Spicy Chicken Taco's and Easy Fiesta Beans

Eating Well Crispy Taco Shells

6 servings, 2 taco shells each
Active Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients

• 12 6-inch corn tortillas
• Canola Oil cooking spray
• 3/4 teaspoon chili powder, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon salt, divided

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Wrap 4 tortillas in a barely damp cloth or paper towel and microwave on High until steamed, about 30 seconds. (Alternatively, wrap in foil and heat in the preheated oven until steaming, 5 to 7 minutes.) Coat both sides with cooking spray; sprinkle a little chili powder and salt on one side.
3. Drape each tortilla over a panel on a baked-taco rack and bake until crispy and brown, 7 to 10 minutes.

Remove the shells from the rack and repeat Steps 2 and 3 with the remaining 8 tortillas

Spicy Chicken Tacos

4 servings, 2 tacos each
Active Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients

• 8 corn tortillas
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of fat and cut into thin strips
• 1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 2 teaspoons canola oil, divided
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 1 large green bell pepper, seeded and sliced
• 3 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1/2 cup prepared hot salsa, plus more for garnish
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• Sliced scallions, chopped fresh tomatoes and reduced-fat sour cream, for garnish

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 300°F. Wrap tortillas in foil and bake until heated through, 10 to 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, season chicken with salt. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large heavy skillet over high heat until very hot. Add chicken and cook, stirring until browned on all sides, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
3. Reduce heat to medium and add the remaining 1 teaspoon oil to skillet. Add onion and cook, stirring, until they start to brown around the edges, 3 to 5 minutes. Add bell pepper, garlic, jalapeno and cumin. Cook, stirring, until peppers are bright green but still crisp, 2 to 3 minutes more.
4. Stir in salsa and reserved chicken. Cook, stirring, until chicken is heated through, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro. Spoon into warmed tortillas and garnish with scallions, tomatoes and sour cream.

 ***** I used Ortega Taco sauce instead of Salsa. I used onion powder and garlic powder in place of the onion and garlic, I just mixed it into the chicken after it was cooked. I left out the jalapeno pepper. I also used dried cilantro instead of fresh because I couldn't find any that looked good. For garnish we used reduced fat sour cream, a little bit of reduced fat shredded cheese, green leaf lettuce (not iceberg), and black olives.

Easy Fiesta Beans

6 servings, generous 1/2 cup each
Active Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 16-ounce can nonfat re-fried beans, preferably spicy
• 1 15-ounce can no-salt-added pinto beans, rinsed
• 1/2 cup prepared salsa
• 2/3 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese, divided

Preparation

1. Position rack in upper third of oven; preheat broiler.
2. Combine re-fried beans, pinto beans, salsa and 1/3 cup cheese in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until the mixture is hot and the cheese is melted, 6 to 8 minutes. Spoon the bean mixture into a 2-quart baking dish and sprinkle with the remaining 1/3 cup cheese and scallions. Broil until the cheese is lightly browned, about 2 minutes.

*** I used the Ortega taco sauce instead of salsa.

All recipes I got from Eating Well.