T.I.T.

I found these recipes last week and tried them out on Saturday. My husband really liked the quesadilla. He wants me to make it instead of my normal quesadilla from now on. Lily liked them too, so they are kid friendly. I really liked the rice. However, you must realize it makes A TON and it is probably a little too spicy for kids. I didn't give Lily any but I am sure she would have said "TOO HOT!" In general, I think this T.I.T. is well worth recommending. So here they are!

Fajita Chicken Quesadillas

1 pkg fajita seasoning mix
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 Tbsp diced onions (I added more because we like onions)
tortillas
grated Monterrey jack cheese (Use whatever you have on hand)
black beans (I would use a full can)
1 can corn
La Victoria Green Taco Sauce or your favorite salsa (I used La Victoria Green Salsa. Yum!)
2-4 Tbsp vegetable oil

Dice chicken and cook in skillet until almost cooked through. Add diced onions and saute for 1 minute. Mix fajita seasoning mix with about 1/2 cup of water and pour over chicken. Stir and cook until chicken is done, and liquid has mostly cooked off. At this point you can use your food chopper to more finely dice chicken if you would like.

Place one tortilla on a plate, layer with cheese, chicken/onion mixture, corn, green sauce, beans and more cheese. Then add top tortilla. Make sure to have the cheese touching both top and bottom tortillas - that will help the whole thing to stick together well so you don't loose the yummy filling.

To cook: My preferred method is on the grill. Lightly brush one side with oil and place oil-side-down on grill. As that side browns, lightly oil other side. You might need 2 spatulas to turn the quesadilla, or one spatula and one set of tongs. The grill gives great flavor and a crispy edge to the tortillas.You could also cook them on the stove top in a skillet, or probably even in the oven, although I've never tried that. (We were not brave enough to try it on the grill, so we did it in our quesadilla maker. If you don't have one, you should go buy one at Target!)

***This amount of ingredients made about six quesadillas.***


Fiesta Rice

Ingredients
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 (10-ounce) package frozen whole-kernel corn, thawed
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup chopped green onions
1 1/2 cups uncooked brown rice (I used white minute rice)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Dash of salt
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes with chiles, undrained
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

Preparation
Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add corn to pan; cook 10 minutes or until corn starts to brown, stirring occasionally. Remove from pan. Set aside. Melt butter in pan. Add onions; sauté 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in rice, cumin, and garlic; cook 1 minute. Add chicken broth, black pepper, salt, and diced tomatoes to pan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally (Since I used white minute rice it took only 20 minutes to cook). Remove from heat; stir in reserved corn and beans. Cover and let stand 10 minutes. Stir in cilantro and juice.

Yield
8 servings (serving size: 1 cup)

Nutritional Information
CALORIES 226(16% from fat); FAT 3.9g (sat 1.3g,mono 1.7g,poly 0.7g); IRON 2.1mg; CHOLESTEROL 4mg; CALCIUM 52mg; CARBOHYDRATE 43.5g; SODIUM 354mg; PROTEIN 6.6g; FIBER 4.9g