Grilled Burritos / Grilled Soft Tacos

We really like Taco Bell's grilled stuffed burritos, so we decided a while ago to start grilling our own at home. Sure, ours aren't "stuffed," but they're yummy. The nice thing is you can customize them to your own liking.

Fill burrito-sized flour tortillas with any combination of the following:

Taco-seasoned meat (beef, turkey, etc.)

Black beans

Tomatoes

Mexican rice (we used Knorr brand)

Lettuce

Salsa

Sour cream

Cheese

Nacho cheese sauce

Lettuce

Fold in two opposing sides and roll up, starting on one of the other sides. Grill over medium-low to medium heat sprayed with cooking spray. Each side only takes a minute or two; just keep an eye on it.

Other good fillings I can think of:

- Guacamole

- Refried Beans

- Taco Bell sauce

- Peppers

- Corn

- Onion

- Anything else you like!

Notes:
- To make meatless, omit the taco-seasoned meat or replace with refried beans.  Cook black beans in taco seasoning and water before adding to burrito to maintain the general flavor of the dish.
- Consider using Homemade Taco Seasoning Mix to reduce the sodium!

Malibu Chicken Bundles

From Healthy Cooking (Dec./Jan. 2009), page 55.

We tried these for dinner last night, and they were delicious! The crushed pineapple and honey Dijon mustard add a nice touch to the classic flavors of chicken cordon bleu. The recipe came from my Healthy Cooking magazine, and so it came with nutrition information.

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (4 ounces each)

1/2 cup honey Dijon mustard, divided

4 thin slices deli ham

4 slices reduced-fat Swiss cheese

1 can (8 ounces) unsweetened crushed pineapple, well drained

1-1/2 cups panko (Japanese bread crumbs)

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

Sauce:

1 can (10-3/4 ounces) reduced-fat reduced-sodium condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted

1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream

1/8 tsp. tarragon

Flatten chicken breasts to 1/4-inch thickness. Spread 1 Tbs. mustard over each; layer with ham, cheese, and pineapple. Fold chicken over pineapple; secure with toothpicks. Brush bundles with remaining mustard.

In a shallow bowl, combine the bread crumbs, salt, and pepper. Roll bundles in bread crumb mixture; place in a 11x7x2" baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake, uncovered, at 350F for 45-50 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 170F.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine the sauce ingredients. Cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through. Serve with chicken.

Notes:

- I think the only reduced-fat items I had were the soup and sour cream. Obviously you can use full fat items if that's what you have (or what's on sale!), but it's going to make the dish, well, fattier.

- I bought pineapple tidbits and chopped them up instead of using crushed pineapple.

Nutrition Facts (as recipe is written): 1 chicken bundle with 1/3 cup sauce = 400 calories, 12 g fat (4 g saturated fat), 86 mg cholesterol, 784 mg sodium, 41 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, and 36 g protein.

Diabetic Exchanges (as recipe is written): 3 very lean meat, 2 starch, 1-1/2 fat, 1/2 fruit

Tangy Lime Chicken for Two

Story: One night Matt said to me, "You know what sounds really good? Lime chicken." From that small dinner suggestion, this delicious creation was born! I've already made it again, but with modifications (example: I left soy sauce out of the sauce--it's so much prettier when it's green instead of brown). I'll let you know if I make any more changes . . .

2 chicken breasts, cut in half

1 Tbs. honey

2 tsp. soy sauce

2 tsp. lemon or lime juice

1/2 tsp. grated/minced fresh ginger

Zest from 1/2 lime

Juice from 1/2 lime

Microwave lime zest, all juices, ginger, honey, and soy sauce on high for 10 seconds. Mix well.

Sprinkle both sides of chicken with salt and pepper. Heat 2 Tbs. oil over medium heat. Add chicken. Pour half of above mixture over chicken pieces and cook for about 8 minutes. Flip chicken and coat with remaining mixture. Cook until chicken is done, approximately another 8 minutes.

Lime Sauce:

1 Tbs. honey

1/2 Tbs. butter or margarine

1/2 Yoplait Light Key Lime Pie yogurt

1/2 tsp. grated/minced fresh ginger

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

Zest from 1/2 lime

Juice from 1/2 lime

1/2 Tbs. butter

1 Tbs. flour/water mixture

Several drops green Tobasco sauce

Salt & pepper to taste

Cook first 7 ingredients over low heat. Add butter; once melted, mix into sauce. Add flour/water mixture and turn the heat up slightly. Stir to keep from burning. Once thickened, add Tobasco sauce and salt and pepper to taste.

Drizzle over chicken to serve.

Notes:

- If you have time, marinate the chicken for about an hour before cooking it.  You could also put it in a ziplock bag in the freezer to use another time.

- I also want to try making the chicken on the grill instead of in a skillet.

Flax Seed Waffles

I modified the waffle recipe on the Bisquick box to include more flax seed in our diets.  We've found this is actually a really easy way to do it, and you can hardly taste the flax seed.

1 cup Bisquick

1 egg

1 cup milk (more or less, depending on how thick you prefer the batter)

3 Tbs. flax seed, finely ground

1 Tbs. canola oil

1 tsp. vanilla, optional

2 dashes cinnamon, optional

Whisk together all ingredients.  Cook as usual.  Eat with your favorite toppings.

Notes:
- You can also modify the pancake recipe--just make sure to add more liquid.  If you half the recipe on the box, still use the amount of eggs for a full recipe.

Matt's Award-winning Brownies

Makes one 9x13" pan of brownies.

4 eggs

2 cups sugar

1 1/3 cup flour

1 cup (2 handfuls) nuts, chopped

2/3 cup oil

2/3 cup baking cocoa

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. salt (scant)

Beat eggs, sugar, and oil until smooth.  Add flour and beat again.  Add baking powder, salt, cocoa, and vanilla and mix again.

Mix in nuts.

Bake 25-30 minutes in a greased 9x13" pan @ 370 degrees F.

Notes:

- Works best in a clear glass baking pan.  Times and temperatures may need to be adjusted for metal or tinted glass.

- Leave the nuts out if you don't want them (we chop them into pretty small pieces).

- Dust slightly cooled brownies with powdered sugar.

Candied Yams

From Grandma Wayman.

4-5 long, thin yams (not sweet potatoes)

1/2 cup margarine

1 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup orange juice

Dash cinnamon

Marshmallows

Scrub yams and pierce the skin with a fork. Place on foil-lined baking sheet and bake for 1 hour at 450 F. Allow yams to cool enough to be peeled. (Yams can be baked but not peeled the night before.)

When you are ready to assemble the yams, bring the margarine, brown sugar, water, orange juice, and cinnamon to a boil in a skillet until thickened (2-6 minutes).

Cook baked, peeled yams in above mixture for 1 minute. (If skillet is not large enough to fit all the yams, cook them in more than one batch.)

Carefully lift yams out of syrup and place in greased baking dish (9x13 or 11x17). Pour remaining syrup over yams. Bake 15 minutes at 350 F.

Top yams with marshmallows and briefly broil until marshmallows are puffy and golden. (Watch them, as the marshmallows can quickly go from golden to burned.)

Notes:
- Start a while in advance, as yams must cool before being peeled.

Death by Chocolate (Trifle)

From Sis. Luke.

1 9x13" pan of brownies, cooled and chopped or crumbled
1 large container of whipped topping
1 large Symphony bar with almonds and toffee, chopped finely
1 large + 1 small box chocolate pudding, prepared according to directions


Trifle:
Mix 3 small packages of chocolate pudding as directed. Let set in refrigerator.

Once the brownies are completely cool, layer in the following order:
1 layer brownies
1 layer chocolate pudding
1 layer whipped topping
1 layer finely cut Hershey’s Symphony or Hershey’s milk chocolate bar (5 oz.)

Repeat layers to fill trifle dish.


Notes:
- Best if assembled the night before.
- I like to use Matt's Award-Winning Brownies.  Sis. Luke uses this brownie recipe in her trifle:


Brownies:
2 ½ sticks butter
¾ cup cocoa powder
3 cups sugar
1 tsp. salt
6 eggs
2 cups flour
2 cups walnuts, chopped

Melt butter over medium heat. Mix in cocoa powder and remove from heat. Add sugar, salt, eggs, and walnuts (in that order). Pour into greased 9x13” baking dish. Bake at 300°F for approximately 30-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.