Citrus-y Chicken Tacos

During my eternal quest for yummy but EASY dinners that my kids will eat, I ran across an interesting recipe for chicken tacos at AllRecipes.com.  The original recipe calls for lemonade and Worcestershire sauce; I couldn't quite get my head around Worcestershire sauce with chicken, so I changed it up a bit by substituting more traditional taco flavors (cumin, Old Bay seasoning, and McCormick taco seasoning).  I also used lemon juice, white wine, and agave nectar in place of the lemonade.

The citrus flavors make these tacos truly special; my husband asks for them quite often now, and both kids love them too!  Note: if you omit the cheese and sour cream, this recipe can be casein free.  I posted this first on my other blog: My Experiment in Gluten Free Living.

Ingredients:

1/2 onion, chopped (or 2 T dried onion flakes)
2 cloves garlic, minced (or 1-2 tsp garlic powder)
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken, cut up (can substitute cooked or canned chicken)
2 T olive oil
3 T lemon juice
1-2 T lime juice
1-2 T agave nectar or honey (adjust amount to taste)
3/4 - 1 C white wine or water
salt, pepper to taste
2 tsp cumin
1 T taco seasoning (McCormick is gluten free)
1 tsp Old Bay seasoning

Directions:

Saute onion in olive oil until translucent, then add garlic and cook for about 30 seconds longer.  Add the chicken and saute until cooked through (3 or 4 minutes on med-high).  If using previously cooked chicken and dried onion flakes, you should skip this and just add your ingredients to the next step, below.

Add lemon and lime juices, agave or honey, wine or water, cumin, salt, pepper, and the taco and Old Bay seasonings.  Feel free to increase or reduce seasonings as you see fit. 

Reduce heat to medium and stir frequently until liquid has evaporated. Serve in taco shells with your favorite condiments (shredded cheese, shredded lettuce, diced tomato, guacamole or sliced avocado, salsa, sour cream,  etc).  Those who are sensitive to casein should avoid cheese and sour cream, of course.

P.S. Instead of pre-made taco shells I usually buy regular corn tortillas and saute them very briefly in oil on high heat (a few seconds each side), then I blot the excess oil very well with paper towels and fold into a taco shell shape.  A lower calorie taco shell may be had by taking a stack of 6 or 8, wrapping them in paper towels and microwaving for 45 seconds to one minute. We prefer these softer shells to the store-bought variety.

Chicken Enchiladas Verdes

Ingredients:

For the enchilada sauce:

2 C chicken broth
2 T butter
2-3 T sweet rice flour
1/2 tsp cumin
A good dash of hot pepper, smoky chipotle or cayenne, to taste
1 C diced fire roasted green chiles - mild or hot, to taste

For the enchiladas:

corn tortillas
olive oil
3 cups cooked chicken, cut in bite-sized chunks
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 - 1 teaspoon cumin, to taste
1/2 teaspoon of chili powder or Old Bay seasoning
salt and ground pepper, to taste
4 C Cheddar or Jack cheese, shredded

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil a 9 x 13" baking pan.

First make the sauce. Melt butter in a saucepan; add the rice flour and whisk smooth. Mix in the spices and diced green chilis, then add the liquid, whisking constantly. Heat just until the sauce begins to simmer. Continue to simmer until it thickens; feel free to taste and adjust seasonings to your own liking! You can also add more broth if it seems too thick. Remove from heat and set aside.

Make the filling by combining the beef, garlic, cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Toss well to coat. Add about 3/4 of the shredded cheese to the filling and mix well. Set aside the remaining cheese for the topping.

Pour about 3/4 cup of the enchilada sauce into the bottom of the baking dish.

Soften the tortillas by briefly frying them in oil in a small skillet (if the oil is hot, you only need a couple of seconds per side!).

Place a tortilla in the pan, on top of the sauce, spoon in the chicken and cheese filling, and roll the tortilla up. Continue until the pan is full and/or the filling is used up, whichever comes first.

Pour the remaining enchilada sauce all over the top. Sprinkle the remaining shredded cheese on top. Bake in the pre-heated oven for about 30 minutes, or until the enchiladas are bubbling around the edges and heated all the way through.

Gluten Free Beef and Cheese Enchiladas

Ingredients:

For the enchilada sauce:

2 T butter
2 T sweet rice flour
2 - 2 1/2 T red chili powder
2 - 3 dashes cayenne pepper (to taste)
1 T cumin
1 T garlic powder
2 T dried onion flakes
6 ounces tomato paste
2 - 3 cups water and/or chicken stock
salt and pepper

For the enchiladas:

corn tortillas
olive oil
3 cups roast beef or canned cooked beef, cut in bite-sized chunks
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 - 1 teaspoon cumin, to taste
1/2 teaspoon or chili powder
salt and ground pepper, to taste
4 C Cheddar or Jack cheese, shredded

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil a or 9 x 13" baking dish.

First make the sauce. Melt butter in a saucepan; add the rice flour and whisk smooth. Mix in the spices and tomato paste; then add the liquid, whisking constantly. Heat just until the sauce begins to simmer; feel free to taste and adjust seasonings to your own liking! Remove from heat after it thickens.

Make the filling by combining the beef, garlic, cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Toss well to coat. Add about 3/4 of the shredded cheese to the filling and mix well. Set aside the remaining cheese for the topping.

Pour about 3/4 cup of the enchilada sauce into the bottom of the baking dish.

Soften the tortillas by briefly frying them in oil in a small skillet (if the oil is hot, you only need a couple of seconds per side!).

Place a tortilla in the pan, on top of the sauce, spoon in the beef and cheese filling, and roll the tortilla up. Continue until the pan is full and/or the filling is used up, whichever comes first.

Pour the remaining enchilada sauce all over the top. Sprinkle the remaining shredded cheese on top. Bake in the pre-heated oven for about 30 minutes, or until the enchiladas are bubbling around the edges and heated all the way through.

Chicken Artichoke Enchilada Casserole

This is a wonderful recipe from Karina, the Gluten-Free Goddess:

Ingredients:

For the sauce:

2 cups chicken broth
2-3 tablespoons rice flour
A dash of cumin, to taste
A dash of hot pepper, smoky chipotle or cayenne, to taste
1 C chopped fire roasted green chiles- mild or hot, to taste

For the enchilada casserole:

10 corn tortillas
olive oil
2-2 1/2 cups hand torn cooked chicken pieces
1 10-oz. package frozen artichoke hearts, cooked, drained
4 cloves garlic, minced
Juice from 1 big juicy lime
1/2 - 1 teaspoon cumin, to taste
1/2 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning or chili powder
Sea salt and ground pepper, to taste
4 oz. Cheddar or Jack cheese, shredded

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil a 8 x 11" or 9 x 12" baking dish.

First make the sauce. Heat the broth to almost a simmer. Add the rice flour and whisk smooth. Continue to heat just until the sauce thickens. Add the cumin, hot pepper and green chiles and stir well to combine.

Make the filling by combining the chicken, artichokes, garlic, lime juice, cumin, Old Bay Seasoning, sea salt, and pepper, in a bowl. Toss well to coat. Add about 3/4 of the shredded cheese to the filling and mix well. Set aside the remaining cheese for the topping.

Pour about 3/4 cup of the green chile sauce into the bottom of the baking dish.

Cutting some of the tortillas in half to make straight edges, layer five corn tortillas in the bottom of the baking dish. Brush with a little olive oil.

Spoon in the chicken filling, and spread it evenly in the pan. Top with five more corn tortillas, cutting some of them to fit against the sides. Brush these with a little olive oil.

Pour the remaining enchilada sauce all over the top, slowly, using a small spatula or knife to make room around the edges of the tortillas, so that the sauce can seep in all around and reach the bottom.

Sprinkle the remaining shredded cheese on top.

Bake in the pre-heated oven for about 30 minutes, or until the enchiladas are bubbling around the edges and heated all the way through.

Karina's Sweet Potato Black Bean Enchiladas

From Karina, the Gluten Free Goddess:

Ingredients:

Quickie Green Chile Sauce:

1 cup light vegetable broth (or chicken broth, if you're an omnivore)
1 tablespoon arrowroot starch dissolved in a little cold water
(you may also use cornstarch as the thickener if you don't have arrowroot)
1 generous cup chopped roasted green chiles- hot or mild
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon cumin or chili powder, hot or mild, to taste

Make your Quickie Green Chile Sauce by combining the broth, dissolved arrowroot or cornstarch, green chiles, garlic and spices in a sauce pan and heating over medium-high heat. Bring to a high simmer. Simmer until thickened. Taste test. Set aside.

Filling:

1 15-oz can organic black beans, rinsed, drained
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
Fresh lime juice from 1 big juicy lime
2 heaping cups cooked sweet potatoes, smashed a bit, but still chunky
1/2 cup chopped roasted green chiles
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder, or curry, mild or spicy, as you prefer
Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Also necessary:

2-4 tablespoons light olive oil or vegetable oil, as needed
8 corn tortillas (make sure they are gluten free!)
Shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Choose a baking dish that will hold 8 enchiladas.

In the meantime, using a mixing bowl, combine the drained black beans with minced garlic and lime juice. Toss to coat the beans and set aside.

In a separate bowl combine the lightly smashed sweet potatoes with the chopped green chiles; add the spices. Season with sea salt and pepper.

Pour about 1/4 cup of the Quickie Green Chile Sauce into the bottom of the baking dish. Heat a small amount of oil in a skillet. Lightly cook the corn tortillas to soften them - one at a time - as you stuff each one.

Lay the first hot tortilla in the sauced baking dish; wet it with the sauce. Spoon 1/8 of the sweet potato mixture down the center. Top with 1/8 of the black beans. Wrap and roll the tortilla to the end of the baking dish. Repeat for the remaining tortillas. Top with the rest of the sauce and with a sprinkle of shredded Monterey Jack cheese.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the enchiladas are piping hot and the sauce is bubbling around the edges.

Crockpot Chile Verde

This is a very flavorful dish from Stephanie, the Crockpot Lady. We've eaten the leftovers served over mashed potatoes, in burritos, over rice....it tastes wonderful any way you eat it.

Ingredients:

4 pound chuck roast, or pork shoulder/butt
1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 small onion, diced
1 (4 ounce) can diced chilis, mild
3 medium tomatoes, diced
10 tomatillos, diced (peel off the outer wrapper, if they have one)
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons sage
1 Tablespoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or more, to taste)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves

Directions:

Trim any visible fat from the meat, and place in the Crockpot. Add diced bell pepper and onion. If tomatillos have the leafy-outer skin left on them, take the skin and stem off, and dice finely. Pour in the diced chilis and diced tomatoes. Add spices. Stir a bit to get the spices down the sides of the meat. Add chopped cilantro to the top.

Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours, or on high for 6, or until meat shreds easily with a fork.

Serve with rice, corn tortillas, refried beans, shredded cheese, and a dollop of sour cream. Yum!!

Easy Gluten Free Burritos

You can make these vegetarian with beans only if you wish. If you're an omnivore, make them with meat only, or make combo burritos with both meat and beans:

Ingredients:

gluten-free flour tortillas (Trader Joe's Brown Rice Tortillas are good or you can try this recipe)
3 - 4 C cheese, grated (sharp or mild cheddars, monterey jack, or mozzerella usually work best)
1 - 2 C meat (cooked shredded or thinly sliced chicken, beef, pork or whole cooked shrimp)
cooked beans
4-oz can diced green chilis
1 diced onion
gluten free salsa (NOTE: Pace is NOT gluten free; many fresh salsas are)
sour cream (optional)
guacamole (optional)
diced tomato (optional)
shredded lettuce (optional)

Directions:

Saute the diced onion; add cooked meat and/or beans and saute just long enough to heat the mixture up. Add diced green chilis and/or salsa if you wish and cook about 1 minute longer. You can also experiment by adding small amounts of cumin or other traditional Mexican spices if you feel so inclined. What you add may depend on your choice of meat.

Place a tortilla in a pre-heated skillet on medium high heat. Heat briefly, just until warm and flexible. Place on serving plate, place 1/3 - 1/2 C meat and/or bean mixture on tortilla in a vertical strip and top with grated cheese.

Add other toppings at this point if you wish (salsa, sour cream, guacamole, diced tomato, shredded lettuce, etc.) then fold the bottom of the tortilla up over about half the filling, then fold the top down, fold the left side over, then the right to completely wrap the filling in the tortilla.

Enjoy!

Easy Gluten Free Quesadillas

Ingredients:

gluten-free flour tortillas (Trader Joe's Brown Rice Tortillas are good or you can try this recipe)
3 - 4 C cheese, grated (sharp or mild cheddars, monterey jack, or mozzerella usually work best)
1 - 2 C meat (optional: we've used cooked shredded or thinly sliced chicken, beef, pork or even shrimp)
4-oz can diced green chilis
2 diced green onions

Directions:

Mix the shredded cheese with the green chilis and green onions.

If you'll be using any meat, pre-warm it in the microwave so that it's quite warm to the touch (you don't want it at refrigerator temperature).

Place a tortilla in a pre-heated skillet on medium high heat. You can use a little butter or olive oil in the pan to prevent sticking and give a nice crunch to the tortilla.

Depending on the size of your tortillas, use a good handful of the cheese-veggie mixture (or maybe a bit more) to cover half of the tortilla. Add meat of your choice and sprinkle with a little more cheese.

Fold tortilla in half to cover filling. The cheese should be partially melted and the tortilla should be well-browned (but don't over-do it!) before you try to flip it over. The quesadilla is done when both sides are browned and cheese is melted. We like them served cut in quarters with a dab of sour cream and salsa in the middle.

Crockpot Black Beans

How to cook dried black beans in the Crockpot (or any type of dried beans, except kidney beans) from Stephanie, the Crockpot Lady:

Ingredients:

1 bag of black beans
Water

Directions:

Pour the bag of beans into a colander and rinse under cold water. Pick over beans to get rid of broken or shriveled beans, then pour rinsed beans into a 3 qt or larger Crockpot. Add enough water to cover the beans plus an additional 2 inches.

Cover the Crockpot. Do not turn on. Let the beans soak for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight.

In the morning, dump the water, and rinse the beans again. Put the beans back into the Crockpot and cover with enough fresh water to completely cover the beans with an extra 2-3 inches.

Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.

The beans are done when they are bite-tender. Don't worry if the water hasn't all absorbed. You're going to dump it, anyway.

Drain the beans.

When cool, separate the beans into storage containers or freezer bags in increments of 1 2/3 cups of beans per container, which is the amount in the typical can of beans. One pound of dried beans should make the equivalent of 3 cans of beans. The beans will store nicely in the refrigerator for 1 week, or in the freezer for 6 months.

Use as you would canned beans in your favorite recipes.

NOTE: I like to add salt and pepper, a couple of tablespoons of salsa, and some cumin and serve over rice as a side dish to a Mexican meal. Also great in burritos!

Julie's Gluten Free Flour Tortillas

This recipe comes from Julie, please visit Mennonite Girls Can Cook to see other wonderful recipes (including several that are gluten-free):

Ingredients:

2 C tapioca flour

1 cup of gluten-free bread/bun mix - (Julie uses Kinnikinnick - you can also use gluten-free biscuit mix flour)

2 rounded tsp of xanthum gum

1 T shortening

1 T butter

1 1/3 cups whole milk

1/2 cup of sweet rice flour for rolling dough - (if you don't have sweet rice flour you can use tapioca flour)

Directions:

1. Mix the dry ingredients well, cut in the shortening and then add the milk and mix until it forms a ball.

2. Turn ball onto floured surface and knead until dough is smooth.

3. Cover completely with plasic wrap and let rest for an hour.

4. Form dough into a long cylinder and cut into 12 equal pieces.

5. Place the pieces on a plate and cover with a damp paper tower. (The dough will dry out too quickly if you don't)

6. Piece by piece roll out on floured surface, using as little of the sweet rice flour as possible. Use a 9" plate to cut into round circles.

7. As you roll out each ball, stack the circles between layers of wax paper.

8. Heat up a flat bottomed frying pan ... medium high....and in a little olive oil or coconut oil (healthy oil) fry each tortilla about 30 seconds on each side.

9. Let them cool... then store them in a sealed plastic bag in the fridge until you want to use them.

Crockpot Mole

Mole is a Spanish word pronounced "Mo - lay". :)

Here is Stephanie's Crockpot Mole recipe; I've tried it with beef, and plan to try it with chicken next. I love mole!



Ingredients

2 pounds meat (beef or chicken, can be partially frozen)
1/4 cup raw sesame seeds
1/2 cup raw slivered almonds
1 dry California chili pod
1 yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup raisins
1 T chili powder
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp anise seeds
1 cinnamon stick
1 (14-oz) can diced tomatoes (and juice)
1 (6-oz) can tomato paste
1/4 cup tequilla (or white wine, or apple juice)
1-2 oz unsweetened chocolate
1 cup water
salt to taste

Directions

Use a 5-6 quart crockpot. In a small pan, brown the raw sesame seeds and almonds on the stove. Set aside to cool.

Put the meat you're going to use into the crockpot. Cover with everything else. I threw the entire dry chili pod into the pot; I didn't soak it in water first. I also just threw in the 2 squares of baking chocolate (after unwrapping!)--no need to melt it first.

Add the toasted nuts and seeds, and cover up. Cook on low for about 8 hours or approximately 5 1/2 hours on high. Shred meat with forks, and serve over rice and with corn tortillas. Salt to taste.

NOTE: I did add about 1/3 C of cornstarch + 3 T sugar dissolved in 1/2 water at the end, just to very slightly sweeten and thicken the sauce.

Enchilada Casserole

Ingredients

1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T. butter
1 T. olive oil
3 cups cubed cooked chicken or turkey
1 can (4 oz) diced green chilis
4 - 5 cups shredded cheese (mixture of cheddar and jack works well)
1 can of sliced olives
2 cans gluten free green enchilada sauce (Las Palmas is gf)
corn tortillas

Directions

In a skillet over medium-high heat, saute the chopped onion in the olive oil and butter until soft; add the garlic and saute for about 2 more minutes.

In a medium bowl mix the cooked onions and garlic with the chicken, diced chilis, 2/3 of the cheese, 2/3 of the olives, and 1 1/2 cups of sauce.

In a 13" x 9" pan, sprayed with non-stick spray:
Coat the bottom with 3/4 cup enchilada sauce, then lay corn tortillas on the bottom, overlapping. Tear a couple of the tortillas in half so that they have straight edges to go against the sides of the pan.

Put half of the chicken-cheese mixture on the layer of tortillas and spread evenly all the way to the edges. Place another layer of corn tortillas on top, pour half the remaining sauce on the tortillas. Put the remainder of the chicken-cheese mix on top and cover with another layer of corn tortillas. Pour the rest of the enchilada sauce over the top, garnish with remaining cheese and sliced olives. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, until the edges are bubbling and cheese is melted on top. Makes 8 servings.

It's great that so many Mexican dishes are naturally gluten free!! :)

Easy Fish Tacos

Ingredients

3 tilapia fillets (or other mild white fish - about 1 1/2 to 2 lbs)
Seasoned pepper (make sure it's gluten free! I use a Key Lime Pepper.)
butter for basting
8 corn tortillas
canola oil
your favorite toppings (grated cheeses, salsa, shredded red cabbage, sour cream, guacamole, diced tomatoes, diced green onion, etc)

Directions

Melt butter and use it to baste the fish on both sides. Sprinkle the fish on both sides with the seasoned pepper. Bake the fish in pan sprayed with non-stick spray at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes, until you can flake it with a fork (or do as we do: we buy frozen tilapia fillets from Costco and microwave them from the frozen state according to package directions). I realize that many people bread fish and deep fry it when they make fish tacos but we prefer it unbreaded.

While the fish is baking, pour oil into a small pan until it's about half an inch deep. Cook the corn tortillas one at a time briefly in hot oil over medium high heat. It will only take a few seconds per side to see bubbles forming in the tortilla if the oil is hot enough; as soon as that happens flip it over with tongs and cook the other side, unless you like your taco shells really crispy, in which case just cook the tortillas a bit longer per side. We like them to be still flexible.

Remove the cooked tortilla to a plate lined with paper towels, blot it with a paper towel to remove excess oil and bend it into a taco shell shape while still hot. Repeat.

Scoop some cooked fish into a taco shell, add cheese or tomato or other toppings as you wish, and enjoy! Makes 8 fish tacos.

Mexican Lasagna

This recipe is a variation on a recipe I saw on Rachel Ray's "30 Minute Meals". It's sort of like a layered burrito. I love it because it's fast, it's easy, and the kids will eat it!

Ingredients

1 can of cooked beans (black beans, pinto beans or canned gf refried beans work best)
1 lb ground meat (beef, turkey or chicken)
1 onion, chopped
2 T olive oil
1 tsp cumin
1 - 2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
2 - 4 gluten free flour tortillas OR corn tortillas
1 small jar of your favorite gluten free salsa
3 cups shredded cheese (a mixture of cheddar and monterey jack is nice)

Directions

Saute the onions in the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until translucent; add the ground meat and cook until browned. Season the meat and onion mixture with the cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper.

Tear or cut the tortillas into strips approximately the width of lasagna noodles.

On the bottom of a large shallow casserole dish layer half of the beans, half of the meat, one third of the cheese, and one third of the salsa, then cover with tortilla strips. Repeat. On top of the second layer of tortilla strips spread the remaining salsa and top with remaining cheese. Try to cover the tortillas completely with salsa and cheese to ensure that they won't dry out and get hard. Here's what it should look like just before putting it into the oven:



Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 30 minutes, until bubbly around the edges. Here's what it looks like right after it comes out of the oven, with all the nice melted cheese oozing out everywhere:



My family LOVES this recipe; our three-year-old eats two helpings!