Chicken and Brown Rice Bowls with Chipotle Cream Sauce

March 20, 2013 by · 2 Comments

Chicken and Rice Bowls with Chipotle Cream sauce

We have had a can of chipotle chilies in our pantry that we have been meaning to use for the last few weeks. I was a little hesitant to add it to anything because I thought it might be a little spicy for the girls. They are learning to appreciate some heat in food, but chipotles can be really spicy!

Jim said he wanted to put together some rice bowls one afternoon for lunch and I thought the best way to use the chipotles was to put them into a sauce so we could add them to our bowls only.

Wow, this sauce added so much flavor to this dish.  The bowls are yummy by themselves, but with the smoky, spicy creamy sauce they were out of this world!

I didn’t always love brown rice and it is sometimes kind of a pain to make because it takes forever to cook.  Definitely not your mom’s minute rice:-).  However, I was visiting Beaverton, Oregon a few years ago for work and I tried the rice bowls at a place called Cafe Yumm! (holy good food) and the rice was absolutely amazing.  I found out that it was brown Jasmine rice.

For a while I couldn’t find brown Jasmine rice near me, but now I think you can find it at many grocery stores.  I buy it in large bags at my beloved Asian supermarket in Cary for about 9 bucks.  It cooks quicker than normal brown rice and it honestly tastes very much like white rice.  The girls don’t usually like brown rice and they will eat Jasmine brown rice without noticing.  So there you have it:-)  I know Jasmine rice is an Asian rice, but it still works A-OK with any type of dish.

These bowls are so flavorful and you can pack them with lots of nutrition.  Be a little careful of putting too much rice in your bowl if you are watching calories.  Brown rice is a good carb, but it still packs a ton of calories – 1/4 cup has 190 calories so try to stick to that.  I wouldn’t worry too much about it, but just watch your portion sizes.   It’s easy to pile a huge amount of rice in the bottom of a bowl – I know:-).

Enjoy these bowls and definitely make this sauce.  If you have extra chipotles just throw them (along with the sauce) in a plastic bag and freeze for the next time a craving for this comes along….and it will come along, I promise!

Chicken and Brown Rice Bowls with Chipotle Cream Sauce
 
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Ingredients
  • ¼ Cup Greek Yogurt
  • ¼ Cup Light Mayonnaise
  • 1-2 chipotle chilies with 2 teaspoons sauce (depending on how spicy you like things)
  • juice of half a lime
  • Dash of salt, pepper and garlic powder
  • 2 Grilled Chicken Breasts
  • 1 Avocado
  • 2 Green Onions chopped
  • ½ cup black beans
  • Salsa
  • Sea Salt
  • Jasmine Brown Rice – enough for 4 servings
  • Optional: Cilantro and shredded cheese, Baked Crumbled Tortilla Chips, chopped tomato

Instructions
  1. In the bowl of a food processor mix the yogurt, mayo, chipotles with sauce, lime juice and salt and pepper. Mix until thoroughly combined. You can also throw a little of the cilantro in this sauce for some extra flavor.
  2. Between four bowls divide the rice, chicken avocado, onions and beans. Top with the salsa, chipotle cream sauce and any optional topping you may choose. I like to mash my avocado right in the bowl as I don’t like chunks and it coats the rice really well. Give each bowl a few cracks of sea salt.
  3. I personally don’t think you need any cheese in these bowls, but the kids like to have some and they can afford the calories:-).

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Chicken and Refried Bean Enchiladas

March 11, 2013 by · 2 Comments

Chicken and Refried Bean Enchiladas

I’m not completely sure if these are enchiladas because they don’t have a sauce on them.  They aren’t burritos because they aren’t completely enclosed.  They certainly aren’t tacos and even though I use fajita shells they are far from fajitas.  So I am going to call them enchiladas and if you would like to add some enchilada sauce, then go for it.

Can I tell you my pet peeve about burritos?  I can’t stand it when they (certain burrito-serving restaurants) stuff a burrito with rice.  I feel like the rice is just unnecessary calories and you already have plenty of carbs from the tortilla.   Plus I don’t like the taste of the rice wrapped up in a tortilla shell.  Just give me the meat, veggies, cheese and beans and keep your stinkin’ rice:-).  Oh, and give me some cilantro, too – and lots of it!

These chicken and refried bean “enchiladas” are so good and so simple.  I love the creamy filling and you can eat them with any toppings your heart desires.

I have two Trader Joe’s shout-outs with this recipe.  First of all, their refried pinto beans are awesome and that is what I usually make these with.  Second shout out is for their red and green jarred salsas.  Not only are the inexpensive, but they are the best tasting jarred salsas I have ever found.  No extra preservatives or thickening agents to make them taste funny.  They taste super fresh – just like a salsa you would get with your chips at your favorite Mexican restaurant.  Yum!

Enjoy!

Chicken and Refried Bean Enchiladas
 
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Ingredients
  • 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts – cooked and shredded
  • 1 can of fat-free refried beans (I love Trader Joe’s)
  • 3 cups of shredded Colby-Jack Cheese
  • 1 cup of restaurant-style salsa (I also like TJ’s jarred red salsa for this because it isn’t chunky)
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 10 flour tortilla shells – Fajita Size
  • 2 Green Onions – white and green parts sliced
  • Chopped Cilantro
  • Extra Salsa for serving

Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9X13 pan with cooking spray.
  2. Combine shredded chicken, refried beans, 1½ cups of cheese, salsa, salt and garlic powder in a bowl. Place filling down the middle of each tortilla and roll up. Place stuffed tortillas seam side down in your casserole dish.
  3. Once all tortillas are stuffed place any remaining chicken and bean mixture along the sides of the dish. Cover the shells with the remaining cheese.
  4. Bake in oven covered with foil for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 5 minutes. or until cheese is bubbly. Remove from oven and sprinkle with green onion and cilantro. Serve with additional salsa or your favorite toppings.
  5. Enjoy!

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Mexican Style Pulled Pork

February 1, 2013 by · 4 Comments

Mexican Pulled Pork

I have to be honest about one thing today. I will apologize in advance for saying this, too. Okay, here goes. I could care less about the Super Bowl this year except for the excuse to make some yummy football food. I don’t even really care that much about the commercials.

There, I said it.

I will back up a bit. I would like to see the Ravens win because I lived in Baltimore for about 4 years and Jim is somewhat of a fan.  He is actually a Redskins fan.   But the truth is, I am a Bills fan and after 4 straight super bowl losses back in the 90′s I have just lost interest in the event.

Except for the food:-).

This pulled pork would be perfect for the game, especially if you don’t want to fuss. I used a pork tenderloin and wasn’t sure if the flavor would compare to using a pork shoulder or other fattier cut, but surprisingly I thought this was amazing. To me, Mexican food is about the bright flavors and this pork has just that. I used taco seasoning, a jar of good verde salsa and the juice of a lime and it was perfect. I also added in some shredded cheese at the end and that just brought the dish together.

This cooks in the slow cooker, but you could also use your dutch oven. I also think it would be great to take the pork at the end and put it under the broiler to crisp the edges a bit. Yum!

The other thing I have to say is that although I like chicken in Mexican dishes there is something about pork that just takes things up a notch or two. Kind of like the difference between shredded chicken for barbecue and shredded pork. I guess living in North Carolina for 5+ years makes me more of a pork girl:-).

I used a packet of taco seasoning, but if you would like to make your own seasoning you can find a good homemade version here.

I also am a big fan of Trader Joe’s salsa verde. If you like the salsa that they serve in restaurants then you need to try either their red salsa or salsa verde in the chip aisle. No preservatives, no thickening agents, no artificial colors and somehow its the best store-bought jarred  salsa I have ever had.  Go figure. Gotta love TJ’s.

We put the shredded pork on top of fajita wraps and then had different toppings for everyone to pick from. I liked mine with black beans, cilantro, crumbled cojita cheese, guac, salsa and chopped green onions. We also made quesadillas the next day. Lots of options!

So, I hope you enjoy the Super Bowl this year, whether it’s the game, the commercials or the food!

Mexican Style Pulled Pork
 
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Ingredients
  • 2 pork tenderloins – they usually come 2 to a package
  • 1 packet of taco seasoning or make your own
  • 1 jar of salsa verde
  • juice from 1 lime
  • 1-2 cups of shredded Mexican cheese blend

Instructions
  1. Place pork, seasoning and salsa in slow cooker and heat on low.
  2. After 6-7 hours check pork and it should shred easily. I used two forks to shred.
  3. Add lime juice and cheese and cook for 1 additional hour.
  4. If you would like to make it crispier place pork on a sheet pan and broil for a few minutes.
  5. Enjoy!

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Mexican Pork Salad with Avocado Dressing

March 7, 2012 by · 5 Comments

Salad

On Monday I posted the Chili Rubbed Pork Tenderloin and I said that I would post the salad that we made with the leftover pork. When we buy tenderloin it comes in a package of two. We usually only eat one  so we always have leftovers. I don’t always love reheating it, so a salad is always a great way to use up the second half. Plus, adding lean protein to a salad is a great way to make it a meal.

The real recipe here is the Avocado Dressing which Reeni posted on Cinnamon Girl Recipes. The recipe is originally from Everyday Food, however looking at Reeni’s picture of her chicken salad is what really prompted me to make this. She also did what I would have done and swapped the mint out for the cilantro.

If you are looking for a different way to get some avocado in your life, definitely try this dressing.   It’s extremely flavorful and you can pour it on so many things. It will keep for a couple of days, too.  Buttermilk is usually fat-free so it’s a nice healthy way to add some flavor. Plus you know how good avocado is for you, right?


Here is what I put on the salad :

Mixed field Greens
Avocado Pico de Gallo
Chili Crusted Pork Tenderloin – sliced as thin as you can get it
Shredded Cheese (I actually took a string cheese stick and pulled it apart and then chopped it up)
Crumbled Baked Blue Corn Chips
Sautéed Corn and Peppers – optional (I will share the recipe for this later, but you can also just add some canned or frozen and defrosted corn.)
Avocado Dressing – below

Avocado Buttermilk Dressing
 
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Ingredients
  • 2 ripe avocados
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 2 scallions chopped
  • 1 good handful cilantro
  • ¼ cup chopped parsley
  • 3 Tablespoons lemon juice
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions
  1. In a blender or a food processor combine avocados, buttermilk, scallions, cilantro, parsley and lemon juice until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

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Migas

February 12, 2012 by · 6 Comments

Have you ever had Migas before? If not, try them soon.

I first saw this recipe in the Pioneer Woman Cooks cookbook.  You can also find the recipe on her blog.  They are all that is good about Mexican style eggs. Crunchy tortilla cut up and mixed in with the scrambled eggs along with all of the yummy fixins.

This is perfect brunch or breakfast food and it will keep you nice and full for a busy day!

We are heading out to a place called Celebrity Dairy this afternoon. They have an “Open Barn” today and apparently you can see all of the baby goats at the farm. They also have a little spread for lunch with Johnnycakes and soup. You can also get some of their own Chevre which I can’t wait for. It’s a bit cold here today (and windy) so we are going to bundle up.

Enjoy!

Source:  Adapted slightly from Pioneer Woman Cooks

Migas
 
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Recipe type: Breakfast

Ingredients
  • 4-6 corn tortillas
  • Oil for frying
  • 1 red onion
  • 1 red bell pepper
  • 4 plum tomatoes
  • 1 jalapeno
  • 12 eggs
  • Cojita or Monterrey Jack cheese (amount to your preference)
  • A good handful of Cilantro – chopped
  • ¼ cup half and half
  • 1 tablespoon each of butter and olive oil

Instructions
  1. Chop all of your veggies into a nice even dice. Set aside.
  2. Heat oil over medium heat and fry tortillas until they turn a bit crisp. Remove and chop into 1 inch squares
  3. Mix eggs in a bowl with half and half. Add salt and pepper to taste.
  4. In a skillet over medium heat saute onion and pepper in butter and oil mixture. Once the veggies are slightly tender add the jalapeno and tomato. Add the fried tortillas and mix in with the veggies. and then the egg mixture.
  5. Turn down the heat and add the eggs stirring gently to combine with the veggies and tortillas. Finally add the cheese and cilantro. Serve once the eggs are nicely set.
  6. Enjoy!

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