SALSA CHICKEN
We really enjoyed this dish today after church. It was pretty quick and very tasty! Try it, you'll like it!
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 medium zucchini, quartered
1 medium summer squash, quartered
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 lb chicken, cut into bite size pieces
1 pack taco seasoning mix
1 small can fire roasted green chilis
1/2 cup salsa
2/3 cup low fat mexican blend cheese
Preheat oven to 425. Spray 8x8 baking dish with cooking spray. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Add all veggies and garlic, saute for about 4 minutes. Pour mixture into baking dish. Mix taco seasoning mix with uncooked, bite size chicken pieces. Return pan to heat and add 1 tbsp olive oil, add chicken mixture. Cook for about 5 minutes or until almost cooked through. Add chicken to veggie mixture and stir. Top with green chilies, salsa and cheese. Bake in oven 10-15 minutes. Serve with your favorite toppings and enjoy. Makes 4 large servings. For those counting WW points this is 6 pts before any additional toppings. (I only had summer squash from my garden, so I didn't use zucchini. I also substituted green pepper for red, because I had some from my garden. Any heat came from the taco seasoning mix, so you can adjust amount you use. I liked the amount of flavor the seasoning mix added, so I will continue to use this ingredient. I used a little bigger baking dish and felt is was a perfect fit. I chopped up some cilantro and sprinkled on top after I removed the dish from oven and let it sit for 5 minutes or so. I also mixed one large avacodo with a little chopped cilantro, juice from 1/2 lime, salt and garlic to taste. I added a spoonful on top and thought it was a wonderful addition.)
ORANGE CHIPOLTE RIBS
I made this for David for Father's Day. We enjoyed fresh cucumbers from our garden and corn ont the cob.
--3 pounds beef or pork ribs
--1/2 cup ketchup
--1/4 cup orange marmalade
--1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
--2 T soy sauce
--2 T brown sugar
--2 t chipotle chili powder
--1/4 t cumin
--1/4 t ground ginger
--4 cloves smashed and chopped garlic
I used 6 qt crockpot, the ribs fit well inside.
I didn't brown or pre-cook my meat at all. It was thawed, however. If you are using frozen meat, it will take longer to cook, but will be just fine.
In a mixing bowl, mix all of the ingredients for the sauce---which is everything listed up there, minus the ribs.
Put the ribs into your crock--you may need to cut the racks up with poultry shears to get them in there nicely.
Pour your sauce over the top.
Close and cook on low for 8-9 hours, or on high for 5-6. The meat is done when it has reached the desired tenderness and is no longer pink. I prefer the meat to fall off the bone, and eat with a knife and fork. If you'd rather gnaw on the bones, pull them out after 4 hours on high or 6-7 hours on low.
We enjoyed these very much. The orange marmalade really added a unique flavor. I think a little more brown sugar and ketchup wouldn't hurt. I will add finely chopped onion to the sauce next time. I cooked these for 4-5 hours on high and thought they could have cooked longer to achieve the fall off the bone doneness I prefer. You may be wondering about the green pepper in the picture but not in the actual recipe. It came from our garden and I intended to finely chop it and include it but then didn't.
Let me know if you give these recipes a try. This week, I plan to make Asian Chicken and Noodle Toss and Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Orange and Red Onion Salsa, both recipes are diet friendly!
Hershey needed to have a path made before she would go out but then she ran and jumped and "chomped" on snow and caught a few snowballs.
David ventured out to get some gas for the generator just in case the electricty goes out. The wind has picked up so anything can happen. He said he barely could get out of the driveway with the 4wheel drive!
Crisp Mountain Bird Ski Resort!
David and I enjoyed some chili and played games this afternoon. This is the scene from our kitchen table.
Hershey's Christmas portrait.
