Category Archives: Mexican/Spanish Recipes

Book News, Book Nook, Healthy Life, Mexican/Spanish Recipes, Recipes

New Cookbook, New Series Launched

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I’m excited to launch a new series of little cookbooks that I call Low Carb 15.  Simply, it is a little cookbook with fifteen recipes covering one subject or category with delicious adapted to low carb recipes.  Since it is almost Cinco de Mayo, I launched with one of my favorite food types — Mexican Food!

I love it and have had to come up with adapted recipes to help keep me in maintenance mode.  I sure don’t want to go back up in weight and it is a struggle all the time to not fall off the low carb path and indulge in some of the great food out there. Sure, I do fall off now and then, but I always try to snap back to the low carb intake. But it’s my mission to these days to try to adapt as many recipes for favorite foods to a low carb version.

This booklet has fifteen great recipes for tried and enjoyed Mexican and Tex-Mex food.  It includes two recipes for soup, two for desserts, one for a spicy cheesy cornbread made with low carb flours, and the rest are main course items.  A few of the recipes have been posted on this blog, but there are several new, never posted ones that are exclusive to this book.

The booklet is only available on eBook.  At the moment, it is available from Smashwords (see widget above) and Amazon Kindle. It will be available on iBooks, Barnes and Noble, and Kobe soon.

So check it out and treat yourself to a copy.  If you like it, please review it. Thanks.  And happy Cinco de Mayo!

Mexican/Spanish Recipes, Poultry, Recipes

Cast Iron Skillet Enchiladas

Inspired by a recipe for vegetarian enchiladas that popped into my Facebook feed, I decided to try making my red sauce chicken enchiladas in a cast iron skillet.  It’s a one pot dish so that makes it simple.  It takes about 1 hour to prepare and bake this easy dish.  I found a very low carb enchilada sauce at my local Raley’s grocery store, so check your labels for the lowest net carbs for the sauce.  Mine came in at 1 net carb per 1/4 cup.  The cheese is also 0 net carbs.

Cast Iron Skillet Enchiladas

2 cups Roasting Chicken, chopped or diced
1/2 medium Onions, chopped
6 Mini Sweet Bell Peppers, sliced
1 teaspoon Garlic, minced
1-1/2 cup Raleys Enchilada Sauce
6 Low Carb Tortillas (3 nc each)
1 1/2 cups Cheddar Jack Cheese
1 tablespoon Olive Oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees (F).

In a large cast iron skillet (or any other skillet that can go from stove to oven) add olive oil and heat over medium heat. Add minced garlic, onions and sweet peppers and sauté until just tender. Remove from skillet.

Pour 1/4 cup of enchilada sauce on the bottom of the skillet. Heat the tortillas in a plastic bag in the microwave for 30 seconds to soften them. Put one tortilla on a plate, then spread 1/6 of the onion mixture down the middle, leaving about 1/2 inch at each end. Repeat with the chicken, then sprinkle cheese over the top. Roll the tortilla into a snug roll and tuck in the ends. Place in the skillet along the edge. Repeat with the rest of the tortillas. Four will fit along the outside curves of the skillet, then put the last two in the middle.

Spread the remainder of the sauce evenly over the rolled tortillas. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top.

Bake in the skillet for 30 to 35 minutes until cheese is melted and sauce is thickened. Let cool about 5 minutes, then serve with sour cream and chopped green onions if you like. Makes 6 enchiladas.

Nutrition information for 1 enchilada:
Calories: 215.5 Fat: 11.0 g Net Carbs: 6.5 g Protein: 21.7 g

Main Dish, Mexican/Spanish Recipes, Poultry, Recipes

Quick Chicken Quesadillas

Lots going on this month, the new cookbook on the way and some last minute baking for that for photographs and I’m running behind, then throw in a computer problem or two and my month is kaput.  So, let’s end this month with an easy to put together recipe.  Don’t forget “Sweets by the Season” will be out in October!

Got a little leftover chicken and some cheddar cheese? Add a tortilla and some salsa and you have a quick and simple lunch or dinner.

Chicken Quesadillas

2/3 cup Cooked Chicken, diced or cut into slices
1/2 cup Cheddar or Cheddar Jack Cheese
4 tablespoons Tomato Salsa (about 2 nc per serving)
2 Low Carb Tortillas
2 tablespoon Butter
4 or 6 slices of Haas Avocado (optional)
2 tablespoons Sour Cream (optional)

Warm the tortilla over a hot burner or for about 5 seconds in a microwave. Put the 1/2 the chicken down the middle, slightly to one side, top with half the cheese and salsa. Fold the tortilla over the filling to make a turnover shape.

Heat the butter over medium heat in a skillet until it is melted, then put the stuffed tortilla into the pan and cook it until it is browned on one side, about three to five minutes depending on how high the heat is. Use a spatula to turn the tortilla to the other side and brown it also. This should be enough to heat the chicken and melt the cheese.

Put on a plate and garnish with sour cream and 2 or 3 avocado slices.

Makes 2 servings.

Nutrition Info per serving:
Calories: 347.6 Fat: 23.9 g Net Carbs: 3.5 g Protein: 28.2 g

Nutrition Info per serving (with avocado and sour cream):
Calories: 445.5 Fat: 33 g Net Carbs: 4.7 g Protein: 29.5 g

Main Dish, Mexican/Spanish Recipes, Poultry, Recipes

Spicy Chicken with Cauli-rice Casserole

Spanish rice was a staple when I was growing up and no one made it as wonderfully as my grandmother.  It wasn’t like the pale, barely a taste of tomato Spanish rice you find at Mexican restaurants.  Grandmother’s featured whole tomatoes, onions and peppers in the dish. This made it easy for it to become a casserole dish with a little meat or chicken added.

This is my low carb adaptation of the Chicken with Spanish Rice dish made with low carb cauliflower rice (cauli-rice) instead of the high starch grain.  I also use riced Daikon radish it which rounds out the flavor a little more.

Spanish Chicken with Cauli-Rice

2 cups Cauliflower pieces
1 cup Daikon Radish, riced (Optional)
1/2 Onion, chopped
1 tablespoon Butter
1 teaspoon Better than Bullion chicken
1/2 cup Sweet Peppers, riced
2 cups Chicken, cooked and cubed
1 cup canned Tomatoes, chopped
1 teaspoon Cumin
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Pepper
1 teaspoon Cayenne or Red Pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried Cilantro
1/4 cup chopped Baby Corn
1 cup cheddar cheese

If you’re not using Daikon radish, then use an extra cup of cauliflower rice.

Rice cauliflower and daikon in a food processor or use a grater or ricer. In a large skillet, add 1 tablespoon butter and add the onions. Cook over medium heat until they glisten, then add the riced cauliflower. Stir. Mix 1 teaspoon bullion with 1/2 cup hot water and stir to melt. Add to the pan and mix in. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes. Check the liquid level every few minutes and add water if needed.

Add the tomatoes, peppers, seasonings, chicken and baby corn. Stir and cook for about 10 minutes.
Preheat oven to 360 degrees (F.) Spray a 2 quart casserole dish with cooking spray. Spoon or pour the contents of the skillet into the casserole dish. Sprinkle cheese over the top.

Bake for about 30 minutes until the cheese is melted and lightly browned.
Serves 6.

Nutrition Information per serving:
Calories:172 Fat: 7.3 Net Carbs: 3.9 g Protein: 20.9 g

With 1 cup of riced Daikon Radish
Calories: 158 Fat: 7.2 g Net Carbs:4.6 g Protein: 31.3

Note:  I’ve noticed that with many spiced dishes, they gain more flavor when they’ve been refrigerated for a day or two, so this recipe will store well and get more flavorful on the second serving.

Is this anything like a dish your mother or grandmother prepared?  I think this is more Tex-Mex than traditional Mexican.

Mexican/Spanish Recipes, Poultry, Recipes

Easy to Make Baked Chicken with Zucchini

This is similar to a recipe that I made before for Salsa Chicken that is cooked in a skillet, but this recipe takes it a step or two further and you use your oven or toaster oven to finish cooking it, plus I’ve added zucchini and cheese to make a more complete meal.  Serve it over a bed of cauliflower rice and all you need to add is a small dinner salad to make a great meal.  If you love Mexican or spicy foods, this is a meal that pleases the taste buds.

I used a salsa from my neighborhood grocery store Raley’s that included corn in it.  It is 2 net carbs per 2 tablespoons.  La Victoria Medium Salsa is 1 net carb per 2 tablespoons, so you can save a carb per serving by using a lower carb’d salsa.   Check the nutrition information on the bottle to look for the lower carb’d ones.

Baked Spanish Chicken with Zucchini 

4 Chicken Tenders (about 2 breasts)
1/2 cup Zucchini, sliced
6 tablespoons Tomato Salsa
1 teaspoon Garlic, minced
1teaspoon Olive Oil or Coconut Oil
1 cup Cheddar Jack Cheese, grated
1 1/2 cup Cauliflower, riced
1 tablespoon Butter
1 teaspoon Chicken bullion
Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 365 degrees (F.) Spray a baking pan to fit the chicken with cooking spray.

Sprinkle salt and pepper (or any other seasoning you wish) over the chicken pieces. Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat then add the minced garlic. Cook until it begins to brown, then add the chicken. Brown the chicken on both sides. Put 4 tablespoons of salsa over the chicken and stir it in, then add the zucchini to lightly cook.

Cook and stir for about five minutes, then transfer to the prepared baking pan. Spread the remaining two tablespoons of salsa over the top, then sprinkle the cheddar cheese over it.

Bake for about 20 minutes until the chicken is completely done.

While the chicken bakes, prepare the cauliflower rice. Put 1 tablespoon butter in a skillet to melt over medium heat. Add the cauliflower and stir well to coat with butter and lightly toast. Add 1/2 cup of water with the bullion and stir into the cauliflower. Lower the temperature to a simmer and let cook for about 15 minutes. Check the water in it and stir a couple of times while it cooks. If you need to add more water, then add about 2 tablespoons.

The cauliflower will be done about the same time as the chicken. Put 3/4 cup of cauli-rice on the plate and serve half the chicken over it, getting half the zucchini and sauce in the serving.

Makes 2 servings.

Nutrition Info per serving:
Calories: 419 Fat: 19.7 g Net Carbs: 8.6 g Protein: 47.7 g