Yeast Free Living

Archive for the ‘Mexican’ Category

Salsa is one of my favorite condiments probably because I am a huge fan of Mexican food.  I used to reserve using salsa only when I was making tacos or fajitas but I can honestly say that I now eat it weekly despite whether or not anything Mexican is on the menu.  I often use it to add moisture to a quick turkey and rice cake sandwich. It adds such good flavor and then there is no need for tomatoes.  My Brown Rice Tortilla Chips and Sage Valley Corn Tortilla Chips would not be nearly as satisfying without salsa. 

When I first went on the candida diet it was very frustrating to discover that most commercially available brands of salsa contained vinegar, citric acid and/or sugar.  I was certain I would just have to learn how to make salsa on my own.  I would always by the ingredients for salsa with the intention on making it right away but this never happened.  I would always put it off and let all the produce designated for this task go to waste.   Although I never found an appropriate brand in regular supermarkets I did however discover 365 Organic Salsa in Whole Foods and it almost candida diet friendly.  I say almost because it does contain regular salt which is not allowed on the candida diet.  Regular salt contains trace amounts of dextrose which can cause problems for candida sufferers.  Fortunately, I have used 365 Organic Salsa with no adverse effects and felt that this little cheat was okay for me.  This may not work for everyone though.  If you are going to purchase this brand choose the smaller size because the larger one does contain citric acid.  As always read labels to make sure as things do change from time to time. 

Although I do buy the 365 Organic Salsa often I wanted to learn how to make my own salsa.  Fortunately I found a very easy recipe that had been right under my nose for over a year now.  On the back of the Sage Valley Yellow Corn Tortilla Chips bag is a recipe for Garden Fresh Salsa.  If my family hadn’t been devouring these so quickly maybe I would have noticed sooner.  These are good chips and they are candida diet friendly. I tried the recipe and I have to say that homemade salsa is really good.  It felt like I was in a authentic Mexican restaurant enjoying.  I am really going to try to make the effort to make this weekly.  For all those candida dieters out there that love salsa I hope this recipe helps. 

Garden Fresh Salsa Ingredients
3 medium tomatoes, quartered
1 bunch green onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic
1 jalapeno pepper seeded and cored
1 handful cilantro, stems trimmed
1 Tbsp lime or lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 pack stevia
dash cumin, paprika and chili powder to taste

Garden Fresh Salsa Directions
Process garlic, chili, onion, cilantro, and lemon or lime juice in food processor for 10 – 20 seconds.  Add tomatoes and process until chunky consistency, stopping occasionally to scrape sides and rearrange any large tomato chunks.  Add salt, cumin, stevia, paprika, and chili powder to taste.  Refrigerate at least one hour to allow flavors to blend. 

Recipe from Sage Valley (Yellow Corn Tortilla Chips Back of the Bag) St. Augustine, FL 1800-223-2910

I love Mexican food and chicken fajitas are something that I frequently order when out.  I am not sure why I never thought to make them at home prior to me stumbling across a recipe for them recently.  They are pretty simple to make and very candida diet friendly.  The time consuming part of the process is thinly slicing the peppers onions and chicken.  You can find thinly sliced chicken in the store this may help save the chicken slicing step.  I think that there are also sliced bell peppers in the frozen vegetable section but I prefer the fresh ones.  You can also make beef fajitas by using the strips of beef for stir-frying found in the supermarket.  If you are up to it you can actually do make a both beef and chicken.  This may be a hit at your house as you are offering a a variety of tastes.  I would have done this but we have a beef allergy so I left it to chicken.  These fajitas came out good but unfortunately my oldest daughter did not like them.  She has become such a picky eater.  She used to eat anything and everything.   My youngest loved these but I am not sure if I will be making them anytime soon because I do not have the time to prepare and alternate dinner for my oldest.  If you like fajitas give this recipe a try I really did enjoy them.  Remember to serve with candida friendly fixins such as salsa without vinegar, homemade guacamole and mock sour cream. 

Chicken Fajitas – Ingredients
1 Pound Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
3 Tablespoons Fresh Lemon or Lime Juice
2 Tablespoons Chicken Broth
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 each yellow, red and green peppers
1 onion
1 clove garlic
1/4 teaspoons ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Cooking Spray (I use the Stop and Shop spray for grilling as we have a soy allergy and this one does not contain soy.  Most cooking sprays for grilling do not contain soy but most others do) 
6 brown rice Tortillas or 12 corn tortillas

Chicken Fajitas Directions
Cut peppers, onions and chicken into thin strips
Mince the garlic
In a medium bowl, stir together the lemon or lime juice, chicken broth, cumin and cayenne pepper. 
Add the chicken to the marinade and toss until coated. 
Lightly spray an large unheated skillet with cooking spray. 
Heat over medium-high heat. 
Add the chicken mixture to pan and allow to cook until the chiken is no longer pink
Add peppers, onions, garlic and black pepper. 
Cover and cook stirring occassionally for about 5 minutes or until the chicken is no longer pink and the vegetables are crisp-tender. 
Serve the warm vegetable mixture with either brown rice or corn tortillas.
Serve with candida friendly salsa, mock sour cream and guacamole

Recipe adapted from Healthy Homestyle Cooking by Evelyn Tribole, MS, RD

Guacamole Ingredients
3 avocados mashed
Juice of one lime
1 teaspoon sea salt
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 roma (plum) tomatoes, diced
1 teaspoon minced garlic

Guacamole Directions
In a bowl mix together avocados, lime juice, and salt.
Mix in cilantro, tomatoes, and garlic.

Chicken Tostadas Ingredients
1 cup salsa (no vinegar or citric acid)
1 medium avocado peeled and sliced
2 tomatoes chopped
1/2 chopped onions
3 cups shredded lettuce
2 cups canned refried beans
8 corn tortillas
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 bay leaves
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 onion sliced

Chicken Tostadas Directions
Preheat the oven 400F
In a medium saucepan, combine water, sliced onions salt and bay leaves
Bring to a boil then add the chicken
Reduce the heat to medium
Cover and Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes or until the chickent is very tender
Remove the chicken and shred using forks
While chicken is cooking spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray
Lightly spray corn tortillas with cooking spray
Cook for 5 minutes on one side and turn
Bake 4 minutes on other side
Place tortillas aside
Spread 2 teaspoons of beans on each tortilla
top with chicken, lettuce, onions, tomatoes and avocado
Top with salsa