Honey Cilantro Lime Chicken

...with garlic crusted zucchini and tomato rice!  OMG, so much flavor.  The best way to describe the mixture of all these flavors is to say that it is like a "big ol' honky tonk in your mouth."  Festive, mingling, happy food that dances on your tongue.  SERIOUSLY.  No spice in it, so it is perfect for the entire family.  I serve it with a little homemade pico de gallo (spicy) on the side for my husband, and fresh chopped cilantro and jalapenos for me. 

For the "Mexinese" Chicken (Mexican and Chinese influence):
1/2 cup of honey
1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro
4 chicken breasts (or whole breast bone w/ meat)


For garlic crusted zucchini:
3 to 4 zucchinis
4 TBS flour
1 TBS garlic powder
butter
2 tsp salt (I use low sodium)

For tomato rice:
1 cup uncooked rice (white or whole wheat)
2 TBS chopped onion
1 tomato
2 TBS oil (I use soy oil)
8 oz tomato puree
salt and pepper to taste

First thing you need to do is prepare the chicken.  If using just the breasts, make sure to take off any skin and/or fat.  If using the whole breast bone with meat, it is necessary to cut the breasts off and also cut out the tenders.  I use gloves when handling meat because I really don't like the feeling of the meat itself.

When the meat is all cleaned or cut off the bone, you need to mix the marinade.  Chop the fresh cilantro and mix it in a shallow bowl with the lime juice, honey, and low sodium soy sauce.  Stir very well, then add the chicken and make sure that it is completely covered.  Place in the refrigerator for one hour to marinate.

Now, depending on the type of rice you are using will depend on the time it needs to cook.  I use whole wheat rice which takes about an hour to cook instead of the 15 minutes like white rice.  If you use white rice, start it after you start the chicken.  If you use the whole wheat rice, start it about 30 minutes before you start your chicken.  Dice the tomato, but only the outer part of the tomato, not the inner liquid seed part.  Mix the tomato and onion with the cup of rice and add the oil and however much water is called for on the packaging.  Add about 1/3 cup more water than called for since you added some veggies, and this rice is better when it is a little liquidy.  Cook.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
When the chicken is finished marinating, remove from the refrigerator and place on foil in a baking pan.  Then cover with foil to keep the chicken moist.  It is not necessary to put any of the marinade in with the chicken, but I always put a little so that I can pour some over the chicken after I put it on the plate for serving.  Bake the chicken for 25 to 30 minutes...until the chicken reaches 155 degrees at the thickest part.  The chicken will continue to cook for a few minutes after it is taken out of the oven, so be sure not to over cook it.

Now for the zucchini.  About 20 minutes before the chicken is ready, take a large resealable bag (like a Ziplock) and put in the flour, garlic powder, and salt.  Slice the zucchini into bite sized circles and put in the large bag with the flour mix.  SHAKE SHAKE SHAKE the bag to coat the zucchini.  Place butter in a large bowl or sautee pan and allow it to melt over medium low heat.  Once the butter has melted, put the zucchini in the butter in a single layer and allow it to cook until browned, then flip and cook on the other side...about 3 ot 4 minutes per side.  Set on a paper towel to soak up excess butter before serving.

Once the veggies are soaking on the paper towel and the chicken has just been removed from the oven, go back to the rice.  The rice should be ready...but now you add the 8oz of tomato puree and salt and pepper to taste.  Mix well and serve!   *my husband's plate, served with homemade spicy pico de gallo*

Sour Cream and Pear Pie

If you have never heard of this kind of pear pie, PLEASE do not let the name scare you.  Even my husband, who hates sour cream, will eat this pie right out of the pan.  He is also a certified Chef, for those of you who don't know:)  The sour cream just makes it creamy...the sugar and spices make it scrumdiddlyumptious!  This is a pie, too, that is good cold or hot (although I prefer right out of the oven).

The yummies that go into it:

3 TBS flour
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 cup lite sour cream
3 to 4 pears (or 1 1/2 canned pear halves, but fresh is best)
1 graham cracker pie crust

For the extra yummy on top:

1 TBS sugar
1/4 tsp nutmeg

*PREHEAT OVEN TO 425 DEGREES*

     First thing you need to do is take the skin off the pears (unless you are using canned, because the skin will already be off).  Next, cut the pears into bite sized pieces, or slightly smaller.  Put the pears in the pie crust and make as even as possible.

     Next, mix the lite sour cream, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and sugar together until well combined. 

     When well mixed, pour the sour cream mixture over the pears in the pie crust, being sure to cover all.

     Give the sour cream mixture a minute or two to kind of "settle" into the pears while mixing the last 1 TBS of sugar and 1/4 tsp of nutmeg.  Shake or pour that mixture over the top of the unbaked pie, then put in the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes.

     After the pie is finished cooking, you can serve immediately, which I like, or you can let it cool for about 30 minutes, then place it in the refrigerator to cool completely for at least 2 hours.  Hot, it is good with a cinnamon or a nut ice cream.  Cold, it is good with whipped cream and/or a snifter of Grand Marnier!

Spicy Vegetable Soup

I love this soup!  You can, of course, add some meat to it if you like, but I am happy with no meat (as usual).  This is super simple and only for those who really like fire when they eat!

For approximately one serving (adjust according to desired amount):
2 cups water
1/4 cup small noodle pasta (soup pasta)
1 cup chopped mixed vegetables (you can use frozen or fresh)
2 tsp powdered chicken stalk
2 TBS Valentina hot sauce (or similar...not Tabasco type)
juice from 1 lime :)

     Start by heating the water over medium high heat with the chicken stalk, hot sauce, and lime juice.  As the water begins to boil, add the pasta and vegetables and bring back to a boil.  Cook for about 10 minutes, or until pasta is cooked.  That's it!  You can serve it with croutons (flavored or plain), crackers, toast, or baguette bread. 
     I also like taking only half the soup (storing the rest) and eating it with a grilled cheese sandwich or with tostadas that have melted cheese on them!  Also, if you want a less "liquidy" soup, reduce the water amount and tone down the hot sauce a little.  Sometimes I will use only 1 cup of water and 1 1/2 TBS hot sauce (I like spice!) and then I get something that is more like a watery pasta than a traditional soup.
     Any way you like it, this soup is filling and low in sodium and carbs!!!

Ancho Chili Blackened Tilapia

     ...with a homemade chipotle remoulade.  OMG!!!  This recipe has just a little spice to it, and can turn any non-eating individual into a fish eating machine.  At the end of the post, too, will be a couple extra points that should be considered before cooking:)

For the ancho chili rub (for 2 to 4 Tilapia filets):

1/2 tsp ancho chili powder (I make my own...see end of post)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp chili powder (ex. cayenne pepper)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp dried crushed oregano
optional 1/4 tsp cumin
2 to 4 Tilapia fillets

For chipotle remoulade:

2 TBS pureed chipotles (canned with the adobo sauce)
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp fresh lime juice
1/4 tsp dried crushed oregano





*Preheat oven to 400 degrees

     In a small bowl mix together all the ingredients for the remoulade until smooth and well combined.  Cover and place in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

     In a small bowl mix together all the ingredients for the ancho chili rub.  Make sure the fish fillets are rinsed and patted dry, then, one side at a time, spray with non-stick cooking spray and sprinkle the ancho chili rub all over the fillet.  Make sure that both sides of the fish are sprayed and have an even coating of the rub all over.  Place the fillets on a non-stick skillet that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.  You can cover the skillet with foil to make for an easier cleanup, but be sure to spray the foil like you would the skillet itself.

Loosely cover and cook for 8 to 10 minutes...until the fish flakes easily with a fork (temp about 160).  Once the fish is cooked, serve with a TBS or two of the chipotle remoulade and whatever vegetable and/or starch you like.  I always serve it with broccoli or zucchini and rice.  And I always put the remoulade right in between the fish and the rice so I can eat it with both!

     A couple extra points...
1) I make my own ancho chili powder.  To do so is very simple.  Take dried ancho chilis and take the stems off and seeds out and open so they can lay as flat as possible on a cookie sheet.  Lie them on a cookie sheet in a single layer and toast in a 350 degree oven for 8 to 10 minutes (for about 8 peppers).  Be sure not to burn the peppers.  Once toasted, break into smaller pieces and place in a blender or food processor and blend until powdered.
2) If you don't want as much of a "fishy" flavor to fish, you can soak it for AT LEAST a couple hours before cooking.  Soak the fillets in buttermilk, plain unflavored yogurt, milk/mayo mixture, or milk/sour cream mixture.  These soaking ingredients will absorb a lot of the fishy flavor and allow for less fish "stench."

Chicken Enchiladas with a Roasted Tomatillo Sauce

     There are so many different types of enchiladas and sauces, but one of the most popular is chicken enchiladas with either a sour cream sauce or a tomatillo sauce.  I am personally partial to spinach enchiladas, which I make any time I make my carnivorous boys enchiladas.  They are fairly easy to make, but involve your full attention from the time you start preparing until you put them in the oven.  They are worth it, though. 

Roasted Tomatillo Sauce:

1 lb tomatillos (husks removed)
1/2 large white onion
4 garlic cloves
2 jalapenos (w/o seeds if you don't want it spicy)
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
Juice from 1/2 of a lime

Chicken Enchiladas:
2 large chicken breasts (3/4 to a pound total)
2 tomatoes
1/4 of a large white onion
garlic powder
salt (to taste)
cooking spray
1 TBS butter
Queso fresco (or shredded mozzarella cheese)
10 to 12 flour tortillas

     Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. 

1) Slice the jalapenos in half, lightly crush the garlic (only enough to open the each clove a little), cut each tomatillo in half, then break the onion apart slightly.  Lay all the vegetables on a cookie sheet in a single layer and place in the oven for 15 minutes.

2) While tomatillos are in the oven, start the chicken.  Slice the chicken breasts in half (or in more if really thick) so they cook faster and more evenly.  Spray a nonstick pan or flat top grill over medium-high heat with cooking spray, and also spray the chicken.  Sprinkle garlic powder on both sides of the chicken, then place on pan or grill.  The chicken will have to cook for about 5 minutes on each side. 

3) While the chicken is cooking on it's first side, chop the onion and tomatoes.  Put a large pot over medium heat with one TBS butter.  When butter has melted, put chopped onions in to cook.  By this time the chicken should be ready to flip and start cooking on the other side.

4) After flipping the chicken, stir the onions in the pot and keep cooking until the onions are tender and a golden brown.  At this time you will want to add the chopped tomatoes and mix them in well with the onions and continue to cook over medium heat.

5) The vegetable in the oven should be ready by now.  Take them out of the oven and put them in a blender or food processor along with the cilantro, salt, and lime juice and blend well.  Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees.

6) Now take the cooked chicken off the grill or put of the pan and set aside to cool slightly to make for easier cutting.  Mix the onion and tomato mixture and add a little salt.  Let that mixture cook for just a few minutes while you cut/chop the cooked chicken.

7) When chicken is cut, pour it into the onion and tomato mixture and combine well.  Let it cook for a few minutes while you ready a long casserole dish for the enchiladas.  Pour a small amount of the tomatillo sauce in the bottom of the dish to help keep the tortillas from sticking. 

8) Turn the heat off under the chicken mixture.  Spoon some of the meat mixture into the middle of a tortilla and then add some queso fresco.  Roll the tortilla around the meat like a cigar and lay in the casserole dish.  Repeat with all the tortillas. 

9) Once all the tortillas are filled and placed in the dish, pour the rest of the tomatillo sauce over the top and sprinkle with more queso fresco (or shredded mozzarella).  Place in the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes.

10) That's it!  Once cooked, serve by themselves or with rice and beans, shredded lettuce, pico de gallo, or anything else you may want with them. 

 

Happy Clown!

     The title for this post comes with special meaning.  A lot of my guilty pleasure snacks have spicy chili powder on or in them and, because I usually use so much of the chili powder (usually the spiciest available), my lips get puffy and red!  So worth it, though.  I haven't posted in a couple days, partially because I haven't cooked in the past two days, and partially because I haven't had much spare time.  I have a few extra minutes before heading off to bed to read some for an online class I am taking, so I thought I would post a little ditty about some of my guilty pleasures:)

1) Garbanzo beans!  Roasted in the shell garbanzo beans (chickpeas) with freshly squeezed lime juice and chili powder.
2) Grilled corn on the cob, also with lime juice and chili powder.
3) Steamed corn on the cob smeared with mayo, chili powder, and sprinkled with fresh parmesan.
4) Fresh baked, thin cut potato chips with Valentina hot sauce and a little salt.
5) Baked tostadas with melted mozzarella on top and Valentina hot sauce.
6) Homemade pretzel bark.  Melted dark chocolate mixed with crushed salted pretzels, then poured onto a flat surface and cooled to form "bark."
7) Fresh popped buttered popcorn with chili powder sprinkled all over.
8) Sliced jicama and cucumbers with lime juice and chili powder and just a little salt.

     I try to eat well as much as possible, but every now and then, it feels so good to give into indulgence!

Gorditas Velazquez

     Not the healthiest of foods...but OH SO GOOD:)  Gorditas are very popular here, and I can totally understand why.  My mother-in-law has a little gordita stand in the front of her house.  Since our house in top of her house, and we share a courtyard, I smell the gorditas all day, watch her make them, and can have some whenever I want!  I don't have them often, but I do have them.  I just eat them without the grease soaked cheese and the sodium filled meat.
     To start, gorditas are grilled "pockets" made from maize that are filled with cheese and your choice of other filling/s.  The fillings you can get are pretty much the same at any of the little stands.  You can have picadillo, which is ground beef cooked with garlic, onions, and carrots.  You can have deshebrada, which is boiled beef that has been shredded and was flavored while boiling.  There is chicharron, which is fried pork skin, and also eggs which have been scrambled and cooked with a little chili oil.  If you don't want meat (like me, although I do eat the egg) there are a couple options.  Nopales (cactus) with onions and cilantro or by themselves or you can get it with beans.  You can do any combination of the fillers, too.  My favorite is the nopales or the egg. 

     To make the gorditas, my mother-in-law takes a golf ball sized piece of maize and slaps it, pats it, turns it, and flattens it with her hands to make a circle about 5 inches in diameter. Once the gordita is formed, it goes on the flat top grill to cook (it only takes a few minutes per side).  The maize for the gorditas is like what corn tortillas are made from, but gorditas are thick, unlike tortillas.

     Once the maize has cooked, the gorditas are sliced at the top to make an opening and cut in the middle to make a "pocket" for all the filling.  When the gordita has been sliced, grease soaked cheese (queso fresco) is then smeared on the inside and the gordita is set back onto the flat top to heat a little more.

     After the cheese has heated up inside the gordita, it is filled with whatever the customer wants.  All the blue pots on the side of the flat top are the meats, eggs, and beans.  Keeping them on the flat top keeps them warm and accessible.  Extra meats and other fillings are kept in the kitchen inside, and the blue pots on the flat top are refilled as needed.  The nopales are kept on a side table since they do not need to stay hot.  Also on the side table is a HUGE molcajete with homemade spicy salsa that can be added to the gorditas.  My sister-in-law helps at the stand Tuesdays through Fridays, and on Sundays.  On Saturdays and Mondays, it's her gordita stand and my mother-in-law helps her:)

      Most days, there are three tables outside on the sidewalk by the stand for customers to sit at and eat.  That is usually enough, but on the weekends, the living room inside the house is cleared of furniture (pushed into my brother-in-law's room) and a few extra tables and chairs are put out.  The living room is right inside the front door beside the gordita stand.  A lot of the people with little food stands will use their front room as extra space for their customers.  "¡Mi casa es tu casa!"