Buffalo Chicken Tacos

From Everyday with Rachael Ray



Ingredients:
Eight 6-inch soft corn tortillas
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Two skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 1 pound)
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons hot sauce, such as Frank’s RedHot
2 ounces blue cheese
3 tablespoons reduced-fat mayonnaise
4 cups shredded green-leaf lettuce
6 radishes, shredded
2 carrots, shredded

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 200°. Wrap the tortillas in foil and place in the oven.

2. In a nonstick skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and place in the pan; cover loosely with foil and cook, turning once, until golden and cooked through, about 12 minutes; transfer to a plate. Brush the chicken on both sides with the hot sauce and tent with foil to keep warm.

3. Meanwhile, using a food processor, blend the blue cheese, mayonnaise and 2 tablespoons water until smooth; transfer to a large bowl. Add the lettuce, radishes and carrots and toss to coat.

4. Thinly slice the chicken against the grain. Lay the tortillas on a work surface in a single layer. Divide the salad among them; top with the chicken and any juices

Comments:
Yeah, doesn't look too appetizing, does it? It wasn't that good. Maybe it was because I forgot the lettuce. Dunno. But neither of us was a big fan of this one.

Vietnamese Turkey (Chicken) Wraps

From Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook



Ingredients:
3 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp sugar
1/4 to 1/2 tsp red chile paste
1/4 cup water
2 carrots, cut into matchstick size pieces
1 cucumber, seeded and cut into matchstick size pieces
2 tbsp finely chopped onion
2 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tsp peanut oil
10 oz boneless, skinless turkey breast, cut into thin strips
2 cups hot cooked rice
2 heads Boston lettuce, cleaned and separated into leaves
1/2 cup whole mint leaves
1/2 cup whole cilantro leaves
3 tbsp unsalted, dry-roasted peanuts, chopped

Directions:
1. To prepare the dipping sauce, in a small serving bowl, whisk together 2 tbsp of the fish sauce, the lime juice, sugar, and chile paste with the water; set aside.

2. In a medium nonreactive bowl, combine the carrots, cucumber, onion, and vinegar; let stand 20 minutes. Drain, discarding the vinegar, and place in a medium serving bowl.

3. In a large nonstick skillet or wok, heat the oil. Saute the turkey until no longer pink, 1-2 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining tbsp fish sauce and place in a medium serving bowl.

4. To assemble a wrap, spoon about a tbsp each of the rice, turkey, and cucumber-carrot mixture into a lettuce leaf; top with 1-2 mint and cilantro leaves, sprinkle with peanuts and fold the lettuce leaf over to enclose the filling. Dip into the sauce.

Serves 4. POINTS Value per serving: 7

Comments:
I skipped the fish paste because that just sounds gross. Used chicken rather than turkey, iceberg instead of Boston, but kept everything else pretty much the same. I was not too impressed. I ate one lettuce wrap and then gave up on it - they were too messy! I ate the chicken with some rice and the dipping sauce. That was really good.

BBQ Chicken Breast Sandwich

From The Biggest Loser Cookbook



Ingredients:
1/4 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, trimmed of visible fat
1 tbsp barbecue sauce
1 whole-grain hamburger bun
1 large leaf green leaf lettuce
1 thin slice red onion
2 thin slices tomato
2 tsp low-fat mayo

Directions:
Place the chicken on a cutting board. Cover with a sheet of wax paper. With the smooth head of a meat mallet, pound the chicken from the center out, until it is a uniform 1/2" thickness. Transfer to a medium shallow bowl. Add the sauce. Turn the chicken to coat all sides. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 10 minutes.

Preheat the grill to high heat. Place the chicken on the grill. Turn the heat to low. Cook for 3-5 minutes per side, or until no longer pink inside and the juices run clear. About 1 minute before the chicken is done, place the bun halves, cut side down on the grill, to toast.

Place the bottom half of the bun, toasted side up, on a serving plate. Top with the chicken breast, lettuce, tomato, and onion. Spread the mayo on the inside of the top half of the bun. Flip onto the sandwich. Serve immediately.

Comments:
Adam started this while I was on my way home. We grilled it outside even though it was cold and snowy. Yay, Wisconsin! Since the sandwich isn't doused in the barbecue sauce I could deal with the slight overtone of smoky flavor. I left the onions off of mine.

Flatbread Tacos

From Taste of Home



Ingredients:
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
2 teaspoons ranch salad dressing mix
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1-1/2 pounds ground beef
1 can (15 ounces) pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 envelope taco seasoning
1 tablespoon hot pepper sauce
1 tube (16.3 ounces) large refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
Optional toppings: sliced ripe olives and shredded lettuce and cheddar cheese

Directions:
In a small bowl, combine the sour cream, dressing mix and lemon juice; chill until serving.

In a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Add the beans, tomatoes, taco seasoning and pepper sauce; heat through.

Meanwhile, roll out each biscuit into a 6-in. circle. In a small nonstick skillet over medium heat, cook each biscuit for 30-60 seconds on each side or until golden brown; keep warm.

To serve, spread each flatbread with 2 tablespoons ranch sour cream; top each with 2/3 cup meat mixture. Sprinkle with toppings if desired.

Comments:
OMG, who makes their own flatbread - out of buttermilk biscuits at that? Yeah, not me. I get these multi-grain pita wrap thingys. Work wonderfully. I also skipped the ranch sour cream. Left out the beans since Adam has a strange aversion to them. Hmm, so I guess I didn't really follow the recipe so much as I used it for inspiration. Eh, that's how it goes sometimes.

Double-Bacon Gourmet Cheeseburgers

From Weber Grill Creations (the recipe came with something Adam bought - maybe the jerky stuff? I don't remember.)



Ingredients:
10 slices bacon
1 1/2 pounds ground chuck (80% lean)
1 tablespoon Weber® Grill Creations® Gourmet Burger Seasoning
4 thin slices cheese, Cheddar or Monterey jack
4 hamburger buns
4 medium slices ripe tomato
4 pieces lettuce

Directions:
1. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook half of the bacon at a time until crisp, about 10 minutes, turning occasionally. Drain each batch of bacon on paper towels.

2. Crumble 2 slices of bacon into a medium bowl. Mix in the ground chuck and the Weber® Grill Creations® Gourmet Burger. Shape into 4 patties, each about 3/4 inch thick.

3. Grill the patties over Direct High heat, with the lid closed as much as possible, until medium, 8 to 10 minutes, turning once when the patties release easily from the grate. During the last couple minutes of grilling, put a slice of cheese on each patty to melt. Also toast the hamburger buns, cut side down, over Direct High heat. Assemble the burgers on buns with the tomato, lettuce, and the remaining bacon slices.

Comments:
I cooked these inside in a skillet. Made some smoke, but not too bad. I had problems with my bun to burger proportions again - this time I made the burgers super thick so they were kind of hard to eat. Someday I'll get it right! Anywho... I couldn't find the Weber seasonings at either of the grocery stores I looked at but luckily they'd included a sample size with the recipe cards so it was all good. I might still keep an eye out for it...

Mini Caesar Salad Pizzas

From Everyday with Rachael Ray



Ingredients:
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 canned anchovy fillet
1 pound refrigerated pizza dough
3/4 head romaine lettuce, shredded (about 4 cups)
1 large tomato, coarsely chopped

Directions:
Preheat a grill to medium-high. Using a food processor, puree the parmesan, 1/4 cup olive oil, garlic, lemon juice and anchovy.

Cut the pizza dough into 4 pieces. On a baking sheet, rub the dough with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and press each piece into a 4-by-8-inch rectangle. Place the dough on the grill, cover and cook until browned on one side, 3 to 4 minutes. Turn and grill until cooked through, about 3 minutes.

Brush one side of each pizza with the anchovy dressing. Top with the lettuce and tomato; drizzle with the remaining dressing.

Comments:
I skipped the grill part and just baked the crust in the oven. 10 minutes and it was perfect. I also opted for anchovy paste rather than messing with a food processor and a can of fillets. Really, when am I going to use all the other ones in the can if this recipe only needs one? It worked just fine. Adam didn't seem to be bothered by it and even requested seconds. Woo! He did suggest perhaps making it a CHICKEN caesar salad pizza. Interesting thought.

(Indian) Chicken Salad Pockets

From The Biggest Loser Cookbook



Ingredients:
1 1/2 tsp mayo
1 tsp lime juice
1/2 tsp curry paste
3/4 cup chopped grilled chicken breast
1 1/2 tbsp seeded, chopped cucumber
1 1/2 tbsp chopped red onion
1 whole wheat pita, cut in half
2 leaves lettuce

Directions:
In a medium bowl, combine the mayo, lime juice, and curry paste. Whisk to blend. Add the chicken, cucumber, and onion. Mix well.

Spoon the mixture evenly into the pita halves. Add the lettuce.

Comments:
I don't do curry. So that's why the "Indian" is a parenthetical. These were pretty good. I had issues with the pita pockets (can you see the one tearing on the side?), but I can't really blame that on the recipe. It's pretty good the next day too. I put the lettuce in first so that's why you can't really see it in the picture.

Adam Cooks: Steak Salad Stuffed Pockets

From EatingWell.com via Yahoo! Food



Ingredients:
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1 pound top round steak, 1 1/2 inches thick, trimmed
4 cups romaine lettuce, chopped
1 medium cucumber, diced
1 large tomato, diced
8 small (4 inch) whole-wheat pitas, split open

Directions:
Position rack in upper third of oven; preheat broiler.

Whisk lemon juice, oil, mustard, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Place steak in a shallow dish and pour half the dressing over it. Let marinate at room temperature, turning once, for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the salad by adding lettuce, cucumber and tomato to the remaining dressing in the bowl; toss to coat.

Transfer the meat to a broiling pan. Broil for 5 minutes on each side for medium-rare, or until it reaches desired doneness. Transfer to a cutting board, let rest for 3 minutes, then slice thinly against the grain. Mix the meat with the salad and fill each pita. Serve immediately.

Comments:
Bwahahaha! He set the smoke alarm off again!

Anyway, these were good. A nice, all-in-one meal. He decided to go with flatbread rather than pita pockets and I think I would have stuck with the pockets. It was kind of difficult to eat with all the stuff falling out. He points out that he didn't have that problem due to his huge hands. I'm resisting making an ape comment here. I'm so restrained... Anywho. Outside of the mess, they were a great meal.

Turkey and Black Bean Tostadas

From Everyday with Rachael Ray



Ingredients:
3½ ounces roast turkey, from the deli counter, finely diced (3/4 cup)
1/4 cup cooked black beans, drained and rinsed
3 tablespoons fresh corn kernels or thawed frozen corn
1 small ripe tomato, finely diced
Juice of 1 lime (about 1 tablespoon)
1 tablespoon chipotle sauce or hot sauce, to taste
1/4 cup shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup plain reduced-fat sour cream
2 flat corn tostada shells, such as Bearitos brand
1/2 cup shredded lettuce
1 tablespoon snipped chives (optional) in a bowl

Directions:
Combine the turkey, black beans, corn, tomato, lime juice, chipotle sauce and cheese. Pack the turkey mixture, sour cream, tostadas, lettuce and chives separately until ready to use. To serve, spread some sour cream on each tostada. Top each tostada with some of the turkey mixture, lettuce and chives.

Comments:
Instead of tostadas I used these taco shells that come flat with forms that you bake in the oven. They worked wonderfully. This was it was much easier to eat all the filling without it falling all over the place. I'm a notoriously messy eater.