Dinner of the Week- Chicken Burritos

Hello again!

So, this week's recipe is fairly simple, but if you love Mexican food (as I do) I don't think it'll disappoint.  I personally could eat Mexican/Hispanic food nearly every day of the week, and found this to be a nice little twist on regular burritos. 

Chicken Burritos

1 lb ground chicken
1 can diced tomatoes with green chiles
2 T cumin
2 T cilantro
2 t low-sodium cajun seasoning
1 t salt alternative
a few dashes of Tobasco
2 t garlic (fresh or powder, I prefer fresh)
dash black pepper
dash red pepper


Method:

Brown the meat in a large frying pan.  Ground chicken is softer than other ground meats, so it needs to be cooked on a slightly lower temperature (that way it doesn't burn).  Once the meat is browned, add the rest of the ingredients, cover, and simmer for 30-45 minutes. 

Something I really like on my burritos is homemade Mexican rice.

Mexican Rice

1 c rice (white or brown)
2 c water
1 small can tomato paste
2 T cumin
1 t salt alternative
dash low-sodium cajun seasoning
2-3 T of your favorite salsa
1 t cilantro
1 T oil

Cook rice as directed, but add stir in tomato paste with the water.  Once cooked, heat the oil in a large frying pan or skillet, and toss rice gently with oil and rest of ingredients.  Allow to simmer and lightly brown, then remove from heat.

I recommend topping your burritos with fresh grated mozzarella cheese. It balances the often spicy flavors of Mexican food perfectly, and the creaminess of freshly grated cheese can't be beat.  You can find hunks of part-skim mozzarella next to the queso cheeses in most grocery stores, and it's usually one of the better priced low-fat cheeses available. I like to grate this myself and freeze it in bags for easy use. 

Serve the burrito fixings with large tortillas and toppings of your choice.

Hope you enjoy! See you next week!

Dinner of the Week and Double Green Tip Numero Uno :)

Hi again! I hope everyone had a wonderful Fourth and enjoyed their long weekend!


So, as promised, the first week of the month I'm sharing the first ever


Double Green Tip!!!


Rags VS. Paper Towels


While paper towels may be convenient and easy to use, they aren't exactly earth/wallet friendly.  We use them for spills and cleaning in nearly every room in the house, and for a big cleaning job, I've often used between half and a whole roll.  And while they're not the most expensive thing on your grocery list, they ARE a constant cost that adds up, especially when you use them frequently. 


SO, to save a few trees and a few dollars, I've transitioned over to using T-shirt rags.  To make these, I simply take old T-shirts (i.e., my husband's high school band shirts or cheap thrift store finds) and cut them into large pieces, like so:

1.  Cut the sleeves off.
2.  Cut off the top of the shirt (it's easiest to cut through both the back and the front at the same time).
3.  Cut up the middle of the shirt (again, going through both sides).
4.  Cut slits in the sleeves.


I have been keeping a store of T-shirt rags in my laundry room, and am about to make more to keep in my kitchen.  So far, they work just as good or better than paper towels for dusting, cleaning bathrooms (including mirrors!), wiping up spills and wiping down counters.  The best part is, they can be wrung out and reused to finish a job, and then washed and reused indefinitely.  And it's a good way to recycle stained/torn T-shirts!


And now, the Dinner of the Week!


Whole Wheat No-Rise Crust Chicken Pizza

Sauce:

2 small cans low sodium tomato paste
1 large family size can of diced, stewed tomatoes (low sodium)
1 medium can fire-roasted tomatoes
1 t chopped garlic (fresh or dried)
3 T Italian herb mix
1/2 t crushed red pepper
1 t crushed rosemary
1 t salt alternative

Method:

Combine all in a large saucepan and simmer for about 1/2 an hour. I always cook a large amount, and freeze my extras in freezer ziplocks.  This makes it easy to break off a chunk and defrost it later. 

Crust:

1 c all-purpose flour
2 c whole wheat flour
3/4 c grated parmesan
1 (.25 oz) package active dry yeast
1 t low salt alternative like "No Salt"
2 T Italian herbs
1 t crushed rosemary
1/2 t crushed red pepper
1 t garlic powder or chopped fresh garlic (optional)
2 T oil
1 c warm water

extra: cornmeal and canola butter (a blend of 1/2 canola oil and 1/2 butter) for later.

Method:

In a medium mixing bowl, combine all the dry ingredients.  Then, mix in the oil and water using a spoon or the lowest setting on a mixer.  Once dough forms a ball, flour your hands and gently knead it for a few minutes. Either hand stretch or roll dough out to a large circle.  Sprinkle cornmeal on your pizza pan and place the dough on top of it.  Sauce and top it as desired and bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes.  It rises in the oven, so you can bake it right away!  As soon as it comes out, brush the crust with canola butter.

Suggested toppings:

chopped cooked chicken (great way to get rid of some leftovers!)
chopped onions
chopped canned jalapeno peppers
sliced mushrooms (fresh or canned)
hand shredded fresh spinach leaves
turkey pepperonis
parmesan (SO much better put on before you bake it!)
diced tomatoes

I hope you enjoy!!  See you next week!  :)