Taco Tuesday: Chicken & Bell Pepper Tacos

Chicken tacos get a new lease on life with a bright and tangy sauce all tucked into warm corn tortillas and topped with queso fresco.  Ole!

Do you love Taco Tuesdays but are tired of the same of taco filling week after week?  Well give this tasty recipe a try!  20 minutes and a handful of ingredients is all you need to have a new fast and fresh take on tacos on the table!

CHICKEN & BELL PEPPER TACOS

These Chicken & Bell Pepper Tacos are made with shredded leftover chicken, or you can use a rotisserie chicken for convenience.  Add in some bell pepper, bold tomatillos, onion and a poblano pepper to make a zesty sauce.  Put them all together by tucking the mixture in warm corn tortillas and top them with some queso fresco and you have one heck of a delicious taco!

We make these whenever we have some leftover shredded chicken and a craving for Mexican food.  The saucy veggie mixture takes this ordinary chicken taco over the top, so don't skip this part.  If you've never cooked with tomatillos you are in for a treat.  This if a fruit that is bright green and covered with a paper husk.  Make sure to look for tomatillos with a firm texture.  If they are soft they are already overripe.  Oh, and be sure to remove the paper husk prior to cooking!  You don't want those in there.  Once they heat up during the cooking process the tomatillos break down much like a tomato.  I know you are gonna love these!

Be sure to serve this with some fresh salad, Mexican corn (coming soon) or rice and beans for a complete meal.  

Enjoy your Taco Tuesday, or any other day for that matter!

Chicken & Bell Pepper Tacos

serves 4

2 Tablespoons canola oil

1/2 cup yellow onion, diced
5 fresh tomatillos, (husks removed) washed and diced
1 poblano pepper, seeded and chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups shredded chicken (leftover or from a rotisserie)

1 cup red bell pepper, diced (1-2 bell peppers)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ancho chili powder
1 lime
8 6" corn tortillas, lightly charred
crumbled queso fresco

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add onion, tomatillos, poblano pepper, and garlic. Cook , stirring often, until soft and saucy, about 5 minutes.   

Add in chicken, bell pepper, salt, cumin, and chile powder. Stir to combine. Cook about 5-8 minutes until bell pepper has softened and the chicken is warmed through.  Zest 1/2 of the lime and add it to the pan. Cut lime in half and squeeze the juice from the zested half into the chicken mixture. Stir to combine. 

Serve in warmed and charred tortillas and top with crumbled queso fresco. Cut the remaining 1/2 lime into wedges and serve with the tacos.

  

Brown Sugar Butterscotch Banana Muffins - Small Batch

Hot from the oven, incredibly moist & fluffy 

with golden domed tops.  

You'll fall in love after the first bite!

While everyone else is posting pumpkin everything, I'm easing in to the fall flavors this year.  Starting off light since we are still in the "heat" of things in Los Angeles.  

I was thinking about what flavors remind me of fall and then Halloween came to mind, and then of course candy flavors started popping in my head.  Do you remember eating Butterscotch candies when you were young?  Mom used to by these hard candies that were round and butterscotch flavored.  Boy did I love those candies.  

Butterscotch definitely comes to mind when I think of fall.  I don't have any of those little hard candies anymore but I know I have a bag of butterscotch chip in my freezer!  So today's recipe is for the all those butterscotch lovers out there.

BROWN SUGAR BUTTERSCOTCH BANANA MUFFINS

This muffin turned out so delectable!  I took my base recipe for banana muffins, added some brown sugar for a warm flavor and added some sweet caramelly butterscotch chips for those wonderful fall feels.  

There's no such thing as a dry crumbly muffin in my house!  Mine are always outrageously soft and moist.

This batch makes about 8 muffins, standard size, or can be used to make mini muffins which are great after school snacks or take-alongs.  Note: Make sure to decrease the bake time when making mini muffins.

Hot from the oven, incredibly moist and fluffy with golden domed tops, you’ll fall in love with one bite!

Enjoy!  

  

Brown Sugar Butterscotch Banana Muffins

Yield:  6 large muffins, plus some batter leftover to fill 1-2 more, or 5 minis

1 large ripe banana, mashed
1 large egg
1/2 c 2% milk
1/4 c canola oil
1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 c flour
1/2 c brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/3 c butterscotch chips

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Spray a muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl mash the banana.  Add the egg, milk, and oil and vanilla.  Mix together using a spatula to completely incorporate.

Add the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.  Stir just until combined.  Do not over mix.  Fold in the butterscotch chips, leaving a few back to place on the tops of the muffins.

Using a cookie scoop, add batter to the individual muffin tins.  Add the remaining chips on the tops of each muffin.  Bake 18-20 minutes.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool 5-10 minutes in the tin.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

Light and Healthy Mediterranean Style Potato Salad

 A lighter and healthier potato salad filled with red onion and fresh herbs doused in a mustard vinaigrette.  Delish!!!

Who doesn't love a good potato salad?  We all do, but sometime we need that wonderful side dish to be a little healthier.  Am I right?

Growing up, Mom use to make the typical Mustard Potato Salad that loaded with mayo, eggs and all the good stuff.  But let me tell you it's also loaded with calories.  Plus, if you want to take it to a potluck or a picnic then you had better eat it quick.  I don't want to see what happens to mayo when it's been in the hot sun for hours on end!

So Suzy over at the Mediterranean Dish has solved that problem for us.  A lighter and healthier potato salad filled with red onion and fresh herbs all doused with a mustard vinaigrette.  Totally delish!!!

Perfect with any main dish and also a great travel companion to those potlucks, picnics, and at any BBQ.  It withstands the heat, not to mention that is tastes fabulous as well.  

Here's some tips on making the perfect potato salad:

• The potato - small baby gold potatoes, red potatoes, or small white potatoes are best.  You want something with a thin skin that you don't have to peel.  Russet potatoes are too starchy and don't hold their shape very well so I would not suggest this type.
• Cut before you cook - It's easier to cut the potatoes first and then cook them.  If you cut them after you run the risk of them falling apart.  Another plus is that cut potatoes will cook faster that whole ones.  Makes sure to salt your water as well to give the potatoes some flavor.
• Dress the potatoes while they are hot - This will help the potatoes absorb all the flavors from the dressing.
• Serve the salad at room temperature - After you bring this dish all together all the salad to sit for a bit while  you finish up your other dishes to allow the flavors to blend.  Serve it a room temperature for the best flavors. 

Make sure to make this one soon.  It's comes together in under 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

Light and Healthy Mediterranean Style Potato Salad

serves 4-6

1 1/2 lb small potatoes such as new potatoes, Yukon gold potatoes, or red potatoes
Water
salt
1/4 cup chopped red onions
1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley
1/4 cup chopped dill

Dijon Vinaigrette
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp ground sumac
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp ground coriander

Wash and dry the potatoes. Slice potatoes thinly with a knife or mandoline. 

Place potatoes in a pot and add water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to a boil. Add salt. Turn the heat down to low and allow the potatoes to simmer for about 6 minutes or so until they're tender when poked with a fork.

Add vinaigrette ingredients to a small bowl and whisk until well-combined. 

Drain the potatoes in a colander and then place them in a bowl.  Add the mustard vinaigrette and gently toss to coat.

Add onions and fresh herbs. Toss gently to combine.

Transfer the potatoes to a serving platter. Allow the salad to rest for 20 minutes.  Serve at room temperature.

adapted from:  Mediterranean Dish