Sometimes making a fast meal involves throwing in less than desirable ingredients, sacrificing a bit of nutrition in the process.
Well, here's a recipe that can be made from scratch in under half an hour without resorting to ingredients of dubious nutritional value. It's a chicken fajita dish that sings with sizzle and flavor, and it's from the "keep it simple" section of Health magazine's May issue, which offers "healthy weeknight meals in 30 minutes or less."
Suggested side dish: jicama and orange salad (recipe follows).
SIZZLIN' CHICKEN FAJITAS
Preparation 10 minutes, cooking time 18 minutes
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups bell pepper strips
2 cups thinly sliced onion
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch strips
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Four 8-inch flour tortillas
1/4 cup shredded Mexican-blend cheese
Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add bell pepper, onion, salt, cumin, chili and black pepper; saute 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Remove mixture from skillet.
Heat 1 teaspoon oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook, stirring constantly, 5 minutes or until chicken is done. Return vegetable mixture to skillet. Stir in juice; cook until chicken mixture is thoroughly heated. Heat tortillas according to package directions.
Place 1 cup chicken mixture down center of each tortilla; sprinkle each portion with 1 tablespoon shredded cheese, and roll up. Makes 4 servings (serving size: 1 fajita and 1 cup chicken mixture).
Nutrition information per serving: 377 cal., 12 g total fat (4 g saturated), 69 mg chol., 30 g pro., 36 g carbo., 4 g fiber, 484 mg sodium.
JICAMA AND ORANGE SALAD
Preparation 10 minutes
10-ounce package romaine lettuce
2 cups orange sections
1 cup julienne-cut peeled jicama
Bottled low-fat raspberry vinaigrette, to taste
Chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish
Combine lettuce with orange sections and jicama. Toss with vinaigrette to taste, and sprinkle with cilantro. Makes 4 servings (1 1/2 cups each serving).