Low calorie Mexican recipes??

Jasdramaqueen
Jasdramaqueen Posts: 55 Member
edited September 23 in Recipes
I am desperate for some Mexican food but the supermarket only has the ready made sauces..I was thinking of grilled chicken tortillas with peppers, onions and low fat cheese...does anyone know any low cal, health sauce recipes?

Many thanks in advance!

Replies

  • baypathgradLyns
    baypathgradLyns Posts: 639 Member
    bump
  • bekdavis
    bekdavis Posts: 290 Member
    what type of sauce are you searching for? what is your vision?
  • LJ0125
    LJ0125 Posts: 89
    Last night I grilled some chicken in a fajita marinade (I think it was by Simply Organic, 20 calories). I saved some of the marinade and grilled tons of onions and peppers in the marinade. I used fat free sour cream and mexican cheese. I added some homemade salsa to it and threw it all on a whole wheat tortilla. It was delicious and super filling.
    Hope this helps.
  • bekdavis
    bekdavis Posts: 290 Member
    I love to top this on my tortillas.


    Black Bean Corn Salsa

    Salsa does just not have to be served with the traditional tortilla chips anymore. This black bean corn salsa is a great addition to any meal, or dish. Best of all, it is a fat free and low calorie accompaniment.

    Ingredients:
    1 can black beans – drained and washed
    1 can corn – drained
    1/2 cup diced red onion
    1/4 cup diced jalapenos
    1/2 cup chopped cilantro
    1/4 cup fresh lime juice
    2 large tomatoes – diced
    2 cloves garlic – chopped
    salt and pepper to taste

    Directions:
    Wash all your veggies, drain all your canned goods, and cut as described. Combine all into a plastic or glass container.

    Chill in the refrigerator at least 8 hours, or overnight, before serving.

    Tip From Chef Bek:
    Do not use a metal container to store the salsa. The acids in the lime juice and tomatoes will have a reaction with the metal.

    Serving Suggestions:
    Serve with warm tortilla chips.
    Serve as a sauce for fresh fish.
    Wrap in a warm tortilla with chicken, sliced avocado, and lettuce.
    Place inside a breakfast omelet.
    Add to a bed of mixed greens with some crushed tortilla chips.
  • ashlee954
    ashlee954 Posts: 1,112 Member
    You probably already know this but salsa is very low cal. I use this on everything!
  • MOMvsFOOD
    MOMvsFOOD Posts: 654 Member
    YES!!! I wasnt going to post this yet, but for you I just finished it up!!!!

    Its a delicious, hearty and filling Mexican Lasagna, swapped up a bit to make it affordable for a calorie watcher. You would never know by tasting it though!

    http://momvsfood.blogspot.com/2011/01/mexican-lasagne.html
  • lisafrancis629
    lisafrancis629 Posts: 287
    The other day I put 4 thin-sliced, boneless skinless chicken breast in a backing dish. Sprinkled dry taco seasoning on each breast and then put about 1/4 cup of salsa on each breast. Cooked for about 20 minutes. Drained the excess water/liquid out and took 2 forks and shredded the chicken. Added some chopped red peppers and onions and a little more taco seasoning and salsa and cooked an addtional 15 minutes. It was delicious :love: Put some in a lettuce leaf, added small amount of cheese and had me a good 'ol lettuce wrap taco. Calories were very low but sodium was up there because of the taco seasoning and salsa. But well worth it when your craving mexican.
  • LJ0125
    LJ0125 Posts: 89
    I want to save these recipes but how do I do that? I think it is called "bump"?
  • MOMvsFOOD
    MOMvsFOOD Posts: 654 Member
    AND this goes great with it, 1/2 cup is enough to accompany the lasagna and has so many veggies its only 1/4 rice to 1/4 veg.

    http://momvsfood.blogspot.com/2011/01/quick-mexican-rice.html
  • MOMvsFOOD
    MOMvsFOOD Posts: 654 Member
    The other day I put 4 thin-sliced, boneless skinless chicken breast in a backing dish. Sprinkled dry taco seasoning on each breast and then put about 1/4 cup of salsa on each breast. Cooked for about 20 minutes. Drained the excess water/liquid out and took 2 forks and shredded the chicken. Added some chopped red peppers and onions and a little more taco seasoning and salsa and cooked an addtional 15 minutes. It was delicious :love: Put some in a lettuce leaf, added small amount of cheese and had me a good 'ol lettuce wrap taco. Calories were very low but sodium was up there because of the taco seasoning and salsa. But well worth it when your craving mexican.

    I have an AWESOME low sodium taco seasoning too!
    http://momvsfood.blogspot.com/2010/09/taco-seasoning.html
  • TriciaBgt
    TriciaBgt Posts: 1
    I made this the other night after finding the recipe in an old issue of Cooking Light magazine I had laying around. It was delicious and the portions are generous.

    To simplify you could easily use pre-made salsa instead of making the charred salsa yourself.

    http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=50400000109636

    Mexican Chicken Casserole with Charred Tomato Salsa

    Total: 1 hour, 10 minutes
    Yield: 8 servings
    Ingredients

    Salsa:
    8 plum tomatoes, halved and seeded
    3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
    1 small onion, peeled and chopped
    1 seeded jalapeño pepper, quartered
    Cooking spray
    1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
    3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
    1/8 teaspoon black pepper

    Casserole:
    1 cup chopped onion
    1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
    1 cup diced zucchini
    1 cup chopped red bell pepper
    3 cups shredded cooked chicken breast
    1 tablespoon minced garlic
    2 teaspoons chili powder
    1 teaspoon ground cumin
    1 (10-ounce) can green chile enchilada sauce
    1 (4-ounce) can chopped green chiles
    12 (6-inch) corn tortillas
    1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
    1 cup (4 ounces) crumbled feta cheese

    Preparation
    1. Preheat broiler.

    2. To prepare salsa, combine first 4 ingredients on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Broil 20 minutes or until charred, stirring once. Remove from oven; cool slightly. Place tomato mixture in a food processor; add cilantro, lime juice, and pepper. Process until smooth. Set aside.

    3. Preheat oven to 350°.

    4. To prepare casserole, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Lightly coat pan with cooking spray. Add 1 cup onion, corn, zucchini, and bell pepper; sauté 6 minutes or until tender. Add chicken and next 5 ingredients (through green chiles); sauté 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Remove from heat.

    5. Spread 1/2 cup salsa over the bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange half of tortillas over salsa. Spoon 2 cups chicken mixture evenly over tortillas. Top with 3/4 cup salsa. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of each cheese. Repeat layers, starting with remaining tortillas and ending with remaining cheeses. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes until bubbly.

    Nutritional Information
    Calories:331
    Fat:12.3g (sat 6.1g,mono 2.8g,poly 1.2g)
    Protein:26.1g
    Carbohydrate:30.8g
    Fiber:4.2g
    Cholesterol:74mg
    Iron:1.6mg
    Sodium:535mg
    Calcium:242mg

    Sidney Fry, MS, RD, Cooking Light, JANUARY 2011
  • melizerd
    melizerd Posts: 870 Member
    If you google fajita marinade you get great recipes. It's just lime juice, and seasonings so it's low cal. You can decide how spicy you want it.

    I'm Mecican and most real recipes are figure friendly. Use corn tortillas instead of flour and ground turkey or shredded chicken.
  • eva78
    eva78 Posts: 16
    Yummy, I'm going to try some of these later. Thanks all :wink:
  • MelissaL582
    MelissaL582 Posts: 1,422 Member
    Pico de gallo (I make my own) is really low in calories too and that's what I add to most of my Spanish meals.
  • GURLEY_GIRL3
    GURLEY_GIRL3 Posts: 347 Member
    FOUND THIS THE OTHER DAY...SOUNDS GREAT AND EASY

    A FEW POUNDS OF CHICKEN BREAST
    CAN OF MEXICAN STEWED TOMATOES
    PACKET OF TACO SEASONING
    CORN OR FLOUR TORTILLAS (USE WHOLE WHEAT)
    SHREDDED CHEDDAR CHEESE
    ENCHILADA SAUCE

    PUT THE CHICKEN BREAST, TOMATOES AND TACO SEASONING IN CROCKPOT ON LOW FOR 5-6 HOURS. BY THEN U CAN TAKE THE CHICKEN OUT AND SHRED W/ A FORK....PUT BACK IN POT.

    FILL EACH TORTILLA W/ CHICKEN MIXTURE AND ROLL IT UP IN A BAKING DISH. ROLL AS MANY AS U NEED. POUR ENCHILADA SAUCE OVER THEM AND SPRINKE W/ CHEESE..PUT IN OVEN UNITL CHEESE MELTS
  • GURLEY_GIRL3
    GURLEY_GIRL3 Posts: 347 Member
    Pico de gallo (I make my own) is really low in calories too and that's what I add to most of my Spanish meals.

    LOVE THIS ALSO!!
  • pniana
    pniana Posts: 254 Member
    The Cooking Light Mexican Chicken Casserole with Charred Salsa is absolutely FANTASTIC! My husband said it is the best thing I've ever made. There are a lot of steps but it is totally worth it. I shaved a few more calories off by reducing the number of tortillas to 8 and using Low Fat Feta Cheese. MAKE THIS, you won't be sorry.
  • rjulian20
    rjulian20 Posts: 21
    get a blender. 1 carton of tommy toes (little tomatoes), 1 or 2 jalapenos (depending on how hot or mild you want it), 1/2 medium size red onion chopped, 1/2 C cilantro (remove leaved from stems because stems give off bitter taste), lemon juice and garlic powder to taste.....blend up. i like to have some chunk to my salsa so i chop up some more onion into bigger pieces and add to salsa and also throw in some more cilantro.....all your ingredients are fresh & if you really want to get crafty....make your own tortilla chips!
  • jenmcgraw
    jenmcgraw Posts: 40 Member
    FOUND THIS THE OTHER DAY...SOUNDS GREAT AND EASY

    A FEW POUNDS OF CHICKEN BREAST
    CAN OF MEXICAN STEWED TOMATOES
    PACKET OF TACO SEASONING
    CORN OR FLOUR TORTILLAS (USE WHOLE WHEAT)
    SHREDDED CHEDDAR CHEESE
    ENCHILADA SAUCE

    PUT THE CHICKEN BREAST, TOMATOES AND TACO SEASONING IN CROCKPOT ON LOW FOR 5-6 HOURS. BY THEN U CAN TAKE THE CHICKEN OUT AND SHRED W/ A FORK....PUT BACK IN POT.

    FILL EACH TORTILLA W/ CHICKEN MIXTURE AND ROLL IT UP IN A BAKING DISH. ROLL AS MANY AS U NEED. POUR ENCHILADA SAUCE OVER THEM AND SPRINKE W/ CHEESE..PUT IN OVEN UNITL CHEESE MELTS

    Yum cant wait to make this!!!
  • tn2010
    tn2010 Posts: 228 Member
    get a blender. 1 carton of tommy toes (little tomatoes), 1 or 2 jalapenos (depending on how hot or mild you want it), 1/2 medium size red onion chopped, 1/2 C cilantro (remove leaved from stems because stems give off bitter taste), lemon juice and garlic powder to taste.....blend up. i like to have some chunk to my salsa so i chop up some more onion into bigger pieces and add to salsa and also throw in some more cilantro.....all your ingredients are fresh & if you really want to get crafty....make your own tortilla chips!

    You can do this same recipe with tomatillos for a salsa verde. Either boil them until their color changes, or if you want to do it quicker, just add a can or two of tomatillos from the Mexican aisle of your grocery store. I add fresh garlic and some cumin, too.
  • Fgillies
    Fgillies Posts: 194
    You probably already know this but salsa is very low cal. I use this on everything!

    Agree! I even use it on baked potatos!!!


    * also, i do mini taco's...

    96% lean ground beef
    Baked Tosititos scoops
    Fat free shredded cheese
    low fat sour cream
    salsa
    lettuce (whatever veggies you want too)
    Then fill about 10 little scoops with filling and enjoy!!!

    :)

    Today is Taco Thursday for me, excited- one of my fave foods!
  • kristilovescake
    kristilovescake Posts: 669 Member
    I just made shredded/pulled chicken tacos last night.. for the sauce I used a 15oz can of tomato sauce (not paste) and a can of diced tomatoes with chili powder, cumin, oregano, and salt & pepper to taste and cooked the chicken in it for 20-ish minutes until it was done, shred the chicken then put back into the sauce. I found the original recipe on allrecipes.com and searched for "chicken tacos" or similar (I think it was submitted by Goya brand? I tweaked the recipe quite a bit by omitting a bunch of stuff and reducing the amount of seasonings so it wasn't as spicy).

    I added refried beans, whole black beans, nonfat sour cream (you could add lettuce but I didn't have lettuce at home) and put it in a lower calorie whole wheat tortilla (don't remember what the brand was, but it's only 50 cal per tortilla! found them in Safeway). Tastes good even without cheese, but you could add a bit if you want.

    They turned out amazingly delicious.
  • jaitken_22
    jaitken_22 Posts: 212 Member
    I have a recipe for express chicken fajita salad which I tried out for the first time recently and it was delicious! I posted it on the recipes message board recently, which you may be able to access via my profile. If you can't find it and you are interested, send me a private message and I can send you the recipe.
  • LongLiveJen
    LongLiveJen Posts: 18 Member
    I made this Halibut Burrito Casserole from Clean Eating Magazine and it was a hit in the household. I used Cod rather than Halibut (due to the budget) and even topped it with some low-fat sour cream, and extra salsa of course!

    http://www.livestrong.com/recipes/halibut-black-bean-burrito-casserole-clean-eating-magazine/
  • sbusch21
    sbusch21 Posts: 43
    bump
  • Jasdramaqueen
    Jasdramaqueen Posts: 55 Member
    These are all brilliant- thanks so much guys! Am especially loving the fat free salsa (no I didn't know!) and mexican lasagne...yum yum!
  • schpanks
    schpanks Posts: 468 Member
    Now that I've read this, I feel like I want to go home and make seitan fajitas. Yummy!
  • haleyga
    haleyga Posts: 6
    I like this recipe from Cooking Light:
    http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=10000000642373

    Tex Mex Lasagna

    Yield: 4 servings
    Ingredients

    * 3/4 cup bottled salsa
    * 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
    * 1 (14.5-ounce) can no salt-added diced tomatoes
    * 1 (8-ounce) can no salt-added tomato sauce
    * Cooking spray
    * 6 precooked lasagna noodles (such as Barilla or Vigo)
    * 1 cup frozen whole-kernel corn, thawed
    * 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
    * 2 cups (8 ounces) preshredded reduced-fat 4-cheese Mexican blend cheese
    * 1/4 cup chopped green onions

    Preparation

    Preheat oven to 450°.

    Combine first 4 ingredients; spread 2/3 cup sauce in bottom of an 8-inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange 2 noodles over sauce; top with 1/2 cup corn and half of beans. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup cheese; top with 2/3 cup sauce. Repeat layers once; top with remaining 2 noodles. Spread remaining sauce over noodles. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup cheese. Cover and bake at 450° for 30 minutes or until noodles are tender and sauce is bubbly. Let stand 15 minutes. Sprinkle with onions.
    Nutritional Information

    Calories:
    415 (29% from fat)
    Fat:
    13.3g (sat 6.1g,mono 3.8g,poly 0.9g)
    Protein:
    27.2g
    Carbohydrate:
    55.2g
    Fiber:
    10.4g
    Cholesterol:
    41mg
    Iron:
    3.9mg
    Sodium:
    970mg
    Calcium:
    518mg

    Karen Levin, Cooking Light, JUNE 2004
  • shander7
    shander7 Posts: 613 Member
    Does anyone have any low cal veggie burrito recipes??
  • lklein
    lklein Posts: 215 Member
    I also love this website: http://www.skinnytaste.com/. She had tons of recipes for mexican food inaddtion to other great recipes. This is the most recent mexican dish I've made... I put the chicken in a salad with salsa for dressing.
    Chicken Ropa Vieja
    Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes

    Servings: 4 • Serving Size: 1 cup • Old Points: 4 pts • Points+: 5 pts
    Calories: 234.8 • Fat: 5.4 g • Protein: 31.3 g • Carb: 12.8 g • Fiber: 2.6 g

    3 chicken breast halves
    1 small onion, quartered
    1 tomato, quartered
    1 carrot, peeled and chopped
    2 cloves garlic, peeled
    1 tbsp olive oil
    1 small onion, thinly sliced
    1 small green bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
    1 small red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
    1/4 cup dry white wine
    1/2 cup tomato sauce
    reserved broth

    1 tsp cumin, or more to taste (I like a lot)
    garlic powder
    salt and pepper to taste
    Place chicken, onion, tomato, carrot, and 2 cloves of garlic into crock pot. Add water to cover, and set to high for 4 hours until the chicken is tender. If cooking on the stove, cook on medium-low, and simmer until the chicken is tender, 30 to 40 minutes. Place the chicken into a bowl and shred it into strips using a fork; set aside. Reserve the liquid.

    In a large deep skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic, onions, green peppers, and red peppers. Cook about 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in chicken, tomato sauce, white wine, and about 3/4 cup of the reserved broth to create a nice sauce. Season with cumin, garlic powder salt, and pepper. Cover and simmer on low for about 10 minutes more adding more broth and seasoning if needed. Makes 4 cups
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