Corn Salsa

Not only is this the yummiest salsa ever but it is soooo easy to make,  my dog could probably do it.

The freshest ingredients, alllll mixed together in one big bowl, and then tossed in a zesty lime dressing.

Who wouldn't want to dip a chip in that?!

It is full of gorgeous colors and flavors that will burst in your mouth the minute you take a bite. 

So, whether you throw it on your table for your big Superbowl party, or just make it for yourself as an afternoon snack, I promise it will be a hit with whoever you serve it to!

Ingredients:

2 cups frozen corn, thawed

3/4 can reduced sodium black beans, drained and rinsed

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 small or 1/2 medium red onion, minced

1-2 avocados, chopped

2 limes, juice

2 tsp cumin

1 tsp hot sauce

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1/8 tsp freshly ground pepper

Directions:

In a large bowl combine corn, black beans, red pepper, red onion, and avocados.

Squeeze lime juice into a small bowl.  Add cumin, hot sauce, salt, and pepper to the lime juice.

 Pour over the corn mixture and combine.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.  Dip a chip in it and ENJOY!

Spicy Grilled Tilapia Tacos with Grilled Corn Slaw

Okay, so I know it isn't Taco Tuesday but you know what?

I. Don't. Care.

You know why?

Because these tacos are just too good to have only one day of the week.  They should be enjoyed every single day of the week...

Alright, that may be a little excessive but you get the gist...

These tacos are p h e n o m e n a l.

And SPPPPICY.  I mean, who doesn't like a good kick- in-your-mouth, HOT.... something that makes 'em sweat a little...

With a homemade grilled corny slaw to cool your mouth down from the spicy fish - but don't hold your breath, there are peppers in the slaw to give you that kick in the back of your throat - wrapped in a warm, corn tortilla topped with homemade guacamole and melted cheddar cheese,  you have what you can call the perfect taco.

So I beg you- go make and these spicy, delicious tacos! I dare you to tell me that they don't deserve to be eaten every day of the week...

Just make sure you have a glass of milk close by...

Ingredients:

Slaw: (make a couple hours before you are going to cook fish tacos)

1 package slaw mix 

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

2 ears corn, grilled and husked

2 6-oz. containers non-fat Greek yogurt 

1 tsp Old Bay seasoning

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp chile powder

2 limes, zest and juice

1/2 small container chiles in adobo sauce, blended

Fish:

4 tilapia fillets

3 1/2 tsp chipotle chile powder

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp freshly ground pepper

2 TBS extra virgin olive oil

1 lime, juiced

Cheddar cheese, shredded

Homemade Guacamole 

Corn tortillas, toasted

Directions:

In a large bowl, add slaw mix.  

Thinly slice half a red onion and add to slaw mix.

In a food processor or blender, add half a container of chiles in adobo sauce- about 4-5 chiles, and blend. (If you aren't a fan of too much heat, before you add the chiles to the food processor, cut the chiles in half and scrape out the seeds. Discard the seeds and add the chile flesh to the processor.  Blend.)

In a bowl, add greek yogurt, old bay seasoning, cumin, chile powder, lime zest and juice and blended adobo chiles.

Mix together and set aside.

In the meantime, turn grill or grill pan on high heat. Add corn.

Cook for 10 minutes, frequently turning it, until kernels become browned.  Set aside to cool.

Once corn is cooled, cut kernels off cob using a knife.

Add kernels to bowl of slaw.  Add preferred amount of greek yogurt dressing to slaw mix.  (I usually use all of it.)

Cover with saran wrap and chill.  I usually make this a couple of hours before so the flavors can really marry together.  

For the tacos: In a small bowl, combine chipotle chile powder, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, extra virgin olive oil, and lime juice.  Mix together to create a paste.

Take tilapia and brush half the paste on one side of each tilapia.

Take a long piece of aluminum foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray.  Place paste-sided tilapia face down on aluminum foil.

Take rest of paste and spread on tilapia.

Turn grill on high heat.  Place fish (that is on aluminum foil) on grill.  Cook for 7 minutes.

Flip tilapia, and cook for another 7 minutes.  Fish may break apart in large chunks.  Once cooked for total of 14 minutes and cooked through, take fish off of aluminum foil and place on plate.

Using two forks, shred fish.

Before assembling the taco, take a corn tortilla and grill tortilla on both sides on stove top.

To assemble taco, smear homemade guacamole on top of tortilla.  Sprinkle preferred amount of cheddar cheese.  Top with shredded fish and preferred amount of slaw.  Now, tell me this doesn't look like theeeee perfect taco!  Enjoy :)

Mini Mexican Stuffed Pepper Poppers

So you all know how obsessed I am with the Bachelor and how I get together with my girlfriends every Monday night to watch the show, drink wine, gossip, and eat some awesome, tiny bites.

This week was hometown dates, so of course, my appetizer had to be scrumptious.  These episodes are getting real and good, as my app needed to be.

After thinking long and hard about what I wanted to make-besides this awesome Fourth of July cake that I will show you at the bottom of this post, just because it was sooooo freaking cool- I finally found these little baby stuffed peppers.  I saw a bag of them at the store, and couldn't resist!  They were so tiny and cute!

I knew immediately what I was going to make- Mini Mexican Stuffed Pepper Poppers!

It's a mouthful to say... and a bite-ful to eat ;)

So next Bachelor night ('cause I know most- if not all- of you are all guilty of having Bachelor nights) I encourage you to make these little crunchy, packed poppers.  They are SO easy to make, super duper healthy, and deliver a pack of punch, full of flavor.

So try not to eat all of them, or pull the gooey-ooey cheese melted all over the top.  I dare you.

Oh, and don't be afraid to pull a Chris Harrison, and announce, "Ladies, (or gentlemen) it is the final pepper".  But believe me, you won't have to wait 2 hours for that to happen.

Ingredients:
1 package frozen corn, thawed
1 medium tomato, diced
1 large zucchini, diced
1/2 yellow onion, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

1 cup instant brown rice

3/4 cup black beans, drained and rinsed

1 package mini red, yellow, and orange bell peppers, seeded and halved

Low fat shredded mexican cheese
1 container low fat sour cream

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  In a large bowl add corn.

Add diced tomatoes, zucchini, onion, and garlic, cilantro and spices.

Cook brown rice according to package.  Add to mixture.  Drain and rinse black beans and add to mixture.

Rinse mini bell peppers.  Seed and cut peppers in half, lengthwise.

  

Stuff the peppers with a heaping amount of the corn and rice mixture.  Place on cookie sheet.

Cover peppers with aluminum foil and bake for 35 minutes.  After 35 minutes, remove aluminum foil and top peppers with cheese.

Place back in oven for 10 minutes until cheese is melted and browned.  ENJOY!

Oh, and here is my delicious 4th of July cake that I promised to show you :)  (Inspired by www.bakingdom.com)

Baked Chicken "FAT" Taquitos

Holy guacamole.

Literally.

I made these chicken "fat" taquitos for the first time tonight and I am not going to lie, I was a little worried that they wouldn't turn out... Oh, but did they turn out.  They were SO good, it is not even funny.  The tortillas crisp up in the oven so perfectly and the filling is so cheesey, creamy, ooey and gooey, it will leave you just wanting more.

I know I call these "fat" taquitos, but the "fat" is purely for the size of them.  They are probably three times the size of the normal taquito, but health-wise, these babies are nothing but full of healthy ingredients.  Because they are baked and full of healthy ingredients, you don't feel as bad reaching for another... and another. :)

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts, poached and shredded

Large box chicken broth

3 8-oz cans diced green chiles

3 ears corn, husked and shucked 

1 yellow onion, diced

1 16-oz can your favorite medium salsa

4 TBS low fat sour cream

1 8-oz bag Mexican cheese blend

Kosher salt and pepper, to taste

Extra virgin olive oil

1 package your favorite low fat tortillas

For dipping sauce:

Black bean and corn salsa (we love Archer Farm's brand from Target)

2 packages of Wholly Guacamole

1 bag favorite tortilla chips (we love La Favorita brand- they are low fat!)

Directions:

In a large pan, place chicken breasts in single layer on bottom of pan.  Cover with enough chicken stock to fully submerge the breasts.  Bring broth to a boil, then simmer for 25 minutes or until easy to shred.  

Take chicken out of broth and shred.  Set aside.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Chop onion and shuck corn, keeping kernels.  In a large saute pan, drizzle 2 tsp EVOO and turn on medium heat.  Add onion, corn, and green chiles.  Saute for 7 minutes and stir consistently.  Turn off heat. 

Add salt and pepper to taste.  Add chicken, salsa, sour cream, and cheese to onion mixture.  Stir to combine.

Lay a piece of parchment paper down on a cookie sheet and take out your tortillas.  Take a tortilla and evenly lay about 1/2 cup of the filling down the middle of the tortilla.

Tightly roll tortilla up, like a taquito, and place seam-side down on the parchment paper.  Repeat until cookie sheet is full.  You will probably need two cookie sheets.

Put taquitos in oven and bake for 25 minutes or until brown and crispy.  While taquitos are cooking, combine 2 packets of your favorite guacamole and 1 jar of your favorite salsa for dipping.  (My favorites are La Favorita Chips, Archer Farms Corn and Black Bean Salsa, and Wholly Guacamole!!)

Chicken Tacos

The other night I thought it would be a good idea to have a fiesta.

Believe me, it was the best idea I have had in a long time.

Lets just say, I thoroughly enjoyed myself by stuffing my face with all of the delicious food that surrounded me.  One of those tasty foods being my tacos.  Now everyone likes a good taco, but these are something else.  They have all of the qualities of a perfect taco.  The crispy tortilla, the juicy meat, the fresh toppings- I promise, it will be hard to only eat one.

These tacos may look like hard work, but honestly, I think my dog could make them.  Okay, that might be a little exaggerated, but really.  They are so easy to make and so worth it.

So, go buy some tequila now and call it an excuse to throw a fiesta tonight.  I promise, you'll be thanking me.

Ingredients:
4 large chicken breasts, poached and shredded
1 can low sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 TBS worcestershire sauce
2 cups low fat orange juice
2 tsp cumin
5 peppers in adobo sauce
6 cloves garlic, chopped
4 cups cilantro, chopped
kosher salt, to taste
Tortillas

Toppings for tacos: (Optional)
My Guacamole
My Pico De Gallo
Low fat sour cream
Shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:
To poach the chicken, place chicken breasts in a single layer in a pot. Pour chicken broth over the breasts, covering just until all breasts are submerged in liquid.  Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for about 20-30 min until cooked through.

Once cooked through, place on plate and shred chicken breasts.

Set aside.  In a blender, add worcestershire sauce, orange juice, cumin, peppers in adobo sauce, garlic, cilantro and salt and blend.  Make sure every ingredient has blended thoroughly.

Add chicken to a large dutch pan and pour marinade over chicken.  Stir until all chicken is coated with marinade.  Heat chicken over medium heat until hot.  

Take a tortilla and crisp both sides over high heat on stove top.  With open burners like this, they burn quick so watch very carefully.

To assemble, what I claim to be, the perfect taco, spread my guacamole all over the warm, crispy shell.  Next, I add a liberal amount of chicken over the guac.  Then, I top fresh pico de gallo, cheddar cheese, and sour cream over the chicken.  Wallah! The perfect taco!

Fresh Homemade Pico De Gallo

Nothing is better on top of a taco or on top of salty chip than fresh pico de gallo.  This pico de gallo beats any prepackaged salsa.  With its sweet, fresh flavors, this recipe brightens any meal.  With only a few ingredients, it is so worth making.  Don't skip out on it!

Ingredients:

7 plum tomatoes, chopped

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped 

1/2 red onion, chopped

2 limes, juiced

kosher salt, to taste

Directions: 

Chop tomatoes, onion, and cilantro and add to serving bowl.  Add lime juice and salt and mix.  Refrigerate so flavors marry and pico becomes juicy.  Serve and enjoy! 

Homemade Guacamole

So this guacamole is literally the best guacamole out there.  I'm not just saying that 'cause it is my own recipe, I'm serious people, it is THE BEST. Every time I go to a mexican restaurant I order guacamole, you know, to compare mine to theirs.  To my disappointment, it is either flavorless, too mushy, or just plain and boring.  My guacamole, on the other hand, is FULL of flavor, chunky, and absolutely delicious.  With only a couple ingredients, it is one of the best apps you can put out on the table.  ENJOY!

Ingredients:

9 avocados, pitted and mashed

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 bunch of cilantro, chopped

1/2 red onion, diced

2 limes, juiced 

1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped (optional- I did not use one this time)

Kosher salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

In a bowl, take the flesh out of all of the avocados and mash together with a fork, keeping the avocados chunky.  

Add the garlic, cilantro, onion, jalapeno and lime juice to the avocados.  Mix together, keeping the guacamole chunky.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Once the guac is to your liking, cover with saran wrap and press the saran wrap down so it touches the guacamole.  You do not want any air between the wrap and guac.  This will keep it from not turning brown.  Refrigerate to chill, then serve and enjoy!

(The best thing about this guac is you can add whatever you want to it- if you like it spicy, add more peppers if you want it with tomatoes, add some! This is your turn to be your own chef and the possibilities are endless!) ENJOY!