Ancho Chicken Taco's with Cilantro Slaw & Avacado Cream

Okay - that is a massive title, but the title needs to explain all that yumminess that are going into these tacos! This recipe is one from my Cooking Light magazine, but I made a few modifications...

Makes about 8 Taco's

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into thin 1/4" strips

3/4 t. ancho Chile powder

1/2 t. garlic salt

1/4 t. ground cumin

Cooking Spray

1/8 t. grated lime rind

2 T. fresh lime juice, divided

1/4 C. Light sour cream

2 T. Low-Fat milk

1 ripe peeled avocado, diced

2 C. packaged angle hair slaw

1/2 C. thinly sliced green onions

1/4 C. chopped fresh cilantro

1 T. Canola oil

1/4 t. salt

1 C. Shredded Monterrey Jack Cheese

16 Corn tortillas

Heat a large non-stick skillet over high heat. Combine the Chile powder, garlic salt & cumin in a small bowl. Sprinkle it evenly & liberally over the sliced chicken. Coat the pan with some cooking spray. Add the chicken to the pan (this may need to be done in batches), turning after about 4 minutes. Cook thoroughly and place in a bowl covered with aluminum foil until all the other pieces have been cooked.

In a blender or food processor combine the lime rind, 1 tablespoon lime juice, sour cream, milk & avocado. Process until very smooth. Season with salt.

In a separate bowl combine the remaining lime juice with the slaw, onions, cilantro, oil and salt. Tossing to coat.

Heat a non-stick griddle ( I use a George Foreman, but a smooth-top griddle would work 100 times better!). Lightly dampen the corn tortillas with a squirt bottle full of water or quickly dunk in a shallow bowl of water. Place one tortilla  on the hot griddle, then sprinkle with enough cheese to cover the tortilla evenly, place another moist corn tortilla on top. Press down with the back of the spatula or the lid of your George Foreman. Allow to cook until the tortilla is soft and the cheese is melty.

Remove from the griddle and assemble the tacos. Top each tortilla with about 1 T. avocado cream and 1/4 C. of the slaw.... and some tomatoes.

 

Cilantro Chicken

Eleven years ago when I got married I receive a cookbook from my new in-laws. It was full of recipes from their city that they love so much. Portland, Oregon. I really like this cookbook in the 3 months that I can cook out of it (December, January and February). Unfortunately Oregon has this weather that promotes warm, comfort foods - not so much in Arizona. Most of the year I am looking for recipes that require little or no oven/stove use and this cookbooks requires much of it. However, with December being tomorrow and the weather unusually cool lately, I decided to bust the book out early. So the next three days are all from Portland's Palate.

1 lbs chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
1/2 C. dry white wine
1 bunch cilantro, stems removed, washed and dried
4 garlic cloves
4 T. freshly-squeezed lime juice
1 tomato, skinned, seeded and diced.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In a large non-stick saute pan over medium-high heat, brown chicken on both sides. Transfer chicken to a casserole dish with a cover or a dutch oven.

Pour white wine into saute pan and scrape pan to remove any browned bits. Bring wine to a boil. Pour over chicken.

In a food processor or blender, combine cilantro and garlic. Mix well. Sprinkle over chicken and add lime juice and tomato. Bake. covered, for 30 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.

Saucy Chicken

This is an old Weight Watchers recipe that is a keeper (even when we are not as good at watching the weight). It is yummy and easy and thankfully a healthy meal (which is good on days like today when you are contemplating a gym membership...or using that gym membership you have been paying for since last year at this time!)

Ingredients:

2 C. Chicken broth - divided
1/4 C. Flour - seasoned with salt & pepper
4 (4oz each) chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
1 16oz can stewed tomatoes
3-4 scallions, chopped

Directions:

Pour 1/2 cup of broth into a wide bowl; place flour on a plate.. Dip each chicken breast in broth, then flour, turning to coat on all sides.
Spray a nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Cook the chicken over medium heat, turning once until crowned on both sides. Remove chicken from skillet; set aside.
Add any remaining flour to the skillet; cook, stirring constantly until browned. Slowly stir in 1/4 cup of the broth; cook until thickened. Gradually stir in remaining broth, cook stirring constantly until thicker. Add tomatoes and scallions to the skillet, bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, return chicken to skillet and simmer until cooked through, about 10 minutes.

*for those of you keeping track - 4 points per serving (this recipe is 4 servings)