Mexican Chicken Casserole

Can you tell I enjoy the taste of Mexican food?  This casserole uses a lot of the same ingredients as the soup I posted before.  It makes a lot less, which is good for Tom and I.  I did put some cheddar cheese in it too.  Some people may not consider it "healthy" but overall the recipe is good for us!!

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 onion chopped
1 1/2 Tblspns olive oil
1/4 cup cilantro (chopped)
1 tsp cumin
1 15 oz can black beans (drained and rinsed)
1 can ro-tel (include liquid)
1 can chopped green chilis
1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice
1 cup grated cheddar cheese

I boiled the chicken breasts until done (grilled would give it an extra good flavor) Saute' the onions in the olive oil.  Combine all ingredients except the cheese.  Pour half the mixture into a casserole dish sprayed with non stick cooking spray.  Sprinkle half of the cheese over mixture.  Add remaining mixture and top with remaining cheese.  Bake @ 400 for about 45 minutes. 

You may be able to cut down on the cooking time.  I had mixed this up the night before so it was cold when I put it in the oven. 

It would be good vegetarian too.........or with ground beef........or with some steak or chicken fajita meat.  Just a few suggestions :)

If anyone out there would like to share a healthy recipe, email it to me and I would be happy to post it.
Thanks for reading!!!

Mexican Rice

To make this as good for us as I could, I used brown rice.

1 cup brown rice
1 Tblspn vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups chicken broth (preferably low sodium, or vegetable broth if you're going meatless)
1/2 onion finely chopped
1/2 green bell pepper finely chopped
1 fresh jalapeno chopped
1 tomato, seeded and chopped
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 cup fresh cilantro chopped
1 clover garlic, finely chopped

Here are the traditional cooking instructions.
In medium saucepan, cook rice in oil for about 3 minutes.  Pour in chicken broth and bring to a boil.  Stir in onion, green pepper, jalapeno, and diced tomato.  Season with salt, pepper, cumin, cilantro and garlic.  Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to low.  Cook for 20 minutes

I've made it in a saucepan and it is very good.  However, I've since bought a rice cooker and I love using it.  I put all the ingredients into the rice cooker, OMITTING THE OIL and let it cook until it is done.  So easy, no stirring, no potential for scorching, etc. and very easy clean-up.

You've got to try this the next time you have a craving for Mexican food.  It is fairly spicey, so you may want to use less jalapeno. 

For me, recipes are suggestions.  It is a list of ingredients that go well together and can be adjusted for your personal taste.

Smokey Chipotle Hummus

Hummus is a dip whose primary ingredient is chickpeas aka garbanzo beans.  This is my favorite hummus recipe so far.  The recipe calls for several ingredients, but I think it is worth the effort.  It has lots of flavor.  Use as a dip for veggies or when I want something really crunchy, I use pita chips.

1 (15 oz) can garbanzo beans - drained
1/8 cup tahini (sesame seed paste, NATURAL peanut butter can be used as a substitute)
1/8 cup fresh lemon juice
1 Tblspn olive oil
1/2 of a canned chipotle pepper in adobe sauce (this is half of ONE pepper, not half a can)
1 clove garlic
3/4 tsp cumin
1/2 of a 7 oz jar of roasted red bell peppers
3 oil packed sun-dried tomatoes (drained)
1/4 cup cilantro (chopped)
Salt & Pepper to your taste

Put the first 7 ingredients into food processor (I use a blender) process until smooth.  Add remaining ingredients and pulse processor until ingredients are coarsely chopped into the hummus base.  Transfer to serving bowl and chill until ready to serve.

When I first used this recipe, it was double the amounts.  It made quite a bit so I've halved the recipe and this is how I make it now.  If you find the initial mixture too thick, add up to 1/4 cup of water to thin it.

I was only able to find tahini paste in a health food store.  Everything I read on the internet said I could use peanut butter as a substitute.  I wanted to taste it for myself first before I tried any substititions.  Tahini does taste very similar to NATURAL peanut butter.  Do not use regular peanut butter as a substitute.

The canned chipotle peppers in adobe sauce can be found in the Mexican food section of your grocery store.

If you're like me, these ingredients intimidated me a little.  I went for it and am glad I did.  It's a new taste and a healthy snack!! 

I've also spread this on a whole grain "thin bun" and added some chopped rotisserie chicken and made a sandwich.  Good stuff.
I hope you enjoy it

Mexican Vegetable Soup

I've had prejudice against soup in the summer.  I don't know why.  I eat other foods hot, so why the aversion to soup?  This is one of my favorite dishes.  I like Mexican food so I came up with this during the Daniel Fast.  It is "Chicken Tortilla Soup" without chicken or tortillas.  The green chilis and the cilantro make it EXTRA good.

CAUTION - THIS MAKES A HUGE POT OF SOUP

1/2 to 1 whole onion chopped
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 14 oz can stewed tomatoes  - chopped
1 can Ro-Tel
1 can Dark Red Kidney Beans (drained and rinsed)
1 can Black Beans (drained and rinsed)
2 cans whole kernel corn
3 cans chopped green chilis (use the liquid too)
4 cans vegetable broth (I use chicken broth if we are not fasting meat)
2 cups cooked brown rice (it's a whole grain, better for stable blood sugar)
1/8 cup cilantro, finely chopped (it's in the produce aisle, looks like parsley)
3 tspns cumin
2 tspns garlic (I usually use the minced stuff in the jar, sometimes I'll chop a clove instead)

Directions
Saute onion & garlic in olive oil.  Add everything else and simmer for at least an  hour. 

Since we are not fasting, when I made this tonight I added the meat off of a rotisserie chicken.  There is still protein in this meal even without the chicken.  The beans and rice provide it nicely.

I  hope you make this.  It is exciting to have satisfying mexican flavor without all the cheese that is usually added into mexican dishes.

Thanks for reading and your comments!!!

Crunchy Snack

Roasted Chickpeas

2 15 oz cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans)

2 Tblspns olive oil

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 Tblspn chili powder

1/8 tsp ground red pepper

Rinse chick peas in collander, drain them well.  In a medium size bowl, combine chickpeas, olive oil, salt & pepper.  Mix well to coat.  Spread the chickpeas out on a foil lined baking sheet. 

Bake in 400 degree oven for around 20 minutes, shaking the pan twice during baking.

Remove chickpeas from the oven.  In a small bowl, combine chili powder & ground red pepper.  Place mixture in a small sieve to sprinkle over cooked chickpeas.  Bake another 5 minutes or until dark golden-red.

That is the official recipe.  When I made mine, I halved the recipe (cause I only had one can of chickpeas).  After I baked them the first time, I divided the chickpeas in half again and seasoned one half with the recipe and the other half with a half Tblspn of dry ranch dip mix.  They turned out pretty good.  The flavor is nice, but I would like them crunchier.  You may have to play around with the temp and the baking time to accomodate different ovens.  Hope you will try it!!!!

Thanks for the recipe Kim!!!!

Roasted Cauliflower?

Who knew you could roast cauliflower in the oven?  You can, and it's delicious!!!  I made this recipe about a week ago.  My husband & I both liked it just the way it is, but next time, I may try lemon juice instead of the vinegar and I think a little garlic would be good too.

Ingredients
8 cups 1 inch thick slices of cauliflower florets (1 large head)
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. dried marjoram
1/4 tsp. salt
Pepper to taste
2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup finely shredded parmesan cheese




Preheat oven to 450.

Toss cauliflower, oil, marjoram, salt & pepper in a large bowl.  Spread on a cookie sheet.  Roast for 15 to 20 minutes until cauliflower is softening and staring to brown on the bottom.  Remove from oven, return to large bowl and toss with vinegar and parmesan cheese.  Return to the oven and roast until cheese is melted and any moisture has evaporated, 5 to 10 minutes more.