Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Fajita Chicken dinner


This is a pretty good dinner with Fajita Chicken, Mexican corn, and fresh Tortillas.  It's a pretty quick and  easy dish except for the fresh tortillas.  The tortillas are a bit time consuming but well worth the effort.  These are low fat and I can regulate the sodium since I control the salt.

Flour Tortillas:

  •   2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided, plus a little extra for rolling out the tortillas
  •     3 tablespoons canola oil
  •     3/4 teaspoon salt
  •     3/4 cup very warm tap water
Preparation

    Combine 1/2 cup flour and the oil in a small bowl and place in the freezer for 1 hour.
    Place the remaining 2 1/4 cups flour in a large bowl and work in the oil-flour mixture quickly with your fingers, until pea-sized lumps remain. Dissolve salt in warm water. Pour it over the dry ingredients and immediately work it in with a fork; the dough will be in large clumps rather than a homogeneous mass. If all the dry ingredients haven’t been dampened, add a little more water, 1 teaspoon at a time, until the dough clumps together. Scoop the dough onto your work surface and knead until smooth, about 3 minutes. It should be a medium-stiff consistency; definitely not firm but not quite as soft as most bread dough either. (The tortillas may also be mixed in the food processor. Pulse several times, then blend until the fat is thoroughly incorporated. Dissolve salt in 3/4 cup warm water. With the machine running, pour the liquid through the feed tube in a steady stream. Let the machine run until the dough has collected into a ball. If it’s too stiff, divide the dough into several pieces, sprinkle with 1 tablespoon water and process until it forms a ball again.)
    Divide the dough into 12 portions and roll each into a ball. Set them on a plate, cover with plastic wrap and let rest at least 30 minutes to make the dough easier to roll.
    Heat an ungreased griddle or heavy skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Roll out a portion of the dough on a lightly floured surface into an even 7-inch circle. To do this, flatten a ball of dough, flour it, then roll forward and back across it; rotate a sixth of a turn and roll forward and back again; continue rotating and rolling until you reach a 7-inch circle, lightly flouring the tortilla and work surface from time to time.
    Lay the tortilla on the hot griddle (you should hear a faint sizzle and see an almost immediate bubbling across the surface). When there are browned splotches underneath, about 30 to 45 seconds, flip it over. Cook until the other side is browned, 30 to 45 seconds more; don’t overcook the tortilla or it will become crisp. Remove and wrap in a heavy towel. Roll and cook the remaining tortillas in the same manner, stacking them one on top of the other wrapped in the towel.

Nutrition

Per serving : 127 Calories; 4 g Fat; 0 g Sat; 2 g Mono; 0 mg Cholesterol; 20 g Carbohydrates; 3 g Protein; 1 g Fiber; 146 mg Sodium; 28 mg Potassium

Fajita Chicken:
  • 1 LB boneless skinless chicken breasts cubed
  • 1 medium Vidalia onion sliced
  • 1 medium green pepper sliced
  • 2 Tbls Bob's Cajun spice
  • 2 Tbls Olive oil
  • S&P to taste
Toss the chicken in 1 tbls olive oil and 1 tbls cajun spice. Let this sit for 1 to 12 hours.  Heat a cast iron skillet on medium high heat. once hot add remaining 1 tbls olive oil.  Toss in onions and green pepper and saute 3-5 minutes.  Add chicken and let brown turning occasionally until done. On the dish pictured above I did add some grated smoked gouda cheese.

Mexican Corn:
  • 2 ears of corn, kernels removed
  • 1/4 cup small diced red onion
  • 1/4 cup small diced red bell pepper
  • 2 Tbls diced black olives
  • 1 Tbls olive oil
  • S&P to taste
Heat a medium saute pan over medium heat and add olive oil.  Once hot add the red onion and red pepper, saute until translucent. Add corn and cook until just about done, then add the black olives to finish.

You can very this corn adding numerous different ingredients.  Have some fun with it and play around.