Grilled Chicken Tacos with Cilantro Lime Coleslaw and BBQ Grilled Onions

I have been in a Mexican kick for the last week. I know, what's new? I have seriously eaten something Mexican just about ever day. Sister and I went to Cantina Larado again on Saturday (man, that place is awesome) and boyfriend and I went to a food show on Sunday where we had an amazing taco from a place called Luna's. After that, we ended up at a Mexican restaurant for drinks and all the free chips and salsa we could eat. Monday night, I didn't feel like cooking. Actually, it's not that I didn't feel like it, it's because I wanted to finish the second book of the Hunger Games series. I thought it was better than the first, and started the third one last night. Please, DO NOT tell me what happens...but honestly, I want someone important to die. That sounds horrible and I really don't want it, but that's what makes a story. If you have ever read Harry Potter (Hufflepuff!!) you will know what I am talking about.

Well, since I was planning on cooking Monday night, I had boyfriend marinade the last chicken breast that we had in the freezer. It was a big breast (hehehe), so I knew that butterflying it would be enough for the both of us with some good sides. I wasn't much in the mood to just have grilled chicken and since I was in a Mexican kick already, I thought some tacos would be a good choice. But I didn't want just your normal, run of the meal, Americanized tacos. Since I was going to grill the chicken, I figured why not grill the onions and corn for a side. I also thought of the cabbage I add to the Shrimp Tacos, but kicked it up a notch with some cilantro, lime juice, and red onion. I added some BBQ to the onions while they were grilling to add a sweet component that would counter the tartness of the slaw and BANG, the most awesome chicken tacos I have ever had. Sorry, that sounds very boastful, but these were seriously off the chain (yes, I just used that phrase.) I promise that you will like these tacos. They make an amazing summertime meal paired with grilled corn and black beans (still on that kick.) WW for one taco, 5 points, with sour cream!

Grilled Chicken Tacos with Cilantro Lime Coleslaw and BBQ Grilled Onions

Chicken

• 2 chicken breast
• 1 package GrillMates Garlic Herb and Wine marinade
• White vinegar
• Water
• Oil

1. Prepare marinade according to directions on package.
2. Butterfly chicken breast by cutting from the thick side inward but do not go all the way through.
3. Tenderize chicken with a fork by poking it all over, front and back.
4. Marinade chicken for 24 hours for best flavor.
5. Remove from marinade.
6. Grill on one side for 4 minutes. Flip and grill for another 3 or until the juices run clear.
7. Remove, let set for 5 minutes while the juices rest, then cut into cubes.

Cilantro Lime Slaw

• 1 cup cabbage, coleslaw mix
• 1 large lime, juiced
• 1/4 red onion, sliced very thin
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• Dash of black pepper

1. Combine all ingredients together in bowl and let mingle for 1/2 hour.

Grilled BBQ Onions

• 1/2 small red onion
• Sweet BBQ sauce, I use Sweet Baby Rays
• Oil

1. Cut onion into quarters, leaving the core in.
2. Remove outer layer of onion.
3. Brush on oil.
4. Grill for 4 minutes a side.
5. Add BBQ sauce to both quarters, and grill for another 4 minutes.
6. Remove from grill and cut into strips.

Reese's Piece Pudding Cookies

The weekend means time to bake. This weekend I didn't have very much time, so I had to make something quick, but that didn't mean that it had to be boring. Yesterday, the boyfriend had a softball tourney with my sister's boyfriend, so sister, baby, (Dylan, the cutest baby EVER!!) and I, spent the day at the field. If you have never been to a grown man's slow pitch softball game, you should. Some of the guys think that they are playing in the World Series. It's comical really. Yes, there is prize money, but after you pay off the costs of playing in the tournament, splitting it between 20 guys really isn't a lot. Of course, my boyfriend laughs at all these types of "men", but he has a good time and I enjoy watching.

I decided on these cookies because I love Reese's Pieces and they had pudding in them, who doesn't like that? They were also super fast to make which was exactly what I needed. I, of course, can't leave these in my house since they are amazingly delicious, so they are going to my parents to celebrate Father's Day, then the rest will go to work. The boyfriend LOVES peanut butter, but thought they had too many chocolate chips in them...silly guy, but he isn't a chocolate lover. If I make them especially for him next time, I will do half the amount of chocolate chips and the other half peanut butter chips. I however thoughy they were perfect!

 Reese's Pieces Pudding Cookies

• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tbs. honey
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 1/4 cup flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 small box instant vanilla pudding
• 1 c. chocolate chips
• 1 c. Reese's pieces

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, pudding and salt. Set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, with an electric mixer, cream the sugars, peanut butter, and butter together.
4. Add the eggs, honey, and vanilla. Mix to blend.
5. Add half the dry ingredients to creamed mixture and mix until almost incorporated.
6. Add the rest and mix until just incorporated. Don't over mix!
7. Stir in chocolate chips and Reese's pieces.
8. On a greased cookie sheet, drop one tablespoon portions of dough.
9. Bake for 11 minutes.
10. Let cool on cookie sheet for 3 minutes, then place on wire cooling rack.

Tips and Tricks

• Use crunchy peanut butter to give a nice crunch to the cookies.
• If you would like smaller cookies, use teaspoon portions and cook for 8 to 9 minutes.
• If you would like less chocolate, use 1/2 cup chocolate chips and 1/2 cup peanut butter chips.

Picadillo

Lately I have been in a Cuban kick. A couple of weeks ago it was Cuban sandwiches. Then I made the Fricase de Pollo. Black beans are my new love, and I use to hate beans! Well, the other night I made Picadillo for the first time and it was DINE-O-MIGHT!! Like any good soup or stew (this is neither of those, more of a very meaty pasta sauce), it got better and better over time. Today I had some for lunch, then finished the rest off for an afternoon snack. Thank god I have my own office, because I was licking the plate clean...don't judge me, lol.

The recipe I followed was a bit bland, so I kicked it up a notch using other items I had in my kitchen. I'm glad that I did, because the finished product was what? DINE-O-MIGHT! I am really enjoying cooking new recipes and trying out different ethnic foods. My friend is going to send me some Ethiopian recipes, and I am pretty stoked to read what those are about. Know what else was DINE-O-MIGHT about this recipe? It was only 6 WW points a serving! Got to love that!

Picadillo

• 1 pound 93% lean ground beef
• 1 medium green pepper, diced
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 1 12oz can petite diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 cup red wine
• 1/4 cup mojo 
• 1 tsp oregeno
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce

1. Over medium heat, cook onions and peppers in olive oil until tender, but not browned.
2. Add beef, mashing it with onions and peppers until cooked. About 5 minutes.
3. Add spices and stir together nicely.
4. Add tomatoes, wine, tomato sauce, and mojo. Stir until blended.
5. Turn heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.
6. Add raisins and cook until plump, about 3 minutes.

Tips and Tricks

• If you don't like the size the raisins get when the plump, chop them up before you add them.
• Don't use cooking wine, it doesn't have enough pop to it. A cheap red wine, like a Merlot or Cab Sauv will work lovely.
• If you have time, make this a day in advance. The flavors really party over night making this dish even better the day after.

Blackened Shrimp Alfredo

Yesterday I went to do my weekly grocery shopping. I have been trying hard to plan our meals out for the week on Sunday and do my shopping Monday after work. This week I had some really awesome, healthy, and unique dishes planned. However, Wal-Mart had a different plan. While I LOVE shopping at Publix ( a very nice grocery chain in the south), they are rather expensive, so I do my big shopping at Wal-Mart grocery. Usually, they have everything I need, but not yesterday. It looked like looters came through and ransacked the place, it was ridiculous. Granted, some of the ingredients I needed were a bit more unique, aka green curry powder and fish sauce, many of my basic items were not there or so picked over I didn't want them. What the hell Wal-Mart! I swear every time I go they are stocking, so what did they do this weekend? Is the world coming to an end and I just don't know about it? Needless to say, at least one or two staple ingredients for each recipe were not able to be found and after doing an hour kickboxing class, I really didn't want to go somewhere else. What to make now?

The boyfriend suggested spaghetti because it is quick and easy, but I wasn't really feeling that. Yes, pasta sounded good, but not with red sauce or meat. After literally walking around like a clueless blond for 20 minutes, I decided to make a shrimp with cream sauce pasta dish. I know what you are thinking, you worked out for an hour and your going to waste it on carbs and cream sauce? Well, its all in the prep my friends. Since I'm on the WW again (weight watchers, lol) I made sure to check the points for each of my ingredients. Pasta on WW really isn't that bad at 5 points a serving, combine that with 1/2 the fat pre-made Alfredo sauce, shrimp, and veggies, the whole dish was 11 points! The blackened season mix that coats the shrimp and a touch of sherry cooking wine made this dish outstanding and fast to make! If you are watching your carbs, this could easily been served without pasta as more of a fancy shrimp dish.

Blackened Shrimp Alfredo

• 1 pound medium shrimp, cleaned 
• 8 oz pasta, I used fettuccine
• 2 tsp blackened seasoning
• 2 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1 tsp GrillMates Garlic, Herb and Wine seasoning
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 1 red pepper, sliced
• 1 small red onion, sliced
• 1 zucchini, cut into quartered pieces
• 1 1/4 cup light Alfredo sauce
• 1/3 cooking sherry
• 2 tbs fresh basil
• 1/4 tsp lemon juice or one wedge lemon

1. Start a large pot of water to cook pasta. Once boiling, cook according to package directions.
2. Heat olive oil in large skillet on medium-high heat.
3. Combine blackened, Italian, and GrillMates seasoning in a ziploack bag.
4. Put shrimp in bag and shake to coat.
5. Place shrimp in skillet ensuring that none are touching.
6. Cook shrimp for 2 minutes on one side, flip then cook for another two. Remove.
7. Place peppers, onions, and zuccini in skillet and cover; cook for 4 minutes until veggies are softened.
8. Add Alfredo sauce, sherry, and basil. Cook for 3 minutes.
9. Add shrimp back to skillet and cook for a minute until all flavors are combined. Add lemon juice right before serving and stir to incorporate.
10. Either add pasta to skillet or serve sauce over pasta.

Tips and Tricks

• Use whatever vegetables you have on hand. Good way to sneak in those healthy eats.
• Don't have cooking Sherry? No problem, use a little white wine, marsala, or chicken stock/broth.
• Feel free to use a homemade Alfredo sauce, but beware, the points will not be the same.

Red Velvet Mini Cupcakes

I'm sure you are thinking, what is with this girl making all her cupcakes mini, but they are so easy to share and too damn cute. Also, they make for great portion control and I definitely need that after all the bad food and drinks that I have consumed lately. I'de like to think that since my boyfriend and I went to Epcot this weekend, we walked enough to burn all the stuff we consumed...however, I don't think 100 laps around the world showcase you burn what we put down. But that is the fun of Epcot; drink, drink, eat, drink, ride a ride, drink, drink, eat. No, I'm not an alcoholic (though that last sentence did sound pretty bad), but that's that you are suppose to do at Epcot lol.

We decided to come home Sunday instead of going to another park since we worn ourselves out the day before, and knowing that people at work would be sad if I didn't bring in goodies on Monday, I decided to try my hand at red velvet cake; a staple here in the almost south. Since I'm still not ballsy enough to attempt my own baking recipes, I got online and found one that had really great reviews. That is the key to finding recipes online, don't just read the ingredients and the prep work, make sure to read the comments! Not only will you see if the recipe is good or not, people usually post some good tips and tricks. Not only was the red velvet recipe full of high remarks, it's used at the Waldorf Astoria (swanky swanky) so sounded pretty legit. I didn't use the frosting recipe since I am trying to make my own kick ass recipe (still a work in progress). Fare warning that this batter will stain EVERYTHING in touches, so make sure you aren't wearing something you really care about.

Adapted from Cookie Madness

Red Velvet Mini Cupcakes

Cake 

• 1/2 cup shortening 
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 ounces red food coloring
• 2 heaping tbs unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 1/4 cups cake flour (carefully spoon and level — don’t pack flour)
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp white vinegar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. With an electric mixer, cream shortening, sugar, and eggs together.
3. In a separate bowl, mix together food coloring and cocoa until a paste is formed. If you are using concentrated food coloring, use a bit of the sugar/egg mixture until a paste forms.
4. Add cocoa mixture to shortening, sugar, and egg mixture and beat until well blended.
5. In a separate bowl, mix together flour and salt.
6. Alternate adding buttermilk and flour mixture to batter, beating in between each addition. 
7. Add vanilla.
8. In a separate bowl, add baking soda and vinegar, then blend into batter.
9. Spray a mini cupcake pan with cooking spray, then add cupcake liners.
10. Fill each liner 2/3 full and bake for 10 minutes.
11. Let cool completely before frosting.

Frosting

• 12 oz cream cheese
• 12 tbs butter, unsalted
• 1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 3 cups sifted powdered sugar

1. Cream the cream cheese and butter together.
2. Add sweetened condensed milk and vanilla, beat until blended.
3. One cup at a time, add powder sugar beating well between each.

Tips and Tricks

• To easily fill the cupcake liners, put batter into a gallon sized ziplock bag and cut off the corner. Not only will this save you time, it will cut down on the mess and ensure all your cupcakes are even.
• For easy icing, put the frosting into a gallon sized ziplock bag and cut off the corner.
• If your frosting is too runny for your liking, refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• If you don't have cake flour, use this conversion; 2 tbs corn starch and 1 3/4 all purpose flour. This will give you two cups. For a half cup, fill a 1/2 cup with 1 tsp cornstarch, then fill the rest with flour, then measure out the remaining 1/4 cup that is needed for recipe.

Fricasé de Pollo

I seriously thought that I was Cuban after making this recipe, it turned out that good. If you have ever seen me, you would probably know that I am not Cuban (Casper alter! I'm pretty white with blond hair blue eyes), though I have know a couple of people that have my complexion, so maybe I do have some in me. As soon as I had my first bite, I texted my best friend that is Cuban and told her what I made. She was proud of me. I also texted my other friend that is Puerto Rican since we talked about it at work and she wanted to know how it came out, while her husband wanted to know why she doesn't cook Fricasé de Pollo for him, lol. The whole reason I cooked this is because my boyfriend wanted something that went with yellow rice and black beans, so I got on-line and Googled good Cuban food. I found this site called 3 Guys From Miami, and knew I had a winner when I saw their pictures and read about their restaurant.

This dish was seriously authentic tasting! All the ingredients came together to make a flavor explosion. Though I was a bit suspicious about the raisins (I have found that I can't spell this word correctly ever, thank god for spell check), they balanced out the acid from the tomatoes, wine, and olives and glad that I kept them in. The sauce was the shit. Sorry, but I just can't describe it any other way. I could have eaten just that and been happy. There were a good amount of left overs, so I took it to work and shared with my friend from above and my other friend that only ever eats take out, so I figured he would like a nice home cooked meal; he is also Puetro Rican and loves anything with rice and beans. I am so glad that I live in Florida where Cuban food is everywhere. This dish is definitely something that I will make again! Oh, and it is WW awesome at only 7 points a serving, which is one thigh and a scoop of sauce (rice and beans not in total).

 

From 3 Guys From Miami

Fricasé de Pollo

• 1/2 cup sour orange juice (or use 2 parts orange to one part lemon and one part lime juice)
• 6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced 
• 1/2 teaspoons salt 
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper 
• 2 pounds chicken pieces, skinned (I used thighs)
  
• 3 tbs olive oil 
• 1 1/2 cup red potatoes, peeled and cubed 
• 1 chopped onions 
• 1 chopped bell pepper 
• 1 cup tomato sauce 
• 1 cup red wine, do not use cooking wine.
• 1/2 cup stuffed green olives 
• 1/2 cup raisins

1. Combine the sour orange juice, garlic, salt, and pepper together in a large bowl.
2. Add the chicken pieces and let marinade for 8 hours or overnight. 
3. Remove chicken from marinade and dry off with paper towels. Reserve marinade for later.
4. Heat large skillet with olive oil on high heat until lightly smoking.
5. Add chicken and brown on both sides, about 3 minutes a side. Remove.
6. Add potatoes and brown on all sides, about 4 minutes. Remove.
7. Add onions and peppers (more olive oil if needed) and cook until soft, but not browned.
8. Add tomato sauce, wine, potatoes, raisins, olives, and marinade to the onions and peppers. Stir and bring to boil.
9. Add chicken back to the skillet, cover, and lower temperature to a simmer. Cook for 20 minutes.
10. Serve with yellow rice and black beans.

Tips and Tricks

• Use red drinking wine, not cooking wine. It doesn't have to be expensive, but robust. I recommend a Cab. 
• I used chicken thighs, but think I will do a combination of legs and thighs next time.
• Serve with Cuban bread to soak up all the yummy sauce.

Asian Glazed Drummies

This week, I have done rather well at making healthier dishes; pretty much had to after all the baked goods I made this last weekend. Last night I was in the mood for some Cuban food, but the recipe that I wanted to make said that the chicken had to marinade for at least 4 hours, if not longer. I'm not one to skimp out on how long something needs to marinade, it's where you get all the flavor, so that dish needed to wait a night til that could be done (that will be tonight's dinner.) Since I was planning on making these drummies on Thursday, I just changed the two recipes around.

Now my cheap ass thought that buying the skinless drumsticks wasn't worth the price. Oh how I was wrong. While it wasn't the hardest thing that I have done in the kitchen, it sure was a pain in the ass. I can only imagine my sister trying to do it. Picking up each leg, one by one, and tearing, pulling, and cutting the skin off. Yeah right, I think she rather die. I'm not that grossed out by raw meat and this even had made my stomach flip flopping a bit. Next time, I will spend the extra buck fifty and go with the skinless. Once that was done, the rest was a piece of cake. The end result was a bit spicy (which I like) since I used more Sriracha then it called for, so use half or none at all if you don't like spicy stuff. I would also use some low sodium soy sauce as the final glaze was a bit salty, but that might have been because I let it reduce for longer than 5 minutes while the boyfriend was out getting some wine...I love wine! This recipe is all thanks to the Skinny Taste blog; a great site for delicious and low fat food. WW points = 9 for 2 legs.

 

Adapted from Skinny Taste

Asian Glazed Drumsticks

• 8 medium chicken drumsticks, skin removed
• olive oil spray
• 1 cup water
• 1 tbs Sriracha hot sauce (more or less to taste)
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 4 tsp sugar
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp scallions, chopped

1. In a large pan, spray bottom with olive oil spray. Get very hot.
2. Place drumsticks down and cook on both side until browned.
3. While drumsticks are browning, mix together the water, hot sauce, vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, and garlic together.
4. Once drumsticks are browned, pour mixture over and cook on high until boiling.
5. Once boil is reached, cover and cut down to a simmer. Cook for 20 minutes.
6. After 20 minutes, remove chicken and cover with foil. Remove top and turn heat up to high for sauce to boil again.
7. Let sauce boil for 5 minutes until the sauce has reduced by at least half and has thickened into a glaze. Cook longer if necessary.
8. Add chicken back to glaze and coat with glaze. 
9. Serve with green onions on top.

Tips and Tricks

• You can use any other type of chicken you have on hand, but still brown on all sides to lock in flavor and make outside a bit crisp.
• Serve with rice for a complete meal. Plus the glaze tastes awesome on it!
• If you are watching your sodium intake, use low sodium soy sauce and/or reduce soy sauce to 1/4 cups.