Blackened Chicken Tacos

I totally forgot about these until this week, but I used to make them in California all the time and they are awesome! And easy too! This is a really yummy summer recipe.

4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
About 1/2 cup vegetable oil
Blackening seasoning
(Cayenne pepper, paprika, red pepper flakes, salt, white pepper, garlic powder, onion powder)

Directions:
1. Cut the chicken breast into 1 inch strips
2. Fully coat chicken strips in blackening seasoning
3. Heat vegetable oil in a large cooking skillet to med-high
4. Cook chicken strips in oil for 3-4 minutes on each side
5. Depending on the thickness of the chicken, I usually through it in the oven at 350, for 5 to 10 minutes to make sure the chicken is fully cooked.

Serve with:
Tortillas
Black Beans
Shredded Cheese
Mango Salsa (If you have never tried this before, you should and it goes very well with this meal since it comes out pretty spicy. The sweetness of this salsa complements the blacked chicken really well.) You can also make this from scratch if you have the time and culinary skills!

New Recipes Finally!!

Well, I apologize for be soo far behind on posting our recipes ladies! But we had two winners at this months recipe exchange, Teresa Wilkins and Krista Austin and their recipes are posted below! Enjoy! And thank you for being patient!

Courtney

P.S. I am feeling great and about done with school for the semester so feel free to email me any other recipes you want to share and I will post them right away!

Lemon Raseberry Cupcakes

Submitted by Krista Austin

Filling:

1/4 cup frozen raspberries, thawed
2 tablespoons beet puree
2 tablespoons confectioner's sugar
1 tablespoon margarine spread

Batter:

1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup skim milk
1/2 cup yellow squash puree
1/3 cup canola or vegetable oil
2 large egg whites
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon pure lemon extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Frosting (optional):

1-8 oz package reduced fat cream cheese
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
1 teaspoon pure lemon extract

Preheat oven to 350. Coat 12-cup muffin tin with
cooking spray or line with baking cups.

For the filling, puree the raspberries, beet puree,
sugar and margarine in a blender or food processor,
set aside.

For the batter, beat the sugar in a large bowl with the milk,
yellow squash puree, oil, egg whites, lemon juice and lemon
extract until smooth. Add the flour, baking powder and
salt, then mix until incorporated.

Using about half the batter, fill each muffin cup one-third full.
Dot each with the raspberry filling, then cover with the rest of
the batter.

Bake until the tops of the cupcakes are lightly browned and
spring back to the touch, 20 to 25 minutes. Turn the cupcakes
out onto a rack to cool.

For the frosting, beat together the cream cheese, sugar and
lemon extract. Spread the frosting over

Hidden Veggie Tater-Topped Beef Cassarole

Submitted by Teresa Wilkins

1 pound lean ground beef (can sub ground turkey, chicken or sausage)

1 cup chopped onion

1 can condensed cream of celery soup, undiluted

3/4 cup milk

2 or 3 cups of frozen Veggies, cooked and pureed in food chopper

3 to 3 1/2 cups frozen Tater Tots

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

In a skillet, cook beef and onion until meat is done, then drain.
In a sauce pan, cook veggies and then puree in a food chopper.
Veggies will still be warm so be careful. Stir in soup, milk and
veggies. Transfer to a baking dish coated with cooking spray.
Top with Tater Tots. Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 30-45 minutes
or until bubbly. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake 5-10 minutes longer
until cheese melts. Yield: 6-8 servings. Can cut recipe in half.