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Debi's Hot DishesIt’s A Wrap |
I mentioned in my last column that I was taking a very educational nutrition class. The class discusses balancing protein, vegetables and fruit, avoiding sugars, soft drinks and a lot of white carbohydrates and fried foods as it turns to fat. I have been trying to apply my new education in my meals and have discovered that wraps make an easy, healthy, tasty balanced meal, especially when served with fresh fruit. In addition, these are fairly inexpensive to make.
Included in this column is another delicious dessert dish—it’s tough to make dessert healthy, but I am working on it!
Chicken Wrap
1/2 pound chicken breast tenders (can be boneless, skinless or oven baked)
black pepper to taste
pinch of cayenne
1/2 cup mayonnaise
romaine lettuce, chopped
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
4 lg tortillas (I used jalapeño cheddar, but any flavor will work)
Cook chicken breast tenders as directed on package.
Spread mayonnaise on tortilla until coated (about 2-3 T per tortilla). Sprinkle about 1/3 cup of shredded lettuce and 1/4 cup of shredded cheddar cheese on tortilla, then add chicken tenders. To roll, fold in two sides of tortilla; then roll up from remaining unfolded side, slice in half and serve. It’s a wrap! Serve with fruit of your choice. Half pound of meat will serve 4.
Steak & Cheese Wrap
1/2 pound of sirloin steak, thinly sliced
1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 sweet onion, thinly sliced
1 tsp garlic powder, plus 1 reserved tsp garlic powder
pepper to taste
sea salt to taste
2 T olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup lime juice
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
4 large tortillas of your choice
In medium bowl, mix steak with lime juice and balsamic vinegar, 1 tsp garlic powder, pepper and salt. Marinate in refrigerator overnight or cook right away. In large skillet over medium-high heat, add olive oil, then steak, mushrooms and remaining tsp of garlic. When steak has cooked for about 5 minutes to medium rare, add onion and peppers. Stir fry for about 5 more minutes and remove from heat. Lay out fresh tortilla of your choice, add about 1/3 cup of meat and veggie mixture and spread out evenly over tortilla; add about 1/4 cup of shredded cheddar, and roll as in recipe above. Serves 4.
Afternoon Chocolate Delight
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup butter, melted
8 oz package of cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
16 oz container frozen whipped topping, thawed and divided
3 cups milk or half and half
2 - 3.9 pkgs instant chocolate pudding mix
2 - 1.45 oz chocolate toffee candy bars, crushed
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In medium mixing bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs and melted butter. Press into a 9 x 13 inch pan, pat down firmly and bake for 20 minutes. Let cool. In large bowl, beat together cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Fold in half of the whipped topping and spread mixture on top of cooled crust. In large bowl combine milk and chocolate pudding mix. Beat until thick. Pour over cream cheese layer, then top with remaining whipped topping and sprinkle crushed chocolate toffee bars on top.