Jun 24, 2011

Easy and Authentic Beef Enchiladas

I adore corn tortillas, but I have always had trouble using them in my homemade enchilada recipes because even when I softened them, they would crack and break and end up looking like shredded enchiladas.  I tried a new trick tonight--one that adds no extra calories no less--and it worked like a charm.  As if that wasn't exciting enough, I made an enchilada red sauce from scratch tonight that tasted just amazing and claimed to be "authentic."  I based my version off an archived recipe from Cooking Light.


Here's how to make enchilada sauce:
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth (homemade if you have it)
1Tablespoons Canola Oil
3 Tablespoons Chili Powder
1 Tablespoon Cumin
1 teaspooon Oregano
2 Cloves garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons flour

You will also need:
1 lb 90% lean ground beef
1/2 onion, diced
2 cups fresh spinach
10-12 corn tortillas
1 cup 2% sharp cheddar cheese

Directions:
Heat oil in sauce pan.  Add minced garlic and saute for 1-2 minutes or until fragrant.  Add spices and saute about 30 seconds.  Add flour and whisk until all the flour is absorbed.  Slowly add chicken broth and whisk to combine.  Bring to a boil and allow to simmer until sauce thickens and chicken broth is reduced.  Reserve half of the sauce for the meat and add petite diced tomatoes to the other half (I used about half a can, but our enchiladas could have used more sauce, so next time I will probably use the whole can.)

For the meat I used 90% lean ground beef and cooked it with diced onions and then added some of the enchilada sauce.  I threw in a couple of cups of fresh spinach to up the veggie content in our meal.  I find it tricky to serve healthy veggies with Mexican food for some reason, so I try to hide them!

Here's the trick for softening the tortillas---I read about it online and thought it was worth a try.  Bring about 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch of water to a boil in a skillet.  Dip in each corn tortilla for 2-3 seconds on each side.  Too long and they will fall apart, too short and they won't roll up like they are supposed to. I had 2 tortilla casualties before I got the hang of it, but it was pretty simple.

1 lb of meat made about 12 enchiladas.  I topped them with the enchilada sauce mixed with the diced tomatoes and sprinkled about a cup of 2% cheddar cheese over the top and baked them in the oven at 350 for about 20-25 minutes.  Deliciouso!





Jun 7, 2011

Creamy Spinach and Ham Farfalle

Way back at Easter, I made this awesome ham, purchased on sale of course.  There was tons of extra meat that I decided to freeze.  I pulled out the last of our leftover ham for a quick dinner last night.  Cream sauces are typically a no-no when trying to eat light, but I replaced the heavy cream in this recipe with evaporated fat-free milk for a surprisingly tasty pasta with ham and spinach.  The spinach absorbs a lot of the  sauce so this isn't super saucy, but the spinach tastes divine with the cream.  The ham adds quite a bit of sodium, so you will need to watch your sodium intake the rest of the day.


Here is the recipe for Creamy Spinach and Ham Farfalle:
Ingredients
1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tbsp Light Butter
2/3 cup Onions, finely chopped
2 Garlic Clove
12 oz Evaporated Fat Free Milk
1/2 cup Wine White
1/2 cup Low Sodium Chicken Broth
10 oz Spinach-frozen
1/3 tsp Nutmeg, Ground
1/2 tsp Ground Black Pepper
8 oz Hickory Smoked Ham
7 oz Pasta - Barilla Plus Multigrain Farfalle


Directions:
Boil pasta according to package directions.  Thaw spinach and squeeze dry in a towel or several layers of paper towel to get out excess moisture.  Heat butter and oil over medium low heat.  Saute onions for about 5 minutes or until soft.  Add minced garlic and saute another 1-2 minutes.  Season with Black pepper and then pour in white wine and chicken broth.   Add evaporated milk and bring to a boil, allowing sauce to reduce slightly.  Add spinach and allow sauce to return to a boil for about 3-4 minutes or until spinach is cooked.  Cut ham into matchsticks and cook until heated through.  Stir in cooked pasta and serve.
I think this meal goes great with a raspberry-lemon smoothie--especially in summer.


Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1/4 entire recipe
Amount per Serving
Calories 451
Calories from Fat 141.0
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 15.67g
24%
Saturated Fat 1.44g
7%
Cholesterol 28.75mg
9%
Sodium 1231.9mg
51%
Total Carbohydrate 54.52g
18%
Dietary Fiber 4.93g
19%
Sugars 15.06g
Protein 24.09g
48%

Est. Percent of Calories from:

Fat
30%
Carbs
48%
Protein
21%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calories needs.


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