Fajita Friday & Homemade Fajita/Taco Seasoning

Fajita Friday

2 Chicken Breasts or 12 oz equivalent (Boneless, Skinless)
1/4 Cup Water
1 - 7 oz can diced Green Chilies
Fajita Seasoning
1 Red Bell Pepper (seeds removed)
1 Green Bell Pepper (seeds removed)
1/2 Red Onion
2 Tsp minced garlic
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Tsp Black Pepper
Whole Wheat Tortillas
Shredded Colby Jack Cheese
Reduced Fat Sour Cream
Baby Spinach

Cut the chicken into small strips prior to cooking. Also cut the peppers into strips and then onion into quarters. In a large skillet / frying pan heat up 1 tbsp of the olive oil to about medium high heat. Add the black pepper and veggies and suate until the onion show a slight brown color around the edges. Remove the vegetables into a container and set aside. Add the other tsp of olive oil, minced garlic, and chicken and cook until the chicken is no longer pink. With the chicken in the skillet, add the water and Fajita Seasoning. Once well mixed, add diced green chilies and the sauteed vegetables. Heat for about five minutes, stirring occasionally.

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Low Sodium  Homemade   Taco/Fajita Seasoning
Recipe From SparkPeople

Ingredients

1 tablespoon Chili Powder

2 teaspoons Onion Powder 

1 teaspoon Ground Cumin 

1 teaspoon Garlic Powder 

1 teaspoon Paprika 

1 teaspoon Ground Oregano

Directions

Mix all seasonings together... For Fajita's add toyour own oil/vinegar blend to marinate before grilling...
For taco's ... and to meat along with either i 4 oz can tomato paste or 1/4 cup chicken stock or water.
If it's too spicy... omitt chili powder.
FOR PEOPLE WHO DO NOT HAVE TO WATCH THERE SODIUM INTAKE.. ADD 1 TSP KOSHER SALT.

This will replace one whole taco or Fajita seasoning packet you would buy in the store. :)

Servings per Recipe : 6

Calories : 11.0

Total Fat : 0.4g

Cholesterol : 0.0mg

Sodium : 13.9mg

Carbs : 2.1mg

Dietary Fiber : 0.8g

Protein : 0.4

Homemade Chicken Soup Base

MyRecipes.com

Yield: Makes about 3 quarts

Ingredients

• 5  pounds  uncooked chicken or turkey pieces and/or bones (skin and fat discarded; see notes), or a mixture of bones from roasted poultry and uncooked meat scraps
• 1  onion (8 oz.), peeled and coarsely chopped (see notes)
• 1  carrot (4 oz.), rinsed and cut into chunks
• 2  stalks celery (4 oz.), leafy tops left on, rinsed and cut into chunks
• 1/2  cup  parsley sprigs, rinsed
• 5  peppercorns (optional)
• 1  dried bay leaf
• 1  sprig fresh thyme, rinsed, or 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

Preparation

1. In a 6- to 8-quart pan over medium-high heat, combine chicken, onion, carrot, celery, parsley, peppercorns (if using), bay leaf, and thyme. Add cold water just to cover. Bring to a simmer, then lower heat to maintain simmer and cook, occasionally skimming and discarding foam from surface, until liquid is golden and has a deep chicken flavor, about 2 hours. Do not allow broth to boil; the surface should barely be disturbed by small bubbles.

2. If a layer of fat forms on the surface, skim off and discard. If liquid drops below level of chicken and vegetables, add more cold water just to cover.

3. Place a fine strainer over a large bowl nested in ice water in the sink. Ladle or carefully pour broth through strainer. Allow liquid to drip from solids, but do not press to extract more; discard solids. Stir broth occasionally until cool, 10 to 20 minutes; cover and chill until broth is cold and any fat on surface is firm, at least 6 hours, or up to 1 day.

4. With a spoon, skim fat from surface of broth and discard. Cover broth and chill up to 4 days, or pour into jars or ice cube trays and freeze up to 3 months.

Banana Nut Pancakes

Banana lovers will love these low fat pancakes. The flavor of banana nut bread in a pancake, made with whole wheat flour, potassium rich bananas and fiber rich walnuts, which are also high in omega 3 fatty acids. Delicious topped with agave... or maple syrup (extra points). I've included the points with and without the nuts.

Banana Nut Pancakes
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 6 • Serving Size: 2 pancakes • Old Points: 3 pts • Points+: 4 pts
Calories: 145.7 • Fat: 4.0 g • Protein: 6.7 g • Carb: 22.1 g • Fiber: 3.1 g

WITHOUT NUTS:
Servings: 6 • Serving Size: 2 pancakes • Points: 2 pts • Points+: 3 pts
Calories: 129.1 • Fat: 2.4 g • Protein: 6.3 g • Carb: 21.8 g • Fiber: 3.0 g

* 1 cup whole wheat flour

* 2 tsp baking powder

* 1/4 tsp salt

* 1/4 tsp cinnamon

* 1 large banana, very ripe, mashed

* 1 cup 1% milk

* 3 large egg whites

* 2 tsp oil

* 1 tsp vanilla

* 2 tbsp chopped walnuts (optional)

* butter flavor cooking spray

Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl. Combine milk, egg white and mashed bananas in a bowl and mix until smooth. Combine wet ingredients with the dry and mix well with a spoon until there are no more dry spots. Don't over-mix.

Heat a large skillet on medium heat. Spray oil to lightly coat and pour 1/4 cup of pancake batter. When the pancake starts to bubble and the edges begin to set, flip the pancakes. Repeat with the remainder of the batter.

Makes about 3 cups of batter which yields 12 pancakes.

Asian Chopped Salad

Ingredients:

2 cups thinly sliced green cabbage

2 cups thinly sliced red cabbage

1 cup grated carrot

1 red bell pepper, cut into 1" strips

1/2 cup Asian Dressing (recipe below)

2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

Sesame seeds (optional)

Directions:

Combine green and red cabbage, carrot, and bell pepper in large bowl.

Add dressing and toss well.

Garnish with cilantro and sesame seeds, if desired

Servings: 6

Nutritional Information: Calories   59 Protein   2.37g Total Carbohydrate   9.549g Dietary Fiber   2.346g Total Fat   1.53g Saturated Fat   0.267g Cholesterol   0mg Sodium   243mg

Asian Dressing

Ingredients:

1/3 cup soft silken tofu (about 3 oz)

1/4 cup white or yellow miso (see note)

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

2 Tbsp fresh lime juice

2 Tbsp water

2 Tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce

2 Tbsp natural unsweetened peanut butter

2 Tbsp pickled ginger (see note)

1 Tbsp honey

1 1/2 tsp mustard powder

1 tsp minced garlic

1/2 tsp chile fl akes (optional)

2 Tbsp minced scallion (green and white parts)

2 Tbsp chopped cliantro

Directions:

Combine all ingredients except scallions and cilantro in blender or food processor. Blend until smooth.

Stir in scallions and cilantro.

Note: Miso is a fermented soybean paste, which is used as a fl avoring in Japanese cooking. Its fl avor is very concentrated and salty; use in moderation. Pickled ginger is a Japanese condiment served with sushi. It is used to cleanse the palate. You can find both at Japanese markets or in the ethnic foods section of some supermarkets.

Servings: 24

Nutritional Information: Calories   24 Protein   1.023g Total Carbohydrate   2.634g Dietary Fiber   0.296g Total Fat   1.023g Saturated Fat   0.182g Cholesterol   0mg Sodium   164mg

Crock Pot Santa Fe Chicken

Servings: 8 servings • Size: 1 cup • Old Points: 3 pts • Points+: 4 pts
Calories: 190 • Fat: 1.5 g • Fiber: 5.6 g • Carbs: 23.1 g • Protein: 21 g

24 oz (1 1/2) lbs chicken breast
14.4 oz can diced tomatoes with mild green chilies
15 oz can black beans
8 oz frozen corn
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
14.4 oz can fat free chicken broth
3 scallions, chopped
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp cayenne pepper (to taste)
salt to taste

Combine chicken broth, beans, corn, tomatoes, cilantro, scallions, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, cayenne pepper and salt in the crock pot. Season chicken breast with salt and lay on top. Cook on low for 10 hours or on high for 6 hours. Half hour before serving, remove chicken and shred. Return chicken to slow cooker and stir in. Adjust salt and seasoning. Serve over rice (extra pts)."

Skinny Sloppy Joes

Adapted from Rachel Ray
Servings: 7 • Serving Size: 1/2 cup or 1/4 lb • Old Points: 2 pts • Points+: 3 pts
Calories: 121.8 • Fat: 3.7 g • Protein: 13.7 g • Carb: 9.9 g • Fiber: 2.1 g

1.25 lbs 93% lean ground beef sirloin
1 tbsp steak seasoning or seasoned salt
1 carrot, minced
1 medium onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup red bell pepper, minced
4 oz mushrooms, minced
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 cups tomato sauce
2 tbsp tomato paste
Chop all the vegetables really fine, using a chopper or food processor.

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the meat to the pan and break it up as it cooks. Season with steak seasoning and cook the meat until it browns, then add onion, carrots, mushrooms and red peppers to the skillet. Reduce heat to medium and add red wine vinegar and Worcestershire sauce, cook 5 more minutes. Add tomato sauce and paste to pan, stir to combine. Cover and reduce heat to simmer and cook an additional 5 minutes. Using a measuring cup, pile 1/2 cup of sloppy meat onto toasted buns."