I loooooooooooove Mexican food!!! The beans, rice, tortillas, salsa, chips… it’s so good! Or, maybe I should say that I love American-style Mexican food… whatever it is, it’s delicious!
Usually when I make enchiladas, they taste amazing, but don’t have very many health benefits… they consist of tortillas, enchilada sauce, chicken and cheese. On the weekend, I met a fellow foodie, who told me about her recipe for enchiladas! I googled it, and couldn’t find the EXACT recipe, but I stumbled upon this recipe on www.foodnetwork.ca.
This recipe is from the TV show Eat, Shrink and Be Merry (and these ladies have fabulous cookbooks as well!). The enchiladas are stuffed full of veggies, but my carnivorous (and very reluctant vegetable-eating) husband loved them too!
This was my first attempt at making homemade enchilada sauce, and it was so good! I’m not going to be buying the canned stuff again! I’m sure it’s not authentic, but it was delicious, and pretty fresh tasting. The recipe has a ton of ingredients, but it didn’t take TOO long to make (I had a baby who would NOT nap, so I was constantly rocking him while trying to make these enchiladas!)
I used a rotisserie chicken from the deli- it’s already cooked, has the perfect amount of meat on it, and I throw the chicken carcass in the freezer to make stock out of. Also, the recipe calls for whole wheat flour tortillas, but they would be great with corn tortillas as well! Oh, and I belong to the group of people that strongly dislike cilantro, so I used parsley instead!
The recipe makes 2- 9×13 dishes! I was having company for dinner, so I baked both… and ended up freezing one after. Next time, I’ll freeze one before I bake it, and defrost it in the fridge before baking it (and probably add some extra time to the baking as well).
A Lotta Enchilada
Recipe adapted from www.foodnetwork.ca (they have nutritional info on the website!)
Serves 10
Enchilada Sauce
2 tsp olive oil
1-1/2 cups diced onions
2 cloves minced garlic
1 Tbsp chili powder
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1-796 mL (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
1 cup chicken broth
1 Tbsp brown sugar
salt and pepper to taste
3 Tbsp minced fresh parsley
Filling:
2 cups chopped, cooked chicken
1 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup minced red bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup frozen corn
1/2 cup grated carrots
1 Tbsp lime juice
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
2 Tbsp minced fresh parsley
10 small whole wheat flour tortillas
3 cups packed, grated, sharp cheddar cheese
Sour cream and minced parsley for garnish
To make sauce, heat olive oil over medium heat in a large saucepan. Add onions and garlic. Cook slowly and stir until onions begin to soften, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in chili powder, cumin and oregano. Mix well. Add in remaining sauce ingredients, except parsley. Bring sauce to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in parsley.
While the sauce is simmering, prepare filling.
Combine all the filling ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray two 9×13 dishes with cooking spray. Add 1/2 cup sauce to filling and mix well. Set aside 1-1/2 cups cheese for sprinkling over enchiladas.
One at a time, spread a heaping 1/3 cup filling in the center of tortilla. Top with a heaping tablespoon of cheese. Roll up tightly and place seam-side down in a baking dish (5 enchiladas in each dish). Repeat with remaining tortillas. Spoon sauce evenly over enchiladas, making sure each enchilada is covered with sauce. Top with reserved cheese. Cover the pans loosely with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for about 5-10 minutes, until cheese is bubbly. Serve enchiladas with sour cream and parsley to garnish.
These are delicious with sides of Mexican rice and refried beans.
XOXO,
The Hungry Teacher
