I want to share a simple way to make a traditional dish Mexican dish, healthy and become part of your family's repertoire.
Enchiladas are a delicious, decadent tasting dish that allows you to customize for differing tastes among your family members. Enchiladas are also a fantastic way to use up leftovers.
Here's a photo of vegan broccoli and spinach enchiladas with tomatillo sauce(photo was before they were baked). Corn tortillas are the key to making a delicious, whole grain, gluten-free entree that your family will love. I've tested out several brands and have settled on the Trader Joe's White Corn tortillas. They beat out even the local ones for this recipe. Most enchiladas are covered in too much cheese, and usually the filling may be a high-fat meat. Swap out the heavy cheese for a low-fat substitute of Monterey jack and cheddar, or try a vegan cheddar or mozzarella like Daiya brand. I like the Daiya brand melted on my enchiladas. My kids prefer low-fat dairy based cheese.
Things you need:
12-14 Corn Tortillas
Enchiladas Sauce -for a quick meal I use Rick Bayless's Frontera Grill Brand Enchiladas Sauce-it's available at Kroger and Target. (There is an easy sauce recipe I will provide at the end.)
Red Enchiladas sauce is found in the Mexican section of most grocery stores. Look for one with no more than 350 mg sodium per serving.
2 cups of your favorite low-fat good melting cheese or Daiya vegan option. I recommend a combo of Monterey jack and cheddar.
Saute your favorite filling:
Suggestions include:
Roasted leftover veggies
Spinach, broccoli, onion saute
Any cooked veggies your family likes can be rolled into the corn tortilla.
Butternut squash is amazing(you can use frozen squash and mix with a little
cheese and green onion (this is the mixture in Enchiladas Calabaza from Seva in Ann Arbor)
Chopped up or shredded chicken mixed with a little of the enchiladas sauce.
Try taco meat with chopped spinach, or mashed peas (sounds weird but it's quite good). If you have leftover sweet potatoes that is a good combo with taco meat.
Enchiladas: How to Arrange:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cover bottom of pan 1/2 cup for a 9X13 pan with enchiladas sauce.
Take one corn tortilla at a time and lightly warm it over a gas grill or take a stack and wrap in foil and warm at 350 for 10 minutes or microwave a stack wrapped in paper towel for 20 seconds.
Once a little warm the tortilla will roll easily.
Dip the tortilla in sauce of your choice-i've prepared my own and found the store brands were quite good.
Add two tablespoons of filling and roll the corn tortilla placing seam side down into a baking dish.
Cover the rolled tortillas in sauce and top with shredded cheese.
Bake for 20 minutes.
You will be amazed how simple and creative you can get. This is a family favorite because you can customize the fillings.
Serve with a Mexican slaw (recipe to follow), seasoned black beans, roasted zucchini or veggies with cumin, and some shredded greens.
2 enchiladas/ per serving with salad, beans and veggies is a great meal.