Showing posts with label mexican. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mexican. Show all posts
Monday, October 11, 2010
Time to Savor Healthy Mexican Flavor
I love the spicy flavors of Mexican cuisine but I hardly ever go out to eat at Mexican restaurants. The main reason is that the menus tend be full of fried, greasy, cheese-drowned items. I decided to create an entree that has all of the flavor without the unnecessary fat and calories. It turned out delicious and the recipe makes 9 servings so I have plenty of leftovers for later in the week. My Mexican Lasagna recipe may lead you to think that the dish is a sort of hybrid between Mexican and Italian flavors. If you find that those flavors do not seem to mix, don't worry. I completely agree. The recipe includes the word "lasagna" because of the layers. Layers of tortillas, chicken, cheese, beans, tomatoes, and corn all finished with a creamy enchilada sauce. This healthy entree is sure to become a family favorite.
Mexican Lasagna
(adapted from Southern Living)
serves 9
Ingredients
3 cups cooked boneless, skinless chicken breasts, shredded (about 1 lb. before cooking)
1 14.5 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes and green chiles (Rotel)
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 cup yellow corn (frozen or canned)
1 can 98% fat-free cream of chicken soup
1 can 98% fat-free cream of mushroom soup
1 10 oz. can enchilada sauce
9 (6-inch) corn tortillas
2 cups fat-free shredded cheddar cheese
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 baking sheet with cooking spray.
- In a large saucepan, combine the first 7 ingredients and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes.
- In another saucepan, combine both soups and enchilada sauce and cook for 10 minutes over medium heat, stirring often.
- Spoon 1/3 sauce mixture in the baking dish and spread to cover bottom. Top with 3 tortillas. Spoon half of the chicken mixture and 1/3 of the sauce over the tortillas; sprinkle with 1/2 cup cheese.
- Top with 3 tortillas; repeat layers once with remaining chicken, sauce, and cheese.
- Top with 3 tortillas and 1 cup of remaining cheese.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes or until bubbly.
- Top individual servings with desired toppings such as greek yogurt or salsa.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Turkey Taco Bar
On a busy week night, dinner time can often sneak up on you. Then your asked by each of your hungry family members, "So, What's for dinner?". The perfect answer to satisfy diverse tastes is "Turkey Taco Bar". The turkey taco meat is so simple to make and is the perfect healthy stand-in for ground beef. The only cooking involved is of the ground turkey meat, mixed with a packet of taco seasoning. Serve the meat with a low calorie, high fiber brand of soft tacos, such as La Banderita Extreme Fiber tortillas. Place whatever taco toppings that your family enjoys in small bowls. Set up everything in a buffet-style fashion so that each person can go down the line to create their perfect mexican meal. Make sure to add fresh veggies such as lettuce, tomato, and onions for a boost of flavor and nutrients. When it comes to other condiments, use the following guide of substitutes and tips to keep your calorie and fat intake in check. Mexican food does not usually provide low carb, high protein entrees, but by following this recipe, your overstuffed tortilla can do just that.
Condiment Substitutes and Tips
- Swap sour cream for 0% plain Greek yogurt and save 45 calories per serving
- Swap full-fat cheddar cheese for fat-free shredded cheddar cheese and save 65 calories per serving
- Guacamole brands can range in calories. Look for brands with lower amounts of fat and calories. A great choice is Wholly Guacamole Guaca Salsa for 30 calories and 4g of fat per serving.
- While most salsa brands are low in calories, look for one that has no added sugars.
- For added protein, choose fat-free refried beans such as the Old El Paso variety or low-sodium black beans.
- Tomatoes, lettuce, and onion are great additions for bulking up your tortilla with fiber and nutrients.
- If you prefer an extra spice, add sliced jalapenos or hot sauce for no added calories.
Ingredients
serves 4
1 pound ground turkey breast meat
Taco seasoning mix, such as Old El Paso
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 flour tortillas
Follow the directions on the back of the taco seasoning packet, adding minced garlic to meat while cooking for extra flavor. Top tortillas with meat and condiments of choice.
Nutrition: (one tortilla, using La Banderita Extreme Fiber tortillas and Old El Paso seasoning mix; condiments not included) 215 calories, 21g carbohydrate, 34g protein, 1.5g fat, 12g fiber

Labels:
dinner,
easy,
healthy,
mexican
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Monday, June 28, 2010
Totally Trim Taquitoes

This is not only my first recipe post, but also my first blog post ever. Although I read other food blogs daily, I am just now finding the time to create one of my own. I have a monstrosity of a recipe binder that is so unorganized that I rarely bother to open it when planning to cook a meal. But when somebody asks for one of my recipes, I become overwhelmed with loose sheets of paper that have been marked through, highlighted, and written (if you can even call it writing) on every side and every space available. As much as I love creating healthy recipes, it is an equal satisfaction to provide my recipes for others who seek a healthy diet and lifestyle. In all efforts to be able to do so, I have planned this blog as a way to help me organize my recipes and also to help you find them. I will be posting recipes mostly as I cook them in order to provide you with a bit of eye candy aka pictures to accompany each post. The pictures for this post are credited to Jennifer Oetting, one of my best friends and an amazingly talented photographer/artist. That is the plan for now but I would love any requests for specific types of recipes that anyone might want posted sooner. Most of my recipes are healthy, low calorie alternatives to typically unhealthy cuisines. I will post the nutrition information for each recipe to help anybody who may be dieting or just curious. In addition I have created recipes that are more diet-specific, including high-fiber, low-carb, and sugar-free. I also enjoy searching for healthy food products and I will relay those, as well as where you can find them. I would greatly appreciate comments or suggestions to any post or to the blog in general to help me in my beginning stages as a blogger.
This chicken recipe originated from a food blog that I frequent called Our Best Bites and is known on the site as "Baked Chicken Taquitoes". Following my healthy make-over, the recipe was transformed to be called "Totally Trim Taquitoes". This dish consists of whole grain flour tortillas stuffed with a chicken, cream cheese,and verde salsa mixture. The taquitoes provide a summery flare with the addition of fresh lime, chopped cilantro, and a hint of garlic. The addition of pepper-jack cheese adds just enough heat to provide a contrast for the addition of a creamy yogurt dipping sauce.
The tortillas that I used are made by La Banderita and are the Xtreme Fiber variety. They are high in fiber and protein and low in carbs and fat. Each tortilla has 72 calories, 5g carbohydrate, 8g protein, and 2g fat. They also contain a whopping 12g of fiber which is 47% of the daily recommended value. I have spotted this brand at Wal-Mart and Publix but if you cannot locate these, there are others available with similar stats.
Totally Trim Taquitoes
serves 6
Ingredients
1/3 cup fat-free cream cheese
1/4 cup green verde salsa
1 Tbsp lime juice
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 Tbsp chopped cilantro
2 Tbsp sliced green onions
2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast
6 slices 2% Kraft Pepperjack cheese slices
6 low-carb flour tortillas
kosher salt
cooking spray
- Preheat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly spray with cooking spray.
- Heat cream cheese in microwave for 20 seconds to soften.
- In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder, and garlic. Add cilantro and green onions and then chicken and cheese. (After this step, you can refrigerate the mixture for later cooking)
- Lay out the tortillas and divide the the mixture evenly among them.
- Roll up tightly and place seam-side down on baking sheet.
- Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle with salt.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes until crisp and golden brown.
- Dip them in salsa, fat free sour cream, or yogurt dipping sauce (recipe below).
Yogurt Dipping Sauce
Ingredients
1 pack Hidden Valley buttermilk ranch dressing mix
1 cup 0% Fage Greek Yogurt
juice of 1 lime
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup green verde salsa
hot sauce to taste
Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor and add hot sauce to taste. Make ahead of time and refrigerate for several hours. Pour into individual ramekins to serve.
Nutrition Information: 205 calories per serving (one serving- one taquito with dipping sauce, using La Banderita Xtreme Fiber tortillas)
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