Chicken and Black Bean Quesadillas with Homemade Guacamole

The inspiration for this meal was a tortilla chip.  I am not kidding.  My in-laws brought home some tortilla chips from Colorado and were raving about them.  I didn't want to eat the chips with just anything if they were to be that amazing so I decided to look around my kitchen and figure out a meal to go with them.  I had most of the ingredients on hand and it turned out to be a great meal.  And, the chips did live up to the hype. 

If you are interested, they are called La Favorita Tortilla Chips.  They were sold at the Sam's Club in Fort Collins, CO and are apparently locally made.  They are naturally made and contain no trans-fats or cholesterol.  And, as always, I love when I can look at a product's ingredients and recognize every one as I could with these chips. 



Chicken and Black Bean Quesadillas

2 chicken breasts (preferably organic)

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1-2 c. frozen corn

2 c. shredded cheese

1 Tbls. olive oil

1/4 c. chopped red onion

1 garlic clove, minced

2 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. ground chipotle chili

salt and pepper to taste

In a skillet, heat the olive oil over medium high heat and add the onion and garlic.  Cook until the onion is tender.  Add the chicken and season with cumin, chili, and salt/pepper.  Cook the chicken approximately 4-6 minutes per side until chicken is cooked through and juices run clear.

Chop chicken into small bits and mix with the black beans and corn. 

Heat a griddle over medium to medium-low heat.  If you heat it too high, you will burn the tortilla and have cold filling.  Fill one tortilla with about 1/2 c. of the chicken mixture and add cheese to your taste preferences and fold in half.  Place on the griddle.  Cook until golden and then carefully flip and cook on other side, approximately 5 minutes per side.  Repeat the process until you have enough quesadillas to feed your family or the ingredients are gone.  Serve with guacamole, salsa, sour cream, fresh tomatoes, etc. 

Homemade Guacamole

3-4 ripe avocados, peeled and pitted  (reserve pits)

1/2 c. diced fresh tomatoes

1-2 Tbls. lime juice

1/2 - 1 tsp. ground chipotle chili

salt to taste

optional - jalapeno pepper, cored, seeded, and minced

Using a fork, mash avocados in a bowl.  Add the tomatoes, 1 Tbls. lime juice, 1/2 tsp. chipotle chili, and salt.  Stir and taste.  Add more of any of the ingredients to your flavor preferences.  Return the avocado pits to the guacamole to help it retain it's green color until serving. 

Food for Thought: I did this meal from fresh but it would be an easy one to freeze as well.  You could do it one of two ways: 1) Make quesadilla filling.  Store filling in one freezer bag, tortillas in another, and shredded cheese in a third.  On cooking day, thaw entire package, assemble, and cook according to directions above.  2) Make quesadillas completely and then freeze in cooked state.  To reheat, simply place quesadilla on a plate and microwave until hot.  You will lose the crispy-ness but will have a quick and easy snack, lunch, or dinner for your kids. 

Baja Grilled Fish Tacos with Chipotle Lime Mayo

This recipe brought my husband and I back to Mexico and the vacation the two of us took earlier this year.  We ate fish tacos on the beach almost daily.  The only thing missing from dinner tonight was the margarita! (and the beach, and the sun, and the ocean, and the calm of meals that are kid free...) 

Though the fish tacos were not a hit with our boys, you can't win them all.  They filled up on the tortillas, tomatoes, and avocado.  We loved the whole package and plan to make them again.  I especially loved the contrast of the refreshing lime flavor with the spicy chipotle chili seasoning in the Chipotle Lime Mayo. 

Baja Grilled Fish Tacos with Chipotle Lime Mayo

*I'm sorry I don't have the name of the cookbook I adapted this recipe from.  It is a great recipe and if I get that cookbook from the library again, I will be sure to update this post.

Marinade Ingredients:

1 ½ lbs. tilapia

1 tsp.  salt

½ tsp. pepper

1 large white onion, finely chopped

1/2 c. fresh cilantro, chopped

2 small cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. ground cumin or more to taste

1 tsp. dried oregano

½ c. olive oil

¼ c. + 3 Tbls. Fresh lime juice

¼ c. orange juice

Chipotle Lime Mayo (prepare on serving day):

½ c. mayonnaise

½ c. sour cream

2 T. lime juice or more, to taste

1 t. lime zest

1 T. sugar

Salt to taste

1/2 tsp. ground chipotle chili (adjust to taste - we like it spicy)

Pinch cayenne pepper

Additional Ingredients for Serving Day:

Cooking spray or oil

Salsa or pico de gallo

Tortillas

Red onion, chopped

Cilantro, chopped

Avocado, peeled and cubed

Red Cabbage, finely shredded

(The kids also added tomatoes and shredded cheese to their tacos.)

Rinse fish fillet and pat dry.  Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper.  Set aside. 

In medium bowl, combine remaining marinade ingredients.  Divide marinade into three portions.  Place one in small freezer bag and set aside.  Place one in large freezer bag.  Place fish in larger bag on top of marinade.  Top the fillets with last third of marinade and seal bag.  Let fish marinade in fridge for 20-30 minutes, turning once before freezing.  Freeze smaller extra marinade separately for serving day.

On your serving day, thaw the fish and extra marinade completely. 

Grill fish on foil that has been sprayed lightly with cooking spray on the grill.  Grill over medium heat, turning once, basting with the extra marinade while grilling.    

While the fish is cooking, whisk together the ingredients for the Chipotle Lime Mayo.  Adjust the seasonings to your taste preferences. Clean and cut up all the additional toppings for the tacos.

When the fish is done, chop it coarsely. 
Assemble the fish tacos and drizzle with Chipotle Lime Mayo.  Enjoy!

Food for Thought:  If you are doing freezer cooking, most of the work still ends up being on your serving day.  I had the fish in the freezer in the marinade but the rest of the ingredients were prepped today.  I was thankful I made this on a day when my husband was home to help with the kids.  

Chicken Kabobs

Ahhhh, the first kabobs of the season... to have them in March in Minnesota is truly a treat!  These chicken kabobs are definitely a go-to recipe for entertaining.  They are easy to adapt to your taste preferences too or even do as a "build-your-own" meal if you have picky eaters. 

Chicken Kabobs

Marinade Ingredients:
1/2 c. soy sauce
1/2 c. pineapple juice
1/4 c. olive oil
1 tsp. dry mustard
1 Tbls. brown sugar
2 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. garlic salt
1/4 tsp. ground pepper

4 chicken breasts
1 each red pepper, yellow pepper, orange pepper, red onion, green zucchini, yellow squash
6-8 small red potatoes

Instructions:

Combine marinade ingredients and whisk together well.  Cut chicken into large cubes and marinate for 4-8 hours.

Cut bell peppers into approx. 2 inch squares.  Slice the zucchini and squash thickly.  Peel and quarter the onion. 

Clean the potatoes and afterwards, microwave them for about 5 minutes to pre-cook. 

Assemble the kabobs in any order or fashion you like. 

Cook them over medium heat on the grill for about 7-8 minutes a side, turning over once.  They are best a big burnt on the edges and the chicken is cooked through.

Food for Thought: If you want to have this prepared as a freezer meal, you would cut up and prepare the chicken and marinade and put that in the freezer.  On cooking day, you would thaw the chicken thoroughly, prep the veggies, and assemble the kabobs.

Ginger-glazed Mahi Mahi

After eating a bit, my two-year-old said, "I like everything on my plate, Mom."  That is a great compliment in our house!  We definitely will be making this recipe again!

Ginger-glazed Mahi Mahi

4 mahi-mahi fillets (1 ½ lbs. total)

3 T. brown sugar

2 T. honey

3 T. soy sauce

3 T. balsamic vinegar

¾ t. freshly grated ginger root

1 clove garlic, crushed

2 t. olive oil

¼ t. salt

¼ t. pepper

In a mixing bowl, stir together brown sugar, honey, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, ginger, garlic, and olive oil.  Season fish fillets with salt and pepper and place them in freezer bag.  Pour marinade over fish and freeze. 

When ready to serve, allow fillets to thaw completely.  Reserve marinade.  Grill fillets over medium heat for 4-6 minutes per side turning only once.  I did it on an indoor grilling pan following the same time and heat instructions and they turned out great that way too.

While fish is grilling, pour marinade into sauce pan and bring to a boil over medium heat.  Boil addition 2 minutes until reduces to glaze consistency.  Spoon over cooked fish and serve immediately with rice and a green vegetable.

** For the rice, I used Archer Farms (Target's brand) Whole Grain Medley.  I diced up two carrots and sauteed them with onion and garlic in butter.  Then, I added 1 cup of the medley, and 1 1/2 cups chicken broth, brought it to a boil, and then simmered covered for 25 minutes.  It paired nicely, was full of fiber and whole grain, and even had some hidden carrots in there! 

Asian Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Carrots

Asian Pork Tenderloin

Recipe from http://www.letsdishrecipes.blogspot.com/

2/3 c. low sodium soy sauce

1/4 c. dark sesame oil

1 tsp. Worschestershire sauce

2 Tbls. brown sugar

1-2 tsp. hot chili sauce

1 Tbls. minced, peeled fresh ginger

4 cloves garlic, minced

3 green onions, sliced

1 1/2 lb. pork tenderloin

olive oil

Instructions:

Combine first 7 ingredients, reserving a few sliced green onions for a garnish, in a large ziploc bag and add the pork.  Seal and marinate in the refridgerator for 8-24 hours.  (If freezer cooking, freeze now and thaw prior to continuing with cooking instructions).

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. 

Take pork out of bag and reserve marinade.  In a large skillet, over medium high heat, cook pork 6 minutes, browning all sides.

Place in an ovenproof pan and bake at 425 degrees for 15 - 20 minutes or until meat thermometer registeres 160 degrees.

While the pork is cooking, bring reserved marinade to a boil over medium high heat.  After it begins to boil, continue boiling 3-4 minutes until thickened.

Let stand 5 minutes before slicing. 

Asian Roasted Carrots:

Recipe from http://www.fortheloveofcooking.net/

6 large carrots, halved

3 Tbls. soy sauce

3 Tbls. rice vinegar

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp. sesame oil

2 tsp. minced fresh ginger root

Slice the carrots into sticks.  Combine the soy sauce, rice vinegar, garlic, sesame oil, and ginger in a ziploc bag.  Add the carrots to the marinade and marinate for 30 minutes.  (If freezer cooking, freeze at this point.  Thaw and discard marinade before cooking).

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Coat a glass baking dish with cooking spray and then add the carrots (without the marinade) to the baking dish.  Roast in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until fork tender. 

Chicke Otsu

Given an 8 1/2 out of 10 by my husband, a very high mark, this recipe was a definite hit!  A new ingredient for me in this recipe was soba noodles, a Japanese buckwheat noodle.  They had a nice texture and good flavor.  I was able to find them at Cub but after a bit of hunting around in the Asian food section.  This recipe was a bit spicy for the boys so if you don't like a lot of heat, perhaps cut back on the cayenne in the dressing. 

Chicken Otsu

Recipe adapted from: Super Natural Cooking by Heidi Swanson

Ginger sesame dressing:

Grated zest of 1 lemon

1-inch cube fresh ginger peeled and grated

1 tbls. Honey

¾ tsp. cayenne

¾ tsp. fine grain sea salt

1 tbls. Freshly squeezed lemon juice

¼ c. unseasoned brown rice vinegar

1/3 c. shoyu sauce or soy sauce

2 tbls. Extra virgin olive oil

2 tbls toasted sesame oil

Other ingredients:

12 ounces dried soba noodles

3-4 chicken breasts

¼ c. chopped fresh cilantro

3 green onions, thinly sliced

½ cucumber peeled, cut in half, lengthwise, seeded, and thinly sliced

1 small handful of cilantro, coarsely copped for garnish

¼ c. toasted sesame seeds

To make the dressing, combine the zest, ginger, honey, cayenne, and salt in a food processor and process until smooth.  Add the lemon juice, rice vinegar, and shoyu and pulse to combine.  With the machine running, drizzle in the oils.

Cook the soba in plenty of rapidly boiling salted water just until tender.  Then drain and rinse under cold running water. 

While the pasta is cooking, cut the chicken into cubes, season with salt and pepper and brown in olive oil or sesame oil until cooked through and juices run clear.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the soba, the ¼ c. cilantro, green onions, cucumber, and about 2/3 c. of the dressing and toss until well combined.  Add the chicken and toss again gently.  Serve on a platter, garnished with the cilantro sprigs and toasted sesame seeds.

Herb-Crusted Pork Chops

Herb Crusted Pork Chops

8 pork chops, bone-in

1 ½ cups bread crumbs

1 c. fresh parley, chopped

2 t. dried thyme

½ c. olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Cooking day:  mix together breadcrumbs, parley, thyme, olive oil, salt, and pepper.  Coat each pork chop with mixture.  Wrap each chop individually in plastic wrap and then place in a freezer bag.  Freeze.

Serving day: Thaw completely.   Broil on high 2-3 minutes each side.  Lower temperature to 350 degrees and bake for 20 minutes or until pork chops are tender.

Food for Thought:
We grilled these pork chops tonight instead.  Some of the breading fell off but the flavor was still amazing.  To grill, we seared the chops at high heat for 1-2 minutes a side and then turned the heat down to medium-low and continued cooking for about 15 minutes or until cooked through.