So, I totally went searching for new and refreshing lunch options and knew I just had to try these out.  I’m SUPER glad I did because they are SUPER delish!  The spring rolls have flavor, crunch, and plenty of freshness.  The Peanut Dipping Sauce is so perfect for these and has all those Thai flavors that I absolutely love.  This is definitely one of my new favorite lunch items.  They just taste light, healthy and fresh without sacrificing flavor.  I’m glad I found these in time for summer because they will definitely become a summer favorite.  Perfect!  Perfect!  Perfect!  Beau and I both had them two days in a row and we are already wanting to make more.  I’m not even kidding when I tell you that I think they are restaurant worthy and I will have a very hard time ordering spring rolls when dining out in the future.  It’s just hard to justify spending money on something that I know I can make better at home.  We obviously love them!

P.S.  If you want a little cooking tip on the chicken, I will share with you what I learned from a Chinese chef.  She taught me to always marinate my chicken in approximately 1 teaspoon each of soy sauce, rice cooking wine, and cornstarch.  This makes the chicken incredibly moist and adds a touch of flavor.  It doesn’t even have to marinate for long . . . at least 15 minutes, but can marinate overnight.  Thus, I do this nearly EVERY time I put chicken into Asian meals.  I adjust the proportion of the marinade depending on the amount of chicken I cook, but I know that it is always equal in parts.  I truly believe this is a difference maker in my Asian meals.  Per Chef’s instruction, I had to go to an Asian market to buy the Rice Cooking Wine (which really isn’t wine in the alcoholic sense), but it’s totally been worth it!

Chicken and Soba Spring Rolls With Peanut Dipping Sauce
Adapted from Nutritionist in the Kitch

Rolls:
10 sheets rice paper
3 oz soba noodles (dry)
12 oz. chicken breast, cooked and sliced
3/4 cup shredded carrots
1 bell pepper, julienned
2 green onions, cut into strips
small bunch cilantro
small bunch lettuce
1 1/2 teaspoons low sodium soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

Peanut Sauce:
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 lime, juice
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon honey
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh ginger
1/4 cup water

For Rolls: In a large pot heat about 2 cups of water to boil and cook noodles according to package instructions. Run cooked noodles under cold water and drain. Mix in soy sauce and sesame oil with noodles. Set noodles aside.

Fill a shallow dish with warm water (I used a pie plate). Place one sheet of rice paper in dish until it is submerged, soak for 1 minute or so until it becomes soft, carefully set on a clean surface, such as a cutting board, and make sure the sheet does not bend or fold.

Place about 1-2 tablespoons of cooked soba noodles in the middle of the rice paper sheet, top with chicken, shredded carrot (about 1 tablespoon per roll), pepper, onion, a few sprigs of cilantro, and a couple leafs of lettuce.

Fold the top of the rice paper sheet over the filling, then fold in each side, then roll until the opposite end has closed the roll, put on a plate and repeat the process until you have ten spring rolls! (It’s like folding a burrito.  Learning this process may take a little patience, but after the first couple rolls you will get the hang of it!)

For Sauce: Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth.  Serve with cold rolls.  Enjoy!

Serves 5.

Nutritional Information (Per Serving = 2 Rolls with 2 T. of Sauce)
Calories:  333.4
Protein:  24.4g
Carbs:  41.5g
Fat:  8.8g (1.2g = Sat.)
Fiber:  3.9g
Sugars:  7.6g

One of my good friends (and a client too) introduced these to me and boy, am I glad!  They are soooo good that it’s hard to believe that they qualify as healthy.  They are packed with an intense flavor due to the salsa verde and cilantro.  Plus, they have a nice heartiness and creaminess due to the cream cheese (yeah . . . cream cheese!!) and Mexican cheese blend.  Besides all of that, they are easy to throw together and are FAST (so long as you’ve cooked and shredded your chicken beforehand, and even if you haven’t . . . the process is still pretty quick).  We’ve eaten these twice in the last two weeks, which is saying something because the leftovers last us for a couple of days.

I totally think you should try these . . . TONIGHT!

Green Chile Verde Enchiladas
Adapted from Dinner to the Rescue

1 pound cooked chicken breast, shredded
2 green onions, chopped
3 tablespoons light cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup reduced fat Mexican cheese blend, divided
14 ounces salsa verde (green salsa)
2 tablespoons chopped green chiles (I used canned)
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1/3 cup nonfat half and half
12 corn tortillas (I used Mission Thin)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a medium bowl, thoroughly combine the meat, green onions, cream cheese, and 1/2 cup cheese.  Set aside.

In a blender or food processor, combine salsa verde, chiles, cilantro, and half and half.  Blend until smooth.

Soften tortillas before filling them so they’ll roll nicely for you without breaking to pieces.  (I do this in the microwave in batches.  I place two damp paper towels in the microwave, put 2-3 tortillas between the towels, and heat for 30-40 seconds.)

Place a heaping 1/4 cup of the chicken mixture in the center of each tortilla.  Roll tightly and place, seam side down, in a baking dish.  Pour the salsa verde sauce over the enchiladas and sprinkle the reaming 1/2 cup cheese over the top.

Bake until heated through and bubbly, about 20-25 minutes.  Serve immediately.

Serves 6.

Nutritional Information (Per Serving = 2 Enchiladas)
Calories:  261
Protein:  24.9g
Carbs:  20.4g
Fat:  9g (4.1g = Sat.)
Fiber:  2.4g
Sugars:  3.8g

I’ve been on a bit of a quinoa kick lately. . . thus, two quinoa posts in the same week.  I love the stuff, especially when I know how to make it taste yummy instead of bland.  I knew that having “Mexican” in the title meant that this quinoa would be FAR from bland.  And, that was indeed the case.  It had just the right amount of flavor to add a Mexican flair to the quinoa without over-powering the quinoa itself.  I mean, how can you not fall in love with a dish that has black beans, corn, tomatoes, cilantro, and lime in it!?

This made for a quick and delicious weeknight meal.

Mexican Chicken Quinoa
Adapted from Annie’s Eats

1 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
3-4 jalapenos, seeded and finely chopped
1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed well and drained
1 ¼ cups low sodium vegetable broth
1 can (1 ½ cups) black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes, with juices
1 cup frozen corn
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 lb. cooked and shredded chicken
1/3 cup shopped fresh cilantro
1 quarter of a lime, juiced

Optional toppings:
reduced fat shredded cheese, light sour cream, salsa, and/or avocado

Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add garlic and jalapenos to the pan and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Stir in the quinoa, veggie broth, beans, diced tomatoes, corn, salt, and chicken to the pan.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to medium0low and cover.  Simmer for about 25 minutes, or until the liquid is fully absorbed.  Remove from the heat.  Stir in the cilantro and lime juice.  Serve as desired with cheese, salsa, avocado, and/or sour cream.

Serves 6.

Nutritional Information (Per Serving = 1/6 the Recipe or about 1 full cup.)
Calories:  306
Protein:  25.1g
Carbs:  43.7g
Fat:  5.3g (1.1g = Sat.)
Fiber:  6.7g
Sugars:  5.7g

Note:  If you cut the black beans and the corn in half, it drops the overall calorie count to 266 (and carbohydrates change to 34g). 

Vegetarian Option:  Omit chicken.  This drops the overall calorie count to 226 (and protein changes to 9.1g).