recipe: lean, green, sour cream enchiladas

I am blessed with the BEST mother-in-law a girl could ask for.  Among her many great qualities are her mad cooking skillz.  Sometimes she makes these sour cream enchiladas that are so delicious they knock my own mom's enchiladas out of the park (shh, don't tell her).  They are super cheesy and creamy - the ultimate comfort food.  

I have lightened up her recipe (which I'm pretty sure she said she got from the back of the enchilada sauce can - ha!).   I used less creamy stuff and subbed some of the chicken with roasted veggies.  They're 9 points for 2 enchiladas, which might sound like a lot, but hey, this still-quite-fluffy girl gets 39 points a day.  You could probably adjust things a little to make them lower in points (omit the cream cheese, sub more veggies for the chicken, use fat free shredded cheese?)  They do have one serving of healthy oil per serving, which is great.

To make this more quickly, just use pre-cooked chicken.  You can also saute the veggies in a pan instead of cooking them in the oven; they won't have quite the same flavor, though.

Here's the recipe:

1 large zucchini, chopped

1 large yellow squash, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

2 Tbsp olive oil

3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, thinned out (you will need 13 oz, cooked)

salt, pepper, salt free seasoning

4 oz can chopped green chilies

12 corn tortillas

1/2 cup (120 g) light sour cream

8 oz green chile enchilada sauce (I use "Frontera" brand - see pic above)

4 oz light cream cheese

4 oz part skim mozzarella

Step 1: roast the veggies and chicken

The veggies should be chopped into large-ish pieces.  You don't want it turning into mush! In a large bowl, toss the veggies with the olive oil and seasonings.  Spread out onto a cookie sheet covered in foil.  Use a second cookie sheet or dish to spread out the 3 chicken breasts and add seasonings.  Cook both things in the oven at 375 for 15 minutes (check your chicken with a thermometer).  After taking out the chicken, I add a few minutes under the broiler for the veggies.  I like 'em with a little char on the edges.

Step 2: chicken mixture and sauce mixture

Let chicken breasts cool for about 10-15 minutes, then chop up the chicken into very small pieces.  Weight out 13 ounces into your bowl (the same bowl from step 1, no need to wash.)  There will be some chicken left over; use for some other dish.  Into the bowl, add the roasted veggies, the green chilies, the cream cheese, and about 1/4 of the enchilada sauce.  Mix gently.  In a large measuring cup, weight out your 120 grams of sour cream, add the rest of the enchilada sauce and whisk with a fork.

Step 3: assemble and bake

Spray a 9x13 pan lightly with cooking spray.  Wrap the 12 tortillas in a few damp paper towels and microwave for about 1 and a half minutes.  You want them soft enough to roll up the enchiladas with out breaking.  Place a tortilla on a plate and place about a 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture in the middle.  (I used an ice cream scoop to try to get even portions.) Roll it closed and place in the pan seam-side-down.  Continue with the rest of the tortillas and chicken mixture.  (It's a bit difficult to portion the chicken mixture out perfectly, so if you have any left after rolling up all 12 enchiladas, just spread the mixture as evenly as you can over the top.)  Pour the sauce mixture over the enchiladas.  Sprinkle with the cheese.  Bake in the oven at 350 for 15-20 minutes.  Use the broiler for a few minutes at the end to get that great toasty look on the cheese.  

What would I do without you, my trusty food scale??

Step 4: enter the Enchilada Bliss Zone.  

I recommend serving with a side of salad and light vinaigrette. 

Chili is my supervisor.  He's depressed that he can't have any.  I gave him some chicken scraps though, so don't feel too bad for him :)

half-assed recipe time: chicken tostadas with guac

These tostadas are super healthy and fairly low in points.  If you like Mexican food, you will love these.



As pictured, they are 7 points for 2 tostadas.  I also drizzled a teaspoon of olive oil on top, so that made it 8 points.  Here's the breakdown:
-2 white corn tortillas, baked - 1 point each
-1/4 cup (64 grams) of canned fat-free refried beans - 1 point
-2 ounces of grilled chicken breast - 2 points
-1/4 of an avocado - 2 points

What makes them so delicious is the concoction on top, which is somewhere between guacamole and pico de gallo.  This is what I grew up eating with my carne asada and rice at our Mexican outdoor cook-outs.

Here's how you make it:
-finely dice 1/2 an onion and 2 tomatoes, put them into a bowl
-finely chop a handful of cilantro and toss it in
-finely dice an avocado and scoop it out on top of the other ingredients
-squeeze the juice of 1 lime onto the avocado pieces, add a sprinkle of salt and pepper, and mix gently
*Notice that there are no jalapeños in this recipe.  That is due to fact that I am a major wuss. Don't judge me, you sick, sick masochists! Obviously you can add them if you like them.*

I pat it all into a square shaped reusable container and then divide it into 4 servings (that's how I know I used 1/4 of an avocado, and the other ingredients are 0 points).

For the baked tortillas, just place 6 on a baking sheet and bake at 375 - about 5 minutes, flip them over, then another 5 minutes.  The baking time may vary, so keep an eye on them until they're lightly browned and crispy.  Let them cool and you can keep them in a large Ziploc bag for the week.



I'd also like to implore you, if you don't have one already, to get an electronic food scale.  It makes life sooooo much easier.  I keep it within easy reach on top of my microwave.



I just put my plate of tortillas on top of the scale, zero it out, and weight the 64 grams of beans (it tells you on the can that 1/2 cup is 128 grams).  SO much easier than putting it in a measuring cup.  Then I spread the beans, zero it out again and add the 2 ounces of chicken.  (I can flip back and forth between grams and ounces - not sure if all scales do this.)

I was very happy to find these refried beans that are only made with beans, water and salt.  I'm making a bit of an effort to find products that don't have a ton of weird chemically ingredients.



¡Buen provecho!