Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad + Weekly Menu

May 19, 2013 by · 3 Comments

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Michigan had a frost last week. The owners of my Community Shared Agriculture (CSA) were concerned that the unusually cold May temperatures would ruin what had been planted. After last year’s fruit crop being completely trashed by the weather, I was concerned, too. But it sounds like everything survived. Phew.

Hopefully, just hopefully, we can start putting spring behind us (and certainly winter), and begin to move into summer temperatures.

Lord knows the mosquitoes were out in full force last night. #notcool

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While my CSA deliveries are still a few weeks out, signs of fresh, local produce are here. Other than the fresh picked, local asparagus we’ve been enjoying, the grocery stores are starting to fill up with other local produce. Rhubarb, anyone? :)

Even produce that is not yet in season…is beginning to taste a whole lot better. A tomato almost tastes like an actual tomato. I can’t wait to have too many of them luring fruit flies into my home. That’s one problem I don’t mind having. …especially after I learned that a little dish of water, apple cider vinegar, and dish soap do the trick as far as catching the little buggers.

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I digress.

Fruits and vegetables are coming into their prime season and salads have been a welcome addition to dinners as of late. When salads are full of this much flavor, this much color, this much texture, this much nutrition, this much fiber…and protein, with fat and sodium levels in check…it is seriously note-worthy. It’s a meal you won’t hear complaints over. Only raves and requests for more.

Yep, it’s one of those.

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Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad from Cooking Light

Dressing:
1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
1 chipotle chile, canned in adobo sauce, minced
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder
4 tsp fresh lime juice
1/4 tsp salt

Salad:
1 head Romaine, chopped
12 oz boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and diced
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 avocado, peeled and diced
1/3 red onion, thinly sliced
1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (8 3/4 oz) can no-salt-added whole-kernel corn, drained and rinsed

Directions:

To prepare dressing, combine all of the dressing ingredients in a small bowl; mix well and set aside.

To prepare salad, combine lettuce and remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Drizzle dressing over salad; toss gently to coat. Serve immediately.

Yield: 4 entree portions

Nutrition Information (per serving): 300 calories; 5.5 g. fat; 41 mg. cholesterol; 438 mg. sodium; 30.5 g. carbohydrate; 11.0 g. fiber; 34.5 g. protein; 6.3 g. sugar

Result: Incredibly quick to throw together (especially if you use leftover chicken or a rotisserie), and packed with flavor, no calories…this meal was rated 5 stars by Cooking Light reviewers, and I’d have to agree. This was delicious. lots of bold flavors and the yogurt dressing was unique, spicy, fun, and summery. A meal for 300 calories that is this filling and packed with nutrition? Amazing. Enjoy!

Weekly Menu: May 19th – May 23rd

Cookbooking today!

Be well,

sig4

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Filed Under: 300 calories or less, carb-controlled, fiber, fruits and vegetables, gluten-free, guilt-free, quick meals, recipe, reduced-calorie, spicy, weekly menu ·

Meatless Monday: Healthy Cocoa-Date Truffles

May 13, 2013 by · 5 Comments

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I was talking to Mr. Prevention on my way home from Chicago yesterday. I was reciting my to-do list as he was recapping the fact that I currently have a lot of balls in the air with freelance writing, cookbook #2, a very demanding job, and of course, continuing to cook, photograph, and blog. I also must make time to continue ice hockey and running regularly, and the juggling act can be tiresome at times. It takes planning and organization – two things I do not naturally excel at.

Weekends away, as much as I enjoy them, don’t leave me with the time to recharge, re-energize, and prepare fully for the week ahead. My weekend with my mom and my family, it was the best, however.

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I pulled into the garage, threw in a load of laundry, and realized I was starving. I opened the fridge to find these Healthy Cocoa-Date Truffles that I has whipped together last week…and had not yet photographed. I snacked on a few of them while taking the photos and then made out my grocery list for the week…after struggling over what to make. I never even got the chance to look through the latest Cooking Light for ideas.

I decided on my Weekly Menu, adding a few veggie dishes that will be in my cookbook for dinner last night.

I grocery shopped in record time and for at least the 10th time in the past year, had a discussion with my checker about cilantro being an ingredient you either love or hate. Obviously, I love it…but I find the repetitiveness of this same conversation with various employees every time I buy cilantro to be truly perplexing. Anyways.

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I came home to finish up laundry, make dinner, and hear Mr. Prevention complain about how these truffles contained coconut while I shuffled around the kitchen in my usual haste of not-so-organized chaos. I tried deterring him with, “But they’re made of dates…you don’t like dates.” But he seemed to think he was missing out.

Which he was. But I won’t tell him that.

More for me!

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Healthy Cocoa-Date Truffles from Bon Appetit, as see on Alida’s Kitchen

8 oz pitted dates (approx 1 1/2 cups)
3 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
3 Tbsp unsweetened flaked coconut
1 tsp espresso powder
1/4 cup unsweetened flaked coconut, for rolling

Directions:

Put dates, cocoa, 3 tablespoons coconut and espresso powder in a food processor and puree until smooth. If mixture is too dry, add water by the teaspoonful.

Scoop mixture by the scant tablespoonful and form 1-inch balls. Roll balls in remaining coconut.

Chill/store in refrigerator in an air-tight container until ready to enjoy.

Yield: 20 truffles

Nutrition Information (per truffle): 46 calories; 1.15 g. fat; o mg. cholesterol; 10 mg. sodium; 9.5 g. carbohydrate; 1.4 g. fiber; 0.45 g. protein; 7.7 g. sugar

Result: These couldn’t be easier, or healthier, and yet, they come off as truly indulgent. Filled with (few) good-for-you calories, these are a handy thing to keep in your refrigerator for an on-the-go snack or quick dessert. Enjoy!

 Busy day, busy week…here we go!

Be well,

sig4

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Filed Under: 50 calories or less, carb-controlled, fiber, fruits and vegetables, gluten-free, guilt-free, kid-friendly, low-carb, recipe, reduced-calorie, snack, Uncategorized, vegan, vegetarian ·

Avocado Tuna Salad + Weekly Menu

May 12, 2013 by · 4 Comments

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Back in August, my family and I drove an hour south of Chicago to Joliet, Illinois. My mom had purchased a “NASCAR Racing Experience” for my dad, a lover of all things cars. Unfortunately, on that day back in August, we were rained out and received a rain check for his “experience”.

Fast forward to yesterday, and we were there for his rain check race “experience”. The date has been on my calendar for months. Having grown up at race tracks on account of my dad’s hobby of racing vintage stock cars, race tracks tend to feel like home.

While this particular race track excelled in sanitary restrooms, they offered no food for sale. Whaaa?

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We waited. And waited for his turn to race.

We went to the driver’s safely meeting. Listened to the man repeat himself at least three times. No burnouts, got it. Check your 2-way radios, got it. Don’t release your 5-point safety harness, got it. It started to rain for a moment and I got nervous. Rain check #2? Please NO.

We returned to the track only to sit around and wait, and wait some more. Finally, my brother and I went to a nearby, extremely sketchy gas station to get something to eat and drink. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

Wouldn’t you know my dad was the LAST person to race for the day? His scheduled race time was 10am. He got into the car at 1:28pm. Yes, I looked at my watch phone. He raced the track 5 times, topped out at 132 miles per hour, and we walked back to the car with him saying, “I’m hooked.” Oh fabulous.

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In the nearly 5 hours we were at the track, we had a lot of FAMILY BONDING time. We talked about everything from school to jobs to vacations, and everything and anything in between. We even talked about avocado tuna salad because my mom has been on the prowl for a light mayo or mayo-free tuna salad to help use up the “15 cans” (this number is still to be confirmed – a hot topic in my parents’ home) of tuna my dad has been stock piling in the basement ever since the Y2K scare well over a decade ago.

I proudly informed her that I found a winning recipe for her — this one. She reported to me she had found one, too, but was yet to try it. And then, she threw me a print out of a recipe. This recipe…and I laughed. Other than few small modifications, this recipe was worthy of 2 thumbs up in my book. Loved it and its simplicity.

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 Avocado Tuna Salad from Tablespoon

1 large avocado, pitted
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 Tbsp light mayonnaise
1 (7 oz) can tuna
1/3 cup red onion, minced
1/3 cup carrot, shredded
2 celery stalks, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 tsp salt1/8 tsp pepper

Directions:

Remove the avocado from the skin and mash in a medium bowl using the back of a fork. Add lemon juice and mayonnaise; stir well. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.

This salad is best served immediately, but can be refrigerated until ready to serve. Lay plastic wrap directly on the surface of the tuna salad to store and prevent oxidation (browning).

Yield: 3 servings (~ 3/4 cup each)

Nutrition Information (per serving): 194 calories; 12 g. fat; 31 mg. cholesterol; 500 mg. sodium; 13.0 g. carbohydrate; 7.0 g. fiber; 13.3 g. protein; 2. g. sugar

Result: If you can get over the somewhat off-putting look of this tuna salad, it truly is delicious. Avocado is such a champion ingredient when looking for that creamy, rich flavor and texture, while swapping out bad fats for good fats, while increasing fiber and nutrition in the recipe. This tuna salad took 10-15 minutes to prep and mix together and I served it with a handful of crackers and an ice cold beer. That, to me, is a perfect summer meal!

Weekly Menu: May 12th – May 16th

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms…especially mine! :-D

Making brunch and heading home…a busy week — Hospital Week — is upon me!

Be well,

sig4

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Filed Under: 200 calories or less, carb-controlled, fiber, fruits and vegetables, gluten-free, guilt-free, kid-friendly, low-carb, quick meals, recipe, reduced-calorie, weekly menu ·