Chicken and Bean Salad with Crispy Tortilla Topping

Serve with some sour cream if you like, I found this salad had lots of flavour and was filling enough for a dinner.  From Canadian Living Magazine - with a few of my own adjustments.

3 small flour tortillas, cut into 1/2 inch wide strips
1 tbsp vegetable oil
450 g boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 3/4 inch cubes
1 red sweet pepper
2 cloves garlic minced
1 1/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp pepper
Pinch salt
1 cup rinsed drained canned black beans
1/2 cup frozen corn kernels
2 green onions, chopped
1 tbsp lime juice
4 cups torn lettuce (romaine)
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
1 avocado, pitted, peeled and chopped

Honey Lime Dressing
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp lime juice
2 tsp liquid honey
Pinch salt

Toss tortilla strips with 1 tsp of the oil.  Bake in oven at 450F until crisp, about 10 min.  Transfer to bowl.

Add remaining oil to skillet; cool chicken, sweet pepper, garlic, chili powder, pepper and salt, stirring often, until chicken is no longer pink inside, about 4 minutes.

Stir in beans, corn, green onions, and lime juice; cook until warmed through, about 3 minutes.

HONEY LIME DRESSING
In large bowl whisk together oil, lime juice, honey and salt.  Add lettuce and toss.  Spoon chicken mixture over top; sprinkle with cheese and avocado.

Smoked Salmon Roll-ups

Delightful and so easy!

4 oz cream cheese
2 green onions, finely chopped
1 tbsp chopped fresh basil
4 green - spinach flavoured tortillas
6 oz smoked salmon, thinly sliced

1. In a bowl, mix cream cheese, onions and dill.  Spread mixture evenly over tortillas.
2. Layer salmon over cream cheese.  Roll up tortillas.  Cut each tortilla into 4 pieces.

Grilled Steak Fajita Salad

Simplicity and goodness, I love this one!  Once again I get to use my BBQ and the salad is a nice light twist!

1 cup Diana Sauce, original flavour (or your favourite BBQ Sauce)
2 tbsp each lime juice and chopped fresh coriander
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp hot pepper sauce
500 g Sirloin Steak
1/4 tsp each salt and pepper
4 corn tortillas or small flour tortillas
1 tbsp vegetable oil
6 cups shredded romaine lettuce
1/2 cup sliced red onion
1 red or yellow pepper, sliced
1 avocado, sliced (love this addition!)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (use mozzarella or get creative with goat cheese)
1/2 cup sour cream ( I skipped this)

1. Preheat the grill to medium high and grease lightly.  Stir the sauce with the lime juice, coriander, cumin and hot pepper sauce.  Brush 1/4 cup of the mixture over the steak and sprinkle evenly with salt and pepper (I omitted the salt).  Brush the tortillas with the oil.
2. Set the steak and the tortillas on the grate.  Grill the tortillas for 2 minutes, turning as needed or until well marked.  Remove from the grill, cool slightly and break or tear into strips.  Grill the steak for 8 to 10 minutes, turning once.  Rest the steak for 5 minutes before slicing thinly.
3. Layer the lettuce, red onion, peppers and avocado onto four serving plates.  Top with the steak and the tortilla strips.  Drizzle with the remaining sauce mixture and garnish with the cheese and the sour cream.  Makes 4 servings.

Fast Spicy Mexican Lasagna

Loved this one!  Tortillas replace the noodles and salsa is a nice change from pasta sauce!

Preparation time:  30 minutes
Cooking time:  15 minutes
Baking time:  35 minutes
Makes:  8 to 10 servings

3 onions
1 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 cups salsa
14 oz tomato sauce
2 tsp ground cumin
2 crushed garlic cloves
1 1/2 lbs (750 g) ground chicken or turkey
2 tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
2 large green peppers
340 g pkg tortillas, about 6 inches wide
1 cup light or regular sour cream
2 cups grated Monterey Jack or mozzarella cheese about 250 g

1. To prepare sauce, chop 2 onions.  Heat oil in a large wide saucepan set over medium heat.  Add onions and cook, stirring often, until soft about 5 minutes.  Stir in salsa, tomato sauce and cumin. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, then remove from heat.
2. To prepare filling, chop remaining onion and place in a large frying pan with garlic, chicken, chili powder, salt and black pepper.  Set pan over medium heat and cook, stirring often with a fork to keep chicken crumbly, until chicken loses its pink colour, about 10 minutes.  Meanwhile, chop green peppers.  Stir into cooked chicken and remove pan from heat.
3. Preheat oven to 375 F.  Lightly oil bottom of a 9 x 13 inch baking dish and spread with a thin layer of sauce.  Cut 5 tortillas in half and arrange so they cover bottom of dish, laying cut edges of tortillas against sides of dish.  Overlap as needed and cover centre of pan as well.  Spread with about 1 cup of sauce.  Top with half of the chicken mixture.  Spread with sour cream.  Slice remaining tortillas in half and form another layer.  Spread with remaining chicken mixture then sauce.  Sprinkle with cheese.  Bake in centre of preheated oven until cheese is golden, about 35 to 40 minutes.  Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting.

Honey Mustard Chicken Wraps

Here is something the kids will actually eat that isn't french fries or chicken nuggets.

8 small whole wheat flour tortillas

2 tbsp cornstarch

1 cup milk

3 tbsp honey mustard

1/4 tsp each salt and pepper

1 tbsp butter

1 lb boneless skinless chicken cut into thin strips

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 sweet red pepper, cut into thin strips

2 cups shredded romaine or leaf lettuce

1. Preheat oven or toaster ovento 350 F.  Wrap tortillas in a large foil package and warm in oven for 5 to 10 min.
2. Meanwhile, in a measuring cup or bowl, whisk together cornstarch, milk, honey mustard, salt and pepper.  
3. In a large nonstick skillet, melt butter over medium high heat; saute chicken and garlic just until chicken is starting to brown.  Add red pepper; saute for 2 min.  Stir milk mixture and stir into skillet.  Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring, for 3 to 5 min or until thickened and chicken is no longer pink inside.
4. Spoon filling along centre of each tortilla and top with shredded lettuce.   Fold up bottom of tortilla, then fold in sides to enclose filling.

Spicy Pumpkin Hummus

This sounds weird but is delicious!  Make the crackers and you will never buy them again but if you don't have time just buy some.  I used an Indian Masala and they came out great! Based on a recipe from Food and Drink Autumn 2011

1 can chickpeas (540 ml) rinsed and drained well
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup each lemon juice and water
1/2 cup canned unsweetened pure pumpkin
1 tsp cumin
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne or to taste
1/3 cup olive oil

Crackers
Flour tortillas, large or small
Olive oil
Indian Masala

1. If making crackers, preheat oven to 400F.
2. Place chickpeas, garlic, lemon juice and water in a food processor.  Whirl until smooth.  Add pumpkin and seasonings.  Whirl.  With motor running, drizzle in oil until blended.  Taste and add more lemon juice or cayenne if needed.
3. Lightly brush surface of as many tortillas as you like with oil, sprinkle with masala.  Place in a single layer on a baking sheet.  Bake until crispy, 7 to 9 minutes.  Cool, then break into large crackers.

Black Bean Tacos

Another vegetarian dish that is kid friendly!  Just don't tell them they are eating beans!

2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 medium onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder
2 cans (19 oz/540 ml each) black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup water
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups shredded fresh lettuce
2 tomatoes, diced
1 ripe avocado, peeled, pitted and sliced
1 pkg flour tortillas, 6 in size
salsa and sour cream if desired

• Heat the olive oil in a medium sized skillet over medium heat.  Add chopped onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent - 3 to 5 minutes.  Add the garlic, stir for 30 seconds, then add the cumin, chili powder and beans.  Using a fork, mash the beans in the pan, then stir in the water.  Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring often until thickened - 12 to 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (You can prepare this filling well ahead of time and just reheat when you're ready).
• While the bans are cooking, prepare the remaining ingredients for the tacos; Shred the cheese and lettuce, dice the tomatoes, slice the avocado.  Arrange topping ingredients in bowls so that diners can assemble tacos to their own taste.  Just before serving, wrap the stack of tortillas in paper towelling and microwave on high for 30 seconds, or until they are warmed through.
• To serve, lay a tortilla out on a plate and spread with some of the black bean mixture.  Add cheese, lettuce, tomato and avocado (plus salsa and sour cream, if desired). Fold, eat and repeat!