COACH STACY'S HEALTHY U

Got a hankering for something spicy after a day at the rodeo?  My friend and client Toni sent this dish in from her stash of Weight Watchers recipes.  She says it’s quite simple to prepare and cook – and easy on hips too.

  Mexican Chicken and Bean Pizza

Prep time 12 minutes; Cook time 12 minutes

3 sprays cooking spray

4 small corn tortillas

8 oz uncooked ground chicken

1 tbsp minced garlic

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 cup canned pinto beans rinsed and drained

1/3 cup salsa

1/2 cup cilantro, fresh, chopped, divided

1/4 cup low fat shredded cheese sharp variety

8 tsp reduced fat sour cream

1 medium tomato diced

1/2 medium avocado diced

1 tsp lime juice

 Preheat oven to 425. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.

 Place tortillas on the baking sheet and bake for about 6-8 minutes till they brown a little bit.

 Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium-high heat. Add chicken, garlic, cumin, salt and pepper.  Cook breaking up chunks of chicken with a wooden spoon until cooked through, about 4-5 minutes.

 In a bowl mash beans and salsa with a fork until well blended; stir in 1/4 cup cilantro.

 Spread 1/4 bean mixture over each tortilla; top each with chicken mixture and sprinkle with cheese. Bake until cheese melts and topping is hot – about 3 minutes.

 In a medium bowl toss together tomato, avocado, remaining 1/4 cup cilantro and lime juice.

 Remove pizzas from oven and top with sour cream and avocado mixture.  Toni says you can play with the spices a bit and add what you like to the chicken. This is the original recipe except she added the pepper and more garlic.  Sometimes she adds red pepper flakes too and for reduced calories, she sometimes substitutes more salsa for the sour cream.

This next recipe comes from eDiets.com.  It too has just the right amount of kick after a day of riding and roping.

  Mexican Turkey Bean Chili

 3 oz lean ground turkey

½ cup reduced sodium vegetable broth

1/3 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained

½ cup canned corn, drained

¼ onion, chopped

1/3 cup celery, chopped

½ cup tomato, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tsp chili powder

¼ tsp ground cumin

¼ tsp ground oregano

2 tsp vegetable oil

 Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat.  Add the turkey, onion, chili powder, cumin, oregano, and garlic.  Cook until the turkey is well browned, stirring frequently.  Add in the broth, tomato, beans, corn and celery into the saucepan.  Heat to a boil then reduce heat to low.  Cover and cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, and serve.