Tomato, Avocado and Corn Salsa

Summer is here and I have many recipes I would love to share here, but I'm going to start with this one and hopefully add photos very soon.  I'm starting with this one because it's great when you need to bring an appetizer with you to a summer barbecue and perfect for the upcoming July 4th holiday.  Not to mention it's delicious and simple and the sort of thing you can make with ingredients from your own garden or local farmer's market.

Tomato, Avocado and Corn Salsa

2 avocados, pitted and cut into small cubes
3 medium tomatoes, diced
2 ears of corn or 1 ½ cups corn kernels
Fresh chopped cilantro (about ¼ of a bunch)
1 lime
Salt and fresh ground pepper
½ tsp chili powder

Place corn with the husks still on into the microwave and cook for 5 minutes to steam.  Or you can remove the husks, wrap with plastic wrap and then steam.  (no need to do this if using kernels already off the cob).  When cool, use a knife to slice downward and remove the kernels.  Can be done in advance and refrigerated.
Place corn, diced avocado and tomato into a bowl, season with salt, pepper and chili powder, squeeze all the juice from the lime and add cilantro.  Gently mix to incorporate it all.  Serve with tortilla chips or use to serve on tacos or in a salad.
Make ahead option- Combine everything except the avocado and just the juice from half of the lime.  When ready to serve, cut the avocado and add it with the remaining half of the lime juice and stir to combine.
Other items like diced onion, jalapenos and crushed garlic are great additions, but it’s very fresh and simple as written.

Chili Taco Casserole

 This is one of those homey, not fancy recipes that is filling and should please the kids too.  Just add a salad for your green veggies and you have a  meal. I came across this recipe that was a lower fat version of the original and I adapted it a little to make it what I think is even healthier. Apparently, the original or traditional version of this has a sour cream topping that you add toward the end of baking.  Super yummy I'm sure but having never had it that way, I don't know what I'm missing.  Besides, I just serve sour cream on the side.  The recipe also called for canned chili with beans and I never keep that on hand, but I always have beans and ground beef or turkey, plus the seasonings for chili, so I find it far easier to just put all that together when cooking the ground meat.  So for me, this is a meal I can pull from my pantry anytime.  It's also incredibly easy to just double this so you have plenty of leftovers if you want.  You can also skip the first part and use store bought chips, use baked ones to keep the fat and calories down.

Just stack a few tortillas together and slice into wedges.  My 12 year old helped me do this.

We had to try hard to not eat these before putting them into the casserole.

I browned the meat in a much larger pan and then just turned off the heat to mix everything together.

Chili Taco Casserole
Adapted from Eating Well Magazine


Recipe Ingredients

2 teaspoons canola oil
12 corn tortillas
1/4 teaspoon salt
1.5 tbl chili powder
2 tsp cumin
1 clove crushed garlic
1 15-ounce can kidney beans, rinsed
1 15-ounce can pinto beans, rinsed
1 lb lean ground beef (or ground turkey)
1 10-ounce can enchilada sauce (1 1/4 cups)
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
1 tablespoon grated onion (or dried minced onion will work)
1 cup grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese (4 ounces)

Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Coat 2 baking sheets and a shallow 3-quart baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.  Lightly brush each tortilla with oil and sprinkle with salt.  Cut each tortilla into 8 wedges and arrange in a single layer on the prepared baking sheets. Bake until crisp, 8 to 10 minutes, rotating the baking sheets midway through baking. Let cool. (Alternative- use purchased baked corn tortilla chips)
Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees F. In a skillet, brown hamburger and season with chili powder, cumin and crushed garlic.  Season with salt and pepper if desired.  Stir together hamburger, kidney and pinto beans, enchilada sauce, tomato sauce, onions and 3/4 cup of the cheese in a large bowl. Add 4 cups of the tortilla crisps and stir to coat them with sauce. Turn into the prepared baking dish and bake until bubbly, 25 to 30 minutes.
Sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup cheese and 2 cups tortilla crisps. Bake for 5 minutes longer.
Serve with sour cream and sliced avocado on the side.

Three Methods for Chicken Tacos

Chicken Tacos
From e-mealplanning.com

There are many methods for fixing chicken tacos.  Consider this a guideline more than a specific recipe.  Choose the cooking method that works best for you.

Method 1- Grilled chicken (It’s really more like a fajita style of seasoning)
4 chicken breasts, bone and skin removed (or use 5 chicken thighs)
2 tbl vegetable or canola oil, plus more to oil grill grates
2 tbl lemon or lime juice
1 tsp chili powder
1.5 tsp cumin
Pinch of cayenne powder
1 tsp granulated garlic powder
½ tsp kosher salt
10 corn or flour tortillas
Taco fixings- Lettuce, cilantro, tomato, salsa, cheese, avocado, sour cream

*Option- use your favorite Mexican/taco seasoning mix instead of combining the individual spices, but you should check the ingredient label for starches, sugars or preservatives that you really don't need.

Place chicken in a dish or a zipper bag, whisk oil and juice together and pour over chicken. Combine dry spices and then sprinkle over all the chicken.  Let marinate while preparing grill or overnight.
Grill chicken at medium high heat, about 7 minutes per side or registers 160 degrees on a thermometer for breasts, 175 for thighs. (Note: boneless thighs are usually thinner than a breast so you may find they cook faster)
Remove from grill and let chicken rest for 5 minutes.  Then chop chicken into small pieces and serve with tortillas and desired fixings.

Method 2- poached chicken
4 chicken breasts (can be bone-in with skin)
1 onion cut into chunks
1 tsp kosher salt
Several cranks of fresh ground pepper (or a teaspoon or so of whole peppercorns)
Jarred or fresh salsa or any chili or hot sauce you prefer
Tortillas
Taco fixings

In a large stock pot, place the chicken, onion, salt and pepper.  Cover with water and place on stove, bring water to boil, and then turn down to low/simmer.  Should be cooked after 15-20 minutes, will need more time if your chicken was frozen.  Remove from heat but let chicken cool in liquid to keep it moist or just remove hot chicken from liquid and begin preparing for tacos.  After cooled you can keep whole, wrap and refrigerate for later use.
Use a fork and knife to shred chicken for tacos.  Place chicken in a bowl and season with additional salt and pepper if you like, or mix with some salsa or hot sauce.  Serve with taco fixings or use to make chicken quesadillas.

Method 3- Slow Cooker Chili Chicken
You can use the same seasonings as method 1, except omit citrus juice, season the chicken, add about 1/3 cup of water or chicken broth in the slow cooker and place in slow cooker to cook for 4 hours on low.  Shred chicken and serve for tacos.  Or this recipe from Martha Stewart is also very good; however the addition of chipotle chili makes it spicier so be aware.