take my word for it wednesday.. i'm a bubble head.. and pollo sarrandeado..

well it's another wednesday and another take my word for it kind of days.. this is when i share with you a recipe where i really want you to try it, but i have flubbed up the photo.. forgotten to take a photo, etc.. well this week it's flubbed up the photo.. i had every intention of taking a well lit nice photo in the back yard.. dinner was done fairly quickly and the sun was shinning and the photo's would have come out, well i hope they would have... but instead i sat on the couch and watched tv and by the time finally got off my rear end and went outside to take the photo the sun was going down :( but i really want you to try this recipe it's yummy.. there is a place in boulder city called Toto's and it has bar far the best mexican food around.. i love it!! and one of their signature dishes is pollo sarrandeado which is chicken in a spicy cream sauce.. i have ordered pollo sarrandeado from other restaurants and it's made entirely different and NOT good.. blah yuck!! we've been going to Toto's since before we moved to boulder city so about 12 years and i have really only ordered a few things.. one being the pollo sarrandeado.. i have googled it many times over the years and never found a recipe even similar.. now while my recipe is good and a little like it it's in no way as good as theirs.. i am not sure what it about theirs but it's the best chicken dish i have ever had.. i will have to keep going back and next time maybe snoop a little.. each time we go i'll ask for the name of an ingredient.. but in the meantime enjoy this recipe it's very very good.. just not as good as Toto's!!

(the picture is horrid but don't let that deter you from trying this recipe)

pollo sarrandeado

prep time: 15 minutes

cooking time: 30-45 minutes

servings: 4

ingredients:

1 bag of chicken tenders, i sliced mine up into strips

1 cup non fat 1/2 and 1/2

1/2 cup low fat sour cream

1/2 cup non fat plain greek yogurt

3-4 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce

2 tblsp. maggi chicken bouilon granules

1 tblsp. chili powder

1 tsp. cumin

1 clove garlic, minced

olive oil

cilantro for garnish

tortillas

i took my chicken strips and cooked them in my iron skillet over medium high heat with a little olive oil, two twirls around the pan, until no longer pink (you don't want to cook them all the way through as they will simmer in the sauce too).. in a food processor or blender puree 1/2 and 1/2, sour ceam, yogurt, chipotle peppers, chicken bouilon, chili powder cumin and garlic until smooth.. pour over chicken once the chicken is cooked through and drop the heat to medium low and let simmer for about a 1/2 an hour to 45 minutes..taste and adjust seasoning if you like it a little hotter.. i served with tortillas.. we like to put the strips in a tortilla and eat like a soft taco.. i also served it with refried beans..

(I had never had canned refried beans until i ordered a breakfast burrito once from a restaurant.. they were icky.. it's so simple to make your own why buy canned?)

refried beans

prep time: 5 minutes

cooking time: 1 hour

servings: approx. 4

1 large can of pinto beans (we like sun vista)

1 slices of bacon cut into lardons

cheese (optional)

cut up your bacon and cook in an iron skillet until tender but not crispy.. add pinto beans juice and all.. simmer for about an hour or until most of the liquid is evaporated.. about 10 minutes before serving, mash with a potato masher.. i keep some beans still whole because I really don't totally creamy smooth beans.. just unappealing to me.. top with cheese if desired.. if your in a hurry i also make my beans by taking a can of pinto beans.. drain and reserve juice.. heat up a 1/2 tblsp. of oil in a large iron skillet over medium heat.. about 1 minute.. then add your beans.. (watch out they will pop and spit from the oil) cook for about 1-2 minutes then take your potato masher and mash beans.. cook another 15-20 minutes over low heats.. if they start get to dry add a little bit at a time of your reserved bean liquid until they reach your desired consistency.. and if you don't want to use the oil at all use  non stick pan and add your beans to a hot pan and "refry" that way!! :) super simple!!