Long Time No See

Well, my life is starting to slow down. 2 of my classes are over, so I can get back to doing some things I love.... cooking and working out to name a few. This is the first week in a long time that I've planned meals. I decided to pick the meals out of a Pampered Chef: It's Good For You cookbook I bought 2 years ago but have never used. The recipes are all healthy and all look so delicious.

Lean 'N Green Chili
Low Fat, Low Cholesterol, Low Calorie




Ingredients

8 6 inch corn tortillas, divided
2 tsp vegetable oil, dived
1 cup chopped Poblano Chile peppers or green bell peppers
½ cup chopped onion
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into ¾ inch pieces
1 tsp ground cumin
1 garlic clove, pressed
2 cans (14.5 ounces each) 99% fat free chicken broth
2 cans (15 ounces each) pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1.25 cups salsa verde or 1 can green Chile enchilada sauce
2 tbsp snipped fresh cilantro (I used dried)

1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut four of the tortillas in half and stack them one on top of another. Cut the tortillas into ½ inch strips. Place in bowl and toss with 1 tsp of the oil. Spread in a single layer in a baking pan. Bake 10 – 12 min or until crisp, stirring once. Remove from oven.

2) Chop Chile peppers and onion. Cut chicken into ¾ inch pieces; toss with cumin in small bowl. Fold one tortilla to fit into a food processor coarsely grate. Repeat with remaining 3 tortillas. Set aside

3) Heat remaining 1 tsp oil in large pot over medium heat. Add chicken; cook and stir 5 min. Remove chicken from casserole; and Chile peppers, onion, and garlic. Cook and stir 3 min. Stir in chicken, broth, beans, salsa and grated tortillas. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 15 min.

4) Stir cilantro into chili. Ladle soup into bowls; top with baked tortilla strips.


Serving size: 1.25 cups, Calories 260, Total Fat 3.5 G, Saturated Fat 0.5 grams, Cholesterol 45 mg, Carbohydrates 32g, Protein 25g, Sodium 850 mg, Fiber 5 g.

Of course I made a few mistakes with this recipe..... I grabbed whole grain tortillas instead of corn tortillas. I don't think it made much of a difference. It still tasted delicious. Next time I make this I don't think I'll grate up 4 tortillas, I'd like the chili a little less thick. I also had green tomatoes on hand, so I chopped up 3 and threw 'em in. I served this with Jiffy Corn Bread. Delicious!