Soft Chicken Tacos

1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 lb. skinless, boneless chicken thighs
Cooking spray
12 (6-inch) white corn tortillas
1-½ cups thinly sliced green cabbage
¼ cup (1 ounce) shredded reduced-fat Monterey Jack cheese (such as Tillamook)
Low-fat sour cream (optional)

Prepare grill.
Combine first 4 ingredients in a small bowl; rub spice mixture over chicken.
Place chicken on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 10 minutes on each side or until done. Let stand 5 minutes; chop.

Heat tortillas according to package directions. Divide chicken evenly among tortillas; top each tortilla with 2 tablespoons cabbage and 1 teaspoon cheese. Serve with sour cream, if desired.

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Stacked Chicken Enchiladas

2 Boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
3 Tblsp Olive oil; more as needed
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
12 Small corn tortillas
Green Chili Sauce
6 oz Grated Monterey Jack cheese
Chopped Fresh Cilantro (optional)

1. Heat a gas grill to medium high heat or build a medium hot charcoal fire. Coat the chicken with olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Grill Chicken breasts until just cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes per side. When cool enough to handle, slice into thin strips. Heat over to 450F

2. In a small skillet, 3 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat until very hot (dip edge or tortilla in to check; it should sizzle right away). Using Tongs, set a tortilla in the hot oil and cook until soft and lightly brown on each side, 15 to 20 seconds. Transfer to paper towels to cool and drain. If pan gets dry and another tablespoon oil.

3. In a baking dish large enough to accommodate four separate stacks of tortillas, ladle a thin layer of sauce. Lay for tortillas in the dish and ladle about ½ cup of sauce over them. Divide ½ the chicken among the first layer of tortillas and top with another 1/2 cup of sauce and 1/3 the cheese. Stack on another four tortillas, and top with rest of chicken, then more sauce and another third of cheese. Finish with a third tortilla layer, and top with remaining sauce and cheese. Bake until the sauce has thickened somewhat about 20 minutes.

4. The edges of the top tortilla will turn golden, but if they look like they’re drying out or are burning spoon some sauce over them. Let rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. To serve, transfer each stack with a spatula to a dinner plate. Spoon any sauce left in the baking dish over the stacks and sprinkle with chopped cilantro.

4 Servings

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Mexican Black Bean Burgers

Serves four

3 Tbs. olive oil
1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions both green & white
1/3 cup finely chopped poblano chile (1 small)
2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
15-oz can black beans, drained & rinsed
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilanto
1/2 cup toasted whole grain breadcrumbs
1 large egg, slightly beaten
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
Kosher salt
Tomatillo and Avocado Salsa (optional)

Heat 1 Tsp of the oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the scallions, poblano chile & garlic; cook until beginning to soften. 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to food processor. Add the beans and pulse 2 or 3 times to roughly chop. Be careful to not overprocess.

Transfer mixture to a large bowl and gently mix in the cilantro, breadcrumbs, egg, chile powder, cumin and 3/4 tsp salt. Shape the mixture into 4 equal 3/4 inch thick patties. Refrigerate, covered , for at least 30 minutes, and up to 4 hours.

Heat the remaining 2 TBS. oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the burgers until nicely browned on both sides, flipping carefully, about 5 minutes each total.

Serve with the Tomatillo and Avocado Salsa.

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Sirloin Tacos

1 Tbsp Kosher salt
1 tsp Hungarian Paprika
1 tsp Dried granulated garlic
1 tsp Coarsely ground pepper
1 tsp dried thyme
2 lbs Sirloin steak, about 1-inch thick
12-16 Small (5 ½ – or 6-inch) flour or corn tortillas, warmed
Roasted Tomato Salsa

1. In a small bowl, combine the salt paprika, garlic, pepper and thyme; blend well. Sprinkle both sides of the steak with the dry rub and then rub it in. Let the meat sit for half an hour at room temperature.

2. Heat one area of gas grill on high and another on low. Set the meat on the grates on the high side and sear until dark grill marks form, about 3 minutes per side. When the meat is nicely marked by the hot grill on both side, move meat to the cooler side of the gas grill and cover the grill so it can cook indirectly. Remove meat from the grill when it’s slightly firm to the touch or registers medium rare or medium.

3. Let meat rest for 5 minutes before carving, trim fat away from the steak and slice meat on the diagonal into thin strips. Serve with warm tortillas and roasted tomato salsa and let the guest assemble their own tacos.

Serves 8

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Crab and Mango Empanadas

1- ½ cups chopped peeled mango
¼ cup frozen whole-kernel corn
¼ cup chopped green onions
2 Tbsp fat-free mayonnaise
1 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
4 ounces lump crabmeat, drained and shell pieces removed
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded & minced
Empanada Dough or substitute Pie Dough
1 Tbsp water
1 large egg
cooking Spray

Preheat oven to 425.

1. Combine first 7 ingredients.

2. Cut the Empanada Dough into 12 circles using a 4 inch biscuit cutter. Spoon 1 tablespoon filling onto each half of each circle, leaving a 1/2 inch border.

Combine water and egg; brush egg mixture around each edge of each circle. Fold dough over filling; press edges together with a fork or fingers to seal.

Place empanadas on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray; brush with remain egg mixture Bake at 425` for 25 minutes or until golden. Yield : 12

Make larger empanadas and serve as a main course
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