Chicken and Black Bean-Stuffed Burritos

Talk about a super easy weeknight meal!  This came together so quickly and all we needed was fresh salsa, rotisserie chicken and tortillas!

Burritos are typically made with rice. This version is lightened by removing the rice and using only chicken, beans, salsa and cheese.

I don't have much to say about this--it's that easy.  I might also be stuck on the deliciousness that were the browned banana bars. They were that good.

We didn't make any changes to the recipe.  


You could keep all of the items in this recipe stocked in your house (thawing frozen chicken and cooking it over the weekend) to really make this a pantry-ingredient meal.


As of today's post, seventeen people gave this an average rating of four out of five.


SaBrina Bone, Cooking Light, December 2010

• YIELD: 4 servings (serving size: 1 burrito)
• TOTAL: 25 MINUTES
• COURSE: Main Dishes

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken breast
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
• 3/4 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup refrigerated fresh salsa
• 4 (8-inch) flour tortillas
• 1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• Cooking spray

Preparation

• 1. Bring first 6 ingredients to a boil in a small saucepan. Stir in shredded chicken and green onions.
• 2. Combine beans and salsa. Spoon 1/4 cup bean mixture and 1/2 cup chicken mixture down center of each tortilla; sprinkle with 2 tablespoons cheese. Roll up.
• 3. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add 2 burritos. Place a cast-iron or other heavy skillet on top of burritos, and cook for 3 minutes on each side. Remove from pan, and repeat procedure with the remaining 2 burritos.

Nutritional Information

---

• Amount per serving
• Calories: 353
• Fat: 9.8g
• Saturated fat: 4.1g
• Monounsaturated fat: 3.6g
• Polyunsaturated fat: 1.3g
• Protein: 30.9g
• Carbohydrate: 33.1g
• Fiber: 2.4g
• Cholesterol: 72mg
• Iron: 1.6mg
• Sodium: 595mg
• Calcium: 137mg

Banana-Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

I bought a bunch of bananas with the goal of making two different banana recipes this week. I couldn't decide which one I wanted to make and had enough bananas to make both. In Greece, they would say this is my destiny.  


I also came to the realization that homemade cookies are way better than store-bought cookies.  OK with the caveat that Oreos are the exception because let's be honest with ourselves, they are the end-all be-all of cookies.  We had the Keebler rainbow M&M's cookies (the ones with exactly 3 M&M's per cookie) and they tasted like cardboard.  That's when I realized I wanted to make these cookies and put the calories toward something much more delicious (and probably nutritious).  


Enter super ripe bananas. This recipe came together so quickly--mix all together and bake.  I didn't make any  modifications to this recipe except to underbake the second and third batches in the oven. I like my cookies a little underbaked and soft.  


They were delicious. Chewy, soft and flavorful--everything I had hoped for.  The good news is that these also freeze well, so you can pull one out of the freezer as you want it.  It's the self control that is the difficult part. :)


As of today's post, 37 people gave this an average rating of four out of five stars.  


Recipe by Cathy Brixen, Phoenix, Arizona, Cooking Light, July 2009

• YIELD: 2 dozen (serving size: 1 cookie)
• 
  

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup mashed ripe banana (about 1 medium)
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 5 3/5 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 1/4 cups)
• 2 cups old-fashioned oats
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• Cooking spray

Preparation

• 1. Preheat oven to 350°.
• 2. Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth. Add egg; beat well.
• 3. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, oats, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add flour mixture to banana mixture in bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended. Stir in chocolate chips.
• 4. Drop batter by heaping tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 18 minutes or until golden. Cool on pans 2 minutes. Remove cookies from pans; cool completely on wire racks.

Nutritional Information

---

• Amount per serving
• Calories: 115
• Fat: 3.6g
• Saturated fat: 2g
• Monounsaturated fat: 1.1g
• Polyunsaturated fat: 0.3g
• Protein: 2g
• Carbohydrate: 19.1g
• Fiber: 1.2g
• Cholesterol: 14mg
• Iron: 0.9mg
• Sodium: 121mg
• Calcium: 10mg

Chicken and Mushrooms in Garlic White Wine Sauce

So I must apologize.  I quoted this on the 'upcoming menu items' as  a 'cream' sauce. This is not a cream sauce.  It  is another great solid recipe like the last post about five-spice pork lo mein, but from a different culture.  It calls for egg noodles, which I also really like.  You don't feel as heavy with egg noodles compared to regular noodles. Plus this recipe gives us an excuse (as if we needed one) to open a bottle of wine.  The difficult part is choosing which of our beloved wines to 'throw' into a recipe.

The last couple of recipes have been light on the ratings. This one is not.  As of today's post, 73 (YES SEVENTY-THREE) people gave this an average rating of 4 out of 5.  We've made it several times in our house, which should tell you that it's at least worth trying.

Recipe by David Bonom, Cooking Light, November 2006

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 4  ounces  uncooked medium egg noodles
• 1  pound  skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 2  tablespoons  all-purpose flour, divided
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt, divided
• 1/4  teaspoon  black pepper, divided
• 2  tablespoons  olive oil, divided
• 1  tablespoon  bottled minced garlic
• 1/2  teaspoon  dried tarragon
• 1  (8-ounce) package presliced mushrooms
• 1/2  cup  dry white wine
• 1/2  cup  fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1/4  cup  grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation

Cook noodles according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain and keep warm.
Cut chicken into 1-inch pieces. Place chicken breast halves in a shallow dish. Combine 1 tablespoon flour, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper, stirring well with a whisk. Sprinkle flour mixture over chicken; toss to coat.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken to pan; sauté 4 minutes or until browned. Remove chicken from pan. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to pan. Add garlic, tarragon, and mushrooms to pan; sauté for 3 minutes or until liquid evaporates and mushrooms darken. Add white wine to pan; cook 1 minute. Stir in remaining 1 tablespoon flour; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in broth, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/8 teaspoon pepper; cook 1 minute or until slightly thick, stirring frequently.
Return chicken to the pan. Cover and simmer 2 minutes. Uncover; cook 1 minute or until chicken is done. Stir in noodles; cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated. Place about 1 1/2 cups chicken mixture on each of 4 plates; top each serving with 1 tablespoon cheese.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 350 (29% from fat)

Fat: 11.1g (sat 2.6g,mono 6.2g,poly 1.4g)

Protein: 34.3g

Carbohydrate: 26.5g

Fiber: 1.2g

Cholesterol: 99mg

Iron: 2.5mg

Sodium: 502mg

Calcium: 91mg

 

Five-Spice Pork Lo Mein

If you read the ricotta broccoli Alfredo post here, you're probably remembering that awful looking stuff.  Look how appetizing this is in comparison!  This was a super easy and quick meal that we made using soba.  Soba noodles are made from buckwheat, and while I don't know a lot about the differences in pasta, I know that they are tasty. You can find them in the International/Asian section of your grocery store.

We didn't make any changes to the recipe.  We thought the recipe was a good, solid recipe.  It's not among the best we've ever made, but it was really tasty, easy and a great way to get a sampling of that Asian cuisine without all of the bad stuff.  We will make it again, but will add water chestnuts and possibly snap peas for color and crunch.  It was great to have this warm comforting meal on a cold winter's night.

As of today's post, 17 people gave this an average rating of 3 out of 5. Some of the reviewers threw in some additional ingredients, so check them out depending on which add-ins you like.

Recipe by Lorrie Covin, Cooking Light, July 2005

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1 1/3 cups)

Ingredients

• 8  ounces  uncooked Chinese-style noodles
• 1  tablespoon  grated peeled fresh ginger
• 2  teaspoons  five-spice powder
• 1  (3/4-pound) pork tenderloin, trimmed and cut into thin strips
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt, divided
• 2  tablespoons  toasted peanut oil
• 1/4  cup  water
• 1/4  cup  hoisin sauce
• 1/2  cup  chopped green onions

Preparation

Cook noodles according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain. Place in a large bowl. Snip noodles several times with kitchen scissors.
Combine ginger, five-spice powder, and pork in a medium bowl; add 1/4 teaspoon salt, tossing to coat. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork mixture; sauté 2 minutes or until browned. Stir in remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, water, and hoisin sauce; cook 2 minutes or until pork is done. Add pork mixture and green onions to noodles; toss well to combine.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 273 (29% from fat)

Fat: 8.9g (sat 1.9g,mono 3.6g,poly 2g)

Protein: 16.3g

Carbohydrate: 34.8g

Fiber: 5.7g

Cholesterol: 38mg

Iron:2.8mg

Sodium: 399mg

Calcium: 31mg

Sauteed Chicken with Sage Brown Butter AND GARLIC KNOTS

So I know the sauce looks kind of gross in this but it is DELICIOUSDELICIOUSDELICIOUSDELICIOUS.

This is a recipe out of the latest issue of CL and it is soooooooooooooo worth making.  Chicken pounded out into thin cutlets cook so easy, and the sauce was a piece of cake.  CL also provided instructions for how to make browned butter without ruining it, so check out this month's issue if you're interested.  Ahh butter.  I'm a little sad just thinking about this because it was so good.

We didn't make any changes to the recipe.  We served it with garlic knots, another CL recipe and a carrot puree from southern living. 

Now for a little on the garlic knots.  This was our first attempt at knots, so we struggled a little with the shape of them. We made several different 'designs' to see which we liked the best.  Pictured above is the knot, but we found them to be the tastiest when rolled into a pinwheel.  The recipe has you saute garlic, brush the bread with the garlic and sprinkle with chives and Parmesan. However, using the pinwheel shape allows you to tuck in all of the chive and Parmesan goodness.  If you use the knot design, sometimes these pieces can fall out.  They were definitely worth making, but next time we'll be sure to make all of them in a pinwheel design.

As of today's post 11 people gave the chicken an average rating of 4 out of 5.  I would give it a 5, it's so easy and tasty.

Sauteed Chicken with Sage Brown Butter

Recipe by Julianna Grimes, Cooking Light, January 2011

Total: 25 minutes
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 breast half and 1 tablespoon sauce)

Ingredients

• 4  (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 1/4  teaspoon  black pepper
• Cooking spray
• 1/2  cup  all-purpose flour
• 3  tablespoons  butter
• 2  sage sprigs
• 1  tablespoon  minced shallots
• 1  teaspoon  chopped fresh thyme
• 2  tablespoons  lemon juice
• Fresh sage leaves (optional)

Preparation

1. Place each breast half between 2 sheets of plastic wrap; pound to 1/4-inch thickness. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat; coat with cooking spray. Place flour in a shallow dish; dredge chicken in flour. Add chicken to pan; sauté for 4 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken from pan.
2. Add butter and sage sprigs to pan; cook over medium heat until butter browns. Discard sage. Add shallots and thyme; cook for 30 seconds. Add lemon juice; cook for 30 seconds. Serve with chicken. Garnish with sage leaves, if desired.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 326

Fat: 11.1g (sat 6.1g,mono 2.8g,poly 0.9g)

Protein: 41.1g

Carbohydrate: 13.1g

Fiber: 0.5g

Cholesterol: 122mg

Iron: 2mg

Sodium: 320mg

Calcium: 26mg

 

CHIVE AND GARLIC KNOTS

As of today's post, 5 people gave this an average rating of 4 out of 5.

Recipe by Marge Perry, Cooking Light, May 2000

Yield: 12 servings (serving size: 1 roll)

Ingredients

• 1 1/2  tablespoons  butter or stick margarine
• 2  garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2  teaspoon  garlic powder
• 1  (11-ounce) can refrigerated French bread dough
• 2  tablespoons  chopped fresh chives or green onions
• 2  tablespoons  grated Parmesan cheese
• Cooking spray

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.
Melt butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add minced garlic; sauté 30 seconds or until lightly browned. Remove from heat; stir in garlic powder.
Unroll the French bread dough onto a lightly floured surface; brush dough with garlic mixture. Sprinkle the dough with chives and cheese. Cut the dough crosswise into 12 strips. Shape each strip into a knot. Place the knots onto a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 17 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve warm.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 81 (29% from fat)

Fat: 2.6g (sat 1.3g,mono 0.8g,poly 0.4g)

Protein: 2.5g

Carbohydrate: 11.6g

Fiber: 0.0g

Cholesterol: 5mg

Iron: 0.6mg

Sodium: 185mg

Calcium: 13mg

Edamame and Bean Salad with Shrimp and Fresh Salsa

Today's post is for Sharon, one of my favorite gym instructors. :)  She told me in class this week that she bought edamame and didn't know what to make with it.  Well this recipe is a delicious light lunch with enough fiber to keep you full all afternoon. The other good thing about this recipe is that it makes 2 servings so you don't have to eat it all week.  But it is easily doubled so if you want to make more, it's not a problem. 


I didn't make any changes to this recipe.  As of today's post, 9 people rated this on average a 5 out of 5!


I hope you enjoy this in your home as much as I do!


Recipe by Maureen Callahan, Cooking Light, JULY 2004  

Yield: 2 servings (serving size: 1 1/3 cups)

Ingredients

• 1/2  cup  frozen shelled edamame
• 1  cup  chopped cooked small shrimp (about 6 ounces)
• 1  cup  canned cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 1  cup  halved cherry tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons chopped red onion
• 2  teaspoon  minced jalapeño pepper
• 2  tablespoon  chopped fresh cilantro
• 1  tablespoon  fresh lime juice
• 1  teaspoon  extravirgin olive oil
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt

Preparation

Cook edamame according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water; drain.

Combine edamame, shrimp, cannellini beans, cherry tomatoes, onion, and jalapeño pepper. Combine cilantro and the remaining ingredients, stirring with a whisk. Drizzle over edamame mixture, and toss gently to combine. Cover and chill.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

314 (29% from fat)

Fat:

10.1g (sat 1g,mono 5g,poly 1.2g)

Protein:

28.1g

Carbohydrate:

28g

Fiber:

8.2g

Cholesterol:

167mg

Iron:

5.8mg

Sodium:

803mg

Calcium:

94mg

Skillet Chicken Souvlaki

Tonight's meal pays homage to the wonderful land of Greece, where we will be spending our honeymoon in September!  This is another quick weeknight meal and it only uses 1 skillet.  We've made this one before and know it's delicious! 

The recipe calls for you to add salt and pepper to the chicken before you cook it in the skillet. We use World Market's Mediterranean blend which gives the chicken a bit more flavor. Cooking Light also adds a side salad at the bottom of the recipe which makes it a complete meal. As you can see from the picture, Giant did not have green peppers available, so I used orange (didn't seem to make a difference).  I also cook the onions and peppers longer to make sure they are nice and soft.


As of today's post, myrecipes.com shows an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars for 15 reviewers.  I hope you enjoy this in your home as much as we do in ours!

Recipe by Jackie Mills, Cooking Light, AUGUST 2009

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 cup chicken mixture, 1/4 cup sauce, 1 pita, and about 1/4 cup tomatoes)

Ingredients

• 1  tablespoon  olive oil, divided
• 1  pound  skinless, boneless chicken breast, thinly sliced
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• 1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2  cups  vertically sliced onion (about 1 medium)
• 1  cup  thinly sliced green bell pepper (about 1)
• 2  teaspoons  bottled minced garlic
• 1/2  teaspoon  dried oregano
• 1/2  cup  grated English cucumber
• 1/4  cup  2% Greek-style yogurt (such as Fage)
• 1/4  cup  reduced-fat sour cream
• 1  tablespoon  chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1/2  teaspoon  grated lemon rind
• 1  teaspoon  fresh lemon juice
• 1/8  teaspoon  salt
• 4  (6-inch) whole-wheat soft pitas, cut in half
• 2  plum tomatoes, thinly sliced

Preparation

1. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken with 1/2 teaspoon salt and black pepper. Add chicken to pan; sauté 5 minutes or until done. Remove from pan.
2. Add 1 teaspoon oil to pan. Add onion and bell pepper; sauté 3 minutes. Add chicken, garlic, and oregano; cook 30 seconds.
3. Combine cucumber and next 6 ingredients (through 1/8 teaspoon salt). Serve chicken mixture with yogurt sauce, warmed pita, and tomato slices.
Salad: Combine 5 cups torn romaine lettuce, 1/3 cup sliced red onion, and 3 sliced pepperoncini peppers. Combine 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, 2 tablespoons olive oil, and 1/4 teaspoon salt; toss with salad. Top with 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese and 3 tablespoons halved kalamata olives.

Nutritional Information

Calories:361

Fat: 7.4g (sat 2.3g,mono 3.3g,poly 0.8g)

Protein: 35.1g

Carbohydrate: 39g

Fiber: 4.7g

Cholesterol:72mg

Iron: 3.1mg

Sodium: 589mg

Calcium: 105mg