Recipe #25 Crockpot Chicken Tacos With Baked Shells

I was looking on Pinterest and I saw the baked taco shells recipe (hmm, just happen to have a bunch of corn tortillas).  What else do I have?  Frozen chicken breasts, a can of diced tomatoes with jalapenos and the recipe for my own taco seasoning.  So... I ended up with this week's recipe.  The Chicken Taco recipe is from a site new to me:  wikiHow and the baked taco shells are from EatingWell magazine.  You can find the recipe for the taco seasoning on one of my older posts; it's easy and doesn't have that artificial taste.  I substitued my can of tomatoes for salsa because I didn't have enough salsa; I also didn't have green peppers.  This was a super easy dish and was really delicious; it also made great leftovers.  Happy Cooking!

INGREDIENTS:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (rinsed in cold water)

Chopped onion (optional)

Chopped green pepper (optional)

1 packet taco seasoning

16 ounces salsa (that's 2 cups, if you're using a larger bottle)

Flour tortillas, corn tortillas, or taco shells

Toppings (optional): lettuce, sour cream, grated cheese, tomatoes, salsa, diced purple onions, olives, guacamole, etc.

DIRECTIONS:

Mix the seasoning with salsa and pour over chicken. You can add some more water if you think it needs more liquid, but the salsa and the chicken will produce ample liquid as it cooks.

 


Cover and cook on high for 4 to 6 hours, or low for 6 to 8 hours. The chicken is done when it can be shredded easily with a fork.

Lift the chicken out and shred it with a fork.

Serve with soft flour or corn tortillas, a spoonful of the veggies if you used them (lift them with a slotted spoon to drain out excess liquid), and your favorite toppings. Try any combination of lettuce, sour cream, shredded cheese, and tomatoes.

Make Your Own Baked Taco Shells

Working with 6 tortillas at a time, wrap in a barely damp cloth or paper towel and microwave on High until steamed, about 30 seconds. Lay the tortillas on a clean work surface and coat both sides with cooking spray. Then carefully drape each tortilla over two bars of the oven rack. Bake at 375°F until crispy, 7 to 10 minutes.

Recipe #24 Stuffed pepper soup

I made this soup on a foggy morning which turned into a sunny afternoon.  I was looking for a recipe to make which would allow me to use up some ingredients I had already.  So, no green bell pepper, just red, yellow and orange peppers.  I still haven't bought marjoram so I used my oregano with red pepper flakes.  I also used canned tomatoes with jalapeno peppers.  Needless to say, my recipe turned out spicier than the original recipe which I found on a wonderful blog site "Skinnytaste.com."  This one is a definite keeper, I would make it next time with a regular can of tomatoes and one with the jalapenos (because I like spicy).  This would be great with a nice cold beer, wish I had one.  Happy Cooking! 

Stuffed Pepper Soup
Skinnytaste.com
Servings: 6 • Size: 1 1/3 cups soup, 1/2 cup rice • Old Points: 5 pts • Points+: 7 pts
Calories: 261.2 • Fat: 4.8 g • Carb: 37.5 g • Fiber: 4.7 g • Protein: 17.6 g • Sugar: 6 g
Sodium: 606.3 g (without salt)


Ingredients:

• 3 cups cooked brown rice
• 1 lb 95% lean ground beef
• 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 1 cup finely diced onion
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 cans (14.5 oz each) cans petite diced tomatoes
• 1 3/4 cups tomato sauce
• 2 cups reduced sodium, fat-free chicken broth
• 1/2 tsp dried marjoram
• salt and fresh pepper to taste

Directions:

In a large pot or dutch oven, brown ground meat on high heat and season with salt. Drain fat if any, reduce heat to medium-low, then add peppers, onions and garlic. Cook about 5 minutes on low heat.

Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, chicken broth, marjoram and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and simmer on low heat for 30 minutes. Serve about 1 1/3 cups of soup in each bowl and top with 1/2 cup cooked brown rice.

new-recipe-week: Recipe #23 Shaved Brussells Sprouts with Bacon and...

new-recipe-week: Recipe #23 Shaved Brussells Sprouts with Bacon and...: Shaved Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Almonds I was recently in Dallas and had a delicious brussels sprouts salad from Parigi's Resta...

Recipe #23 Shaved Brussells Sprouts with Bacon and Almonds

Shaved Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Almonds

I was recently in Dallas and had a delicious brussels sprouts salad from Parigi's Restaurant; I did some searching and found a recipe which was supposed to be from there, but it didn't make sense.  I then went in search for something similar and found this recipe from AllRecipes.com from Boomdog02 ,    I used a 16 oz bag of brussels sprouts from Trader Joes and chopped the sprouts in half and then cut out the stems.  Next, I sliced them thinly; I tried to use a mandolin, but I found that slicing with the knife worked better; I noticed that TJ's actually has shredded bs now and that would save a lot of time.  I made the recipe pretty much as is, except that I added the juice of one lemon over the shredded sprouts.  I also used Marcona Almonds with Rosemary.  I had intended to have this as a side dish, but instead ate about half the recipe as my dinner with a nice bottle of Toasted Head Chardonnay.  Happy Cooking!

 

           

Prep Time:
20 Min

Cook Time:
10 MinReady In:
30 Min

Ingredients

• 4 pounds Brussels sprouts, trimmed and thinly sliced
• 6 slices bacon, chopped
• 1/3 cup sliced almonds
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Fry bacon in a large deep skillet over medium heat until browned and crisp, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside on paper towels. 

           

2.     Add the garlic and almonds to the fat in the skillet and cook briefly over medium heat until toasted.

3.  Add the Brussels sprouts and quickly toss to coat with the hot oil. Sprinkle the red wine vinegar over the sprouts and toss again to coat. Cook, stirring frequently, until sprouts are wilted.








 4.   Remove from the heat, stir in the bacon and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Nutritional Information

Amount Per Serving Calories: 222 | Total Fat: 12.1g | Cholesterol: 14mg

Recipe #22 Grilled Salmon and Zucchini Fritters

My friend Susie brought the red sock eye salmon [I think that's what it was called - it was so fresh], but didn't like some of the options that I had chosen for recipes so we settled on this recipe with soy sauce and brown sugar.  The zucchini fritters were also delicious, but sure did not look like the recipe; I noted that in the reviews many people suggested additions [corn starch or rolled oats] to help the fritters stay together; I added more flour but also think they could have benefited from more potato.  I don't know if I made them too large, but the recipe only yielded three cakes.  I didn't make the Tzatziki sauce because fortunately I checked the date on my yogurt and it was expired, but the recipe looks simple and tasty.  The only thing missing from this meal was a side dish of rice or quinoa.  The salmon recipe is from AllRecipes.com by tinamenina and the zucchini fritters I found on Pinterest from Alexandra's Kitchen. I used my faithful George Forman grill for the salmon and it was delicious! The only thing I did differently for the salmon recipe was to add sliced lemon to the process.  We served a simple Chardonnay.   Happy Cooking!

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds salmon fillets
• lemon pepper to taste
• garlic powder to taste
• salt to taste
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil

Directions

1. Season salmon fillets with lemon pepper, garlic powder, and salt.
2. In a small bowl, stir together soy sauce, brown sugar, water, and vegetable oil until sugar is dissolved. Place fish in a large resealable plastic bag with the soy sauce mixture, seal, and turn to coat. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
3. Preheat grill for medium heat.
4. Lightly oil grill grate. Place salmon on the preheated grill, and discard marinade. Cook salmon for 6 to 8 minutes per side, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork.

Nutritional Information

Amount Per Serving Calories: 318 | Total Fat: 20.1g | Cholesterol: 56mgPowered by ESHA Nutrient Database

Zucchini Fritters with Tzatziki from:

Serves 2, Yield=6
2 cups coarsely grated zucchini
1/2 cup coarsely grated potato
kosher salt
pinch of flour
1 egg
1 tablespoon chopped chives (or whatever herb you like)
1 tablespoon chopped mint (or whatever herb you like)
zest of one lemon
1/4 cup diced white onion
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Tzatziki:
1 cup Greek yogurt
2 T. finely diced red onion
1 T. chopped mint
kosher salt
squeeze of lemon juice
1. Place the grated zucchini and potato in a colander. Spread the veggies out to allow for maximum surface area exposure and sprinkle all over with kosher salt. Let sit for at least 30 minutes to drain.
2. Meanwhile, make the tzatziki, if desired: Stir together yogurt, onion, mint, salt and lemon juice. Taste. Add more salt if necessary. Chill until ready to use.

3. After the 30 minutes, squeeze veggies out and wrap in paper towels. Squeeze again. [Note: The veggies will not drain out enough liquid on their own in the collander, so squeezing them with a paper towel is a critical step to mopping up that moisture.] Open up the paper towel and spread out your veggies. Sprinkle with a pinch of flour to soak up leftover moisture.

4. In a bowl, whisk together egg, herbs and lemon zest. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add onion and grated zucchini-potato mixture. Stir well.

5. Preheat over to 200˚F. Place a foil-lined cookie sheet in the oven. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter. When foam subsides, drop a spoonful of your fritter batter in. Gently pat with a spatula to flatten out the fritters, which will help make them crispy.
6. Cook about 3 fritters at a time until golden brown on each side. Place fritters in the oven while you make additional pancakes. Serve as soon as possible with tzatziki on the side.

Nutritional Information

Grilled Salmon I

Servings Per Recipe: 6
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 318

• Total Fat: 20.1g
• Cholesterol: 56mg
• Sodium: 1091mg
• Total Carbs: 13.2g
• Dietary Fiber: 0.1g
• Protein: 20.5g

VIEW DETAILED NUTRITION
About: Nutrition Info