Tex Mex Chicken and Zucchini Recipe; I made this with my abundant zucchini and fresh tomatoes. It was delicious. I added sriracha sauce to mine for some heat. Served it with quinoa. We also added diced avocadoes to the top. Delicious and easy

 

Tex Mex Chicken and Zucchini Recipe

Total Time 30minutes 

Servings: 6 servings

Author: Olena Osipov

Ingredients

·         1 lb boneless & skinless chicken breasts cut into 1" pieces

·         2 large zucchini diced

·         2 medium bell peppers chopped

·         1 medium onion finely chopped

·         3 large garlic cloves minced

·         1 cup corn frozen or fresh

·         1 tbsp oil for frying

·         14 oz can low sodium black beans drained & rinsed

·         14 oz can low sodium diced tomatoes not drained

·         1 tsp store bought or homemade taco seasoning

·         1 tbsp cumin divided

·         1 tsp salt

·         Ground black pepper to taste

·         1 cup Tex Mex or Colby Jack cheese shredded

·         1/2 cup green onions chopped

·         1/2 cup cilantro chopped

Instructions

1.                   Preheat large (12 inch) deep skillet on low - medium heat and swirl oil to coat. Add onion, garlic and bell pepper; saute for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2.                   Move vegetables to the side of the skillet and add chicken. Sprinkle with 1 tsp cumin, salt and black pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3.                   Add corn, beans, tomatoes, zucchini, taco seasoning and remaining cumin. Stir, cover and cook on low-medium for 10 minutes.

4.                   Sprinkle with cheese, cover and cook for a few minutes or until cheese has melted. Top with green onion and cilantro.

5.   Serve hot, on its own or with Instant Pot brown rice or Instant Pot quinoa. Or as a garnish, feel free to add sour cream, cilantro and black olives after the cheese was melted. Top with crushed tortilla chips. Use as filling in low carb wraps, garnished with sliced avocado.

Notes

·         Store: Refrigerate covered for up to 3 - 4 days. Do not freeze.

·         To reheat: Simmer on low heat in a skillet for 5 minutes covered. If you use non-stick skillet you should not need any water or oil to reheat the dish as again zucchini will release water.

·         Do not over cook zucchini: Follow the recipe and do not cook until zucchini appear soft and cooked.

·         Cut garden zucchini smaller: Garden zucchini often are giant. Just cut them into cubes instead of quarters.

·         Use very large skillet: This recipe makes a lot and not overcrowded skillet results in more firm zucchini. I used 14 inch Green Pan, you can also use 12 inch skillet with very tall walls, around 2-3 inches high.

 

Optional Add-Ins and Variations

This chicken and zucchini recipe is very versatile and forgiving. Use what you have on hand. Here are a few ideas:

• Ground beef: Substitute lean ground beef or ground pork in place of chicken breasts. Saute ground meat until cooked through, breaking into small pieces. You can also drain extra fat, if you wish.
• For heat: Add chopped, not seeded jalapenos to taste.
• Fresh tomatoes: You can use fresh tomatoes instead of canned tomatoes in this Tex Mex chicken and zucchini. Chop them up and saute for 3-4 minutes after cooking bell peppers and chicken but before adding the zucchini.
• Can of diced green chiles: It will add nice extra Tex Mex flavor.
• Make it vegetarian: Just omit chicken, use meatless crumbles or diced tofu. No other changes to the recipe are necessary.

 

Roasted Fresh Tomato Soup I made this with tomatoes from my garden. I am letting the green tomatoes ripen in my kitchen now that we expect frost. Once they ripen I'll make this delicious soup again.

Roasted Fresh Tomato Soup

 

PREP TIME 10 minutes 

COOK TIME 30 minutes 

SERVINGS 6 servings

Ingredients

·         3 pounds fresh ripe tomatoes

·         4 cloves garlic peeled

·         ½ onion diced

·         ½ red bell pepper diced

·         2 tablespoons olive oil

·         salt & pepper to taste

·         ½ teaspoon dried basil

·         ½ teaspoon dried oregano

·         2 cups chicken broth

·         2 tablespoons fresh herbs basil/parsley/oregano

·         fresh basil & parsley for serving

·         ¼ cup parmesan cheese optional garnish

·         ½ cup heavy cream optional

Instructions

1.                  Preheat oven to 450°F.

2.                  Wash and cut tomatoes (cut in half for smaller apricot sized tomatoes, cut larger tomatoes into quarters or eighths).

3.                  Place tomatoes, garlic, onion, bell pepper, olive oil, salt, pepper and dried herbs on a large pan.

4.                  Roast 25 minutes, stirring after 15 minutes. Turn oven to broil and broil 3-4 minutes or until some of the tomatoes get a little bit of char color on them.

5.                  Bring chicken broth to a boil, add tomatoes, and fresh herbs. Using a hand blender, blend mixture until smooth and creamy. Add heavy cream if using.

6.                  Top with parmesan cheese, croutons or a drizzle of heavy cream.