Mexican Rice Bowls

I made these for dinner last night and they were a big hit with everyone. We are eating healthier at our house and this was not only healthy, but so delicious that I plan on making it regularly. It will be great for the summer because it requires no oven and you can make it in about 20 minutes AND it is meatless and inexpensive, yea! I hope to share many healthy and delicious recipes in the coming months with the calories calculated for you. O course, I will mix it up with the occasional splurge, we can't completely deprive ourselves, right?

Mexican Rice Bowls

Click here for printable version

Cilantro lime rice (click here for recipe)
2 cans black beans
1 small bag frozen corn or 4 cobs of corn cooked and kernals removed
4 roma tomatoes, diced
1 avacado, diced
salsa (I make this recipe once a week, it is THE best!)
cilantro

Layer all ingredients, starting with rice then corn and beans, tomatoes, salsa then avacado. Top with cilantro.

Calories: 260
Fat: 5 grams
Protein: 8 grams

Cilantro Lime Rice

I have made this rice several times and I see the recipe for it all over the place and I am sure many of you already have it. It is so good and perfect for the next recipe I am posting.

1 cup long grain rice
1 can chicken broth
zest of 1/2 lime
2 garlic cloves
2 tsp. sugar
2 Tbs. lime juice
3 Tbs. chopped cilantro

Combine rice, chicken broth, lime zest and garlic in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cover for 20 minutes. Fluff with fork and in a small bowl combine sugar, lime juice and cilantro then toss with the rice. Serve.

Pasta Taco Salad

This is the first time I have had a mexican pasta and it certainly won't be the last. This is definitely part of my regular rotation now. I loved it for dinner and I loved it the next day for lunch. It will be great in the summer because you don't need the oven and I like having meatless meals on the menu.

Pasta Taco Salad

1 pound pasta (bowtie, wagonwheel or spiral)
salt
1 (10-ounce) package frozen corn
1½ cups salsa (I reccomend making this and using it, I make up a batch every Saturday and never buy jarred salsa anymore after finding it)
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
3 roma tomatoes, diced
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 large avocado, peeled, seeded, and diced
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin powder
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
¼ cup olive oil

1. Cook pasta according to package directions with 1 Tablespoon of salt. Drain pasta and stir the corn in frozen to cool pasta and defrost corn. Toss the pasta with salsa then the beans, tomatoes, cilantro, and cheese.

2. Toss the avacado with the lime juice, remove avacado and add to pasta. With remaining lime juice, add spices, garlic, and ½ teaspoon salt, then slowly whisk in the oil. Add dressing to pasta. Serve immediately. Stays well for up to 1 day in fridge, longer if you keep the avacado separate.

adapted from: The Way the Cookie Crumbles

Crock Pot Mexican Chicken

My friend Lisa gave me this recipe a few months ago and I am wondering why in the world it took me so long to try it. I totally trust her when it comes to recipes, I always love everything she makes. I absolutely love this chicken and it will be a very regular part of my menu rotation. I chose to serve it in quesadillas tonight but am looking forward to using this in tacos, burritos, salads and anything else I can think of. It is SO yummy. Try it!

Lisa's Cafe Rio Chicken

3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken

1 1/2 cups italian dressing

1 Tablespoon minced garlic

1 Tablespoon chili powder

juice of 1 lime

1/4 cup cilantro

Place chicken in a 4-6 quart slow cooker. Pour dressing over top and sprinkle with chili powder and garlic. Cover and cook for 7-8 hours on low or 3-4 hours on high. Remove chicken from crock pot, shred with a couple of forks, then put back in crock pot. Cover and cook an additional 30 minutes. Add lime juice and cilantro.

Serve in tacos, burritos, quesadillas or taco salad.

Quick Bean and Beef Burritos

Does this count as a recipe? Maybe more of a dinner idea. This can be thrown together in no time at all. My kids love it as well as my husband. I made too much so I wrapped and froze them indivudually and we had dinner for the next week all ready.

Bean / Beef Burritos

beans, I made my own pinto beans or you could use a can of refried
1 pound ground beef
taco seasoning
onion
tortillas
1 can enchilada sauce
shredded cheese

Cook or warm up beans and cook meat with onion and seasoning. Spread a small amount of beans and meat on each tortilla, sprinkle with cheese and roll up. Place in a 9x13 pan. When you are done rolling the burritos, top them with enchilada sauce and some shredded cheese. Place in 350 degree oven just until cheese melts. You could also jsut put each individual burrito in the microwave. Top with sour cream, cilantro and/or salsa. Also yummy with avacado.

Restaurant Salsa

This recipe comes from The Pioneer Woman and let me tell you, it is as good as every recipe I have tried from her website. I could not get enough. I thought it was even better the next day and when mixed with a little sour cream, I could have snacked on it all day long. I don't really want to buy bottled salsa ever again, I could make this once a week for the rest of my life and be very happy.

Restaurant Style Salsa

The Pioneer Woman

1 can (28 Ounce) Whole Tomatoes With Juice

2 cans (10 Ounce) Rotel (diced Tomatoes And Green Chilies)

¼ cups Chopped Onion

1 clove Garlic, Minced

1 whole Jalapeno, Quartered And Sliced Thin

¼ teaspoons Sugar

¼ teaspoons Salt

¼ teaspoons Ground Cumin

½ cups Cilantro (more To Taste!)

½ whole Lime Juice

Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender and pulse 10 to 15 times, until desired consistency. Taste and season more if needed.

Refrigerate salsa for at least an hour.

Taco Salad

I made these for my husband's neice and her boyfriend who came over for dinner. I just set up a taco salad bar and let everyone build their own. I can't think of a meal I enjoy more, anything that goes well with good salsa and guacamole is good to me! It seemed to be a hit, the best compliment when you cook is when everyone wants lots of seconds.

My favorite taco salad

taco bowls (I purchased from a grocery store service deli , these beans , meat from this recipe, pico de gallo, this guacamole, sour cream, cheese , this dressing, lettuce and any other favorite toppings.

Carne Asada Tacos (my new favorite)

This recipe came from my sister Aileen in an email last week and I new feel forever in debt to her. I will be making this meal at least twice a month during the summer. It took no time at all and I enjoyed it as much, or better, than any restaurant taco I have ever had. These are my most favorite meal to ever come off our grill, the meat is so thin that it is a piece of cake to get it just right and it cooks in minutes. Seriously, these are awesome!


3 pounds carne asada (The package labeled "carne asada" was in small little pieces, be sure to buy it as a large piece you can put on the grill. It wasn't called carne asada at the store I went to so I asked the butcher, it is the steak that is cut super thin)
1/3 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 limes, juiced
1/2 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 white onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 lime, juiced
Lay the carne asada in a large glass baking dish. In a medium bowl, whisk together the vinegar, soy sauce, 4 cloves of garlic, juice of two limes, and olive oil. Season with salt, black pepper, garlic powder, chili powder, and cumin. Whisk until well blended, then pour over the steak in the dish. Turn over once to coat both sides. Cover with plastic wrap, and marinate for 1 to 8 hours.

Cook on the grill for just a few minutes each side, it cooks really fast since it is so thin. After done, slice into strips.

In a small bowl, stir together 1 chopped white onion, cilantro, and the juice of 1 lime. Set aside to use as a relish for the tacos.

serve with corn tortillas cooked in vegetable oil (if you want these to be like a restaurant, be sure not to skip this step, heat the oil over medium heat and dip the tortillas, turning once for just a second on each side. Blot on paper towels)

We also served with cheese and sour cream, add any of your favorite taco toppings.

Chicken Green Chili Salad

A long time ago I came across this copycat recipe to my favorite salad at Bajio and it is pretty close. I found it at Your Home Based Mom, she has the most wonderful recipes. It is a sweet chicken mixture with a green chili sauce. I served it on a tortilla with lettuce, pico de gallo, this dressing and cheese.

Chicken Green Chili Salad

(printable version here)

5 chicken breasts (I only used 4 large ones)
1/2 cup salsa
1 Tbsp cumin
1/2 cup brown sugar (more to taste)
1 4 oz. can diced green chilies
6 oz. Sprite (1/2 can)

Combine all ingredients in a crock pot. Cook on low for 5-6 hours. Remove chicken and shred. Return to crock pot and cook 1 more hour. Thicken the juices with a little cornstarch mixed in water.

If you want it more spicy than sweet, a hotter salsa and extra chilis.

Walking Tacos

I absolutely LOVE this meal, I don't know where it first came from but I have many memories eating this at family gatherings whether it was at Lake Powell on a houseboat or in Greer, AZ at my grandparents cabin. There are 43 cousins on my mom's side, add a bunch of adults and this was a great meal for a crowd if you need because it is so easy to double, triple or more, it is cheap, easy and oh so delish! I always serve it with Baked Tostitos. It really isn't that bad if you use fat free sour cream and baked chips. In fact, it is rather low points on the Weight Watchers scale, if you are into that kind of thing. My kids ask for seconds without fail every time we have this.

Walking Tacos

(printable version here)

1 lb. ground beef

1 can chili beans

1 can refried beans

1 can stewed tomatoes

1 onion, chopped

1 can chopped green chilies

salt

pepper

cumin powder

chili powder

garlic powder

Cook meat with onion, drain fat and add beans, tomatoes and green chilies. Season with salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder and garlic powder to taste.

Layer the following:

tortilla chips

meat/bean mixtures

cheese

sour cream

avacado

olives

green onions

lettuce

tomato

salsa

Chicken Fajitas

These are quite possible the best fajitas we have had. They were total restaurant quality and taste. I will be making these on the outdoor grill this summer many, many times. I think they will be even better charred on the grill. Our house smelled divine the night we cooked these, just like a restaurant.

Chicken Fajitas, Cooks Illustrated (printable version here)

1/3 cup fresh lime juice (2 to 3 limes

6 TBS. vegetable oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 TBS worchestershire sauce

1 1/2 tsp brown sugar

1 jalapeno chile, seeds and ribs removed, minced

1 1/2 TBS minced fresh cilantro

salt and pepper

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (pounded to 1/2 inch thickness)

1 red onion, peeled adn cut into 1/2 inch quartes (DO NOT SEPARATE RINGS)

1 red bell pepper, quartered, stemmed and seeded

1 green bell pepper, quartered, stemmed, and seeded

8-12 (6-inch) flour tortillas

Wisk lime juice, 4 TBS of oil, garlic, worcestershire, brown sugar, jalapeno, cilantro, 1 tsp salt and 3/4 tsp pepper together in medium wobl. Reserv 1/4 cup of marinade and set aside. Add 1 more tsp salt to the remaining marinade adn add the chicken. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15 minutes. Brush the onion rounds and peppers with remaining 2 TBS oil and season with salt and pepper.

*This is the part where I differed, you are supposed to cook them over coals which I am certain would make these even more fabulous.*

Instead, I heated my indoor grill and cooked chicken until well browned. Cook peppers and onions until spottily charred and crisp-tender, turning once or twice. When chicken and veggies are done, transfer to a large plate and tent with tin foil to keep warm.

Heat tortillas 20 seconds or so until lightly browned. Separate onions into rings and slice peppers into strips. Toss veggies with 2 TBS of remaining marinade. Slice chicken and toss tiwh other 2 TBS marinade.

Serve with cheese, pico de gallo, guacamole and sour cream.