Taco Salad

1 lb. ground turkey or beef, browned & drained
1 packet taco seasoning mix
1/2 large head lettuce, cut into pieces
1 can light or dark red kidney beans, drained & rinsed
2 tomatoes, cut into pieces
1 can sliced black olives, drained
1 package shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 - 1 - (8oz) bottle Creamy French or Catalina Salad Dressing
1/2 of bag Fritos corn chips or tortilla chips



Brown turkey or beef until cooked through.  Add taco seasoning and finish cooking as directed.  Allow meat to cool.


In a large bowl combine lettuce, beans, tomatoes, olives, cheese & meat.  Add 1/2 bottle of dressing & toss.  Add more dressing until desired amount is achieved based on personal preference.  Top with chips & enjoy!


For a fun variation, serve in a tortilla shell.  Spray both sides of a large flour tortilla with non-stick spray and place in a bowl suitable for the oven.  Bake at 350 for 5-10 minutes.

King Ranch Casserole

From allrecipes.com

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 tablespoon chicken bouillon
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup chopped onion
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chile peppers
2 (8 ounce) cans chili beans, drained
12 (8 inch) flour tortillas
3 cups shredded Colby-Monterey Jack cheese

Bring a large saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil. Add chicken and bouillon and boil for 12 to 15 minutes, or until cooked through (no longer pink inside). Reserve 1 cup broth. Remove chicken from pan and dice; set aside.

In a separate large saucepan combine reserved broth, onion, cream of chicken soup, cream of mushroom soup, bell pepper, diced tomatoes with green chile peppers and beans. Mix together and heat through, stirring often.
 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
 
In a 9x13 inch baking dish layer casserole as follows: 4 torn tortillas, 1/2 of diced chicken, 1/3 of soup mixture, more tortilla strips, remaining diced chicken, 1/3 of soup mixture, more tortilla strips and remaining soup mixture. Cover with cheese.
 
Bake in preheated oven for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until heated through and cheese is melted and bubbly. 

This is really good, but rather time consuming.  It took me almost an hour & a half to complete the prep.  It made enough for about 4 meals for our family of 4.  I think next time, I would make it in 2 8x8 pans and freeze one.

Taco Turkey Wraps

 Adapted from allrecipes.com

2/3 cup sour cream

2 tablespoons taco seasoning

6 (8 inch) flour tortillas

1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese or Cheddar cheese

1/2 pound thinly sliced deli turkey breast

Lettuce
Tomato
Salsa

In a bowl, combine the sour cream and taco seasoning. Spread over tortillas. Sprinkle with cheese. Top with turkey, lettuce & tomato; roll up. Serve with salsa if desired.

Pictured with jalapeno cheddar wrap tortilla.  

Can be sliced into pinwheels as appetizers or for a buffet/potluck.

Chicken Cesar Tacos/Wraps

Chicken breasts
Romain lettuce
Parmesan or Italian blend cheese
Cesar dressing
Croutons, optional
Soft taco sized tortillas (for tacos) or large tortillas (for wraps)

Grill chicken breasts (I prefer to spray a frying pan with olive oil & salt & pepper my chicken...takes about 20 minutes on the stovetop).  While the chicken is cooking, wash & prepare lettuce in a large bowl.  Once cooked through, cube chicken and add to the lettuce mixture.  Add in desired amounts of cheese and croutons and toss with dressing.  Top desired tortillas with the salad mixture and enjoy!

I used the Marie's Yogurt Parmesan Cesar dressing (1/2 the calories & 1/2 the fat of regular) and we are huge fans!!

Chicken Fajitas

1 medium onion
1-2 bell peppers
3 chicken breasts
olive oil
flour or corn tortillas

Cut onion and peppers into strips. Spray or drizzle a small amount of oil in a large skillet. Add veggies and stir often as you cut the chicken into strips. In a second skillet, cook the chicken and season as desired. Once the veggies are tender and the chicken is cooked through, add chicken to veggie mix, remove from heat & stir.

Place fajita mixture on tortillas and top with desired toppings.

I like to make double the amount and save left overs for Tex-Mex Pizzas :)

Best Bean Burritos

1 can refried beans
1 can diced green chilis
Flour tortillas
Shredded cheese

Preheat oven to 375 and set aside a cookie sheet sprayed with non-stick spray. Mix beans and chilis in a sauce pan and heat over medium until warmed through. Assemble burritos with beans and cheese and place side by side (seams down) on cookie sheet. Cook for 5-7 minutes. Serve burritos with toppings as desired (guacamole, sour cream, salsa, olives, etc) and eat with a fork.

These are great for a burrito bar at a party. You can just make a bunch of burritos (even mini burritos using smaller tortillas) and let guests top as desired :)

Sour Cream Enchiladas

2 cups cooked chicken, cubed or shredded
1 can cream of chicken soup
8 oz sour cream
2 cups cheese, divided
1 can diced green chilis
4 flour tortillas, soft taco size torn into strips

Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, combine chicken, soup, sour cream, green chilis and 1 cup of cheese. Spray a 8x8 pan with non-stick spray and place a small layer of the chicken mixture on the bottom. Add a layer of tortilla strips and repeat layering (be sure to end with mixture on top, not tortillas). Top with a layer of cheese and bake uncovered for 30-35 minutes.

This can also be made in the crockpot following the same layering technique and cooking on low for 4 hours.

Family Style Nachos

Tortilla Chips
Shredded Cheese

Topping ideas:
Chicken (cooked & cubed)
Black or refried beans
Onions and/or peppers
Olives

Preheat oven to 350. On a foil lined cookie sheet spread a layer of tortilla chips. Lightly top with a layer of cheese followed by desired nacho toppings. Add a 2nd thin layer of cheese to the top and place in the oven until cheese melts (about 5 mins). Serve with desired dips (salsa, guacamole, sour cream, etc).

We simply place the cookie sheet on a trivet in the middle of the table. Each person gets their own plate and grabs their own serving of nachos from the middle. This is a fun, easy crowd pleaser :)

Baked Flautas

Adapted from: Hungry Girl

Mexican Crock Pot Chicken (or any chicken & salsa mixture)
Shredded cheese
Flour tortillas (soft taco size)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare a baking sheet by spraying with nonstick spray, and set it aside.

Take one tortilla, spray both sides lightly with nonstick spray, and lay it flat on a clean dry surface. Spoon about 2 heaping tbsp. of filling onto the tortilla. Spread it evenly across the entire surface, sprinkle with cheese and roll tortilla up tightly, so that you have a cigar-shaped tube. Secure with toothpicks and place seam-side down on the baking sheet. Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling.

Bake for 14 - 16 minutes, until crispy. Allow flautas to cool for 5 minutes. If you like, dunk in enchilada sauce, salsa, sour cream or our favorite...guacamole!

Dessert Tacos

Flour tortilla
Mini marshmallows
Chocolate and/or white chocolate chips

Lay tortilla flat on a microwavable plate. Place chocolate chips/and or white chocolate chips in the center of the tortilla. Add marshmallows and microwave for 30 seconds. Fold into taco shape and enjoy!

You can even add some graham crackers to help cure a s'mores craving :)

Southwestern Egg Rolls

From: Hungry Girl
This is an awesome, healthy swap of the Southwestern Egg Rolls from Chili's.

3 La Tortilla Factory Smart & Delicious Low-Carb/Low-Fat Tortillas, Original (not Large - I find these near the deli in my grocery store)
1 oz. cooked skinless chicken breast; shredded
2 tbsp. canned black beans
2 tbsp. canned corn; drained
1 oz. Fat Free Jalapeno Jack cheese; shredded
1 tbsp. diced red chili pepper
3/4 cup frozen chopped spinach; thawed & thoroughly drained
Avocado Ranch Sauce

Preheat oven to 400. Combine chicken, beans, corn, cheese, chili pepper and spinach in a small microwave-safe bowl. Heat for 30 seconds in the microwave. Warm tortillas in the microwave for 15 seconds. On a clean, flat surface, lay out tortillas side by side. Put 1/3 of the chicken-spinach mixture in the center of each of tortilla. To assemble each of the rolls, fold the left and right sides in (so none of the filling escapes during the cooking process), and then roll up from the bottom of the tortilla until you reach the top (so they resemble eggrolls). Place all 3 rolls (seams down) on a baking pan sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Bake for 12 minutes, flipping rolls over about halfway through cooking.

While the eggrolls are in the oven, prepare the avocado ranch sauce. Once the eggrolls are done baking, allow them to cool for a few minutes. Then cut each in half diagonally, arrange them beautifully on a plate, and serve with the dipping sauce.

MAKES 2 SERVINGS
WW points per serving (includes sauce) = 3

I have used a jalapeno in place of the red chili pepper with great success.

BBQ Ranch Chicken Salad/Wraps

From: Sierra Schmidt

Romain Lettuce
Chicken (I use shredded rotisserie chicken)
Black beans
Can of corn
Ranch dressing
Barbecue sauce

In a large bowl toss desired amounts of all ingredients. Serve in a bowl as a salad or in a tortilla as a wrap.

You can vary this recipe by adding avocado, cheese, onion straws, tortilla chips, cool ranch Doritos, etc. Also, for those in Texas, the mesquite BBQ chicken at HEB is awesome in this (and just about anything else)!

Veggie Chicken Quesadillas

Steam fresh broccoli & cauliflower
Cooked chicken
Flour tortillas
Spray butter (or butter spread)
Monterey jack cheese

Cook broccoli and cauliflower following package directions. Finely chop broccoli, cauliflower and chicken and mix together in a large bowl.

Spray one side of a tortilla with butter and place buttered side down in a frying pan over medium heat. On half of the tortilla place a thin layer of cheese, a layer of the chicken mixture and another thin layer of cheese. Fold empty half over filled half and cook until cheese begins to melt. Carefully flip quesadilla and cook other side until barely brown.

Remove from heat, cut into wedges and serve with salsa, sour cream and/or guacamole.

Baked Tortilla Chips

1 (12 ounce) package corn tortillas

Spray olive oil

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2. Cut each tortilla into 8 chip sized wedges and arrange the wedges in a single layer on a cookie sheet.

3. Combine the cumin, chili powder and salt in a small bowl

4. Spray each tortilla wedge with olive oil until slightly moist and sprinkle salt mixture on the chips.

5. Bake for about 7 minutes. Flip each chip and bake for another 8 minutes or until the chips are crisp, but not too brown.

Serve with salsas, garnishes or guacamole.

Baked Chicken Chimichangas

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1 (8 ounce) package shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 (1 ounce) package taco seasoning
1 pound shredded cooked chicken meat
8 soft taco size (or larger) flour tortillas
Olive oil spray

Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, stir together the cream cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, and taco seasoning until well blended. Fold in the chicken. Evenly divide mixture among the 8 tortillas. Fold each tortilla into a rectangular packet around the filling. Place on a cookie sheet and spray with olive oil. Cook for 8 minutes, flip chimichangas and spray again with olive oil. Return to oven and cook another 8 minutes.

I usually 1/2 this recipe as they are rather filling. My husband can eat 2, but served with any sides 1 is sufficient. You can also cut them in half and serve as an appetizer. Serve with salsa, sour cream and/or guacamole.

Turkey Roll-ups

From: Nancie Habben

8 oz whipped cream cheese
1 packet buttermilk ranch dip mix
large tortillas
red leaf lettuce
deli turkey

Combine cream cheese and ranch mix (best if mix is refrigerated for at least 1 hour). On a large tortilla spread a layer of the cream cheese mixture. Add a layer of the lettuce and then a layer of turkey. Roll up tortilla and slice into pinwheels.

You can even make these as wraps, using smaller tortillas. They are also good with an additional layer of swiss cheese. They can even be made the night before and refrigerated.

Greek Chicken

2 tbsp. olive oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast fillet
1 med. onion, thin sliced
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tbsp. white wine vinegar
1 1/2 tsp. chives, chopped

Pour olive oil into a nonstick fry pan. Heat 2 minutes on medium heat. Add chicken and cook about 6 minutes. Turn chicken over, add onion and cook about 6 more minutes or until onion is clear and chicken is tender. Remove from heat. Cut chicken into thin slices across grain of breast and place in a bowl. Add sauteed onion. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, mixing carefully. Add wine vinegar and chives and mix well. Chill for at least 2 hours.

Makes 4 servings

This chicken is delicious! You can put it in a pita, a tortilla or even on a bed of lettuce for a tasty salad. It is shown in the photo above with a cucumber & yogurt sauce and sprinkled with some feta cheese.

Tex-Mex Pizza

From: Weight Watchers 'Everyone Loves Chicken' Cookbook
Points value for 1 pizza = 6

1TBS Canola Oil
3/4 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 small yellow bell pepper, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1/4 tsp salt
4 (8-inch) jalapeno or whole-wheat flour tortillas
1/2 cup hot, medium or mild salsa
2/3 cup shredded reduced-fat Monterey Jack cheese
1 TBS chopped cilantro


Preheat oven to 450. Heat the oil in a large, nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken, bell pepper and salt; cook stirring frequently, until the chicken is cooked through (about 7 mins). Transfer to a plate to cool. Toast tortillas in a dry, large, nonstick skillet over medium heat, about 1 minute on each side.

Place the tortillas on a large baking sheet and spread evenly with the salsa. Top with the chicken mixture and sprinkle with cheese. Bake until cheese melts, about 6 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro, cut each pizza into 4 wedges and serve at once.

I have made these using different color bell peppers as well and it is yummy! We skip the cilantro and never even miss it. We do love the addition of avocado or guacamole :)