Baked Chicken Taquitos and Cilantro-Lime Rice

I love Mexican food.   Many recipes are pretty easy to make at home, though I haven't quite been able to master the burrito.  Those always taste better at a restaurant.  But I have perfected rice that can rival the one at Qdoba any day!

These taquitos take a little patience to make, but I promise you, they're worth it.

Baked Chicken Taquitos  (adpated from ourbestbites)
printable recipe

For filling:

1/3 cup (3 oz) light cream cheese

1/4 cup green salsa

1 T fresh lime juice
1/2 t cumin
1 t chili powder
1/2 t onion powder
1/4 t granulated garlic
3 T chopped cilantro
2 T sliced green onions
2 C shredded, cooked chicken (you can use rotisserie, or marinade and cook your own)
1 C grated light cheese - I use a Mexican blend

16 small corn tortillas
kosher salt, for sprinkling
cooking spray oil

Line a baking sheet with foil and spray lightly with cooking spray.  Heat your oven to 425 degrees.
Soften the cream cheese in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds.  Mix all ingredients well.

Now for the hard part.  You want to work quickly when heating and filling the corn tortillas as they tend to crack easily.  Your best bet is to cook no more than 2 tortillas at a time.  Cover the tortillas in a dampened paper towel and cook for 20 seconds. 

Fill the bottom 3rd of the tortilla with about 2-3 T of the filling and roll tightly.  Place the rolled taquito seam side down on the foil-lined pan. When finished, spray lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle with kosher salt.

Look, mine are far from perfect.  They've got cracks too.  Don't worry about it.  They taste awesome anyway!

Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the edges are brown.

I like to serve this with Cilantro-Lime Rice with Pineapple, green salsa and some guacamole.

Lime-Cilantro Rice with Pineapple
also adapted from outbestbites
printable recipe
1 cup dry white rice, cooked in 2 cups of water.
2 T real butter
juice from 1 lime - and additional for garnish
1/2 cup pineapple tidbits (or more for your tastes)
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook your rice.  When it's done, toss in the butter.  Add juice from 1 lime, pineapple tidbits and cilantro.  Serve immediately.  I also like to serve it with an extra lime wedge for squeezing a little extra tang!

Enjoy!

This post is linked back to Simply Sugar and Gluten Free

Crushed Potatoes

I don't even know where I first saw these, but I've only recently started making them.  I'm seriously addicted.  These have become my new favorite way to make potatoes.

Boil your potatoes until they are fork tender.  Spray a pan with some olive oil and place your potatoes on it.

Take a potato masher (a fork should work too), and crush the top down lightly.  Then rotate the masher and crush the top again.

Sprinkle the potatoes with kosher salt, pepper and any seasonings you'd like.  I prefer rosemary, when I've got some on hand.

Spread some olive oil over the top.  Bake in a 450 degree oven for about 25 minutes or until browned on top.

They come out crispy on the top, and soft and buttery in the inside.  Delicious!!

Roasted Teeny Tiny Potatoes

I saw these potatoes at Trader Joe's and I thought they were just adorable!  Teeny, Tiny Yukon Gold Potatoes.  What could be better than that?

I kind of just eyeballed things, and you can use whatever herbs or seasonings you enjoy.  I had a lot of dill from my Aerogarden, so I knew I wanted to use it.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  Wash and dry your potatoes.  Toss them with some olive oil in a shallow pan.  Season generously with salt and pepper.  I used garlic salt, but any will do.  Toss with fresh or dried herbs to taste.

Roast for about 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  They're done when they're fork tender.

I could eat these babies like candy.  They are a little crunchy on the outside, but deliciously soft and buttery on the inside.