Have you ever had a taquito?
Admittedly, I first became acquainted with these little beauties while visiting a friend who ate a diet very rich in…shall we say…convenience foods! I loved going to his house because he had food that we never ate at home. I’m talking all that frozen food in brightly colored boxes that you ‘zap’ and voila! I fell in love with the chicken taquito. I didn’t know enough back then to read the ingredients, all I knew was that they were the perfect portable food: creamy and delicious.
The other day at the supermarket I saw a box of taquitos in the frozen foods aisle and got a wave of nostalgia. I even hesitated a moment to pick up the box and read the ingredients, but curiosity got me and shall we say… YUCK?
Take a look for yourself:
WATER, STONEGROUND CORN MASA FLOUR WITH A TRACE OF LIME, COOKED CHICKEN (CHICKEN, WATER, MODIFIED FOOD STARCH, SALT, SODIUM PHOSPHATE), VEGETABLE OIL (SOYBEAN, SUNFLOWER, CANOLA AND/OR CORN OIL), CHICKEN SEASONING (CHICKEN BROTH, SALT, CHICKEN FAT, CORN OIL, FLAVORS, XANTHAN GUM), CONTAINS 2% OR LESS MODIFIED CORN STARCH, TEXTURED SOY FLOUR, ONION, JALAPENO PUREE (JALAPENO PEPPERS, SALT, ACETIC ACID, CALCIUM CHLORIDE), SALT, PAPRIKA. CONTAINS: SOY
(source)
Even the ‘natural’ ones from the health food store are questionable. They are completely overloaded with corn (GMO), soy (GMO), canola oil (GMO). source
Not to fear though because I have created an unadulterated version of you favorite Chicken Taquitos. These are perfect for little hands, school lunches and dinner. If you’ve never tried them, now’s the time. I’ll show you how:
- 6 oz organic cream cheese
- 1/2 cup organic salsa
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 4-5 cloves of organic minced garlic
- 1/3 cup sliced organic green onions
- 4 cups cooked, shredded, pasture raised organic chicken
- 2 cups grated cheese (cheddar, monterey jack etc...)
- tortillas (your choice: rice, sprouted grain, corn etc...), sliced in half
- butter
- sea salt
- optional: finely chopped jalapenos
- Place oven rack in middle of oven and preheat oven to 375'. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl mix cream cheese, salsa, spices, garlic, green onions and optional jalapenos.
- Add chicken, cheese and salt to taste. Mix to combine.
- This may be placed in fridge until ready to assemble.
- Set down tortilla and place 3 tbsp of mixture in the lower half of each tortilla.
- Roll tortilla as tightly as possible and place seam side down on baking sheet. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
- Brush the top of each tortilla with a little melted butter.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until crisp and slightly browned.
- Serve with sour cream, guacamole and/or salsa.
This beauty is also shared with: This Gal Cooks, Say Not Sweet Anne, Uncommon Designs, Huckleberry Love, My Sweet and Savory, Nourishing Treasures, Natural Living Mamma, A Life in Balance, What Joy is Mine, Flour me with Love, Homegrown and Healthy, Alderberry Hill, Homemaker on a Dime, I Gotta Try That, Our Delightful Home, Skip to my Lou, Our 4 Kiddos, Our Table for Seven, Mandy’s Recipe Box, Ladybug Blessings, Real Food Forager, A Humble Bumble, The NY Melrose Family, This Silly Girl’s Life, Tessa the Domestic Diva, Gastronomical Sovereignty, Not Just a Housewife, An Oregon Cottage, Sarah Lynn’s Sweets, With a Blast, This Chick Cooks, Mama Buzz, Intoxicated on Life, Family Home and Life, Thank Your Body, My Cultured Palate, Domesblissity, Miz Helen’s Country Cottage, Jill’s Home Remedies, Recipes for my Boys, The Mandatory Mooch, Live Laugh Rowe, Ann Kroeker, Not Your Ordinary Recipes, All our Days, The Shabby Nest, Food Renegade
