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Cooking Voyage - Adventures of a Health Nut Foodie

Tengo Una Cita Con Quesadilla!

July 18th 2009 03:56
Hola amigos!
Sorry. Couldn't resist starting a post about Mexican food with some Spanish. I'm going to be pulling out all that I remember from one year of the language in high school (which I left soon after to pursue Latin instead, something far less useful, but far more interesting). Lucky for you, all I remember is Hola amigos and "Tengo Una Cita Con Anita" which translates to "I have a date with Anita," something that has never been useful to me and probably never will, as I never intend to have a date with Anita (no offense to you Anitas out there, I just tend to not have dates with all members of the female gender, regardless of name). So now that I've exhausted all remaining knowledge of one whole year in Spanish class, I'll move on to what is really the only and most important part of this post. Food.

So you know that quesadilla that's just calling your name at Taco Bell? The temptation's so strong that you decide to go ahead and put on your shoes and head to the drive-through at 11 pm. You can't help it. You see the commercials and just HAVE to have that cheesy, melty, spicy quesadilla. And without a second thought, you've arrived at the fast food joint, shelling out the how-many-ever bucks for a meal filled with fat and calories.
Yep. That quesadilla. So how about this? Instead of paying someone to help clog your arteries or add to your waistline, take a little time out of your day to make your own quesadilla. Not only is it far healthier than the fast-food joint version, but it tastes better too. And you can make it to fit your own taste buds by adding whatever vegetables/meat combos you want. It's completely customizable. Sound good? Awesome. Then get to cooking with this recipe!

Chicken Quesadillas

1 bonless skinless Smart Chicken breast, cooked and sliced
2 tortillas (I use La Tortilla Low-Carb, Low-Fat Whole Wheat tortillas)
¼ cup shredded fat free cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons fat free sour cream
1/2 teaspoons taco seasoning
2 slices Kraft 2% Swiss cheese slices
1 large green bell pepper, sliced
1 large white onion, sliced

In a small bowl, combine shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, and taco seasoning. Microwave for about 30 seconds, or until cheese is melted. Set aside for now.

In a frying pan sprayed with nonstick cooking spray, saute sliced peppers and onions over medium-high heat until tender. Remove from heat.

Spray pan once more with nonstick spray. Place tortilla in the bottom of the pan and spread half the sour cream and cheese mixture over half the tortilla. Place half sauteed veggies and chicken over sauce. Top with Swiss cheese slices, torn into smaller pieces and spread out. Let cook for about 1 minute. Fold the other half of the tortilla over the toppings. Allow to cook until cheese has melted. Repeat with remaining ingredients.

Remove from heat and cut into four pieces. Serve with salsa and fat free sour cream. Serves two.



This was just the combination of meats and veggies I used. Feel free to switch out ground beef, shrimp, steak, or ground turkey for the chicken, any combination of vegetables your heart desires, and your favorite cheeses (pepperjack is a good choice, too). Mix and match to come up with different flavorings.
So next time you're craving Mexican food, instead of getting into your car and indulging in a quesadilla laden with fat, carbs, calories, and God knows what else, why not give this a shot? You can eat the same size quesadilla for about 1/3 the calories and 1/8 the fat. Seriously? Seriously. How can you even consider the alternative after hearing that?
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New Owner and Your Next Dinner!

July 11th 2009 02:03
Hello all!

So. . . my first official time blogging on my own domain. . . exciting stuff! Yep. . . the ownership of this domain has switched hands. To avoid having to make another set of introductions and explanations, I'll just redirect anyone who wants to be informed as to who exactly has commandeered this domain here
In case you don't want to take the time to go and read that (and really, who has time to read/write these blogs anyway?), here's a summary of what this blog is about. Food. But not just that. Healthy food. But wait, why stop there? Healthy food that tastes good (not like sawdust or tofu). That pretty much sums it all up.

So let's break in this new domain with a recipe for something I know ALOT about: chicken. Who doesn't love chicken? Crazy people, that's who (you know who you are). It's the most versatile of all the meats. It's lean. It's easy to prepare. Oh yeah, and don't forget that it's delicious!

But you have to be selective with the chicken you get. What's the best chicken on the market, you ask? Well, the answer is quite obvious for anyone who's tried it. It's Smart Chicken. It's the most moist, cleanest, healthiest chicken out there. Not to mention the best-tasting. And how does it manage that? The process it goes through. It's air-chilled. While most chicken is water-chilled, losing moisture, soaking in its own filth, Smart Chicken is chilled hanging up, allowing it to retain its moisture, taste, and cleanliness. So how could you choose anything else? Check out their website here: Best Chicken Ever and look for it in your supermarket.

Okay, now that I've informed you as to the best chicken money can buy, on to the recipe!

Maple Glazed Chicken
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup sugar-free or light maple syrup
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Combine all the ingredients for the marinade in a Ziplock bag. Seal the bag and shake around until the ingredients are well mixed. Add in chicken and give another good shake so it is covered in marinade. Allow to soak for at least two hours in the refrigerator.

When ready to cook, remove chicken from the refrigerator. Preheat grill and take chicken from the marinade and put on the grill, reserving the marinade. Grill chicken until it is cooked all the way through, 3-4 minutes on each side depending on size of chicken breasts. Remove from the grill.

While chicken is grilling, pour remaining marinade into a saucepan over medium heat. Simmer
until sauce is reduced, 3-4 minutes. Baste grilled chicken breasts with sauce.

Dig in!

I ate these with a baked sweet potato and the combination was perfect! You get the sweet-savoriness of the marinade combined with the sweet-savoriness of the baked sweet potato, and it's absolutely incredible. Trust me, you won't be disappointed, especially after you try them with Smart Chicken!

So I hope I don't disappoint anyone who came to Cooking Voyage expecting the old owner. I promise to do my best to maintain an awesome blog and keep providing excellent, healthy recipes!
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The Sweating Burger

July 6th 2009 02:15
Well. . . Happy Belated Fourth of July!
I hoped to get this post in before the Fourth of July, but between work, classes, having a life (yes, I do indeed have a life), and the unbearable heat that prevents me from wanting to have a hot laptop on my legs for the length of time it takes to write a post, I simply didn't get around to it. But today was my day off, with no classes, and no plans. And the heat has been remedied by my wonderful new fan that is at this very moment blowing the refreshing cool air directly on me in an attempt to battle off the wretched heat. And so I finally get to the post I've been meaning to write.
The reason I wanted to get this particular post out before Fourth of July is because this is a burger recipe. But not simply a burger. This burger isn't for the weak of heart (literally. . . I've seen people get serious heartburn when they eat spicy foods, and this could send them to the hospital. . . at least if you make it with as much heat as I do). But if you're feeling brave and don't mind a reddening face with some moisture accumulating on your forehead with ever succulent bite, then read on.

The Sweating Burger
1 pound lean ground beef (I used the leanest I could find. . . 95% I think)
1 small jalapeno peppers, finely diced
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp black pepper
4 oz 2% or Fat Free Cheddar Cheese, sliced into small slices (or your favorite kind. . . this would work with almost any kind , so long as it's a hard cheese)

1. In a large bowl, combine ground beef, jalapeno peppers, Worcestershire, and pepper. Mix it with your hands until it's all blended together, but do not overwork it or the meat will be tough.

2. Once it is all mixed, separate the beef into eight thin, 4-inch patties. Spread the cheese slices on top of four of the patties, leaving a 1/2 inch border. Top with the remaining four patties and crimp the edges together to seal.

3. Grill the four patties over medium-high heat, about 3-4 minutes on each side. Don't press down or the cheese will ooze out. Flip only once.

And there ya have it. A spicy, cheesy burger for only about 180 calories (for the patty without the bun). I topped mine with some more jalapenos that I had sauteed until soft (which is where a lot of the heat came from on mine), a tomato slice, and Dijon mustard.
Feel free to substitute ground turkey/chicken/meat substitutes if you want. But I firmly believe that red meat can be part of a healthy diet. In fact, it should be. Because red meat makes me happy. In a way that chocolate does for most women. But if you're one of the people who disagrees and doesn't eat red meat, go ahead with the substitutions. I won't judge.

Anywho, sorry this is late for Fourth of July, when I'm sure everyone was grilling burgers. But hey, there's still another couple months of summer, which means plenty of opportunities to enjoy a big, juicy burger!
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The Aloha Omelet

July 1st 2009 01:40
Happy Tuesday!

So I meant to write this post earlier, but I think I have a valid excuse for not doing so. It was hot. Very hot. And even hotter when you're in a room in a house in which air conditioning isn't used. And when it's 100 degrees outside, no air conditioning means an almost equivalent temperature in the room. And having a laptop sitting on your lap, motor running, heat emanating from the bottom and making its scorching way through your legs, it's very uncomfortable


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Leggo that Eggo!

June 27th 2009 03:25
Good morning/afternoon/evening all!
Well, it's Friday. You know what that means? That's right. . . the weekend. The glorious, relaxing, strictly for killing time, weekend. Two mornings of waking up late, lounging around in your pajamas till noon (or all day if you're like me), and having the time to make a decent, amazing breakfast. And this weekend, your breakfast is the staple of all breakfast foods.
That's right. A hot, fresh off the griddle, steaming stack of pancakes. What's better than that? Besides maybe a hot, fresh off the griddle, steaming stack of white chocolate macadamia-nut pancakes. Oh yeah. I did the inconceivable (does that word make everyone else think of The Princess Bride every time they hear it?). I took one of the greatest cookies ever created and put it into a pancake. But that's not the inconceivable part. It's the fact that you can eat two of these large, fluffy pancakes and only take in 150 calories. How? Well, read on to find out


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Hot, Sizzling, Skinny. . .Peppers

June 15th 2009 00:38
Well, we've moved on past the awkward introductions part. Whew. Glad that's over. Now let's assume we've covered the small talk, such as the current weather patterns and the happenings of Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton (isn't that what everyone's small talk consists of?), and move on to what this blog is really supposed to be about: food!
Before I jump into this recipe I recently tried/modified, I'm going to explain where I originally had something similar to this. I had the intense pleasure of having this dish at a restaurant called Abuelo's. It's not a huge chain, but they're out there a few places. Texas and Kansas are the two places I know they're at for sure. If you ever fly into KCI airport and have some time, take the five mile trip down to Zona Rosa and go to the Abuelo's there. Trust me, it'll be worth it. Not exactly health food, but hey, I figure you have to splurge every once in awhile.
Anyway, the first time I was there, I ordered the Chile Manzanillo, which is a poblano pepper, roasted and stuffed with imperial crab, shrimp, scallops, and a lobster sauce. Delicious. Words simply cannot describe the levels of magnificence this dish brings to my taste buds. So I won't even try. Just know, it's good. I was instantly hooked and have never ordered anything BUT this while I am there


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