Baked Chicken and Roasted Red Pepper Taquitos

I guess I still have Cinco de Mayo on the brain from last week because I keep thinking of Mexican-style meals to make. It's a good thing though, because we love Mexican food here and I don't make it enough!

I am always looking for quick and healthy meals that a) don't involve a lot of dairy and b) don't involve a lot of meat. I saw a version a of these taquitos a while ago and knew with some tweaking they would be a new family favorite. I love the combination of beans, corn and chicken with Mexican flavors. The roasted red pepper was a great addition that lends a unique flavor and the spinach and cilantro not only pump up the health factor, they add great color and eye appeal! If you don't have roasted red pepper, you can roast your own (tip below) or just use fresh and saute it with the onion.

You'll want to add these to your dinner rotation soon! Tasty and quick to prepare, they make a perfect weeknight meal.

Baked Chicken and Roasted Red Pepper Taquitos
olive oil
1/2 small onion, finely diced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp. cumin
pinch cayenne pepper (optional, especially if you have little mouths to feed)
salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup chicken, cooked and chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen corn, un-thawed
*1 roasted red pepper, small-diced
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 cups fresh spinach, washed and chopped
1/4 cilantro, chopped
1 cup shredded cheese (Monterrey or Pepper Jack, Mexican blend, etc.)
12 8-inch whole wheat tortillas

In a large skillet, heat a good drizzle of olive oil (about a tablespoon). Add onion and saute over medium heat until soft and translucent. Add garlic, cumin, cayenne, salt and pepper and saute about 30 seconds. Add the rest of the ingredients, except the cheese, and stir to coat evenly with the spices. Cook until the chicken broth has just about evaporated completely. Turn off the heat, but keep pan on burner and stir in the spinach and cheese. The residual head from the burner with wilt the spinach and melt the cheese. Add cilantro just before filling taquitos.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Wrap tortillas in a clean kitchen towel and warm them in the microwave for about 30-60 seconds. Spray a large baking sheet, such as a cookie sheet, with cooking spray. Lay one tortilla at a time on a large plate. Scoop about 1/4-1/3 cup filling across the bottom third of the tortilla. Roll it up, leaving the ends open. Place on cookie sheet, seam side down. Repeat with remaining filling and tortillas.

Once all the taquitos have been assembled, brush the tops with olive oil and bake for about 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. (This would also work as a great freezer meal. You could stop before brushing the tops with olive oil, cover the cooking sheet with plastic wrap and freeze. Once frozen, remove taquitos from cookie sheet and place in a zip-top freezer bag. When you're ready to bake, remove desired amount of taquitos, brush with olive oil and bake about 5 minutes longer.)

Serve warm with desired garnished: fresh lime, sour cream, guacamole, salsa

*To make your own roasted red peppers, cut fresh red peppers in half removing stem and seeds, and place them on a cookie sheet. Place under the broiler until they are mostly black and charred. Remove from oven and immediately place in a bowl with a lid or a paper bag. Once they are cooled, remove as much of the skin as you can (sometimes it's tricky and it doesn't all come off, but it's not a big deal). Use immediately, refrigerate for 3-5 days or freeze. If you plan to freeze them, I suggest you portion them into 1-2 peppers pr baggie. I usually place each pepper in a little sandwich bag, then place all the sandwich bags into a larger zip-top freezer bag so they are all together.


SOURCE: Adapted from Savour the Senses