Mini Mexican Pizzas

Good grief, I think I must be on a "muffin tin" cooking kick the last little bit! ha ha  But in all honesty, little "bite size" delights are so easy to serve and re-heat! PERFECT for moms who like to meal prep, or have meals prepared in advance before the crazy work week begins. I am sure they would be delicious after you froze them too.  This recipe came from the newest cookbook to grace my pantry shelves from Katie Farrell, creator of "Dashing Dish."  While my little delights didn't turn out as pretty as hers, they were delicious nonetheless.  So delish, I am making them again next week!

I did make modifications to the original recipe in the cookbook some things I would keep the same and others I would change.  For example I used Ezekiel wraps.  Here they can only be found in the frozen section at our local grocery store.  When they thawed I found them thin and they cracked a little when I tried to place them in the muffin tins.  I would opt for whole grain or whole wheat wraps next time.

I also used ground chicken instead of ground turkey. I don't know if it is this pregnancy or what, but I can't seem to stomach ground turkey so ground chicken it is!!!

I also stuffed each little pizza shell without having cooked the chicken first (only because I looked at the recipe much too fast).  If you decide to use this method, make sure you preheat the oven to 350 degrees and cook the pizza's for 40-45minutes.

Ingredients: 
~ 4 large whole wheat tortillas, or big enough to cut out 12 small circles.
~ 1 pound of lean ground chicken cooked (raw is fine, but you will have to cook longer. See notes above!)
~1/2 cup of salsa of your choice
~2 tsp of taco seasoning (I used the Epicure brand to avoid sodium but you can also make your own. I would avoid using pre-packaged taco seasoning).
1/2 cup refried beans
1/2 cup shredded marble cheese (low fat shredded Mexican blend was suggested)

Toppings: 
~Salsa
~Green onion
~Shredded lettuce (I am sure iceberg lettuce would "taste" better but I used romaine because there is no nutritional content in iceberg lettuce. I still found it great!)
~Greek yogurt
~Chopped tomatoes
~Avocado
~Sliced black olives (Yuck! ha ha, but what ever floats your boat. I did not use these!)
**If you are following the 21 Day Fix Program you will need to adjust how you use the toppings according to your meal plan. ;)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Spray a 12 cup muffin tin with coconut oil cooking spray or a spray of your choice.  Lay tortilla on a flat surface and using a round cookie cutter or a glass, cut 3-4 medium circles out of each tortilla.  Press each circle into muffing cup using your fingers. If it doesn't cover the entire side of the cup, that is ok!

In a small bowl, mix together the "cooked" ground chicken, salsa, taco seasoning and refried beans. Stir until well combined.   Scoop approx. 2 Tbsp of the meat mixture into each tortilla. Top each mini pizza evenly with shredded cheese.  Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the cheese is melted.  Wait for tortillas to cook before removing from the muffin tin.  A knife is helpful to pop out each little pizza.  Serve with the toppings of your choice and voila!

This recipe is certain to be a family favourite! Please feel free to share or pin!!!

If you are following the 21 Day Fix program, here is how it breaks down according to my best judgement... 2 mini pizza's = 1 Red, 1 Yellow, 1/3 Blue (*Toppings are additional).

Clean Eating Wonton Soup Recipe!

Every now and then I get in the mood to try a new recipe!  This weekend it happened to be Wonton Soup!  I can't take all the credit though, I actually created this rendition of a Wonton Soup based on a recipe I found in the, "The Looneyspoon Collection" cookbook by Janet & Greta Podleski.  I have heard rave reviews of this cookbook and finally invested in a copy for myself.  During the process I also discovered shopping on Amazon!  Whoa! Hello!!!

Back to the soup... did I make my own wontons?! Yes, I made my own wontons!  Sure, I could have cheated I suppose and found some already made but I wanted to do as the recipe as suggested for the most part and make my own.  Why?!  Well.. the less preservatives the better!   It didn't take that long to make and I got great satisfaction knowing I made it all from scratch (except for the wonton wrapper itself). I hope you enjoy! 

To make the filling:

8-10 oz of ground chicken 

1/4 c minced green onions

2 tsp Braggs Soya Sauce or Tamari (Or you could use a lite soya sauce with reduced sodium)

1 tsp fresh grated ginger root

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp cornstarch

1 egg white

30-45 wonton wrappers (these can be found near the produce section in the grocery store)

Combine the filling ingredients and mix well in a glass bowl.  Spread out wonton wrappers on the counter.  I usually lay out about 15 wrappers at a time as the wonton wrapper can dry out quickly.  Cover the rest with a damp paper towel until you are ready to use them. Once the wrapper is laid out, scoop 1 tsp of the filling mixture into the centre of the 15 wontons. Then taking a pastry brush or your finger, moisten the edges of the wrapper with water and fold one corner of the wonton over to the other corner to make a triangle. Once sides are folded,  pick up the wonton and press the other sides together so they look kind of like a mini purse and place in a bowl.  Then do the next 15 and so on.  

To cook the wontons, place them in a pot of already boiling water.  You will need to stir them at least once to make sure they haven't stuck to the bottom.  Cook/boil for 5-7 minutes. Once they are cooked drain the pot and remove them using a slotted spoon. Set aside until the soup broth is ready.

To make the wonton soup broth:  

Two boxes (900 ml) of chicken broth (reduced sodium is preferred) 

1/4 chopped green onions

1-2 tbsps Braggs Soya Sauce or Tamari (Or you could use a lite soya sauce with reduced sodium)

2 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp fresh grated ginger root

a pinch of Himalayan Pink Salt

To make the soup, bring the broth to a boil and add green onions, soy sauce, sesame oil and the fresh ginger root.  Simmer uncovered for at least 2 minutes.

To serve soup place 4-6 wontons in the bottom of each soup bowl and label the hot broth over wontons. Garnish with green onion! If following the 21 Day Fix plan, I would count one bowl of soup as: 1 yellow, 1/2 red and 1 tsp!  Enjoy!