Skinny Verde Chicken Enchiladas

April 22, 2015 Amanda Plott

With Cinco de Mayo right around the corner, I thought it would be a great week to fill with lots of Mexican inspired dishes! I'm all about Mexican food. I could seriously eat it every single day without complaint. My grandmother who is visiting me right now is the same way... and my mother as well. Oh, and my little one could eat her weight in beans and rice.

Yep, four generations of Mexican food loving women in my house right now!

I say Mexican food but, it's really more 'Tex-Mex'. I'm well aware that our idea here in the States of Mexican food is vastly different from what they actually eat in Mexico.

Yep! I've had real Mexican food before.

Regardless, one of my most favorite dishes are sour cream chicken enchiladas. So, I've taken those enchiladas and lightened them as best I can...

Couscous Crusted Chicken Tenders with Corn & Tomato Salad

April 9, 2015 Amanda Plott

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Sargento. The opinions and text are all mine.

Comments submitted may be displayed on other websites owned by the sponsoring brand.

Who watches Chopped? I do, I do! It's one of my most favorite shows. I love to watch the cooks on there immediately having to think on their feet with a basket of rather random and sometimes even off-putting ingredients.

Growing up, it was a weekly challenge to go through the fridge, freezer, and pantry to use up any and all leftovers into a completely new and delicious meal. My dad, being in the food industry all of my life, was all about repurposing food and making sure nothing went to waste! So, the show Chopped has always been right up my ally.

Sargento® is hosting a “Chopped at Home” contest, so today's post is a little different since I'm getting creative and doing a Chopped-inspired dish featuring Sargento® Shredded Cheese. The challenge was to use the following real ingredients: Sargento® Off the Block 4 Cheese Mexican, boneless chicken tenders, couscous, and salsa!...

Vegan Cauliflower Rice Taco Bowls

February 26, 2015 Amanda Plott

A while back I came across the idea of cauliflower rice. At first I was a bit skeptical, but after the first time I tried it, I knew it would be an instant hit. I've made it several times now and somehow it just never manages to make it here, for one reason or another.

I knew that I wanted to make the cauliflower rice to go in some sort of taco bowl, but wasn't exactly sure where I wanted to go with it beyond that. Then I remember that I had made this green goddess dressing a while back, and absolutely fell in love with it. I kept trying to think of other ways in which to use it and finally came to the conclusion that the most of the ingredients in it would make for a perfect cilantro lime avocado dressing.

Aha! Perfect to go with my cauliflower rice bowl!

Once I had some of the basics nailed down, I let my local produce for the week speak for me and I ended up with a veggie-full bowl of wonderfulness...

Crock Pot Pork Chile Verde

November 20, 2014 Amanda Plott

I had some leftover tamales that I stored in my freezer a week or so ago, and I was wanting something warm to pair them with that wasn't chili. I'm a little burned out on beans lately. Gasp! No, no. Just meat and vegetables here. Somewhere in the midst of racking my brain, I remembered this Mexican style stew that they serve up at one of the favorite local Mexican places here in Austin. Pork green chile verde.

The name is debatable. It's called 'green chile verde' because it's made with green chiles. Not because it comes out green in the end result. Generally, pork chile verde is a slow simmered pork that's stewed in hatch green chiles...

Lily's Lunch Box (Week 5) - Tex-Mex

August 25, 2014 Amanda Plott

There's two things I can always count on getting my little one to eat. Beans and rice! In fact, she takes her beans and rice plain. No salt. No 'spice'... just a sprinkle of cheese and she's done. She has been that way with beans and rice for her entire life.

Though it's not my way of eating them, I'm more than happy to oblige her with this small request. Thankfully, corn and mandarine oranges are two more things that are on the top of her 'will always eat' list. What does that give you? A fun tex-mex lunch idea!...

Skinny Southwest Chicken Dip (Crock Pot)

August 6, 2014 Amanda Plott

I was craving something that was a little 'snacky' for a dinner this week. Sometimes, you just don't feel like having a meal for a meal. If that makes any sense at all to anyone else. So I settled on a chicken dip.

A while back I made a really tasty Skinny Buffalo Chicken Dip before, but since this was going to be partially for dinner, I wanted something that was a little different and maybe had some more substance to it. I did, however, use the same basic idea from the buffalo dip to create this southwest version of it.

This southwest chicken dip was nothing short of amazing, and it totally didn't feel or taste as if there was anything skinny or light about it. It's always nice to feel as if you're indulging, even if you aren't!...