oregano, and chili powder.  Stir another 2 minutes.
3. Mix in the chicken broth, chicken, beans, and cheese.  Turn heat to low and cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring occassionally. 

Enjoy!

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.