Salsa Guacamole

Chips, dips, and salsa are big when it comes to family celebrations or big sports celebrations like the upcoming Super Bowl, so I thought I would share a lower calorie version of guacamole that tastes very good without the addition of mayonnaise or sour cream. When I came across this recipe I was a little skeptical about how good it could possibly taste without sour cream, but it is a very good and healthy alternative to high fat dips. Of course, the tortilla chips can still be a bit of a challenge, but goodness, the Super Bowl only comes once a year; enjoy! Blessings...

Recipe:

6 small ripe avocados, halved, pitted and peeled
1/4 cup fresh lemon or lime juice, approximately, add to your taste and the consistency you like.
1 cup salsa
2 green onions, finely chopped
1/4 tsp. salt or to taste
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
Tortilla chips

1. In a bowl, mash avocados with lemon or lime juice.
2. Stir in salsa, onions, salt and garlic powder. Taste and adjust seasoning
if needed. Serve immediately with chips.

Yield: 4 cups
2 tbsps. = 10 calories

This recipe is from a "Taste of Home" cookbook.

Salsa Red Beans 'n' Rice

This very savory skillet meal goes together quickly when dinner needs to be fast and easy. The recipe was written without the addition of the sausage, and is served over rice, but when we had our leftover meal, I added the sausage for my hubbies benefit. We enjoyed the dish both ways. Blessings...

Recipe:

1 cup chopped green pepper
1/4 cup chopped onion
3 green onions, finely shopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tbsp. olive oil
1-1/4 cups salsa
1 can (16 oz.) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
hot cooked rice

1. In a skillet, saute the green pepper, onions and garlic in oil until tender.
2. Stir in the salsa and beans. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 2 to 3 minutes or until heated through.
3. Serve over rice.

Yield: 3 cups
117 calories per 1/2 cup w/o rice
6 gms. fiber
Note: If you want to add a sausage to the dish, simple slice the sausage and brown it along with the pepper, onion and garlic.

Salsa Corn

When we got home from vacation last week I determined that our meals would come from what was in the fridge, freezer and pantry except, of course, for the fresh fruit and milk that would have to be purchased on our way into town. Before we left, I took stock of what was available while putting the bits and pieces from the fridge into freezer containers for future use; I hoped. I say, "I hoped", because I wasn't sure if some of what I was putting in the freezer was going to be usable at a later date or not. This was an experiment, on my part, of sorts. I knew that I had all of the ingredients for the Southwest Tortilla Stack posted yesterday, but wasn't sure what would be served with it. I found a bit of frozen salsa leftover from a prior recipe called Salsa Green Beans that was posted on 7/2/2014 and thought it might combine well with frozen corn. We liked it very much. The recipe would multiply very easily for larger families. Blessings...

Recipe: 

2 cups frozen corn
1/4 cup thick and chunky salsa or salsa of choice
1/4 tsp. cumin

1. Cook corn according to package directions; drain.
2. Stir in salsa and cumin and heat through.

Yield: 3 - 1/2 cup servings
107 calories per serving
2 gms. fiber

Salsa Green Beans

This easy and tasty recipe is a great way to use vine-ripened tomatoes, green beans, and a bit of salsa. I didn't have fresh green beans so I used frozen with great success. We enjoyed the combination of green beans, tomatoes and salsa with Lime Broiled Cod for a Mexican inspired meal. I will post the cod recipe at a later date. Blessings...

Recipe:

4 cups fresh or frozen cut green beans
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup butter
3 medium tomatoes, cut into small wedges
2 tbsp. salsa
1 garlic clove, minced or 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. salt

1. In a saucepan, cover beans with water; bring to a boil. Cook, uncovered, for 8-10 minutes or until crisp-tender.
2. Meanwhile, in a skillet, saute onions in butter until tender.
3. Drain beans. Add the tomatoes, salsa, garlic, salt and onions; heat through.

Yield: 6-8 servings
This is a reader-contributed recipe in a Taste of Home cookbook.

Chicken Salsa Soup

This is one of those recipes that came together when there was leftovers in the fridge that needed to be used up and I was in a hurry to get dinner on the table. Thankfully, this particular time the concoction worked, that isn't always the case. I still have some real failures in the kitchen, but isn't that how we keep learning no matter how long we have been cooking?  Blessings...

Recipe: 

4 cups chicken broth
1-1/2 cups Thick and Chunky Salsa
1 can (16 oz.) black beans, rinsed and drained
3/4 cup whole kernel corn, drained
2 cups cooked, diced chicken
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. Southwest seasoning
fresh cilantro, minced, if desired

Combine all of the ingredients in a 3 qt. saucepan. Heat just until soup begins to boil and turn heat down to low; cover and simmer for 30 minutes to blend flavors.

Yield: 7 cups
124 calories per cup
4 grams fiber per cup

Salsa Chicken over Lemon-Pepper Rice

Busy days don't need to keep us from putting a made-from- scratch meal on the table when it's an easy skillet meal like this one. The combination of a favorite salsa and chicken pieces are wonderful over the lemon-pepper rice. The rice can be made quickly in the microwave, if you like. The rice is also very good as a side dish with meat or fish. A simple fruit or vegetable salad go alongside this easy skillet meal very well. This recipe is another reader-contributed recipe to a Taste of Home cookbook. Blessings...

Recipe:

1-1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips
oil for frying
1 medium green pepper, cut into thin strips (I used 1/4 cup chopped celery and 1/2 cup thinly sliced carrots instead)
2 cups salsa

1. In a large skillet, saute chicken in oil for 3 minutes. Remove to bowl.
2. Add green pepper; cook for 3 minutes or until peppers are crisp-tender.
3. Stir in salsa and chicken strips; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 3 minutes or until heated through.

Lemon-Pepper Rice:

2 cups water
1 tsp. lemon-pepper seasoning
2 cups uncooked instant white rice (I use instant brown rice cooked in the microwave. If you do this, be sure to add a bit of butter or oil to the water to keep it from boiling over and making a horrible mess.)

1. In a saucepan, bring the water and lemon-pepper seasoning to a boil. Stir in the white rice.
2. Remove from the heat; cover and let the rice stand for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and serve.

Yield: 4 servings

Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas Verde

This wonderfully easy and delicious recipe comes from campbellskitchen.com. I love this site for easy, tasty and fast recipes that use food products from their family of quality products, and no, I don't have stock in the company! This is one of the best "fast" recipes for enchiladas I've ever made, and I will surely make it again. Blessings...

Recipe: 

1 jar (16 ounces) Pace Garlic and Lime Verde Restaurant Style Salsa
1-1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken (I used 2 cups chopped turkey that I had in the freezer)
1/2 cup sour cream (lite worked just fine)
1-1/2 cups shredded Cheddar Jack cheese (I used Mexican Four Cheese Blend that  I had in the freezer)
8 corn or flour tortillas (6-inch) (I used 8 8-inch flour tortillas that I had which worked great with the extra 1/2 cup of turkey)

1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Spread 1/2 cup salsa in an 11 x 8 x 2-inch baking dish. (If you use larger tortillas, use a 9 x 13 pan)
2. Stir 1/4 cup salsa, chicken, sour cream and 1/2 cup cheese in a medium bowl. Spoon about 3 tbsps. chicken mixture down the center of each tortilla. Roll up the tortillas around the filling and place seam-side down in the baking dish. Top with the remaining salsa.
3. Bake for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
4. Bake for 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

Yield: 8 enchiladas, 4 - 8 servings
Note: With the adjustments that I made to ingredients I had on hand, I added a bit more sauce to the larger pan and a bit more sauce to the meat-cheese mixture to ensure moistness. There was still plenty of sauce for the top of the enchiladas.

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Salsa Rice

This simple recipe is quickly prepared in the microwave and has all of the wonderful flavor that cumin and salsa have to offer. The addition of fresh squash makes for an interesting change of pace and a little extra nutrition in this twist on Spanish rice. Blessings...

Recipe:

1 cup chicken or beef broth
1 tsp. butter
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1/8 tsp. salt
1 cup uncooked instant brown rice
1/4 cup salsa
1 medium zucchini or yellow summer squash, diced

Combine all ingredients in a microwave safe bowl; cover and cook on high power for about 10 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and squash is fork tender. Stir and serve.

Serves: 4
Note: The cooking time will vary if you use instant white rice and if squash is not added. If you make these changes, cook according to package directions because white rice cooks faster and squash adds extra moisture.

Serving Suggestions: Serve with Easy Chicken and Cheese Enchiladas, Southwest Tortilla Stack, Turkey Taco Bake or Burrito Pie. Click on the casserole label for any one of these tasty recipes.

Sweet and Spicy Chicken

This recipe is a very good and easy meal to prepare when you are short on time. Why not bring the children in to help as you visit about the days events? Blessings...

Recipe:

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1/2" cubes
3 tablespoons taco seasoning
a little vegetable oil for frying
1 jar (11 oz.) chunky salsa
1/2 cup peach or apricot jam
hot cooked rice

1. Place the chicken in a large resealable plastic bag; add taco seasoning and toss to coat.
2. In a skillet, brown chicken in oil.
3. Combine the salsa and jam; stir into skillet and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 2 - 3 minutes or until meat is cooked through.
4. Serve over rice.

Yield: 4 servings