Tag: tacos

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Lean Skillet Carne Asada

Lean Skillet Carne Asada
Lean Skillet Carne Asada

No time to marinate and grill? This quick and flavorful lean skillet carne asada uses choice steak cooked on the stovetop in a rich citrus spice blend.

I love carne asada, but often don’t have time to wait for a marinade or get the grill going. This recipe adapts the traditional recipe to for stovetop cooking, providing all of the flavors without extra steps.

Beyond the time savings, there are other advantages of this lean skillet carne asada. By using top round meat chunks aka “choice beef stew meat” it’s lower in total fat and saturated fat. You won’t see much fat marbling in it, and it’s doesn’t have a lot of connective tissue like other stew meat such as chuck.

Further, choice beef stew meat is much less expensive than whole steaks. Locally, flank steak is $12.99/lb. and choice stew meat is $6.99/lb. Meal prep at almost half the cost is a winner!

Notes about the recipe

For the limes and oranges, be sure to juice them completely and also add the pulp. For maximum extraction, I use this simple hand juicer to save time while also measuring the volume of the resulting liquid.

If the stew meat pieces are very large or are all different sizes, cut them smaller to get them all around the same size. It doesn’t need to be perfect, but we want them to cook evenly. Further, it’s important to remove the pieces from the pan before they are completely cooked. A good indication is when you first start to see a lot of liquid develop in the pan. The pieces will continue to cook after you remove them and cover in foil. During this time, additional juices will release. Pour it back into the pan with the citrus spice mixture to further enhance the flavor.

Serving suggestion: cauli rice mixed with lime and chopped cilantro, warm corn tortillas, and pico de gallo salsa, and avocado.

If you do decide to go the traditional grilling route, the mixture of juices and spices shown in the recipe works perfect as a marinade for flank steak. Place the steak in a bowl and coat with the marinade and cover, allow to rest in the fridge for 2 hours before grilling. Note that flank steak has a higher fat content than choice beef stew meat.

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Cilantro Lime Chicken

Cilantro Lime Chicken

Keep it simple. This easy recipe for juicy cilantro lime chicken is a perfect prep for tacos, burritos or a bowl.

Key points to ensure perfectly cooked and flavorful cilantro lime chicken:

  • Cook chicken to ~80% complete and set aside in a bowl, leaving all the juices behind in the pan. It’s ok if the center of the pieces don’t seem done, they will cook the rest of the way when returned to the pan for browning.
  • Mixing a small amount of flour (white, wheat, or rice) into the lime juice will help thicken the liquid and make sure all of the flavor gets stuck to the chicken. It will also help brown the pieces.
  • 1 tbsp. of cilantro provide as a moderate flavor. If you love cilantro, add more!

For dinners, my personal favorites is putting this chicken in street tacos with lettuce, and a sprinkle of cotija cheese. As a lunch meal prep, I eat with rice or cauli rice and pico de gallo salsa wish some shredded mozzarella.

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Chipotle Turkey & Black Beans

Chipotle Turkey & Black Bean Tacos
Chipotle Turkey & Black Bean Tacos

This one-skillet spicy chipotle turkey & black beans dish is highly nutritious to eat standalone as chili, or to throw into some tacos.

Simple and speedy, this recipe is great for family dinner or meal prep. It also freezes well for nights you need a quick and satisfying meal. From start to finish, you’ll only need 30 minutes in the kitchen.

All seasonings are important, but the cornerstone of this chipotle turkey & black beans is peppers in adobo sauce. It provides a slight smoked pepper flavor. If you don’t care for black beans, pinto beans would also work well. Drain the canned beans and tomato before adding to the skillet so the mixture does not become watery.

I recommend pairing with soft corn tortillas (heat in the microwave for 30 seconds to make more pliable, or heat directly on the grill for some char).

There are a number of easy ways to modify this dish:

  • For lower carbs, omit the beans
  • To increase the fat, use 100% 93/7 ground turkey
  • For additional veggies, add more green peppers or stir in a bag of riced cauliflower (microwave first and completely squeeze the excess water from the cauliflower)
  • By swapping the ground turkey for crumbled seitan, this dish is also an excellent vegan choice. Seitan is low in the amino acid lysine, however the black beans contribute some of this essential amino acid (see recipe notes).

Balanced and healthful eating for your performance and physique goals can also include tasty food! Contact me to discuss your goals, and how I can support you as a coach.

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Crispy Honey Chipotle BBQ Chicken

Honey Chipotle BBQ Chicken

Sweet and and spicy, this instant pot crispy honey chipotle BBQ chicken recipe is a surefire way to kick up the flavor.

The sauce is what makes this crispy honey chipotle BBQ chicken extra delicious. I used G. Hughes BBQ sauce (amazing taste for being sugar-free), however no problem to substitute with a different honey BBQ sauce. Chili powder is optional but adds a nice kick. The collagen acts as a thickener, however cornstarch would work just as well.

The broiling step is completely optional, but worth the extra few minutes to give the chicken a slightly crispy texture. Pair this high protein dish with carb of your choice. I’ve tried with corn tortillas as well as on a bun.

If you’re time constrained or find yourself struggling to plan meals in advance, an Instant Pot is an excellent investment. for fast cooking. It’s perfect for the occasions you have forgotten to thaw out meat in advance. I’ve thrown rock hard frozen chicken breasts in it and had a meal ready in under an hour. 😛 This is the one I have.

Hope you like this recipe. Please share on socials or with a friend if you enjoyed it.

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This recipe is an adaptation of a Masonfit original recipe, check out this site for some great recipe inspirations: https://masonfit.com/pulled-instant-pot-bbq-chicken/

Disclosure: as an amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This supports keeping the website ad and pop-up free.