Tequila Lime Marinated Chicken Quesadillas

A few Sunday's ago, I made a roast beef for dinner. Nothing special. Just seasoned it with some salt, pepper and garlic powder. But it was entirely too much meat for the four of us. I knew it would be but I was ok with that because the hubby didn't get much of my Beef Barley Soup when I made it last time. So for dinner that next week, I made some of the soup, to use up my leftover beef, and also made some quesadillas since I had some of that Colby Jack shredded cheese leftover as well from when I made that Chorizo, Peas & Colby Jack Risotto. If you can't tell by now, I was in a 'clean out the fridge' kind of mood...little did I know I would have to completely empty my refrigerator the next week due to our power outage. I wanted to throw some chicken into it so I defrosted 2 large boneless chicken breasts, sliced them in half horizontally, then marinated them in the Tequila Lime Marinade I made back in June. I let the chicken marinate for about 4 hours, grilled them on my indoor grill pan, then sliced them into thin strips. I also had one plum tomato left and 1/2 of a jalepeno pepper so I made a little bit of my Fresh Garden Salsa to go with it...Delish! This was the perfect quick meal for a cold, rainy night. 

Tequila Lime Marinated Chicken Quesadillas
4 Whole Wheat Tortillas (you can use whichever kind you like)
2 oz. Tequila Lime Marinated Chicken, cooked and thinly sliced
4 oz. Shredded Low Fat Colby Jack Cheese


Lay tortilla out on a flat surface and place one whole piece of sliced chicken on half of the tortilla. Then, cover with 1 oz. of the cheese. Fold down the other half of the tortilla and repeat the process for the other three. Place them on a baking sheet and cook in a 350 degree oven for 8-10 minutes; until the cheese has melted. Cut in half and garnish with sour cream, salsa and/or guacamole.  Serves 2-4. 


Weight Watchers Points+ Value Per Serving = 7 (without the sour cream or guacamole)


Enjoy!

Chorizo, Peas and Colby Jack Risotto

I was at a loss for dinner ideas the other night when I made this. My head was reeling from complete multi-tasking with house projects, decorating decisions and calendar synchronization that when I realized I hadn't taken anything out for dinner, it was already 4pm. I had purchased some Chorizo last week but never did anything with it and figured, I'd use that to make a one-pot dish for dinner. This recipe started out without the peas, but as I looked at it in the pan, it looked a little bland and needed some color. So I threw in some peas and it gave this dish that little something extra that it was missing. Now, I'm not a huge fan of peas, so I gave myself some before I added them in. I don't know, it's just one vegetable I can't get used to no matter how hard I try. I remember when my kids were babies and just trying out all sorts of vegetables; peas were both of their favorites. They used to try to get me to eat them by sticking them in my mouth, and being the type of parent that likes to try to set a good example, I would eat them with a smile on my face (while my body was secretly cringing on the inside). Anyway, this was good but very heavy...a little goes a long way.

Chorizo, Peas and Colby Jack Risotto
3oz. Chorizo, chopped fine
2 Cloves Garlic, minced
1 tsp. Fresh Rosemary, chopped
1 tbsp. Canola Oil
2 c. Arborio Rice
1 tbsp. Butter
4 c. Low-Sodium Chicken Broth
2 c. Water
1 c. Reduced Fat Shredded Colby Jack Cheese
1 c. Peas (I used frozen and defrosted them first)

In a large, non-stick pan heat oil and add the chorizo, garlic and rosemary. Saute for 5 minutes, then remove and set aside. In the same pan, add the rice and saute for 2-3 minutes. Gradually add one cup of chicken broth at a time, letting it absorb into the rice before each new addition. Next, add the water. When the water has almost absorbed, add back in the chorizo mixture, peas, cheese and butter. Mix well until the liquid has absorbed and it's creamy. Serves 4 for a main meal and 6-8 as a side dish.

Enjoy!