We Texans, we love our Mexican food. Well I guess technically it's TexMex, but nonetheless we bleed salsa! Have you ever been in another state and craved Mexican food? And, you find a joint and ugh it is terrible? Happened to me any number of times. In fact, Ad man and I always go to Mi Cocina as soon as we get back from just about any trip because we miss it so much. But, the bad part is that nothing can rack up the calories as quickly as a plate of gloppy (yet delicious) enchiladas, tacos, fajitas or tamales. Even taco salad can be a diet-downer.
So what is a girl to do on Cinco de Mayo? The day that you HAVE to eat Mexican food? The day that it is MANDATORY to drink a margarita? Well, this naked stretcher gets her salsa on the healthy way!
Here are some ideas to serve up tonight:
Light Turkey Tacos
Instead of using ground beef or taco shells, use lean ground turkey and soft corn tortillas. The big diet disaster when eating out is that restaurants generally soak their tortillas in oil (ahhhh!!!!) before using them in dishes like tacos and enchiladas. It helps keep them pliable. You don't have to do that, though. Just wrap the tortillas in a damp paper towel and heat for 30 seconds to 1 minute in the microwave. They will still be delicious.
We mix our ground turkey with chopped red onions, cilantro and a low-sodium taco seasoning packet (I like Lawry's).
Wrap in corn tortillas and enjoy. A good serving size is two tacos.
Skinny Enchiladas
Just season the chicken with salt & pepper, bake and shred. Then stuff corn tortillas with chicken, salsa and a tiny bit of cheese. Bake until bubbly. Top with green enchilada sauce and very sparingly with shredded reduced fat cheese.
Salsa Chicken
My BFF makes the BEST salsa. She has a simple, yet delicious recipe. Just grill chicken and top with this salsa. Serve with corn and enjoy!
Here's how to make the salsa...
Broil two jalapenos (tops removed), a white onion (sliced into four pieces) and 2 Roma tomatoes under broiler until brown. Drop into blender with chopped garlic (1 TBS), salt and one can of whole tomatoes. Pulse. Then add fresh cilantro to taste. Mmmm...the best! If you like it mucho caliente, add more jalapeno.
Bare Burrito
Put all the fixin's for a burrito into a bowl - no tortilla. Use grilled chicken, black beans, salsa, cilantro, avocado, corn, light shredded cheese (sparingly) and top with a small dollop of light sour cream. Also delish over fresh salad greens.
Skinny Chick Margarita
I've shared this before, but ya'll this is a MUST for today!
3 oz. fresh lime juice
4 oz. white wine
Splash of lemon juice
1/2 cup Splenda or Truvia
Ice
Lime wedges for garnish
In a blender, combine white wine, lime juice, Splenda/Truvia, and ice. Blend until ice is just crushed and mixture well blended (do not allow the ice to become a puree).
Serve in Margarita Glasses garnished with a lime wedge. Makes 2 to 3 servings. Only 120 calories per serving.
Ok, now let's talk garnishes for all these lovely delights. This is where you get into real trouble when it comes to Mexican food. Top all the dishes above (save the margarita, of course) with light versions of your favorites. Light sour cream and light cheese. And AVOID queso. It's delicious, but you can get the same cheese flavor from shredded cheese and much fewer calories. Queso is so concentrated that there are much more calories per square inch, if you think about it that way. A TBS of shredded cheese is half the calories of a TBS of queso.
Anyway, guacamole is another delicious, yet comes at a high cost (in calories). Avocados are GOOD for you, but not in mass quantities. Just use one avocado for your guac and make a mini portion (share it with someone, too!)
I also love to garnish things with cilantro, it smells great, looks pretty and adds a lot of flavor at virtually NO calories.
Things to Avoid?
- Refried beans - way too much oil!
- Full fat sour cream - light tastes just as good!
- QUESO (see above)
- Too many chips and salsa - 12 chips pack close to 200 calories! Dip a corn tortilla into salsa, WAY less calories and not fried.
- Spanish rice - delicious but full of butter or oil, plus it's a heavy carb
- Oily meats - if your enchiladas or tacos drip with a shiny, oily substance, drop 'em and run away quickly
- Sugary margaritas - Have a fun happy hour, but either make the recipe above or ask for a fresh lime margarita. They cost more, but worth it for saving calories (they are stronger, too). Oh and be sure to ask for the fresh lime margarita WITHOUT sugar. Add it yourself using Splenda.
Ok, so off with you to enjoy your Fiesta!
P.S. Did you notice how many times I used the word delicious in this post? I suppose it's just a testament to how much I love Mexican food.
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