Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos

Debbie told me about this recipe and it is really tasty!! I love the lime taste in the filling and the crunch of the baked shell.

A few notes: neither Debbie nor I could find "green salsa" and just used regular salsa in the recipe. Also, make sure you fill the taquitos full enough...because I didn't when I made these!!! I tried to use the filling so that it would use up all my 10 small shells (like the recipe says), but I found there wasn't enough filling for 10 taquitos in this recipe, I say maybe 8 or so. This is a great recipe to use leftover chicken.


Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos
Recipe by OurBestBites.com


1/3 C (3 oz) cream cheese
1/4 C green salsa
1T fresh lime juice
1/2 t cumin
1 t chili powder
1/2 t onion powder
1/4 t granulated garlic
3 T chopped cilantro
2 T sliced green onions

2 C shredded cooked chicken
1 C grated pepperjack cheese

small corn tortillas
kosher salt
cooking spray


Heat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.

Heat cream cheese in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds so it's soft and easy to stir. Add green salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder and granulated garlic. Stir to combine and then add cilantro and green onions. Add chicken and cheese and combine well.

You can prepare up to this step ahead of time. Just keep the mixture in the fridge.

Work with a few tortillas at a time and heat in the microwave until they are soft enough to roll without cracking. It helps to place them between damp paper towels. Usually 20-30 seconds will do it. If you find yours are cracking when you roll them or come unrolled right away, just try heating them longer and try the paper towel thing.

Place 2-3 T of chicken mixture on the lower third of a tortilla, keeping it about 1/2 inch from the edges.

Then roll it up as tight as you can.

Place seam side down on the baking sheet. Lay all of the taquitos on the baking sheet and make sure they are not touching each other. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray or an oil mister and sprinkle some kosher salt on top.

Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start to get golden brown.

Dip 'em in salsa, sour cream, guacamole, or this dressing.

Dijon Baked Chicken with Rice

If you like Asian food, you will like this recipe. My sister made this for us when we were in Edmonton and I thought it was so tasty! This was just a little spicy, not too HOT (so don't be worried if you look at the hot chili sauce and think your mouth with be one fire when you make this). Is it kid friendly? You decide. If your kids like Asian food, or Indian food or are used to trying different things, then I would give this recipe a whirl. My boys LOVE curry, especially butter chicken.

Sorry this blog hasn't been updated for a while. We decided to do the Southbeach Diet in June. So obviously I wasn't cooking much except salads and steaks on the BBQ. By the way, I really think the diet works because I still haven't gained the weight back that I lost. It is a good diet to change your eating habits and to start eating more healthy.

Here it is:

Dijon Baked Chicken with Rice

10-12 boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 TBSP curry powder
1 TBSP onion flakes
1/2 tsp red crushed chilies
1/2 cup liquid honey
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
1 TBSP soy sauce
1 tsp hot chili saauce, Asian style (can be chili-garlic sauce)

1-1/2 cups rice
3 cups water

1. Unravel thighs to flatten and scrunch together in a large shallow oven-safe pan. Combine ingredients and pour evenly over chicken. Flip the chicken around with a fork until each piece is well coated. End by making sure rough side of the thigh is down. Cover with plastic wrap and refridgerate overnight (you don't have to, but it tastes better).

2. Preheat over 350. Place rice in oven. Turn chicken with a fork and place in preheated oven.

3.Cook 50 min. About half way through cooking time flip chicken over.

Grilled Chicken Bruschetta

Grilled Chicken Bruschetta 
from Skinnytaste.com

Servings: 4 • Serving Size: 4 oz chicken + tomatoes
Calories: 236.8 • Fat: 8.5 g • Protein: 32.4 g • Carb: 6.8 g • Fiber: 1.3 g • Sugar: 0.5 g
Sodium: 182.9 mg (without the salt)

Ingredients:

• 3 medium vine ripe tomatoes
• 2 small cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup chopped red onion
• 2 tbsp fresh basil leaves, chopped 
• 1 tbsp extra virgin oil
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
• 3 oz part skim mozzarella, diced
• 1- 1.5lbs chicken breasts (4)

Directions:
Combine onion, olive oil, balsamic, salt and pepper. Set aside a few minutes.
Chop tomatoes and place in a large bowl. Combine with garlic, basil, onion-balsamic combo and additional salt and pepper to taste. Set aside and let it sit at least 10 minutes or as long as overnight. Toss in the cheese when ready to serve.
Season chicken with salt and fresh pepper. Grill the chicken on your indoor or outdoor grill, top with bruschetta and serve. Serve over whole wheat pasta.

The sauce makes a lot, so you could even half the sauce, but its also great to eat the leftovers with a fresh baguette.. bread and bruschetta my favorite! 
*Both me and Jeremy loved this recipe, I served it over whole wheat penne noodles and with steamed brocolli. It was very delicious. The boys don't love chunks of tomatoes so I served the boys just the grilled chicken and the noodles with a little margarine and parmsean cheese and brocolli. They gobbled it up.
Ever since Jeremy has been trying to lose weight (down 28lbs) now! Yea! I have been trying to find new healthy recipes, especially those low on salt and canned food and I came across this site, www.skinnytaste.com It has awesome recipes, like this one. I use it all the time. Enjoy!

Homemade Oreo Cookies

Okay, maybe I do make other desserts. And this is one of them. This recipe is awesome. The cookies are chewy and delicious. And the icing divine.

Cookies:
1 Devil Food Cake Mix
3/4 cup shortening
2 eggs

Icing:
1/2 package cream cheese softened
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup of icing sugar

Mix together until ingredients are combined. Roll into small balls. Bake at 350 for 8 minutes. Slam cookie sheet down on the counter when they come out to make the cookies flat. Let cool. Then put the icing in between the cookies. Keep cookies in fridge until ready to serve. Enjoy!

Mom's Brownies

I don't make many desserts. Cheesecakes, some cookies and these brownies. I usually make these on Sunday maybe once a month or every 2nd month. Or when the missionaries come over and I didn't plan a dessert. But I make these when I feel like a warm, chewy brownie with ice cream. I also make these when I feel like chocolate but I don't have any chocolate but I always have these ingredients. In fact I they are in the oven as we speak for that reason alone. My Mom used to make these when I was a kid.

1 cup of butter
3/4 cup of cocoa
2 cups of sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour

Melt butter & cocoa on stove. Add sugar and mix with a fork or spatula (if you only have a hand mixer I do all the mixing in same pot as I melt the butter). If you have a bosch or whatever else, remove from heat and scoop that butter, cocoa and sugar into a your bosch bowl(or kitchen aide). Beat one egg at a time (this is when the bosch comes in handy because you really want to mix those eggs one at a time, mix each egg for about a minute or as long as you can handle, the more mixing the chewier they are but a minute is about good for each egg). Beat in vanilla. Beat in flour.

Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes. Now you have to check these at 20 minutes because you do not want to overbake. I had a really hot oven in one of the apartments we lived in and I had to bake them at 325 for 23 minutes. But 350 at about 25 minutes should be about average. But check and once the toothpick comes out clean take them out! I always sprinkle icing sugar on the top and serve warm with ice cream! Enjoy.

Cheese buns

First make your typical bun recipe (I use this one from Erin Cahoon). Then instead of forming the dough into buns, you roll it out on a greased surface and spread lots of grated cheddar cheese over it. Then roll it up and cut into sections (just like you would do cinnamon buns but using cheese instead of cinnamon and sugar). Let rise on the pan for 1 hour then bake at 350 for about 15-20 minutes. As soon as they come out of the oven glaze the tops with about 1/4 cup melted butter mixed with a couple tablespoons of Johnny's garlic spread seasoning (you can buy it at Costco but I'm sure garlic powder or something similar would work too). Anyways these taste soooo good. Try it next time you make buns. When I make the bun recipe I use half the dough for regular buns and half the dough for cheese buns. I hope this recipe/post makes sense.

Debbie

Chicken Parmigiana

1. Rinse about 3-4 chicken breasts in water and then cut them in half.
2. Dip each piece in flour, then egg mixture (I mix 2 eggs with a tbsp of water), then dip in Italian seasoned bread crumbs (I mix some Italian seasoning with bread crumbs), then brown in a couple tablespoons of olive oil on each side.
4. Put breasts in a casserole dish (9 by 13) and put thinly sliced or shredded mozarella cheese on each breast and pour bottled pasta sauce over top (I usually use Ragu).
5. Then sprinkle parmesan cheese over everything.
6. Cover with foil and bake about 30 minutes or until chicken is done.
7. Serve over pasta noodles (I use linguine).

This is such a tasty meal and is one of Justin's favorites. My kids gobble it up too.

Debbie