Chicken Tinga Tacos

D made these the other night.  I'm not sure if they were easy, but they were good.  Nice smoke flavor.

We had with refried pinto beans with chipotle.

Chicken Tinga Tacos

Photo by ALB

These bold and smoky tacos provide the perfect route to reinventing some leftover chicken. Serve them up with a crisp green salad for a light and refreshing weeknight supper.

Yield: Serves 4 (serving size: 2 tacos)
Total time: 24 Minutes

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon fresh oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 small chipotle chile, canned in adobo
3/4 cup chopped tomato
1/4 cup unsalted chicken stock
1 tablespoon adobo sauce
2 cups shredded chicken breast
1 cup shredded dark meat chicken
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
8 (6-inch) corn tortillas, warmed
1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1/2 cup cilantro
1 ripe peeled avocado, sliced
1 ounce queso fresco, crumbled
4 lime wedges

Preparation
1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; sauté 4 minutes. Add oregano, cumin, and chipotle chile; cook 1 minute. Add tomato, stock, and adobo; bring to a simmer. Cook 7 minutes. Place tomato mixture in a blender. Remove center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure blender lid on blender. Cover opening with a kitchen towel (to avoid splatters); blend until smooth. Return sauce to pan over low heat. Add chicken and salt; cook 1 minute. Divide mixture among tortillas. Top evenly with sour cream, cilantro, avocado, and cheese. Serve with lime.

Nutritional Information
Calories: 402; Fat 18 g; Sat fat: 4.6 g; Mono fat: 8.8 g; Poly fat: 2.6 g; Protein: 30 g; Carbohydrate: 33 g; Fiber: 8 g; Cholesterol: 99 mg; Iron: 2 mg; Sodium: 502 mg; Calcium: 131 mg; Sugars: 4 g; Est. Added Sugars: 0 g

Cooking Light, January 2016

Korean-Style Pork and Rice

I am in love with ground pork.  Not sure why I like it so much, but I do.  This recipe came in the newest Cooking Light, and I asked D if we could have it.  Amazingly our Kroger had gochujang paste as well, so it wasn't even a hassle to find.

The dish is slightly spicy and garlicky.  D and I were watching different TV shows, and I texted him in the middle of eating, "This is so good."  We will have again.

Korean-Style Pork and Rice

Photo by ALB

TOTAL TIME: 20 mins
YIELD: Serves 4

Deeply savory gochujang adds a mild heat to the finished dish so kids can still enjoy; look for it on the Asian foods aisle.

Ingredients 
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
12 ounces lean ground pork (used 1 lb)
3/4 cup finely chopped white onion
3/4 cup chopped green onions, divided
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/3 cup water
2 tablespoons gochujang sauce (such as Annie Chun's)
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
2 (8.8-oz.) pkg. precooked brown rice (such as Uncle Ben's) (used regular brown rice...cooked 3 Cups)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
4 lime wedges (didn't use)

Preparation
Heat oil in a large skillet over high. Add pork; cook 5 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Add white onion, 1/4 cup green onions, and garlic; cook 4 minutes. Add 1/3 cup water; cook 1 minute, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Remove from heat; stir in remaining 1/2 cup green onions, gochujang, soy sauce, and brown sugar.

Heat rice according to directions.

Place 1/2 cup pork mixture and 3/4 cup rice in each of 4 bowls; top with cilantro, vinegar, and lime wedges.

NUTRITION INFORMATION
Calories: 429; Fat: 17.4 g; Sat fat: 4 g; Mono fat: 2.7 g; Poly fat: 2.9 g; Protein: 23 g; Carbohydrate: 49 g; Fiber: 5 g; Cholesterol: 64 mg; Iron: 1 mg; Sodium: 532 mg; Calcium: 30 mg; Sugars: 7 g; Est. Added Sugars: 5 g

Cooking Light, JANUARY 2017

13 Smart Points (my additions/subtractions at 4 servings)

Spinach and Artichoke Penne with Chicken

So a few weeks ago, D made a recipe from Closet Cooking called Spinach and Artichoke Stuffed Chicken.  He views stuffing chicken as a PITA but did it anyway.  We each took a bite, realized the chicken was bad, and had to toss out the entire dinner. We were both bummed because it did taste good, minus the spoiled chicken.  So D said he would make it again, but he would just cut up the chicken and toss everything with penne.

So yesterday that is what he did.  It was basically Spinach and Artichoke Dip served on pasta with some chicken.  It was excellent.  We will have again.

Spinach and Artichoke Penne with Chicken

Photo by ALB

Adapted from Closet Cooking

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 5

Ingredients
4 (6 ounce) chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
Salt and Pepper to taste
10 ounces spinach, thawed or wilted, squeezed of excess liquid and coarsely chopped
1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts, coarsely chopped
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature (used low-fat)
1/2 cup mozzarella, shredded
1/4 cup parmigiano reggiano (parmesan), grated
salt, pepper and cayenne to taste
1 tablespoon oil (used cooking spray)
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup chicken broth
10 oz uncooked Penne

Directions
1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain.

2.  While pasta cooks, heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high. Add cooking spray to pan. Season the chicken with salt and pepper to taste. Add onion, chicken and garlic to pan and cook over medium heat for 4-5 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Stir in the artichokes, spinach, cheeses, seasoning and broth; heat through.

3. Drain pasta; toss with chicken mixture.

Yield: 5 servings.

14 Smart Points (my additions/subtractions at 5 servings)

Spiced Grilled Chicken Thighs with Creamy Chile-Herb Sauce

This is one of those recipes that I'm not sure how we missed the first time.  It is chicken with sauce...my favorite. Anyway, I saw it, showed it to D and he said he would make it.
Grilled chicken is always good, and then with the sauce.

We would have again.  We had with Spicy Fried Corn with Bacon and Chipotle.

Spiced Grilled Chicken Thighs with Creamy Chile-Herb Sauce

Photo by ALB

We love the contrast of the bright, herbaceous sauce with the smoky grilled chicken thighs.

Yield: Serves 4 (serving size: 2 chicken thighs and about 2 tablespoons sauce)

Ingredients
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, divided
1 tablespoon minced garlic, divided
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar, divided
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
8 bone-in chicken thighs, skinned (about 2 pounds)
Cooking spray
2 cups fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves (used 2 C Cilantro instead)
2 tablespoons half-and-half
1 tablespoon minced seeded jalapeño pepper

Preparation
1. Combine 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon lime juice, 2 teaspoons minced garlic, smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon sugar, cumin, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add chicken to bag; seal bag. Let stand 15 minutes, turning occasionally.

2. Preheat grill to medium.

3. Coat grill rack with cooking spray. Remove chicken from marinade; discard marinade. Sprinkle chicken with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add chicken to grill rack; grill 8 minutes on each side or until done.

4. Place remaining 2 table­spoons oil, remaining 1 tablespoon juice, remaining 1 teaspoon garlic, remaining 1/2 teaspoon sugar, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper, parsley, half-and-half, and jalapeño in the bowl of a mini food processor; process until finely chopped. Serve sauce with chicken thighs.

Nutritional Information
Amount per serving
Calories: 377; Fat: 18.5 g; Sat fat: 4 g; Mono fat: 8.9 g; Poly fat: 3 g; Protein: 45 g; Carbohydrate: 6 g; Fiber: 2 g; Cholesterol: 218 mg;  Iron: 4 mg; Sodium: 584 mg; Calcium: 84 mg

10 Smart Points (my additions/subtractions at 4 servings)

Cooking Light, AUGUST 2015

Greek Chicken Nachos

So this was a slightly different take on nachos.  I helped D make it. Overall it was good, and I liked it.  We both thought the chicken should have a bit more spice on it (he sauteed chicken with Greek Seasoning...didn't buy a rotisserie).

We would still have again.

Greek Chicken Nachos

Photo by ALB

ACTIVE TIME: 24 mins
TOTAL TIME: 33 mins
YIELD: Serves 6 (we got 4)

Ingredients
3 (6-in.) whole-wheat pitas
Cooking spray
2 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided (used 2 TBSP, where was the division supposed to be)
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
4 cups shredded romaine lettuce
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved lengthwise
1 cup chopped English cucumber (used a regular one)
10 pitted kalamata olives, halved lengthwise (Didn't use)
8 ounces skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken breast, shredded (about 2 cups)
3 ounces part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded (about 3/4 cup)
2 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (about 1/2 cup) (used reduced fat)
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh oregano

Preparation
Preheat oven to 400°F.

Split each pita in half horizontally into rounds. Coat cut sides of pitas with cooking spray. Cut each pita half into 8 wedges. (It was actually easier to cut into quarters, then cut horizontally and then cut two more times to get the 8 wedges). Arrange half of wedges, cut side up, on a baking sheet lined with foil. Bake at 400 for 8 minutes or until browned; remove from pan. Repeat procedure with remaining wedges. Cool 10 minutes.

Combine oil, vinegar, and pepper in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, and olives; toss to coat.

Arrange all pita chips on foil-lined baking sheet so they overlap. Top with chicken, mozzarella, and feta. Bake at 400°F for 3 minutes or until cheese melts. Top with lettuce mixture and oregano. 

Nutritional Information (from CL with no substitutions/6 servings)
Calories: 343; Fat: 13.8 g; Sat fat: 4.5 g; Mono fat: 6.7 g; Poly fat: 1 g; Protein: 22 g; Carbohydrate: 35 g; Fiber: 4 g; Cholesterol: 51 mg; Iron: 3 mg; Sodium: 553 mg; Calcium: 219 mg; Sugars: 3 g

13 Smart Points (my additions/subtractions at 4 servings)

Cooking Light, December 2016