Chicken Burrito Salad

It is more important than ever for my family to eat healthy.  I have been working almost daily to find winning dishes that satisfy all of the needs and picky taste buds.

Ingredients:
Chicken Burrito Salad:
3-4 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
Taco Seasoning (I use my own you can find here.)
Green Leaf Lettuce (You can use your favorite lettuce.)
Roma Tomatoes
1-2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
Favorite Salsa

Dressing:
1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
Juice of One Lime
2 Tbsp. Favorite Salsa


Directions:
Cut chicken breasts into bite-sized chunks and toss into a pan with the olive oil over medium-high heat.  After the chicken starts to cook, add in the taco seasoning.  I don't measure the taco seasoning.  I season to taste.  Stir around the chicken regularly until almost done.  Add in some of your favorite salsa. Cook until chicken is done and most of the water has cooked out of the salsa.

While the chicken is cooking, prepare the salad bed.  I used green leaf lettuce because that is my favorite.  Tear it into bite sized pieces and dice up a tomato.  Add the chicken on top.

For the dressing, stir together all ingredients and pour the desired amount over the chicken and salad.

Taco Salad/Lettuce Wraps

Here is a healthier version of an easy family favorite.

Ingredients:
Romaine Lettuce (I've also used Green Leaf Lettuce)
1 lb. ground beef
4½ tsp. taco seasoning (I use mine which you can find HERE)
Preferred taco toppings (shredded cheese, tomatoes, salsa, sour cream, guacamole)
Chicken stock (approximately 2 cups)

Directions:
In a large skillet, brown turkey with about one cup of the chicken stock.  The stock helps to break the turkey down to a fine texture.  When the turkey is cooked through (it will be white if you use the ground white turkey, not brown), stir in the taco seasoning and about another cup of chicken stock.  While the turkey is cooking, wash and prep the lettuce and toppings such as diced tomatoes.  We have done this as lettuce wraps with the meat and toppings wrapped in the lettuce.  J really liked it like that.  I prefer the lettuce torn up and mixed in like a salad.  When the meat is done, it all of the liquid should be cooked out.  Now, scoop some in your lettuce and add your toppings.  Enjoy!

Our family loves tacos and this is a healthier version.

Taco Seasoning

This is my taco seasoning concoction.  It has taken several times to perfect the recipe and I may still update it again.  But this got the thumbs up from J so it must be pretty good.  This mixture is enough for one pound of meat.  Or, you can make a large jar/shaker of the mixture and use 4½ teaspoons per pound.

Ingredients:
3/4 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. garlic powder
3/4 tsp. cumin
3/4 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. onion powder

Directions:
Stir together and use.

This is a picture but I modified after this picture so your mixture will be a little darker/redder.

Chicken and More Flautas

This recipe has quickly become a favorite of family and friends around here.  It was very difficult the first time I did it.  I read this from a recipe that said it would take a total of 45 minutes.  WRONG!!!  It took about an hour and a half.  However, the next time I did it, I cooked the chicken in the slow cooker.  This let the hardest part of the meal cook all day.  So, I'm going to show the recipe using a slow cooker.  You can cook the chicken in a pot on the stove but it made my life so much easier to cook the chicken in the slow cooker.  You could also easily make the flautas with different ingredients.  I've thought about doing a bean, rice and cheese flauta or a shredded beef/pork or a ground beef/turkey this way.  But for this, I will give ingredients and instructions to make 10 flautas.  Five flautas are spinach and chicken and five flautas are chicken and salsa.  I can think of several different varieties to try later.

Ingredients:
1lb. boneless, skinless chicken (I've used breasts and tenders.  The original recipe used thighs.)
1½ bottles of your favorite beer (chicken stock works too, especially for corn and gluten free;  this would be a little over 3 cups.)
3 cups water
½ tsp. paprika
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. garlic powder
½ tsp. cumin
½ tsp. chili powder
1 cup baby spinach, chopped
5 large burrito size tortillas (homemade for corn free, I am currently working on a recipe for this)
oil for greasing the pan
salsa, sour cream, guacamole, queso for dipping

Directions:
To cook the chicken, put the chicken in a slow cooker.  Pour in the beer/stock and water.  If it doesn't cover the chicken, add more beer/stock or water.  Cook on low for 6 hours.
Now for the flautas!  Preheat oven to 450°F. Shred the chicken.  I used two forks to do this.  You could also use a blender/food processor but that tends to pulverize rather than shred.  Mix together the the chicken with the spices/seasonings.  In a small saucepan, pour ¼ cup of the liquid in which you cooked your chicken into the pan.  On low heat, cook the spinach in this pan until wilted.  If you like extra spice, you can also include a seeded, chopped jalapeno in the pot with the spinach.  We don't do spicy in our house, so I left this out.  Coat a cookie sheet with oil.  Cut the tortillas in half.  On five of the tortilla halves, spread a line of chicken on the long edge of the tortilla half.  Spoon a little spinach mixture on top.  Spread some shredded cheese over that.
Like this:

Now roll from the long, cut edge of the tortilla half.  Put the flauta on the oiled cookie sheet, seem side down.  Do this for five of the tortilla halves.  For the other five, spread chicken just like the others.  Then top with your favorite salsa.  (We use One the Border mild salsa.  I love the salsa in the store, not so much in the restaurant.)  Then top with shredded cheese (unless corn/dairy free) and roll up just like the others.  Put the flautas in the oven for 5-10 minutes, until they are crispy and golden brown on the edges.  Serve with salsa, sour cream, guacamole, queso or whatever you prefer.

Pictures:

Recipe modified from HERE.