Chicken Fajitas

It's Cinco De Mayo!!! And of course I'm celebrating with a simple, one pot meal that satisfies the belly. I wasn't 100% sure what to call this, but fajitas came to mind, so I'm going with it. When it comes to Mexican food, I find a lot of people use pre-packaged taco seasoning packets to flavor their meals. Well in this recipe you don't have to. The combination of the spices used here are pretty much what come in those packet, minus the chemicals, preservatives, excessive salt and added sugars. These are pretty basic spices that most people have in their pantry, so there is no need to spend the extra money on a seasoning packet. Also you can control how much spice, salt, and smokiness you prefer. 

I am a lover of anything spicy, so I included hot sauce in this recipe but if you aren't a fan, just omit it. Same goes for topping the fajita, if you dairy-free, then using cheese alternatives or no cheese as at all is perfectly fine. If you are on a gluten-free diet, then instead of the flour tortilla, try corn tortilla. Clean Eaters and the like - just omit the tortilla and enjoy the fajita mixture. This dish is flavorful enough to be eaten without toppings. Also I love being able to customize a dish to my liking (extra lime please!). A majority of this fajita mixture is veggies, so if you are trying to be a sneaky chef, this is your recipe! 

Chicken Fajitas

Cook Time: < 30 mins
Prep Time: < 10 mins
Serves: 4


Ingredients:

• 1 tsp of canola oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 green or red pepper, diced
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 tbsp of cumin
• 1/2 tbsp of chili powder
• 1 tsp of dried oregano
• 1/2 tbsp hot sauce (optional)
• 1 14.5oz can of organic diced tomatoes (drain some of the liquid)
• 1 lb of boneless, skinless chicken breast, diced into bite size pieces
• 1 lime
• 3 Tbsp of fresh cilantro, minced (optional)
• 1/2 cup shredded organic Mexican blend cheese (optional)
• 8-10 flour or corn tortillas (taco-sized) (optional)

Heat the oil in a large skillet to med-high heat. Add the onions, peppers and garlic and saute for about 5 minutes until softened. Add the spices and in corporate well. Now add the tomato and the chicken, stir in well. Cover and reduce the heat to low. Let this simmer for about 10 minutes. 


Now remove the lid and bring the heat up to med-high. Let cook until most of the liquid has been absorbed and the chicken is cook thoroughly (about 10 minutes). Right before serving, squeeze the 1/2 lime over the top of the chicken mixture. 


Optional: Serve in a warmed flour or corn tortilla, sprinkle about 1 tbsp of cheese and top with fresh cilantro. Feel free to incorporate your favorite toppings as well. I reserve the other half lime to anyone who may want to add more lime to theirs. This recipe makes about 2 fajitas per person. 


Nutritional Info for 1/4 of the chicken mixture(not including optional ingredients):
Calories: 165 ; Fat: 2g ; Carbohydrate: 8g ; Fiber: 2g ; Sugar: 3g ; Protein: 27g 

Guacamole

I've been looking forward to having guacamole for 3 days now! I've just been waiting for my avocados to ripen. Luckily I had them in a brown paper bag to make sure they ripened quick. I was turned on to guacamole when I used to live in San Diego. I had seen it before, but never really understood what the big fuss was about. That was until I tried freshly made guacamole. Not that pre-made gooey stuff you find in the deli section at the grocery store. Nice and chunky with a little spice. Since then, I make guacamole whenever the craving hits or I've got a couple extra avocados on hand. 

Super easy recipe, requires no cooking and can last 3 days in the fridge (if it lasts that long). Can be served with practically anything. Chips, cut up veggies, or as a topping on most dishes. I'm going to be eating mine with some flax crackers. Enjoy!

Guacamole

Cook Time: 0 mins
Prep Time: < 10 mins
Serves: Makes about 2 cups


Ingredients:

• 2 large ripe avocados 
• 1/3 cup minced red onion (about 1/2 an onion)
• 3 Tbsp minced fresh cilantro
• 1 jalapeno, minced (with or without seeds)
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tsp of cumin
• juice of 1 small lime
• salt and pepper to taste
• cayenne pepper to taste (optional)

Mash the avocado to desired consistency. Add the rest of the ingredients, combine well. Taste the mixture and add salt and pepper to taste. 


Serve immediately or place in the refrigerator, covered (to prevent browning). 


Nutritional Info per 2 Tbsp of Guacamole (if it makes 2 cups):
Calories: 80 ; Fat: 7g ; Carbohydrate: 6g ; Fiber: 3.5g ; Sugar: 1g : Protein: 1g

Coconut Banana Nut Bread

I always seem to have leftover bananas in my house. I usually buy a big bunch of them, since they are so inexpensive and can be used in a slew of recipes. Today I decided to make banana bread with my extras. Using what I had in my pantry, I came up with is version of banana bread. Dense, and slightly sweet - this is perfect as a quick breakfast, snack or something sweet to finish off a meal. I'm going to enjoy a slice with a cup of hot tea....

It can be customized according to your tastes and what you have on hand. Don't have pecans, almond or coconut? Use whatever nuts you have or omit completely. Also if you prefer a sweeter bread, add more sweetener. You could use agave nectar, coconut sugar, honey or whatever you like to use as a sweetener.

Coconut Banana Nut Bread

Cook Time: 35-40 mins
Prep Time: <15 mins
Serves: 10 (or how ever many pieces you choose to cut)


Ingredients:

• 1oz pecans 
• 1oz almonds 
• 1/3 cup unsweetened coconut 

Dry:

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp of ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp fine sea salt

Wet:

• 3 large ripe bananas
• 1/3 cup grade A maple syrup (or 1/2 cup if you prefer it a bit sweeter)
• 3 Tbsp of coconut oil 
• 1 tsp of pure vanilla extract

A little extra coconut oil for coating pan


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Get a loaf pan and light coat the the sides with a little coconut oil (I use a paper napkin, dab it with a little oil and rub against the sides).


In a small food processor (or by hand), blend the pecans, almonds and coconut until broken up into very small pieces.


In a side bowl, combine dry ingredients and nut mixture, set aside. 


In a large bowl, blend wet ingredients until most of the banana is broken up. Then gradually add the dry mixture to the wet mixture until well incorporated. The batter will be thick. 


Add the mixture to the oiled loaf pan and evenly spread the mixture. Bake for 35-40 mins or until the middle is set (check by inserting a toothpick into the middle, it should come out clean). Let the bread cool before cutting into it (I recommend using a serrated knife to cut it). This bread should keep for 3 days, in a well sealed container. Can be served as is or how ever you enjoy eating it. 


Nutritional Info per Serving (1 slice):
Calories: 200 ; Fat: 9.5g ; Carbohydrate: 31g ; Fiber: 3.5g ; Sugar: 11.5g ; Protein: 3g

Roasted Lemon Rosemary Chicken

Roasted Chicken is a simple meal to make and very versatile. If you want to change the herbs or omit the lemon, you can. It will still turn out delicious. I chose to use lemon and rosemary because that is what sounded good. But you can use sage, thyme, herbs de Provence, or just plan salt and pepper. Also what is great is that after you've eaten your meal, the chicken bones can be used to make homemade chicken stock. Buying the whole chicken is usually less expensive than buying the chicken already cut up into sections and it can accommodate the dark and the white meal eaters in your family. 

I used Petaluma's Rocky Whole Chicken. It is free range, contains no antibiotics, fed a vegetarian diet and is humanely treated. If you are Clean Eating, remove the skin and focus on eating mostly white meat. 

Roasted Lemon Rosemary Chicken

Cook Time: 2 hours @ 350 degrees

Prep Time: 5 mins

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 4 lb Free Range Whole Chicken (remove innards and giblets, if it contains it)
• Juice from 1/2 an organic lemon
• 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary (minced)
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup organic low sodium chicken stock

Preheat oven to 350. Place the chicken in a roasting pan or an oven proof dish. 

Squeeze the 1/2 lemon over the top of the chicken. Sprinkle the rosemary, salt and pepper onto the chicken and rub into skin well (make sure to do this all over the chicken). Pour about 1/4 cup of chicken stock into the bottom of the pan (it help keep the chicken from drying out). 

Then place the pan into the oven and let it cook for about 2 hours or until the internal temperature reads 165 degrees.  If you have a larger or smaller chicken adjust the time by 15-20 minutes per pound.

Once you remove it from the oven, let the chicken rest for about 5-10 mins before carving. 

Nutritional Info per Serving (including skin):

Calories: 330 ; Fat: 17g ; Carbohydrate: 1g ; Fiber: 0g ; Sugar: 0g ; Protein: 40g

Nutritional Info Per Serving (without skin):

Calories: 215 ; Fat: 4g ; Carbohydrate: 1g ; Fiber: 0g ; Sugar: 0g ; Protein: 36g