Green Chili Chicken

Ok, so I was reviewing my most recent posts and I have discovered that I have been carrying on a love affair with Mexican-inspired cuisine! Well, I must add another item to the list and I know that you will just LOVE it. Not only is it healthy, but man is it versatile! The best part is that I used a crockpot, so once you do the 10 minutes work of prep, you can take your fabulous self out of the kitchen to do something so much more fun than preparing dinner.

2 lbs. chicken breast tenders, tendon removed
1 16 oz. jar of 505 Southwest green chili sauce(whichever heat you prefer, we used mild so Jack would eat it too)
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 Cup low sodium chicken stock
4 Tbs. olive oil, divided
1 Tbs. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground coriander
salt and pepper to taste

Brown chicken tenders in 2 Tbs. olive oil and add to crockpot. Then, saute onions and garlic in remaining olive oil and add in cumin and coriander to combine. Add the veggies to the crockpot and cover with 505 sauce and chicken stock. Stir to combine and set crockpot to low and let cook for 6-8 hours until the chicken shreds easily. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serving suggestions*:
-Use whole grain tortillas and make green chili burritos with all the fixings.
-Easy, flavorful quesadillas served with a side of pineapple with a squeeze of lime.
-Mexican Chicken Salad: Serve chicken on a bed of greens, cabbage, shredded carrots, whole pinto beans, tomatoes, avocado and ranch dressing mixed with salsa for a spicy change to your standard ranch.
-Tacos
-Enchilada filling

*You may want to strain off a bit of the liquid when using it with a tortilla for burritos, tacos or enchiladas. Or you could strain off the liquid and combine with a bit of cornstarch to thicken the sauce and recombine it.

Seriously, your family will think you are a genius for picking up take out, but you will know you are a genius for making this super simple and deliciously healthy chicken!

Enjoy!

Southwestern Veggie Enchiladas

Mmmmm.....Mexican food. What's not to love? As many of you know, I get amazing organic produce from our local co-op. Well, I have been receiving tons of beautiful rainbow swiss chard and needed to figure out what to do with it so that my little guy will eat it. Generally, we eat alot of greens in soups, but I was looking for something a little more creative. Ok, back to swiss chard. If it isn't something you are familiar with, let me give you a brief description. Chard has beautiful, dark green, fan-like leaves on crunchy stalks that can be white, yellow, red or pink. It belongs to the same family as spinach and beets and when cooked has a similar flavor. *Swiss chard is truly a nutritional all star with excellent marks for its concentrations of vitamin K, vitamin A, vitamin C, magnesium, manganese, potassium, iron, vitamin E, and dietary fiber. Swiss chard also emerges as a very good or good source of copper, calcium, vitamin B2, vitamin B6, protein, phosphorus, vitamin B1, zinc, folate, biotin, niacin and pantothenic acid.*
*source:whfoods.com
What are the benefits to my family's health you ask? Well, let's put it this way. There is so much to say, I have included a link!http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=16

Another benefit to this meal is that it is enviromentally friendly. Try to incorporate a couple of vegetarian meals a week into your family's diet to promote health, reduce your carbon footprint and be kinder to your bank account.


12 corn tortillas
4 oz. jack cheese, shredded
2-3 potatoes(depending on size), peeled and cubed
1 bunch swiss chard, leaves and stalks trimmed and diced
1/2 medium onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, diced
2 TBS. canola oil plus more for for cooking tortillas
8 oz. crimini mushrooms(you can use whatever you like, but I like the meaty texture of these)
1 16 0z. jar of tomatillo salsa(whatever heat level your family is comfortable with)
1/4 tsp. coriander
1/4 tsp. cumin
Light sour cream to garnish

Preheat oven to 350. Put 2 TBS. canola oil into a frying pan and heat until nearly smoking. Add potatoes and cook on med heat until potatoes are lightly browned and tender. Add a bit of salt and pepper and sprinkle with the cumin and coriander just before they are done. Remove to a bowl and set aside.

In the same frying pan, add another TBS of oil if necessary and add in onions, mushrooms and garlic and cook about 4 minutes until the onions are translucent. Add in swiss chard and some salt and pepper. Cook until the chard has wilted completely and its stems are tender. Mix with potatoes and about 1/3 of the cheese.

In another shallow frying pan, add an inch or so of oil and bring it up to med high heat. Lightly fry each tortilla on each side for about 30 sec and then set on paper towels to drain off excess oil.

Pour about 1/2 cup of the salsa on the bottom of your baking dish. Take each tortilla and fill with a couple tablespoons of the mixture and place in the dish with the seam side down. When you have all of the enchiladas rolled and in the pan, cover with remaining salsa and sprinkle with the cheese. Bake until the cheese is melted and starting to get lightly browned. Serve with sour cream!

Serves 4-6

Black Bean Quesadillas

As many of you know, children can sometimes be picky eaters. Many parents I know struggle getting enough protein into their children because they refuse to eat animal proteins. One way to get more protein into your children in a healthy and delicious way is to include more beans(which are very underrated by the way) in their diets. Black beans are high in fiber, keep blood sugars level and contain 10 times more antioxidants than the same amount of oranges. They even provide tons of folate and magnesium which are both necessary for proper cardiac function. Combine beans with whole grains and you have an excellent complete protein meal....all while holding the meat!

1/2 C. Black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 C. minced green bell pepper
1/2 small tomato, seeded and diced
1/2 C.shredded cheese(Cheddar, Jack...any good melting cheese)
1/2 Avocado
1 tsp olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Sour Cream and Salsa(optional)
1 large whole wheat tortilla

Heat skillet and spray with non-stick cooking spray. On a cutting board, sprinkle cheese, beans, tomato and bell peppers on half of the tortilla. Fold over other half and place on the skillet. Allow to brown on each side while the cheese melts and veggies heat through. In another bowl, smash avocado and add olive oil. Mix to combine and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Remove quesadilla from skillet and cut into wedges. Serve with a dollop of avocado, sour cream and salsa.

We like to serve this with cold sliced mango with a squeeze of lime!

Serves 2.