Black Bean Corn Quesadillas

When I was younger, my favorite after school snack was a flour tortilla and juice (my, I loved my carbs back then, too!).  At some point, I realized that there was a concoction called a "quesadilla" which involved yummy melted cheese folded in between said tortilla, and I was set.  In my opinion, cheese tastes so much better when melted, and added to the yummy that is a warm tortilla, I had my perfect snack.  Now of course, I try to avoid such heavy things as snacks (seriously, where was the fresh fruit in my youth?).  But lately I've been loving the black bean, corn and bell pepper combination and I thought that putting that all together in quesadilla form wouldn't be a bad idea.  I searched the internet for some ideas and found this recipe from allrecipes that I used as a base for proportions, but changed it quite a bit using my own ideas and one of the comments regarding oven baking and still getting crispy/gooey results.  I originally intended to add chicken, but honestly, just ran out of room on the tortilla and found I didn't miss it at all.  This is a great way to enjoy quesadillas as a main meal.  The beans are so creamy that you don't need to add nearly as much cheese, and the spices, plus the crunchy sweetness of the bell pepper and corn add up to a perfect combination of flavors and textures.  This is actually going on the meal plan again in the next week!

Black Bean and Corn Quesadillas (inspired by allrecipes)
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/4 of small onion, finely chopped
1/2 of  1 (15.5 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup frozen corn kernels
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground oregano
4 soft taco size (8 inch) flour tortillas
2/3 cups shredded cheddar or Mexican cheese blend
Cooking Spray

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  In a skillet or saute pan, heat oil over medium high heat.  Add onion and cook until soft.  Add peppers and cook until onions start to carmelize.  Add beans, corn and spices and heat until warmed through, about 3 minutes.  On a pizza stone or cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray, lay out two tortillas.  Top with warm veggie mixture and 1/3 cup cheese each, then top with the remaining tortillas.  Spray tops of tortillas with cooking spray.  Bake in oven for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and tops reach desired golden brown color.  Enjoy with sour cream, salsa and/or guacamole.  Makes 2 quesadillas.

Mole Pork Chops

I've posted more pork chop recipes in the last 10 posts or so than I probably have the entire blog history!  I have a couple reasons for that.  One is that pork is just so frequently on sale, and I'm really trying to knock down our food budget, which gets out of control when food is a hobby (shared by both me and the husband).  The other is that I have actually recently had luck with finding some recipes that I know the husband will like, even though they are pork (which he still sometimes thinks he doesn't like, even though he does).  This is one of those recipes.  I think he even said that we could make this a regular recipe.  I made it pretty spicy, but you can always adjust the seasonings to come up with a blend that works for you.  Look at the grill marks this gets!  That's from a stovetop grill on a very old coil style electric stove, so I'm pretty proud!  I served these with mashed potatoes made with sour cream, and roasted cauliflower with a light sprinkle of cayenne pepper.  Great spicy meal!

Mole Style Pork Chops (from My Recipes via Cooking with LT)
*1 tablespoon brown sugar
*1 teaspoon smoked paprika
*1 teaspoon ground cumin
*1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
*1 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
*4 pork chops, 1/2 inch thick (I used boneless)
*Cooking spray

1. Heat a grill pan or skillet over medium heat.

2. Combine first 6 ingredients and rub evenly over both sides of pork. Lightly coat pork with cooking spray.

3. Place pork on the heated pan. Cover and grill 3 minutes on each side or until done. Let stand 3 minutes before serving.

Black Bean Burrito Bowls

I have just finished a week of vegetarian eating. This week, my husband was away at Specialized bike camp (a week long dealer event where Specialized Bicycles debuts new products, fun times for my husband). While he was away, I decided that this was going to be the week to try out new vegetarian entrees. I have wanted to do a week of vegetarian for a while now, and since I'm going to the midwest for vacation next week, I thought the detox before I left for what is sure to be some unhealthier eating would be in order. I also thought this would be a good way to stay motivated to cook at home without eating anything too unhealthy (I've been known to indulge in rib-eye steaks and hamburger helper while the husband is away, and that just isn't good for my tummy!). This meal was actually one of the ones I cooked while the husband was still in town, so I knew it would have to be substantial and over the top good for him to be satisfied. This was really yummy, we both enjoyed the peppery flavor, but both agreed it needed a little more spice. Next time, I'll probably add some spices to the rice as it cooks as well as switching out some of the milder peppers for jalapenos. This makes a LOT of pepper mix, so you can probably double the rice and make 8 entrees with the same number of peppers.

Black Bean Burrito Bowls (my own recipe)

1 Cup brown rice

2.5 cups vegetable broth

2 Fresno chiles

2 Anaheim chiles

1 Poblano pepper

1 Red bell pepper

1 small onion

1 Tbs olive oil

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 can black beans - drained and rinsed

Cook brown rice in rice cooker with broth (Or cook on the stovetop, but I'm awful at cooking brown rice on the stovetop!). Meanwhile, chop anaheims, poblano, bell pepper and onion into 1/4 to 1/2 inch pieces. Dice fresno chiles finely. Heat oil in large skillet over medium high heat. Saute onion and peppers until very soft and starting to char - about 10 minutes. Heat black beans in a small saucepan until heated through. To prepare bowls, serve about a 1/2 cup cooked rice, top with a large spoonful of pepper mixture, top with black beans, then top with cheese. Serve with tortillas or chips. Makes about 4 servings with leftover chiles, or double rice & cheese for 8 servings.

Fiesta Brown Rice Chicken Bake

I'm a big fan of casseroles, as I'm sure I've said before. I'm an even bigger fan of one dish casseroles like this one. I saw this dish on The Mess Pot right around Cinco de Mayo and thought I'd give it a shot. I'm so happy I did, these flavors are right up our alley and the process was relatively simple. It reminded me a little of a jambalaya or paella. I even got to use yummy boneless chicken thighs without my dark meat fearing husband even knowing! I did cut back slightly on the garlic, and I probably used a little more chili powder than the recipe called for. I have to say, that spritz of fresh lime juice at the end really makes a huge difference here. I sometimes leave stuff like that out, but the dish wouldn't be the same without it. We will definitely be having this again!





Tex-Mex Chicken & Brown Rice (from The Mess Pot)
8 Garlic Cloves (I used about 6)
2 tsp chili powder (I used about 2.5 tsp)
1/2 tsp hot sauce (I used Tabasco)
Salt & Pepper
1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs, trimmed
1 tsp canola oil
1 onion, minced
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 jalapenos, stemmed, seeded and minced
2 ears corn (I used 1 cup frozen, since I have an endless supply right now!)
1 cup long grain brown rice, rinsed
1 1/4 cups low sodium chicken broth (I always use stock)
4 scallions, sliced diagonally
1 Tbs fresh lime juice

Adjust oven rack to lower position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Combine half the garlic, 1 tsp chili powder, hot sauce and salt & pepper in a large bowl. Stir in the chicken and rub until covered. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a large dutch oven over medium high heat until simmering. Add the onion, bell pepper, jalapenos and corn. Cook until soft and light brown, 8-10 minutes. Stir in rice, remaining garlic, and remaining chili powder and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the broth, scraping up brown bits at bottom of the pan.

Lay the chicken on top of the rice mixture. Bring to a simmer, cover, and transfer to oven. Cook until rice is tender and liquid is almost absorbed, 50-65 minutes. Transfer chicken to plate. Cover the pot and allow rice to steam up the rest of the liquid for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, chop/shred the chicken into small pieces.

Stir the shredded chicken into the rice. Top with scallions and lime juice. Season with salt & pepper to taste before serving.

Chicken Fajitas

It always really surprises me when I hear people refer to restaurant fajitas as a good diet food. Sure, when you are at Chili's, there is often not many other choices, so getting fajitas and just eating the chicken & veggies is probably a better option than the boneless buffalo wings or the ribs. I just usually find that restaurant fajitas (I'm talking chain restaurants, here) are dripping in oil, and they usually use such poor quality meat that you HAVE to glob on the guacamole & sour cream in order to get some flavor. I have wanted to make fajitas at home for a while now, but our home grill options have been limited in the past (no outdoor area for grilling at this apartment, and most grill pans kinda suck). Ever since we got our new cast iron grill pan for Christmas, I knew I could finally make fajitas at home. Cast Iron is the only way a home grill pan will get hot enough to really work for fajitas. Now that I had the good pan, I tried to decide on a good flavoring. The packets at the regular grocery store all sounded pretty gross to me (so much salt and artificial flavoring!), but someone on the nest cooking board mentioned that Whole Foods carries a delicious, salt-free blend from The Spice Hunter for Fajita Seasoning. I picked up the bottle and - HOW REFRESHING! - I recognized every ingredient! I trust The Spice Hunter because I already use their Seafood Blend for most of our homecooked fish. They are also practically local, based in San Luis Obispo, which is nice. I liberally coated this on the chicken, grilled it up, then grilled the peppers and onion until they were nicely charred. I served this with homemade guacamole and just a little bit of sour cream. Even my husband liked these, and he is not a restaurant fajita fan at all (for the reasons above, plus his hatred of onions). It was a great, natural tasting meal.

Chicken Fajitas (my own recipe, but it isn't much of a recipe!)

3/4 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into strips

The Spice Hunter Fajita Seasoning

2 bell peppers, cut into strips

1 small onion, cut into strips

Guacamole

Sour Cream

6 flour tortillas

Heat grill pan over medium high heat. Season chicken strips liberally with fajita seasoning. Grill until cooked through, about 2 -3 minutes per side. Remove to serving bowl. Add pepper & onion strips to grill. Grill, turning frequently, until just soft and starting to show some grill marks/color (do this in batches if needed). Add to serving bowl. Toss all ingredients well, then scoop into tortillas and serve with guacamole and sour cream, if desired.

Jalapeno Popper Chicken

I've posted a couple different recipes for stuffed chicken, and it continues to be one of my favorite ways to cook chicken. This chicken was fantastic. I came up with it after my husband's many southwestern inspired dishes in Hawaii led me to realize how well oregano works in Mexican/southwestern dishes. The most important part of this dish was using really high quality pepper-jack cheese (I used Sonoma-Jack) and using panko bread crumbs to give the chicken that crunch that you would expect from a popper. I could see adding some crumbled cooked bacon to the stuffing on this, but I kept it simple here.



Jalapeno Popper Chicken (my original creation)
2 6 oz boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 oz pepper-jack style cheese, sliced into sticks
1 jalapeno, seeds & ribs removed, julienned
1 tsp ancho chili powder (or plain chili powder)
1/4 tsp oregano (I used dried, but ground would work better)
1 egg, scrambled in shallow dish
1/2 cup panko style bread crumbs
cooking spray
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut a pocket into each chicken breast by carefully inserting knife into the middle of the thin side of the breast and cutting gently until a good sized pocket is formed (do not cut through to the other side). Stuff about half of the jalapeno & cheese into each chicken breast. Pull chicken back into shape, sealing with toothpicks if required. Sprinkle each side of each breast with oregano and chili powder. Dip each side of each breast in the egg and then in the panko. Place in shallow baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. Bake uncovered for 25 minutes. Spray tops of the chicken breasts lightly with cooking spray or oil and continue to bake for 5-10 minutes more or until bread crumbs start to turn golden brown.

Taco Pasta Casserole

If you haven't figured it out yet, I really enjoy casseroles. They are comfort on a plate, and they make great leftovers. I run into trouble finding casseroles that are healthier. So many American casserole recipes are based in creamy condensed soup and/or covered in cheese. I was very excited to see this recipe from Joelen's Culinary Adventures, as Joelen is one of my favorite bloggers out there, and I knew she wouldn't have any condensed soup in her casserole. The best part of this casserole recipe is that it is adaptable. If I don't have one of the ingredients, I can toss in something else, and I can certainly adapt this to more in season vegetables if I want. As expected, this casserole was great as leftovers, too.

Taco Pasta Casserole (adapted from Joelen's Culinary Adventures)

1/2 lb dry short whole wheat pasta

1 Tbs Olive Oil

1/2 medium onion, diced

1/2 lb lean ground turkey

2 Tbs Taco Seasoning

2 Tomatoes, seeded & chopped

1 bell pepper, diced (mine was yellow)

1 can black beans, drained & rinsed

1 cup salsa (I used Medium)

Salt & Pepper to taste

1 cup shredded Cheddar Jack cheese

1 green onion, sliced

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large pot, fill with water and let it come to a boil. Add pasta and cook until slightly under done. Drain. Meanwhile, in a saute pan, add the oil and saute onions until softened. Crumble in the ground turkey and brown. Add the taco seasoning, tomatoes, and bell pepper strips. Saute until vegetables soften. Add beans and salsa then add salt & pepper to taste. Toss the ground beef and vegetable mixture until incorporated. Top the pasta with shredded cheese and bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes or until cheese melts and lightly browns. Before serving, top with sliced green onions for garnish. Serve hot and if desired, serve with guacamole and/or sour cream.

Tequila Lime Grilled Chicken with Black Bean Corn Salsa

When we returned from DC, I was inspired to cook with more vegetables and beans because H + L eat so many great vegetarian dishes (they aren't vegetarian, just eat that way a lot of the time). I decided that on the first night back, I would make a grilled chicken dish that I've been wanting to try for a while and I would add a warm black bean & corn salsa similar to one we made in DC. I loved the entire dish, but my husband was more of a fan of the chicken by itself. We will definitely make the chicken again. It tasted similar to the margarita grilled chicken at Chili's. I used really good tequila (Patron Silver) but that is obviously overkill for this dish. It was very yummy, though.

I followed the recipe pretty closely, but I've listed my changes below.

Tequila & Lime Grilled Chicken (from Good Things Catered)

2 lbs chicken tenders (I used about a pound of boneless chicken breast, cut into strips)

1/4 cup tequila (I used Patron, yummy!)

1/3 cup lime juice

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 cup cilantro (I used flat leaf parsley, we hate cilantro)

3 cloves garlic

1/2 jalapeno

1/4 cup onion

1/2 tsp. pepper

1/4 tsp. each salt, coriander (I omitted) and cumin

Combine all but chicken in food processor (I used the magic bullet). Blend for 2 minutes. In Gallon bag, add chicken & marinade. Refridgerate for 30 minutes (no longer or the chicken will cook from the citrus). Grill on medium/medium low for 15 minutes. Let rest 5 minutes before eating.

Warm Black Bean & Corn Salsa (my recipe)

1 cup black beans, rinsed well

1 cup corn kernels (thawed if using frozen)

1 hot house tomato, chopped

1/2 jalapeno, diced

1 Tbs lime juice

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan. Heat & stir until hot and well incorporated.

Fiesta Chicken Enchiladas

Chicken Enchilada success! I have had some issues with homemade enchiladas since I was little because the textures have always turned out a little weird. Either the whole entree comes out dry and overcooked or everything just turns into mush. I love enchiladas though, and I've seen some recipes online lately that use all sorts of interesting things as fillings (ranch dressing, cream of xxx soup, cream cheese, etc.). While none of these sounded all that appetizing to me, I decided to use them as inspiration for my Fiesta Chicken Enchiladas. These were great! The nacho cheese soup kept the chicken from drying out, and the spices in the soup plus the peppers I added really gave these a flavorful kick. My only fear is that Campbells will stop making the Nacho Cheese soup flavor as they have for other flavors I've used in the past for cooking. In the meantime, though, I've stocked up on these ingredients and will definitely be making these again! I almost forgot to take a picture, I was so wrapped up in eating these!

Fiesta Chicken Enchiladas (inspired by a collection of recipes from allrecipes & the back of the enchilada sauce can)

1 cup cooked shredded chicken breast

1 small onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp olive oil

1 4 oz can diced chile peppers (I used hot, but mild would be okay)

1 can Campbell's Nacho Cheese soup

6 flour tortillas

1 small can mild red enchilada sauce

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350. In saute pan, cook garlic & onion in oil until soft. Add drained diced chiles and cook until most of the moisture has cooked out. Add chicken and soup and stir well to combine. Spray 13" x 9" baking dish with cooking spray. Dip one tortilla at a time into a bowl of lukewarm water. Lay in baking dish and fill with a few Tablespoons of chicken filling. Roll tightly and place in baking dish seam side down. Repeat with all six tortillas until filling is gone and baking dish is full. Top with enchilada sauce and spread with spoon to evenly cover the enchiladas. Sprinkle with cheese and bake uncovered for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted & bubbly.

Taco Bake

I love Southwestern flavors and casseroles that don't involve cream of xxx soup, so when I saw this recipe on Loves Deliciousness, I knew that I had to try it. Ironically, it reminded me a lot of the Mexican Stuffed Shells I made quite a while ago, and only when I was siting this post did I realize that Loves Deliciousness was the source for both recipes! I did some tweaking (low fat cheeses, ground turkey and whole wheat macaroni), but stayed pretty true to the original recipe. This one was a keeper. I think we will probably adjust the cream cheese to sour cream ratio a bit (we are bigger sour cream than cream cheese fans), and I might use a blend of low fat and regular cheese for the top next time, since the low fat was a little less gooey than I would have liked. Otherwise, it is yet another great recipe that I have come across due to the food blogging world.

Taco Bake (from Loves Deliciousness)
1 lb ground beef (I used Ground Turkey)
1 packet taco seasoning (I used low sodium)
15 oz. tomato sauce
8 oz. seashell pasta (I used whole wheat macaroni)
8 oz. package cream cheese, softened in microwave (I used low fat, will probably use 4-6 oz next time)
1/2 cup sour cream (I will probably use 3/4 to 1 cup low fat sour cream next time)
8 oz. shredded sharp cheddar cheese (I used 8 oz low fat Mexican blend, will probably use 1/2 & 1/2 fat to low fat mixture next time)
Brown ground meat, drain. Add taco seasoning and tomato sauce. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 20 minutes. In the meantime, cook pasta according to directions & drain. Mix softened cream cheese and sour cream in small bowl. Spray bottom of 9x13 pan with cooking spray. Put pasta in bottom of pan & top with cream cheese mixture. Spoon ground meat mixture over this. Sprinkle shredded cheese on top. Bake @ 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes before serving. Makes 6-8 servings
Nutrition Info for 1/8 of casserole: Calories: 271.7, Fat: 14.1g (7.7 Sat, .4 Poly, 2 Mono), Carbs: 13.1g, Fiber: 1.4g

Cheesy Chile Chicken & Rice

Whenever I'm in the mood for something with a little kick, I know I can find something on Mary Ellen's blog. She has a great love of spicy foods and I've gotten a lot of ideas from her blog. This recipe looked like a yummy Mexican version of a chicken jambalaya recipe that is a staple for us, so I knew it had lots of potential. I pretty much followed Mary Ellen's recipe to a tee, except I used 2 jalapenos instead of 3 because I'd always prefer to start off less spicy and adjust the next time if it isn't enough. Sure enough, the husband said that the recipe was perfect and declared it a "definitely make again" except I should have added the other jalapeno! I think this recipe would also be fabulous as a burrito filling (it kind of reminded me of grilled stuffed burritos from Taco Bell, just much tastier). As a side note, after cooking this recipe successfully, I think I can officially say that I now know how to chop spicy peppers without burning my skin/eyes. I have had such trouble with that (including a particularly juicy pepper spraying right into my eyes, ouch!), and now I know that no matter what, I am not allowed to touch those darn seeds with my hands! Stupid sensitive skin! I used the produce bag as a glove this time and yanked all the seeds & ribs out with my "gloved" hand. I'm excited because we do love foods with different kinds of chiles, so it is a skill I really needed to learn!



Cheesy Chile Chicken & Rice
12 oz chicken breast, trimmed and cut into bite sized chunks
Spices: chili powder, cumin, cayenne pepper, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder (used from most to least)
3 jalapenos, seeded and chopped (I used two, but will use 3 next time)
1 red pepper, chopped
1/2 sm onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
3/4 c long grain white rice, uncooked
2 c chicken broth (I used stock)
1/2 c shredded cheese - I used a lowfat Cheddar/Jack blend
Handful of freshly chopped cilantro (I omitted, we are not fans!)
1 Tbs and 1 tsp olive oil
Coat chicken with spices. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large pan, add chicken and cook over medium-high heat until done. Transfer chicken to a dish and keep warm. Add 1 tsp oil to the pan. Add jalapenos, onions, garlic, and peppers. Saute 3-4 minutes. Add rice and stir. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce to a light simmer, cover, and cook until the rice is done and liquid has completely absorbed, about 15 minutes. Return chicken to the pan and stir in the cheese (and cilantro, if desired). Makes 3-4 servings
Nutrition Info: Calories: 275, Fat: 11.9 (1.3 Sat, 1 Poly, 4.1 Mono), Carbs: 14.2, Fiber: 1.3

Black Bean, Corn & Pineapple Enchiladas

Mmm, Enchiladas. They are one of my favorite Mexican dishes, but whenever I have had them cooked at home, they lose some of their gooey goodness. They are either too dry, not cheesy enough, or they get crunchy in weird spots. I decided to try this recipe from a blog on the nest because I liked that it didn't include any meat, so it removed that from the equation of things that could go wrong. I also love pretty much anything with pineapple in it. Note: the lack of meat does NOT in any way imply healthiness with this recipe! We liked the flavors of this recipe, but again, the texture wasn't quite right. The tortillas got a little too soft (which is the first time I've ever seen that happen with homemade enchiladas, normally they are too hard). My husband thinks that maybe I should have used different tortillas, but I think it was because I didn't squeeze enough of the juice out of the pineapple before adding to the mix. Either way, I am pretty excited that for my first attempt at homemade enchiladas, these resembled the enchilada flavor you get at restaurants, and with tweaking, I think I could perfect homemade enchiladas on my next attempt (I think I'll try regular chicken next).

I stuck to the linked recipe pretty closely, but I used about 2 cups low fat mexican cheese blend instead of the 3.5 cups of regular. Also, the 1 can of Enchilada sauce can be a small can. I didn't use much out of the huge can I bought.

Nutrition info for two enchiladas - my version (with low fat cheese): Calories: 627.1, Fat: 17.9g (8.1 Sat, .2 Poly, 0 Mono), Carbs: 93g, Fiber: 10.9g

Reverse Chile Relleno Chicken

I love a good breaded & baked chicken. My first breaded & baked chicken was from my childhood and it involved stuffing chicken with bell peppers and cheese and breading & baking. Unfortunately, my siblings and I didn't like bell peppers when we were young (silly kids) and so we just got cheese stuffed chicken and then, eventually, just breaded chicken. I still loved it, and over the years, have perfected it into one of my favorite meals. I find that seasoning the chicken before coating in the egg and bread crumbs really seals in the flavor, and spraying with a little cooking spray at the end of cooking really crisps up the final product. Recently, I've revived the childhood original as a variation on the Mexican dish, Chiles Rellenos. I found that by stuffing the chicken with Anaheim chiles and Mexican Cheese before breading & baking, I was able to capture all the yummy flavors of a Chile Relleno without all the fat of the deep fried goodness of the real thing. The addition of the Mexican spices (sealed in by the egg) was the last step and so, tonight, the dish was perfected. This was so good, and another tribute to my patient stepmom who had to cook for us picky kids.


Reverse Chile Relleno Chicken
2 6 oz boneless skinless chicken breasts

1/2 anaheim chile pepper, julienned

1/2 cup reduced fat shredded Mexican Cheese blend

1 egg, beaten in a shallow dish

3/4 cup dry bread crumbs in shallow dish

1/4 tsp each of garlic powder, onion powder, dry oregano

1/2 tsp cumin

Cooking Spray

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Insert sharp knife into the middle of the thickest part of each chicken breast. Cut an even pocket into the breast, keeping the opening as small as possible. Sprinkle each breast with garlic powder, onion powder, oregano and cumin. Stuff each breast first with julienned strips of pepper, then with about a 1/4 cup of cheese (or as much as your little pocket will fit). Seal securely with toothpicks. Coat chicken in egg and then in bread crumbs. Place in shallow baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes. Remove and spray the top of the chicken breasts lightly with cooking spray. Cook for 10 minutes more. Makes 2 servings.

Nutrition Info: 550.1 Calories, Fat: 12.9g (4.3 Sat, .8 Poly, 1.5 Mono), Carbs: 31.5g, Fiber: 1.6g

Chiles Rellenos Casserole

Since this was going to be one of the only nights I was going to have time to cook something fun this week (we’ve had a lot going on), I thought I would take on Chiles Rellenos Casserole from my Cooking Light cookbook. Well, my husband came home from his bike ride just as I was thinking about getting started, and wanted to take a walk to tell me all about his fun rides today. Since I love going for walks and he really did have a good day of riding, I accepted. However, this meal does take a really long time to make! We didn’t eat until after 8:00. I can’t post the recipe because Cooking Light likes to hunt down bloggers and frighten them for “stealing recipes.” I followed the linked recipe pretty closely, but I used an extra can of chiles (which meant using slightly less batter at the end), I used black refried beans and I used ground turkey instead of ground chicken. The results were fantastic, I loved the additional chiles! The batter creates a nice soufflé texture around the turkey/beans/chiles filling. This also tastes really good as leftovers, which is good, because I’m getting a little tired of my standard lunch fare this week and I’m ready for leftovers for lunch!

Nutrition Info: Calories: 335, Fat: 9g (4.5 Sat, 1.6 Poly, 2.7 Mono), Carbs: 37.7g, Fiber: 5.5g

Pressure Cooker Pork Tacos

This is my husband's favorite meal. We don't have it very often because it takes a long time to make (even with the pressure cooker), it isn't exactly healthy, and we tend to eat a lot of it because we love it so much. My husband says "I don't care how unhealthy they are, these are damn good!" The recipe is from my in-laws, and I wasn't an official member of the family until I could not only make these well, but also chow down on many, many tacos. I am proud to say that I have now achieved the status of "Mom-Quality" tacos.

Pressure Cooker Pork Tacos

Step 1 Ingredients:

2 lbs Pork Chops, fat removed & diced into 1" pieces

1 medium onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup water

Place above ingredients in pressure cooker. Once pressure regulator is gently rocking, cook for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and allow pressure to release of its own accord. Remove pressure cooker lid and shred pork until it looks like this:

Step 2 Ingredients:

1 28 oz can diced tomatoes

1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

1/2 - 3/4 tsp of ground red pepper (cayenne)

Add Step 2 ingredients and mix well. Stir well and allow to simmer on medium low for about an hour or until nearly all the liquid is absorbed into the meat. Serve with soft shelled tortillas and usual taco toppings (traditional for my inlaws include shredded lettuce and chopped tomatoes, but extended friends & family like cheese and sour cream). Makes about 6 servings of 2 tacos (but good luck stopping at 2!).

Nutrition Information for pork taco filling with no tortillas or toppings: Calories: 293.5, Fat: 16.5g (5.7 Sat, 1.8 Poly, 7.3 Mono), Carbs: 3.1g, Fiber: .7g