Creole Catfish Foil Packet

I am really enjoying cooking with foil these days. It is so easy and mess free. Something you might not know about me is I do not like cleaning pots and pans. I don't mind loading the dishwasher, but washing the pots is not my thing. They are heavy and cumbersome. So these foil packets on the grill are amazing! NO POTS!!! It is a complete meal in a foil pouch. For this foil pack I turned to those familiar Louisiana flavors. I started with rice, using converted rice pre-soaked in water and bouillon for extra flavor. Then I add the trinity of onions, celery and bell pepper. I chose both catfish and shrimp for the protein. And to finish the dish, I added a slow cooked tomato flavor with chili sauce and fresh tomatoes. The end results a deliciously moist catfish filet over rice and veggies with almost a shrimp creole topping. It really turned out great! I was a little worried that the rice would be over or under cooked. But it was perfect. I will definitely use this technique for more foil packets featuring rice in the future.

Creole Catfish Foil Packet

Serves 1

Ingredients

1/2 cup converted brown rice

1/2 tsp. Chicken Tomato Bouillon

1/2 cup water

1 small garlic clove, minced

1/2 cup onion, chopped

1/2 cup green bell pepper, chopped

1/2 cup celery, sliced

1/2 cup grape tomatoes, quartered

1 catfish filet                                                    

Mrs. Dash Extra Spicy, to taste

Sea Salt, to taste

2 to 3 Tbsp. Chili Sauce

4 Shrimp, peeled and deveined

2 to 3 sprigs parsley, chopped

1 green onion, sliced

Directions

Pre-heat grill to high heat for 15 minutes.

Combine rice, bouillon and water in a bowl stir and set aside for at least 5 minutes.

Chop garlic, onion, bell pepper, celery and tomatoes place on top of rice mixture. Stir to combine and place in the center of a piece of heavy duty aluminum foil. Place catfish filet on top and season with Mrs. Dash and salt. Top with chili sauce then place shrimp on top. Season the shrimp with more seasoning. Seal foil packet by rolling the sides of foil over the top; then seal and secure the ends. Place on the grill lowering temp to medium. Cook at medium for 20 minutes. Remove from grill and allow to rest five minutes. Serve garnished with parsley and green onions.

Want more Foil Packets?

Check out these posts:

Southwest Catfish Foil Packet

Hawaiian BBQ Chicken

Southwest Chicken and Vegetable Soup

This soup is a modification to the Chicken Tortilla Soup I have already posted. Years ago I was looking for a way to reduce carbs and fat in the recipe. So I altered my original recipe to resemble a restaurant soup I had somewhere. The exact restaurant escapes me now. Oh well... It did inspire one great soup. This taste of the southwest is spicy and loaded with veggies. The zucchini and squash breaks down a little in the soup and makes a slightly thick broth. So good! The brown rice makes this soup a meal and also adds a great chewy texture. This pot of soup is made with all low/no sodium ingredients. I roasted my own chilies and added them to the can tomatoes to simulate rotel tomatoes. But if you are looking for a short-cut? Well I have great news. I have made it many times with one can rotel original tomatoes with green chilies and one can diced tomatoes. You can do the same just omit the roasted chilies and substitute a can of rotel for one of the cans diced tomatoes. More good news I have found no salt added rotel at Wal-mart this week. So you can have both convenience and low sodium. If you want to get this soup on the table fast use leftover chicken or chicken from a store bought rotisserie chicken. I have made all these substitutions and it always turns out delicious. I hope you will think so too.

Southwest Chicken and Vegetable Soup 

Servings:  12

Ingredients

1 or 2 Hatch or Anaheim (California) green chilies

1 lb uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast 
Olive oil spray

1 med. red onion, quartered and sliced

1 lg. or 2 sm. zucchini, halved and sliced 

1 lg. or 2 sm. summer squash, halved and sliced 

2 (14.5 oz.) cans no salted added diced tomatoes, with liquid  

6 cups fat-free, unsalted chicken broth 

1/4 tsp ground cumin 

3/4 tsp Seasoned Pepper 

1 tsp Mrs. Dash Garlic Seasoning 

Kosher salt to taste (omit for a low sodium diet)

1/2 cup instant brown rice 

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped 

Directions

Pre-heat grill to medium-high heat for 10 minutes.

To grill the chilies: Place chilies on the grill. Grill for five minutes on each side on medium high heat. Remove chilies and cover with plastic wrap. When chilies are cool enough to touch, peel off the skin of the chilies. Cut chilies in half from stem to tip, remove seeds, stem and veins. Chop into small dice.

Place chicken in a 3-1/2 quart pot, cover with water and bring to a simmer over medium high heat. At the first sign of bubbles lower to temperature to low. Poach chicken for 30 minutes. Discard cooking liquid and shred chicken. Set chicken aside. Rinse pot and return to heat. (You may use leftover chicken or pull chicken from a store bought rotisserie chicken.)

Sauté onion in olive oil spray until they start to get transparent. Add the squash and zucchini. Sauté until they begin to soften. Add tomatoes, chilies, broth and seasoning. Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer. Add chicken, rice and cilantro. Simmer until rice is cooked. 

Serve garnished with more cilantro, sour cream or sliced avocado.

Linking to:
Love Bakes Good Cakes: The Ultimate Soup Recipe List Linky
Ms. enPlace: See Ya in the Gumbo
The Tumbleweed Contessa: What'd You Do This Weekend?
Back to the Basics: Tuesdays with a Twist
Miz Helen's Country Cottage: Full Plate Thursday
My Turn for Us: Freedom Friday with All My Bloggy Friends
My Pinterventures: Souper Bowl 2015 Party

Low Sodium Ramen Noodle Salad

When I originally posted my recipe for Oriental Ramen Noodle Salad I had no idea how popular it would be. I mean I thought everyone had their recipe for this simple salad. You know it still remains the most viewed recipe on my blog. Of the two years I have been blogging nothing has been able to de-throne it. 

Well get ready to toss that high sodium flavor packet. I have developed a low sodium version of this popular salad. I have substituted a sodium free bouillon packet and my own spices for the little packet that comes with the ramen. It worked so well. I did add a little more vinegar too. As I mention before vinegar is a great way to add brightness to a dish like salt would. I left out the sunflower seeds and doubled up on the almonds. It can be hard to find unsalted sunflower seeds. Honestly ... I forgot to even look when I was at the store. I did not miss them, the almonds have great crunch too. The fact that I left out the seeds did inspire the sesame garnish. They really add a finishing touch to this salad. I was really pleased with this low sodium make-over. Dear sister even said she did not miss the salt in this one. Well there you go a salt shaker stamp of approval. It is definitely worth a try real soon. Don't you think?

Low Sodium Ramen Noodle Salad

Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients

1 pkg Ramen noodles any flavor

1 large package Coleslaw mix

1 bunch green onions, sliced

1/2 cup silvered almonds
Black and white sesame seeds, to garnish

Dressing:

1/2 cup water

2 Tbsp. canola oil

2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar

1 packet sodium free chicken bouillon granules

1/4 cup sugar

1/8 tsp. ground ginger

1/8 tsp. garlic powder

1/8 tsp. onion powder

1/8 tsp. white pepper

1/8 tsp. dried chives

1/8 tsp. five spice powder

Directions

Toss or save ramen flavor packet for another use. Break noodles into pieces and mix with coleslaw mix, onions, and almonds in a large bowl. Combine ingredients for the dressing in a jar and shake vigorously. Pour over salad, toss and chill for several hours. When ready to eat, toss again to coat. Garnish with sesame seeds.

Linking to:
Ms. enPlace: See Ya in the Gumbo
The Chicken Chick: Clever Chicks Blog Hop
The Tumbleweed Contessa: What'd You Do This Weekend?
Memories By The Mile: Treasure Box Tuesday
Stone Cottage Adventures: Tuesdays with a Twist
Carole's Chatter: Food on Friday - Picnic Food

Light Spinach Dip

I was first served Knorr Spinach Dip when I was in college. A fellow interior design student made it and served it with Bugles. I was hooked. I started making it for my family and friends. It is still one of my favorite cold dips.

Recently I saw a spinach dip recipe on Pinterest that used cottage cheese instead of sour cream and mayo. I thought I have to try that. But I could not get the Knorr dip out of my mind. I just knew if I made it, I would be disappointed it was not the Knorr dip. So I decided to borrow the technique and modify the spinach dip I craved into a light spinach dip. It worked great. It is a thick, delicious, loaded spinach dip. I love the crunch from the water chestnuts and green onions. It is so thick it will break a wimpy chip. Dear sister and I tried it with corn chips first. It was really good. But my favorite was the veggies. I did not have Bugles on hand this time. But I will next time I make it. The cottage cheese was a great substitute for the sour cream. I think I liked it better than light sour cream or plain Greek yogurt. It has more dairy flavor and is less tangy than the others. I look forward to trying it in other dips and dressings. It did not get completely smooth in the blender. There were a few curds left, but they were hardly noticeable in this dip recipe. This was a great experiment, one for the recipe box.

Light Spinach Dip

Makes 3 cups; Serves 12 (1/4 cup each)

Ingredients

16 oz. light cottage cheese

2 Tbsp. light mayonnaise

1 package Knorr vegetable soup and recipe mix

1 can (8 oz.) water chestnuts, drained and chopped

3 green onions, sliced

1 package (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

Directions

Place cottage cheese in a blender and blend until smooth. Combine cottage cheese, mayonnaise, recipe mix, water chestnuts and green onions. Stir until well combined. Add spinach mixing well until all combined. Chill about 2 hours. Serve with your favorite veggies, corn chips or Bugles.

Nutritional Information per serving*: Calories 58.0, Total Fat 1.5 g, Saturated Fat 0.6 g, Polyunsaturated Fat 0.4 g, Monounsaturated Fat 0.2 g, Cholesterol 5.7 mg, Sodium 418.6 mg, Potassium 78.8 mg, Total Carbohydrate 6.5 g, Dietary Fiber 0.9 g, Sugars 1.8 g, Protein 5.1 g.

WW P+ 1

*Information from the Sparkrecipes calculator. NI may vary depending on the brand or size of the ingredients used to prepare it.

Linking to:
My Turn for Us: Freedom Fridays with All My Bloggy Friends
Ms. enPlace: See Ya in the Gumbo
The Chicken Chick: Clever Chicks Blog Hop
The Tumbleweed Contessa: What'd You Do This Weekend?
Stone Cottage Adventures: Tuesdays with a Twist
Creative K Kids: Tasty Tuesdays
Dizzy Busy & Hungry: Wine'd Down Wednesday
Buns In My Oven: What's Cookin' Wednesday

Cucumber Ranch Salsa

This is yet another recipe inspired by the WW recipe review board. At least two members posted reviews for Cucumber Salsa Salads. I tried both recipes and liked different things about each. One was cucumber heavy and used Rotel. One was heavy on fresh tomatoes but added onion, celery and cilantro. The is my version using my favorite ingredients from both. I loved the spice of the Rotel and the additional crunch from the celery and onions. I decided to use a more even balance of tomato to cucumber. And what would salsa be without cilantro? It is crunchy, fresh, bright and the ranch adds a mellow creaminess to the vinegar. I just love rice vinegar. It is mild and has just a hint of sweetness. This is great as a salsa but also makes a good side dish or salad. It is also great as a topping for salad, chicken, fish, shrimp or tacos. The Rotel is spicy so use mild it you don't like spicy foods. I use original Rotel and it is spicy but not painful. It has lingering heat. It was just perfect for dear sister and I. We enjoyed it on Ground Beef Chili Rellenos Tacos and as a side. I really enjoyed having this crunchy salsa in the refrigerator this week.

Cucumber Ranch Salsa

Makes about 8 cups

Ingredients

2 English cucumbers, chopped

2 tomatoes, chopped

1 Rotel tomatoes, drained

1/2 cup celery, diced

1/2 cup onion, diced

1 pkg dry Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix

1/2 cup rice vinegar

3 - 4 stems cilantro, chopped

Directions

Mix dry dressing mix with rice vinegar, pour over veggies and let sit for at least 3 hours in refrigerator, stirring often. This keeps for many days and gets better as it sits.  

Linking to:
Ms. enPlace: See Ya in the Gumbo
Jam Hands: Recipe Sharing Monday
The Tumbleweed Contessa: What'd You Do This Weekend?
The Chicken Chick: Clever Chicks Blog Hop

California Roll Salad

I guess technically this could be considered a rice bowl or a salad. I just know it is delicious. I first saw this type of salad on the Weight Watchers recipe review board. I have seen many more recipes since then, everyone uniquely different. I have been making it my way, just for one a few years now. I have made it with both brown and white rice, both are great. I think my favorite part is the pickled ginger and cucumber. I just love that flavor combination. Just think of all the sushi combinations you could create into other salads. Switch the crab sticks for spicy tuna or salmon and you have another fresh exciting salad. This is a very fresh, cool meal for summer. I should know I have made two in the past two days. YUM! Time to make more rice.

California Roll Salad

Serves 1

Ingredients

1/2 cup pre-cooked or leftover rice

1 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar

1/2 tsp. sugar

1-1/2 tsp. low-sodium soy sauce

1/4 tsp wasabi powder

1-1/2 cups romaine lettuce, chopped

1 small carrot, cut into matchsticks

2-1/2" piece of English cucumber, cut into matchsticks

2 imitation crab sticks, sliced on the diagonal

1/2 medium avocado, sliced

1 Tbsp. pickled sliced ginger

2”x3” piece of toasted nori seaweed, julienned with scissors

1 tsp sesame seeds

Directions

Warm rice in the microwave for 1 minute. Mix vinegar and sugar together. Pour half of the vinegar and sugar mixture over rice. Stir to combine and fluff with a fork. Stir in soy sauce and wasabi powder to remaining vinegar mixture to make a dressing. Fill a salad bowl with lettuce, rice, carrots, cucumber, crab, avocado and ginger. Pour dressing over the top and garnish with nori and sesame seeds.

Linking to:
Jam Hands: Recipe Sharing Monday
The Tumbleweed Contessa: What'd You Do This Weekend?
Stone Cottage Adventures: Tuesdays with a Twist
Lori's Culinary Creations: Tickle My Tastebuds Tuesday
Dizzy Busy & Hungry: Wine'd Down Wednesday
Buns In My Oven: What's Cookin' Wednesday
Family Home and Life: Wow Us Wednesday
Carole's Chatter: Food on Fridays - Cucumber
Love Bakes Good Cakes: Freedom Fridays with All My Bloggy Friends
My Pinterventures: Summer Salads Party

Baja Beach Tacos Two Ways

You are about to see the laziest photos of some really good tacos. I guess I was too hungry for food styling. Does that ever happen to you? You want to share a recipe in the best possible way but you just want to get the delicious food in your mouth now! Anyway...

Saturday Mom came over to look at recipes for Labor Day. I decided to treat her to Baja Style Fish Tacos. The girls in the family love fish tacos. Dad not so much. So she doesn't make them at home and she rarely gets to our favorite place in Bossier City, LA. Don Juanz is a great surfer style taco bar. They serve very fresh and light Mexican fare. We love their Baja Beach Fish Tacos! This taco has sushi grade yellow fin tuna grilled rare and dressed with creamy lime cilantro dressing, cabbage, cilantro, and jack cheese in a fresh corn tortilla. So so good! This is my attempt at recreating their tacos at home.

I started by making the dressing first. That was the one ingredient I had not made before. I saw a lot of recipes out there, but I decided to pick my favorite ingredients from each. It turned out a little strong on it's own. I used a huge garlic clove and it gave the dressing a lot of heat. But it was perfect on the taco. I think next time I will use a smaller garlic clove and see what happens. Right now I would say reserve this dressing for tacos. I wouldn't go covering a bunch of lettuce with it. I am going to try a shrimp taco with it real soon.

For the tuna I chose to use frozen fillets that I thawed. That is what my store had that day. It worked out really well. I seasoned them really simply with my spiced salt blend and grilled them. This is where the fun begins. The toppings! Don Juanz has two different tacos the Baja Beach I described earlier and the Pacific Rim which is topped with lettuce, mandarin oranges, jack cheese and cilantro. I could not pick one, so I made both. I still can't pick which one I like best. They are both great. The Baja Beach style is crunchy from the cabbage and the lime cilantro dressing is more notable. The Pacific Rim style is sweet and juicy from the mandarin oranges. The best thing to do is have one of each.

All in all I think this copycat recipe was a success. Mom loved them and dear sister popped in a little later to try one. She asked how did I find Don Juanz's recipes. So I think this recipe is close enough for my family. I hope you will enjoy them as well.

Baja Beach Tacos Two Ways

Serves 4

Ingredients

8 corn tortillas

2 tuna steaks (less than 8 oz each)

Olive oil

Spiced Salt, to taste (click here for recipe)

Creamy Lime Cilantro Dressing (recipe follows)

Toppings for Baja Beach Fish Taco:

Green cabbage, shredded or coleslaw mix

Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

Cilantro, roughly chopped

Toppings for Pacific Rim Fish Taco:

Iceberg lettuce, shredded

1 (11 oz) can Mandarin oranges, drained

Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

Cilantro, roughly chopped

Directions

Preheat grill to high heat for 10 minutes. Pat tuna steaks dry with a paper towel. Rub tuna with olive oil. Season tuna with spiced salt (or salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes). Grill for 2 to 2-1/2 minutes a side on an open grill for rare. Place corn tortillas on the grill to warm about 1 minute. Remove tuna and tortillas from grill. Slice tuna against the grain into thin slices. Spread a heaping teaspoon of dressing in the center of tortilla. Top with several slices of tuna and add your choice of toppings from above.

Creamy Lime Cilantro Dressing

Makes about 1 cup

Ingredients

1/4 cup light mayonnaise

1/4 cup light sour cream

1 lime, zest and juice

1 garlic clove, minced or grated

1 green onion, minced

1/4 cup cilantro, minced

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp white vinegar

1/2 tsp Kosher salt, or to taste

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Mix well and refrigerate until ready to use.

Baja Beach Fish Tacos

Pacific Rim Fish Tacos

Linking to:
Ms. enPlace: See Ya in the Gumbo
The Tumbleweed Contessa: What'd you do this weekend?
This Gal Cooks: Marvelous Mondays
Jam Hands: Recipe Sharing Monday
With a Blast: All My Bloggy Friends
Memories by the Mile: Tuesday Trivia-Vermont and Link Party
Anyonita's Nibbles: Tasty Tuesdays
My Turn for Us: Freedom Fridays
Law Student's Cookbook: Pantry Party September 2013
Carole's Chatter: Food on Fridays - Tuna
Food of the World: Mexico
The Lazy Gastronome: Taco Tuesday Link Party

Marinated Mushroom Salad

This is yet another recipe I copied from the WW Recipe Review Board. I decided to see if I could find it's origin. It turns out it is also a recipe from Taste of Home [Click Here for the Original Recipe]. I love mushrooms! So any recipe that uses three pounds of mushrooms appeals to me. The fact that it has olives too does hurt. This salad is delicious the only problem is you have to be patient. It really does need to refrigerate overnight. All that time marinating is what makes the mushrooms so delicious. It reminds me of a mushroom salad you might find on a nice salad bar. It has lots of fresh crunchy vegetables too. I like parsley, so I add a little more parsley than the original recipe. It gives a fresh herb flavor to the dressing. This is really a great summer side salad.

Marinated Mushroom Salad
Adapted from: Taste of Home
Serves 6 - 8

Ingredients

2-1/2 quarts water

3 Tbsp lemon juice

3 lbs small fresh mushrooms

2 carrots, sliced

2 celery ribs, sliced

1/2 medium green pepper, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

2 Tbsp minced fresh parsley

1/2 cup sliced stuffed olives

1 can (2-1/4 oz) sliced black olives, drained
Salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes, to taste

For dressing:

1/2 cup fat free Italian dressing

1/2 cup red or white wine vinegar

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 tsp dried oregano

Directions

In a large saucepan, bring water and lemon juice to a boil. Add mushrooms and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain and cool. Place mushrooms in a large bowl with carrots, celery, green pepper, onion, parsley and olives. Combine all dressing ingredients in a small bowl or jar with tight fitting lid; shake or mix well. Pour over salad. Cover and refrigerate overnight, stirring occasionally.

Grilled Fish Tacos

It was dear sister that put Grilled Fish Tacos in my head. She said she had been craving them. I love fish tacos almost any style. I have not tried making them with grilled tilapia yet. I was a little worried about it sticking or breaking up on the grill. I decided to take some help from aluminum foil. It really helped keep the fish moist. The spice rub was delicious too. I think the chipotle chili powder and cumin really added to the smoky grill flavor. I was amazed to discover that the fish was great re-heated too. Dear sister took some to work for lunch the next day. She said they were delicious. Definitely another recipe to make again and again.

Grilled Fish Tacos

Serves 4

Ingredients

For fish:

4 tilapia filets

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder

1/4 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp Mexican oregano, crushed by hand

1/2 tsp kosher salt

Olive oil

Lime juice

Cilantro, roughly chopped

For chipotle mayo:

4 Tbsp light mayonnaise

1 tsp chipotle puree

1/8 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp lime juice

For tacos:

12 Corn tortillas

Coleslaw mix

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

1 tomato, chopped

Cilantro, roughly chopped

Lime, cut into wedges

2% sharp cheddar cheese (optional)

Directions

Combine garlic powder, chili powder, cumin, oregano and salt in a small bowl. Sprinkle tilapia filets evenly on both sides. Sprinkle filets with olive oil, lime juice and cilantro, rub all over filets and place in refrigerator covered to marinate 10-15 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise, chipotle puree, salt and lime juice. Stir until well combined, cover and set aside in the refrigerator. [If you can not find chipotle puree, puree a can of chipotle peppers in adobe in a blender or food processor. Freeze leftovers in a Ziploc bag for another use.]

Pre-heat grill to medium heat for 10 minutes. Place tilapia filets on one side of a large piece of foil. Fold the other half of foil over the filets and fold the three edges. Place foil packet on the grill. Grill 6 minutes, 3 minutes a side. Remove from grill and let rest 10 minutes.

Warm tortillas on a plate covered in plastic wrap for 40 seconds on high in the microwave. To assemble tacos spread a teaspoon of chipotle mayo in the center of the each tortilla. Add flaked tilapia, coleslaw, red onion, tomato and cilantro. Add a sprinkle of cheese if using. Serve with a lime wedge to squeeze over the top.

Sister's To-Go order with cheese of course

Linking to:
Miz Helen's Country Cottage: Full Plate Thursday
Ms.enPlace: See Ya in the Gumbo
Lazy Gastronome: Taco Tuesday

Chicken Tortilla Salad with Pineapple Pico de Gallo

The inspiration for this salad comes from a salad I had at Cheddar's. I don't remember what they called it. All I remember is how much I enjoyed the Pineapple Pico de Gallo with the southwest flavors in the salad. I am not going to lie, this is more work then what I usually do to make a salad. But it is worth it. I can't think of a single item I would leave out. The stand out ingredient is still the Pineapple Pico. I just love the sweet spicy pieces it adds to the salad. It would also be good with chicken, pork or even shrimp. In fact I may try this salad with shrimp one day. The other amazing ingredient is the Avocado Ranch Dressing. It is creamy, tangy and fresh. Just a little twist on typical ranch. I love the avocado and herbs together. It would be great on tacos too. So when you find yourself will a little time on your hands treat yourself to this salad. If you are short on time just try the Pineapple Pico or the Avocado Ranch. They are so good!

Chicken Tortilla Salad with Pineapple Pico de Gallo

Makes 2 large dinner salads

Ingredients

For Tortilla Strips:

2 corn tortillas, cut into 1/2” by 2” strips

Olive oil cooking spray

Salt

For the chicken:

1 boneless skinless chicken breast

Sazon, to taste

Lime juice

Olive oil

For the salad:

1-1/2 hearts of romaine lettuce, chopped

1/4 cup can black beans, drained and rinsed

1/4 cup can corn, drained

2 green onions, sliced

1/4 cup Avocado Ranch Dressing (recipe below)

1/2 cup Pineapple Pico de Gallo (recipe below)

1/4 cup reduced fat, sharp cheddar cheese, grated

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cut the stack of tortillas into strips and arrange the strips in a single layer on a baking rack on top of a cookie sheet.

Spray each tortilla strip with cooking spray until slightly moist. Sprinkle strips with salt.

Bake for 10 – 12 minutes, rotate the pan halfway through. Bake until the strips are crisp, but not too brown. Set aside.

Preheat grill to medium-high heat (10 min).

Season chicken breast with sazon. Drizzle chicken with olive oil, lime juice and turn to coat. Grill chicken 4 to 6 minutes a side, until cooked through. Set a side to rest for 10 minutes. Dice chicken into bite size pieces. Set aside.

Toss the lettuce with black beans, corn, green onion and avocado ranch dressing. Sprinkle with cheese and top with pineapple pico de gallo, diced chicken and tortilla strips.

Pineapple Pico de Gallo

Makes approx. 5 cups

Ingredients

2 medium tomatoes, diced

1/2 medium red onion, diced

1 Tbsp pickled jalapeno peppers, minced

1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped

1 (20 oz) can pineapple tidbits drained, 1 Tbsp juice reserved

3 Tbsp lemon juice

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Stir to combine. Refrigerate, stirring occasionally until chilled and flavors have combined. Serve with tortilla chips, over grilled chicken/fish or salads.

Avocado Ranch Dressing

Makes approx. 1 cup

         

Ingredients

1/2 medium/large avocado

1/4 cup light mayonnaise

1/4 cup light sour cream

2 Tbsp low fat buttermilk

1-1/2 tsp lime juice

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cilantro, minced

1 tsp green onion, minced

1/2 tsp dill, minced

1/2 tsp garlic, minced

Dash black pepper

A sprinkle cayenne pepper

Directions

Place the avocado in a bowl and mash with a fork until it is smooth. Add in the rest of the ingredients. Stir until everything is mixed well. Place, covered in the refrigerator to let flavors blend. Serve as a salad dressing or dipping sauce.

Linking to:
This Gal Cooks: Marvelous Mondays
Jam Hands: Recipe Sharing Mondays
Anyonita Nibbles: Tasty Tuesdays
Buns In My Oven: What's Cookin Wednesday
Miz Helen's Country Cottage: Full Plate Thursday
Six Sister's Stuff: Strut Your Stuff Saturday Link Party
The Plaid and Paisley Kitchen: Show Me Your Plaid Mondays
Who Needs a Cape: Super Sunday Party

The Tumbleweed Contessa: Chicken - Saturday Dishes Linky Party

Carole's Chatter: Food on Fridays - Salads
My Pinterventures: Summer Salads Party