Veggies del Verano

Verano is Spanish for "summer."  With the first day of summer quickly approaching (which is silly because it's felt like summer for about a month here in the South), I thought it would be fun to present a dish featuring seasonal vegetables.  I love seasonal food.  Whether it's watermelon in the summertime or cranberries at Christmas, some foods just help you stay in the moment.

I found this recipe on Cooking Light, one of my favorite sources for healthy recipes.  It combines seasonal ingredients with healthy preparation.  Plus, it's got a lot of Latin flavor!  I made a few adjustments and it was delicious!  I apologize for my iPhone pictures...my camera is temporarily temperamental.

Chicken and Summer Veggie Tostadas with Black Beans
Source: inspired by Cooking Light

Now that's what I call summer veggies!

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons canola oil
2 chicken breasts, sliced into 2-inch pieces
1 cup chopped red onion (1 medium onion)
1 cup fresh corn kernels (2 ears)
1 cup chopped zucchini
2 limes
1/2 cup salsa verde
3 tablespoons fresh cilantro
4 wheat tortillas
1 cup shredded cheddar-jack cheese
1 can Goya black bean soup

Directions:

Preheat broiler.  Combine first 4 ingredients.  Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat.

Sprinkle spices evenly over chicken and add chicken to pan, sautéing until almost fully cooked (3-5 minutes).

Cut the limes into quarters.  Add veggies to the pan.  Squeeze the limes over the veggies and chicken, then add the lime quarters to the pan.  This step is important because the lime juice heats, allowing the other ingredients to simmer in its juices.

 So colorful!

Continue to sauté until done.  Stir in salsa and cilantro.  Heat can of black beans until warm.

Arrange tortillas in a single layer on a baking sheet and sprinkle 1/4 cup cheese over each.  Broil no more than one minute.  I would watch this and remove immediately after the cheese is melted.  Here's what happens if you over-broil:

I shall turn you into tortilla chips.

Spoon chicken mixture in the center of each tortilla.  Top with black beans.

Yum!

And there you have it: tostadas, with a healthy and seasonal twist!  What's your favorite healthy Latin dish?

A Marriage of Flavors

It's snowing in Atlanta today.  Guess what that means?  That's right!  Chicken n' dumplings!  (I also would have accepted "chili" as an answer, except that I made that last week during a different cold front).

I like to make my chicken and dumplings with rotisserie chicken because I'm lazy efficient.  I stopped by Publix to grab one from the deli only to find that they were out of the original recipe!  I shoved through lemon pepper after lemon pepper to try to find the lone chicken lurking towards the back of the counter.  Lo and behold:

I was instantly inspired.  What if I made Cuban Chicken and Dumplings?!  Pollo con bola de masa hervida, if you will.  Well, it didn't taste too Latino, but it was definitely the best version of chicken and dumplings I've ever made.  Here's the recipe:

Pollo con bola de masa hervida
Source: adapted from Southern Living 

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cumin, divided
3 tablespoons shortening
5 tablespoons cold water
1 large egg, beaten
3-1/2 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon pepper
juice from 1 lime
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 mojo rotisserie chicken, pulled from the bone and shredded.  Keep the skin.

Directions:

Combine flour, salt, and 1 teaspoon of cumin with a whisk or a fork.  Add the shortening, water, and egg.  Use your hands to combine, unless you have a cool pasty tool that I don't have yet but registered for :)

Meanwhile, combine broth, pepper, remaining cumin, lime, and garlic in a large stock pot.  Heat to a boil over medium-high heat.

Back to the dough, roll out until it's about 1/8" thick.  Cut 2 x 3/4" strips with a butter knife.  Place a few pieces at a time into the boiling broth.  Cook uncovered for 7 minutes, or until the dough is tender but chewy.

Add the meat (including the skin) and cook for 4 minutes.  When the meat is warm, remove skin from the stock pot and ladel into bowls.  Serve immediately with an avocado and lime themed salad.

Yield: 4

I suppose you could use chicken marinated in mojo, or use mojo sauce on unseasoned chicken.  Play with it and let me know how it turns out!