Mexican Inspired Dinner — Taco-seaoned Baked Chicken with Black Bean Soup

The yummy meal in the pictured above was created because my husband had asked for baked chicken for dinner tonight. I really wanted to do something different rather than the boring baked chicken I always make. After scouring my pantry, I realized I had several cans of black beans (likely from one of my extreme couponing grocery trips…LOL). So, after some research online, following are the recipes that my mind came up with!

Black Bean Soup —

2 tablespoons

1 green bell pepper, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 large onion, chopped

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 teaspoon ground cumin

3 15.5-ounce cans black beans, rinsed

2. cups stock (I used chicken stock because I was serving it with chicken)

Green pepper sauce (Tabasco) to taste

Directions: Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the green pepper, garlic, onion, ¾ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the cumin. Add 2 cans of beans, and stock. In a separate bowl, mash the third can of beans with a fork or potato masher, and add. Add 5-6 dashes of green pepper sauce, or to taste. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the soup is slightly thickened, 6 to 8 minutes.

Serve toppings of your choice. I did avocado cream sauce (see recipe below), chopped green chillies, chopped red onion, shredded cheese.

**Recipe inspired by www.realsimple.com

Avocado Cream Sauce —

1 avocado, chopped

1/3 cup fat free sour cream

2 tbsp cilantro, chopped

2 tbsp lime juice

Salt and pepper, to taste.

Directions: Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor. Mix until incorporated and smooth. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Taco-seasoned Baked Chicken —

8 chicken drumsticks

1 package coating mix, like Shake n’ Bake

1/2 package taco seasoning

Directions: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine coating mix and taco seasoning in bag. Place 2-3 chicken pieces into coating mixture. Shake/mix until chicken is coated. Place onto a greased (with cooking spray) baking sheet. Continue until all pieces are coated. Bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes, or until cooked through.

**Next time I will try boneless, skinless chicken breast. Preparing in the same manor, but would only bake for 20-25 minutes, or until cooked through.

I hope you and your family enjoy it as much as my family did!