a favorite summer recipe

Cooking Light is a friend of mine with some great ideas. I thought I'd share one of them with you today, because I don't know what else to blog about that won't involve me talking about things that I'm scared of. I need to post a 34 weeks along (*eeeeeeeep* deep breath) post soon, since yesterday marked exactly 34 weeks for me.

So anyway, on to the recipe:

Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad
note: this recipe rates 5 stars on myrecipes.com and on my kitchen table

The creamy dressing mellows the heat from the chiles—and best of all, it can be prepared in less than 30 minutes.

Yield

4 servings (serving size: 2 1/2 cups)

Ingredients

Dressing:

• 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 2/3 cup light sour cream
• 1 tablespoon minced chipotle chile, canned in adobo sauce
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 4 teaspoons fresh lime juice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Salad:

• 4 cups shredded romaine lettuce
• 2 cups chopped roasted skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 2 breasts)
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 cup diced peeled avocado
• 1/3 cup thinly vertically sliced red onion
• 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (8 3/4-ounce) can no-salt-added whole-kernel corn, rinsed and drained

Preparation

To prepare dressing, combine first 7 ingredients, stirring well.

To prepare salad, combine lettuce and remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Drizzle dressing over salad; toss gently to coat. Serve immediately.

Tip: Add a spoonful of adobo sauce for a spicier salad. Kidney or pinto beans also taste great in this dish.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 249 (30% from fat)

Fat: 8.2g (sat 2.8g,mono 2.9g,poly 0.7g)

Protein: 23.3g

Carbohydrate: 25.1g

Fiber: 7g

Cholesterol: 50mg

Iron: 2.2mg

Sodium: 650mg

Calcium: 106mg

David Bonom, Cooking Light, AUGUST 2006

Notes from me:
-I saved the rest of my little can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce by:
1. blending the rest of the can in my food processor
2. laying out a wax sheet of paper on a cookie sheet
3. and measuring out 1 tbsp portions in little heaps on said paper
4. and freezing them in the freezer.
5. then I put the little lumps in a zip lock freezer bag to use whenever I need some.

-I think it's fun to say 'chipotle peppers in adobo sauce.' Go ahead and try it out.

-In my current gravid state I can't handle a full tbsp of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, so I use a tsp and it's still nice. So, if you're averse to spicy food this could be a solution for you too.

-If you're looking for sides, serve this with tortilla or corn chips and a watermelon mango fruit salad.


I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as Nick and I do. =)