Chicken Fajita Salads

Who doesn't love a good burrito bowl?? In an effort to cut a few calories and carbs when we were thinking about making fajitas for dinner, I thought I would try to make my own burrito bowls.  Ditching the rice for some lettuce and trying to make as much of the add-ins at home ended up being pretty easy and pretty tasty! This is a great salad for grilling season as you can throw the chicken and veggies on the grill for more flavor and a quick dish. 

Chicken Fajita Salads

* use your best judgment for how many salads you intend to make with regards to the 

amount of ingredients you will need, I listed ingredients based on making 2 salads and still had a little leftover veggies and guacamole 

What you need (for the salad):

- Your favorite lettuce

- 1 green pepper 

- 1 red pepper 

- 1/2 red onion, sliced 

- 2 Tablespoons of sour cream 

- 1/2 Tomato, diced

- 1/8 cup of corn (fresh or can)

- 1-2 Tablespoons of red onion, diced 

-  boneless skinless chicken breast 

-1 teaspoon of olive oil

-1 teaspoon of red wine vinegar

- 1-2 slices of jalapeno, diced (optional)

- Homemade Taco Seasoning

- Chipotle ranch dressing (optional)

What you need (for the guacamole): 

- 1 avocado 

- Half of a medium tomato, diced

- Lime juice 

- 1 Tablespoon cilantro, chopped 

- Salt & pepper to taste

- 1-2 slices of jalapeno, diced (optional) 

What to do: 

- Earlier in the day slice up the red pepper, green pepper and sliced onion put in a plastic bag and toss in half of the taco seasoning.  Work the seasoning around so that all the veggies are covered and place in fridge for flavor to set in.  In a different bag place the chicken in the bag with the remainder of the taco seasoning.  Work seasoning around so chicken is evenly covered and place in fridge for flavor to set. 

- Turn grill on and let it warm up.  When grill is ready you want to grill the chicken until done and the grill the veggies in a grill basket or aluminum full until they start to darken.  

- While veggies and chicken are cooking you can make the guacamole and and the pico for your salad.  

- For the guac - you want to slice the avocado in half so you can scoop out the inside into a small bowl.  When in bowl use a fork to slightly mash up (I like my guac a little chunky).  Then you want to throw in the diced tomatoes, onion, cilantro and jalapeno (if you like heat).  Using the fork mix this up well.  Add a squirt of lime juice, about a teaspoon and a dash of salt and pepper and mix well.  Taste, and if you desire to add more salt/pepper do so now.  

- For the pico - in another small bowl mix the diced tomato, diced onion and diced jalapeno (if you want the heat) drizzle with the olive oil and red wine vinegar and mix well. 

- Once chicken and veggies are done remove and you can now set up your salad.  You have all you need to make the salad the way you wish.  You can use the sour cream or if you prefer to ditch the sour cream you can touch it with a dash of the chipotle ranch.  Remember there is a touch of oil and vinegar in the pico so you might want to try it without the dressing first! 

** keep in mind what you like and add/remove ingredients  I like jalapeno and onion so a lot of that is in this recipe but that may not be what you like so keep that in mind! This would be great with beef or you could do vegetarian and add more veggies. 

Homemade Taco Seasoning

I do not have a picture but had to pass this along! Last week I was going to make fajitas but realized I didn't want to use the packaged taco seasoning that I am sure is full of salt! So I decided to make my own.  I Googled a few recipes to try and navigate what should go in it and I found a great combination! This smells EXACTLY like what you would buy in the store but it's great because most of you will have everything you need on hand and you know exactly what you are putting into your body! Enjoy! 

What you need:
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons of chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/3 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
14 teaspoon cumin

What to do: 
Mix all ingredients together and they will form a dry rub great for chicken, beef or veggies! 

**This made enough to dry rub vegetables and chicken for 3 people

Avocado Chopped Salad with Shrimp

I have had this recipe on my pin board for months and finally tried it..... it was very good and makes a large amount.  If only cooking for 1-2 I would cut the recipe in half.  I found this recipe here. She also offers a recipe to serve the chopped salad with a potato gallette instead of the shrimp so check that out if you are not into seafood.  

AVOCADO CHOPPED SALAD

with Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette

For the vinaigrette:

1/4 cup lime juice
1 teaspoon lime zest
2 teaspoons spicy brown mustard
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper sauce
1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
Salt and Pepper to taste

Whisk all ingredients together and set aside for flavors to blend.

1/4 cup diced cilantro
2 large ripe Haas avocados
1 medium ripe tomato
2 green onions, thinly sliced

For salad:

Chop avocados and tomato into small pieces.

Strain vinaigrette to remove lime zest. Stir in cilantro.

Toss all vegetables and vinaigrette together.

** I topped our salad with grilled shrimp that had been seasoned with only Paprika! Delicious! 

Spicy Green Beans and Kale

I adapted this recipe from one that I saw on the food network website.  At our house we eat a LOT of kale. We can't get enough of it!  When I was shopping I grabbed some green beans just trying to get some variety of green items in our diet.  I should have known I would find a way to incorporate the kale into the green bean dish.  I can't say enough good things about this dish, it was amazing.  I can't wait to make it again the flavor was wonderful.  We had second helpings of the veggies and then I brought ALL of the leftover vegetables to work the next day for lunch.  This was very quick and easy as well, probably 25 minutes total prep/cook time. 

Spicy Green Beans and Kale

This Makes 4 solid sized servings

What you Need:

- 3 Tablespoons of Olive Oil (next time I make this recipe I will reduce this by half)

- 1 small/medium sized white onion, sliced

-1 lb of green beans, cleaned and trimmed, cut into 1 inch pieces

- 1 tsp salt

- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper

-1/4 cup white wine vinegar (can also use white wine)

- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

- Large handful of Kale, rinsed, removed from stem and roughly chopped

- 2 Tablespoons of lemon juice

- 3 Tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese

What to do:

- Warm olive oil in a large saute pan over low heat

- Add onions and cook until translucent (about 4 min)

- Add green beans, salt and pepper and cook for about 2 min

- Add vinegar (or wine) and cook until green beans are almost tender (about 5 min)

- Add red pepper and kale and cook until kale has wilted (4-5 min)

- Add lemon juice and Parmesan, toss to coat and serve immediately

Grilled BBQ Chicken Salad (with a kick)

I love spring and summer because it makes dinner so easy as you can grill all of the time! Grilled chicken and a few veggies and you have yourself a great meal! Whenever I eat out I am always a sucker for the Buffalo Chicken Salad.  I love the combination of hot sauce and the blue cheese with the crunch of the vegetables.  This is one of those things (along with chicken salad) that you would think would be easy to do at home, but whenever I make it at home I am never satisfied.  Well I can now scratch the Buffalo Chicken Salad off of the "mine is never as good as when you go out" list.  We made this combination of Buffalo and BBQ Grilled Chicken and put it on a salad and it was a quick, easy and delicious meal! 

Grilled BBQ Chicken Salad (with a kick)

What you need:
* use your best judgment on amount of ingredients depending on how many salads you are planning to serve
- Grape tomatoes, sliced
- Hard boiled eggs, sliced
- Onion, diced (use what you prefer, I think red would be best, I used a white onion and some green onions since I had them on hand. 
- Fresh corn
- Blue Cheese (Gorgonzola would work). 
- Chicken tenderloins 
- Paprika
- Cayenne Pepper 
- BBQ sauce of your choosing 
- Buffalo sauce of your choosing
- Spring Mix of Lettuce 
- Dressing of your choosing: I use a homemade Greek yogurt ranch

What to do:

- Use Paprika and Cayenne to make a dry rub for chicken.  Grill chicken until done. 
- Toss chicken in buffalo and BBQ sauce.  I suggest a 2 part BBQ and 1 part Buffalo mixture
- Add toppings to salad, drizzle with dressing and enjoy!

Spicy Black Bean Dip

Wow, I have not posted in well over a month! I apologize, I have been doing quit a bit of traveling and thus, no cooking.  I did my fair share of eating, drinking and lounging in the sun on vacation so now back to business. I had my friend Sabrina over for dinner last night and had planned on making this Cilantro Lime Black Bean Dip that is fantastic! However, when I did my grocery shopping for the week the produce selection was scarce and I was unable to grab any cilantro.  I planted some last week but it hasn't grown enough to really utilize at this point. I decided to just throw together some things I had on hand for a Spicy Black Bean Dip and it turned out really well.  I didn't do much measuring so I'll try to get the recipe as close to correct proportions as possible! Luckily, I think this is something you can't really mess up and can just taste and add spice as you desire so make it your own! 

Spicy Black Bean Dip

-Yields a little over a cup

What you need: 

1 can of black beans (drained)

1 Tablespoon of green onions (chopped)

2 Tablespoons of white onions (chopped)

1 large clove of Garlic

About 2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil 

About 3 Tablespoons of Lime Juice 

Salt, Pepper, Paprika, Cayenne Pepper to taste

1/4 of a jalapeno (seeds in for more heat, out for less heat)

*Shredded cheese, optional for garnish

Directions: 

- Mix all ingredients in a food processor until well blended.  I like a creamier dip so I added small amounts of lime juice until I reach the consistency that I enjoy! I recommend adding more lime juice and not more Olive Oil to get a nice flavor! Garnish with shredded chees, chives and/or sour cream. 

Mexican Sweet Potatoes

I have to throw it out there that I don't LOVE sweet potatoes.  When I have the option of sweet potato fries verse regular, I always want regular.  Alex loves sweet potatoes and has been eating them a lot lately.  Given they have a great deal of health benefits and are much better for you than regular white potatoes- I have been looking for ways to help myself enjoy them a bit more.  I think I found it! I originally found the recipe on this blog.  My version is below with a few notes. I was really happy with the final product and at about 196 calories a half you can enjoy and enjoy!

Healthy Mexican Sweet Potatoes

Serving Size: 6 servings if using as a side 
3 servings if using as a main dish
 

What you need:

- 3 medium sweet potatoes

- 1 can of corn

- 1 can of black beans

- 1/2 medium onion (yellow is probably best, I used red as I had half of one in the fridge) 

- 2-4 canned Chipotle peppers in adobe sauce (the more you use the more heat it will add).

- 1 Tablespoon of butter

- 2 Tablespoons of cream cheese or plain Greek yogurt

- 1/4 cup light sour cream

- 1 teaspoon of salt + whatever you like to add for taste

- 1/2 cup cilantro roughly chopped

Optional Ingredients:

- 6 Tablespoons of shredded cheese of your choosing (I used a shredded Mexican blend). I tried one with cheese and one without and was very happy with both.

- Cayenne Pepper - I like to add this to my roasted corn with a little salt and pepper. 

What to do:

- Preheat over to 350 degrees.  Wash sweet potatoes and poke holes all around potato.  Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place whole potatoes on sheet.  Bake in over for 35-55 min. until cooked through.  ** I cooked mine for 45 and probably should have let them go another 10 minutes or so

- While potatoes are cooking, drain corn and cook over medium heat (no oil or butter) in a medium sized pan.  Cast iron is best, but I just used a regular non-stick pan.  Sprinkle corn with a dash of salt, pepper and cayenne (if you choose).  Do not stir for a few minutes to allow corn to roast, mix well and then let it continue to roast (about 10 minutes total). Pull off of the heat and place in a small bowl with the black beans (drain black beans).

- Saute onion with butter over medium heat until soft.  Pull off of the heat and set aside.

- Remove sweet potatoes from oven when they are tender to the touch of a fork.  Let cool for about 5 minutes.  Cut potatoes in half and remove flesh and place in a mixing bowl.  I left a think layer of the potato in the skin in order to help it hold its form. 

- Mix the sweet potato flesh with the cream cheese, sour cream, hot peppers, salt and pepper. You can use a mixer or just the spoon depending on how soft the potatoes are, I had to use a mixer.  When well mixed fold the corn, beans, onions and cilantro into mixture with a spoon. 

- Scoop mixture back into potato shells.  Put about 2 Tablespoons or a few pinches of the cheese on top of potatoes and place under the broiler for about 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. 

** I stuffed my potatoes with heaping spoonfuls but I still had a lot of the mixture left over.  I stored it in the fridge and plan on putting it in a bowl with a little cheese, broiling until cheese melts and then serving it at our BBQ as a dip for tortilla chips. The stuffing itself tastes awesome! 

  

Nutrition:         

Calories 196 per half 

Total Fat: 6.5 g

Cholesterol: 18.5 mg

Sodium: 188 mg

Carbs: 28.1 g

Dietary Fiber: 5.1 g

Protein 7.8     

Weight Watchers Points Plus Points:

5 per half.