Spicy Chicken Tacos

While many North Americans think of tacos as having crisp, fried shells, authentic Mexican tacos are made with soft, fresh corn tortillas. The traditional preparation is the smart choice, as unfried corn tortillas are low in fat and made with whole grains.

4 servings, 2 tacos each 
Active Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients:

• 8 corn tortillas
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of fat and cut into thin strips
• 1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 2 teaspoons canola oil, divided
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 1 large green bell pepper, seeded and sliced
• 3 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1/2 - 1 cup prepared hot salsa, plus more for garnish
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• Sliced scallions, chopped fresh tomatoes and reduced-fat sour cream, for garnish

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 300°F. Wrap tortillas in foil and bake until heated through, 10 to 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, season chicken with salt. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large heavy skillet over high heat until very hot. Add chicken and cook, stirring until browned on all sides, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
3. Reduce heat to medium and add the remaining 1 teaspoon oil to skillet. Add onion and cook, stirring, until they start to brown around the edges, 3 to 5 minutes. Add bell pepper, garlic, jalapeño and cumin. Cook, stirring, until peppers are bright green but still crisp, 2 to 3 minutes more.
4. Stir in salsa and reserved chicken. Cook, stirring, until chicken is heated through, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro. Spoon into warmed tortillas and garnish with scallions, tomatoes and sour cream.

Nutrition
Per serving (without garnishes):
303 calories; 6 g fat (1 g sat, 2 g mono); 66 mg cholesterol; 32 g carbohydrates; 1 g added sugars; 31 g protein; 5 g fiber; 421 mg sodium; 533 mg potassium.
Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin C (68% daily value); Folate (25% dv); Fiber (20% dv).

Found @ Eatingwell.com

Creole-Seasoned and Pan-Fried Pork Cutlets with Tomato and Red Bell Pepper Salsa

 We served this over brown rice.  (2 portions)

(Makes 4 servings, recipe created by Kalyn)

4 center cut pork loin boneless chops (about 1/2 inch thick)
1-2 tsp. olive oil (amount of oil will depend on the pan)

Pork Rub:
2 tsp. Creole Seasoning
1 tsp. brown sugar
1-2 pinches of salt (do not add salt if the Creole Seasoning you use contains salt)

Salsa:
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped (about 2/3 cup finely chopped peppers)
1/2 cup finely sliced green onion, white and green parts
1 cup finely diced cherry tomatoes (we used canned diced tomatoes Rotel style (for a little kick) and a few cherry tomatoes and it work great.)
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro (or parsley)
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
salt to taste (I used less than 1/2 tsp. fine sea salt)
Some times I will had an avocado too.  

Chop red bell pepper, tomatoes, and cilantro and thinly slice green onions and combine in a plastic or glass bowl. Add lime juice and salt and stir until well combined. Let salsa flavors blend while you prep and cook the pork cutlets.

In a small dish, combine Creole Seasoning, brown sugar, and salt. (Don't add salt if the Creole Seasoning you're using already contains salt). Stir to combine.

Trim fatty edges of pork chops and discard. Rub pork chops on both sides with Creole Seasoning mixture, then use a meat mallet or the edge of a heavy pan to pound pork into cutlets 1/4 inch thick. Be sure the pork pieces are an even thickness so they will all cook in the same amount of time.

Heat olive oil in a heavy frying pan until the oil is shimmery and pan is hot, about 1 minute at medium-high heat. (I would use a pan that's not non-stick for this.) When pan and oil is hot, add pork cutlets and turn heat to medium. Cook pork pieces for 3 minutes on the first side, or until lightly browned. Turn cutlets over and cook 2-3 minutes on the second side, just until pork is barely firm and cooked through; don't overcook. (I cooked mine for 2 1/2 minutes on the second side.)

Serve hot, with a generous amount of salsa spooned over each piece of pork.


This printable recipe from KalynsKitchen.com.