Week 1 Recipe Re-Write Challenge

It's a long one, and I haven't taken any photos because I don't have time to make it until after the 4th of July parade. We're marching in the darned thing, and we have to practice again before the parade Saturday morning. So, we'll be grilling Saturday evening and then shooting off fireworks over the lake. (Since we have drought conditions we have to shoot off the fireworks over the lake so we don't start grassfires.)

Anyhow, the challenge was to take a sinful dish and to rework it into something a healthier...

Our favorite celebratory meal is at a local Mexican restaurant just down the road called Rancheros. Tommy and I like to share the Parrilla Poblana, which is a type of fajita dish. We’re native Texans, and we like beef. So, we usually get the beef. So, this dish is totally loaded with fat and swimming in butter, not to mention the lard from the flour tortillas.

Parrilla Poblana: a traditional mix of beef, chicken or pork fajita, served with poblano pepper, onions and bacon grilled to perfection, served with guacamole, pico de gallo, borracho beans and tortillas

Disclaimer – I don’t cook. So, I am making this as simple as possible so I can’t mess it up. I will probably have my husband, who does all our cooking, in the kitchen with me so I don’t blow it. I'll post photos later to make it as Brandi-proof (dummy-proof) as possible too.

So here’s my attempt at making it better.

Step 1: First you have to marinate the chicken.
Ingredients:
2 lbs of thawed chicken breast strips, 2 cups of Tequila, 2 Tbsp of salt, 1 Tbsp of chili powder, 1 tsp of pepper, 1/4 cup of lime juice, 3 cups of water, 1 Ziploc baggie
Directions:
Put the chicken in the Ziploc. Mix the liquids with the spices. Add them to the Ziploc. Seal the bag and make sure the chicken is covered by the marinade. Let the chicken marinate in the fridge for 3 hours.

Step 2: Make the pico de gallo.
Ingredients:
1 med onion
3 tomatoes
2 Tbsp lime juice
Cilantro leaves
1-2 jalapeños, sliced

Directions:
Chop the onion, tomatoes, and jalapeños. Mix gently. Add lime juice. Mix in cilantro leaves. Store in the fridge. Some will be used inside the fajitas, and some will be used as garnish atop the black bean soup.

Step 3: Make the fajitas.
Ingredients:
The marinated chicken, 3-4 poblano peppers sliced lengthwise, turkey bacon, 2 medium onions cut into long strips, Pam cooking spray, and set aside the following (½ can Progresso black bean soup, Dozen low carb whole grain tortillas, and the pico de gallo)

Directions:
Grill the chicken outside on the grill. A Texan will tell you a gas grill doesn’t make authentic fajitas. But, in a pinch, it’ll do. We prefer Mesquite pieces in our BBQ pit. You can even grill it on top of your stove. Sautee the poblano peppers, turkey bacon and some onions with a little Pam.

Step 4: Finishing touches.
Top with Weight Watchers Monterrey jack cheese, plain yogurt instead of sour cream, and pico de gallo instead of guacamole. Serve with the black bean soup. Top the soup with a little pico de gallo.