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!

sorry for the negligence...

So, once again school ate ALL my free time, and therefore my food blog is starving :(  BUT am stealing a few minutes away from my billion projects in order to share a few recipes with you.  

I Love Mexican Food.   I love all tings Hispanic, really- lingo, music, history, food, culture.  I've informed my fiance several times that if he's ever inclined to move to Mexico or Ecuador or Peru forever, I'm totally fine with that.  Unfortunately, there are things like education, jobs, and family keeping us here in the hot-dog-eating, English-speaking, US of A. (don't get me wrong, I'm very patriotic. I love hot dogs.)  
ANYways, last night I made Mexican for the two of us, and I thought I'd share it with you. :) Disfrutan! (Enjoy!)

Chicken Nachos


2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tomato
1/2 of a yellow onion
1 T Tobasco sauce
1 T garlic powder
1 T cilantro 
1 t crushed red pepper
salt and pepper to taste
Shredded cheese (I prefer a mix of part-skim Mozzarella, and sharp Cheddar.  Mozzarella is actually what they use in Latin/South America, not Cheddar.)
Tortilla chips of choice (I like Tostida's or Mission's whole grain restaurant style)
Cooking spray (use canola spray, it's healthier!)


Dice the tomato and onion.  Chop the chicken into small cubes.  Spray a large frying pan with cooking spray, bring to a medium heat, and add tomatoes and onions.  Once the onions become a little more translucent, add the chicken, Tobasco, and spices. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is done.  Prepare a baking sheet by spreading foil over it, and spraying it with cooking spray.  Spread a single layer of tortilla chips on the sheet, and spoon the chicken mixture on top of the chips.  Try to aim for one piece of chicken or clump of veggies per chip.  Sprinkle with cheese.  If you want, you can layer more levels of chips, chicken, and cheese on the same sheet, or use multiple sheets of single layers.  I've done it both ways, with great success.  Multiple layers tend to turn out a little more gooey and chewy, and singles are more crispy.  Simply broil them until the cheese is bubbly, and enjoy! this makes about 3 big servings, or 4 normal ones.   


Homemade Guacamole


2 avocados
1/2 c lime juice
1 T cilantro
1 t garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
1 T milk (for creaminess)


Scrape the meat out of the avocados, dice them, and toss all the ingredients into a food processor! I used my roommate's blender (not owning either a blender or food processor myself), and it turned out chunky, but really yummy.  If you try using a blender, I recommend using the pulse option and scraping down the sides frequently.  


YUM! Que rico!