Ole! Chicken Enchiladas!

I received this cook book and my oh my the joys I am having with it.

I came across the chicken enchilada recipe and had to test it out- my style. I mean, what a better substitute for our normal taco night! I thought to myself, how do you make healthier recipes healthier? Well, I decided I didn't need to. I just changed some spices around, added some extra tomatoes, maybe a little less chili powder and a bit more cayenne. But whatever I did, I'm doing this again. If Mr. Not Your Bubbe's Kitchen says, "this is the best new dish you've made all year," I'm sure as heck making it again.

This dish is spicy. It's cheesy. It tastes like it belongs at a Mexican restaurant. And it's under 360 calories per serving. Unless you eat the whole tray. Like my husband tried to.

Ole!

• 1 medium yellow onion
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 tsp vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 1/4 tsp-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 tsp cumin
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce
• 1 cup whole tomatoes (peeled, in a can, about 5 of them)
• 1 cup water
• 16 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast (about 2 large chicken breasts will suffice)
• 10 white corn tortillas (about 6")
• 5 ounces picked jalapeños, chopped
• 1.5 cups of 2% shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt

Directions--Preheat oven to 400

Saute chopped onion in vegetable oil.
Cover, reduce heat, cook for 8-10 min.
Add spices (cumin, cayenne, salt, sugar) and minced garlic. stir for 30 seconds to a minute (you'll smell this).

Add in tomato sauce/tomatoes/water; mash up the tomatoes so they loosen up. Let the sauce thicken for about 5-10 min.

Add chicken. Cook for about 15 minutes.
Take chicken out of sauce, when cool, shred chicken into small, tiny, pieces.

Then, drain sauce in a colander, you'll have a lot of "pulp" left over. Place chicken back in pot, and add about 1/2 cup of pulp and 1/4 cup of the sauce. Let simmer for another couple minutes.

Next, add chopped jalapenos and 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese, and a 1/3 cup of enchiladas sauce to chicken mix. Warm tortillas in plastic wrap in microwave for 45-60 seconds until they are pliable.

Place about 1/4-1/2 cup on filling in each tortilla. Place seam side down into a 13x9 baking pan.
Next, layer the rest of the sauce over the enchiladas and then sprinkle 1 cup of cheese on top.

Cook in oven for 20-25 minutes. Spray some tin foil with cooking spray and lay that on top of the pan. Should look like this-- enjoy!

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 2 enchiladas

Amount per Serving

Calories 358

Calories from Fat 98.0

% Daily Value *

Total Fat 10.89g

16%

Saturated Fat 4.07g

20%

Cholesterol 70mg

23%

Sodium 1016.72mg

42%

Total Carbohydrate 31.72g

10%

Dietary Fiber 3.98g

15%

Sugars 4g

Protein 30.08g

60%

Jewish girls like pasta, too.

I'm a carb addict. Really, I am.

I remember growing up and my mother would often make spaghetti (or more often than not, angel hair; she still to this day likes the thinner pasta better) or American Chop Suey (which my great grandather- my mother's Zaide, would call, "Chop- Sue-Ya!"). It was easy, quick, and tasty. So, having had this wonderful al dente throughout my child hood, once I learned how to actually use the timer, I realized, making pasta is easy.

But, then I turned 25 and there was my waist line. I could no longer eat pounds of pasta at a time. What's a girl to do besides learn motivation (not my strong suit)!? "Hmm," I thought. How about I add some protein? Maybe some greens? Oh, and I can't forget some color and crunch. And then, my dear friends at Barilla made this Barilla Plus pasta that has protein and fiber built in. And from these ingredients, true love bloomed.

I made this sassy little number for my husband right before our wedding last March (Score! He wasn't going anyhere!). I thought, if he loved it, it was worthy to share with the world. So enjoy friends, here is the recipe for my Chicken, Spinach, and Tomato Rotini with Asiago & Mozzarella Cheeses and Pine Nuts. I promise it's edible and I promise it is one of the quickest home cooked meals.
Mangia!

Serves 4-5 healthy portions
5 servings Whole Wheat Rotini (I use Barilla Plus)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
4-5 servings boneless, skinless chicken tenders (seasoned with salt and pepper to your liking)
3.5 servings (about 1 normal sized bag) of baby spinach, such as Fresh Express brand.
1 cup cherry tomatos; halved
2-3 large fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup shaved asiago cheese
1/4 cup bococcini mozzarella, sliced & quartered.

Cook pasta to your liking. It helps if you have this step done before cooking the chicken and vegetables.

In a pan, heat the EVOO. Add the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes on medium high.

Add the chicken and cook thru.
Next, add the spinach, pine nuts (if you wish), and basil and let wilt on medium/low heat.

Continuing on low heat, mix the pasta into the pan with the chicken, spinach and garlic. Add the tomatoes, and the asiago and toss slightly. Lastly, add the mozzarella and serve promptly with your favorite glass of chardonnay or sauvignon blanc.

Tonight, I had this with Sonoma Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc. Delizioso!


The facts per serving- without the pine nuts (or wine!) about 1.5 cups- all are approximate:
355 calories
9g of fat
59mg cholesterol
168mg of sodium
3g carbs
4g fiber
30g of protein