Chicken Enchiladas Over Rice

So this past week I have been googling my little eyes out with learning more about health food and I think I spent a little too much time on the computer because I just felt soo sick. Not so healthy spending so much time on the computer!! Every time I opened my computer my head started to hurt. Anyway, I am excited to share what I have been learning, but for now I will just share a delicious recipe that will for sure be added to our rotation of meals! YUM!

Chicken Enchiladas Over Rice
 Ingredients:
1-2 chicken breasts, (about 1 pound) cooked & shredded

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 medium onion, diced

1/2 red pepper, diced

1/2 (4 oz.) can diced green chiles

1/4 teaspoon salt*

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1 (10 oz.) can green chili enchilada sauce

1/3 cup red enchilada sauce

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese 

1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt

 Serve over Brown Rice

Top with:

Avocado

Green Onions

Tomatoes

Greek yogurt or sour cream

Cilantro

Chips

  

Directions:
*(I somehow forgot the /4 when I first posted the recipe and it was just read 1 teaspoon. So sorry if anyone made it and it was super salty!)

I cooked my chicken by boiling it, then shredding it

Heat the olive oil in a deep skillet and cook onions for about 3-5 minutes.  Add garlic & red pepper and cook for another 3-5 minutes.

Add cooked chicken, green chiles, cumin, chili powder, salt, & enchilada sauces.  Let sauce simmer for about 8-10 minutes.

Add cheese and stir until the cheese is melted and heated through. (If you are watching your cheese/calories intake you can always leave out & and let people sprinkle on (top) their own cheese.) Now stir in the Greek yogurt, do not bring it to a boil! Cook on low heat or the Greek yogurt will curdle. Once mixed and heated through you are ready to devour.

Serves: 4-5

Baked Chicken Taquitos

  We can not get enough Mexican food at our house and this is a great recipe to add to our collection! It is quick, easy, kid friendly, and much healthier than the traditional fried taquitos. This is also a perfect meal for leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken.

Bake Chicken Taquitos

Ingredients:
1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
2 cups shredded cooked chicken meat

1/4 cup salsa
1 can refried beans

12 (6-inch) corn tortillas
1 cup crumbled queso fresco, shredded Monterey jack, or cheddar cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425°F 
Heat olive oil over medium heat in a skillet. Add onion and cook until starting to soften and turn translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add garlic, cumin, paprika and salt. Stir to combine and cook 2 to 3 minutes longer, until fragrant. Take from heat and stir in cilantro, chicken, and salsa. Set aside.

Place two corn tortillas between two hot pads and microwave for 30 seconds. (This is a health trick I learned from my sister to make the corn tortillas workable and without having to fry them.)  Lay tortilla on a work surface and spread 2 or 3 tablespoons chicken mixture over bottom third. Top with a tablespoon of refried beans and a tablespoon of cheese and roll up. Place seam side down on a greased baking sheet. Repeat with remaining tortillas. Spray or brush tortillas lightly with oil and bake until crisp and lightly browned, 15-20 minutes.
Serve with salsa, sour cream and guacamole.

Health Tip:

Chicken is an excellent source of the cancer-protective B vitamin, niacin. Components of DNA require niacin, and a deficiency of niacin (as well as other B-complex vitamins) has been directly linked to genetic (DNA) damage. A four-ounce serving of chicken provides 78% of the daily value for niacin.

Read more health benefits at:
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=116

Recipes adapted from: whole foods market 

Healthy Cafe Rio Sweet Pork Barbacoa Salad

We absolutely love Cafe Rio! My all time favorite is the Sweet Pork Barbacoa Salad. Every time we go to Cafe Rio I tell myself to branch out and try something else on their menu, but I can never bring myself to do it. I love the salad tooo much! So my first mission was to recreate my favorite salad at home. I tried SEVERAL Cafe Rio copycats recipes and FINALLY found one that was spot on. Everyone I make it for loves it. My second mission was to recreate it and make it healthier without sacrificing the flavor. Mission accomplished... It was delicious! My husband and I were fighting over the left overs the next day!

 Healthy Cafe Rio Sweet Pork Barbacoa Salad

Sweet Barbacoa Pork
2 pounds boneless pork roast
  1 can (12 oz) zevia natural diet cola (found at health food stores)
dash garlic salt
1/4 c. water
1 can diced green chilies
3/4 (10oz) can red enchilada sauce (I used Old El Paso brand, medium spiciness)
1/2 cup sucanat or brown sugar (or more if you don't care about the extra calories)

1/4 cup stevia (leave out if you add extra sucanat/brown sugar)

Directions:
  Put pork, 1/2 can of zevia cola, water, and garlic salt in crock pot on high for about 3-4 hours (or until it shreds easily. Remove pork from crock pot and drain any liquid left in the pot. Shred pork.

In a food processor or blender, blend 1/2 can zevia cola, chilies, enchilada sauce, sucanat (or brown sugar), and stevia. (You can add more sweetener if you want it sweeter.)

Put shredded pork and sauce in crock pot and cook on low for 2 hours.

Healthy Cilantro-Lime Rice:
1 cup uncooked brown rice
1 teaspoon butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lime juice
  2 cups chicken broth

 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
  1 teaspoon stevia

3 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro

Directions:
In a saucepan combine rice, butter, garlic, 1 tsp. lime, and chicken broth. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook on low about 50 minutes, until rice is tender. Remove from heat. In a small bowl combine lime juice, stevia and cilantro. Pour over hot cooked rice and mix in as you fluff the rice.

Black Beans:

 1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 large ripe tomato, pureed (1 cup)
1 teaspoon salt

Directions:
In a nonstick skillet, cook garlic and cumin in olive oil over medium heat until you can smell it. Add beans, tomato puree, and salt. Let simmer about 10 minutes.

Healthy Cilantro Ranch Dressing:
1 cup yogurt ranch dressing (found in refrigerator section by produce)
2 tablespoons salsa verde
1/4 bunch of fresh cilantro
1 small garlic clove
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/2 jalapeno (seeds removed if you don't like it spicy)

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together in the blender.
(Don't be scared of the yogurt ranch dressing. My husband who swears by Hidden Valley Ranch really liked it!)

Serve with:

Romaine lettuce

Sour cream or Greek yogurt

Guacamole

Cheddar cheese
Cotija cheese, crumbled

Salsa or pico de gallo

Wheat tortillas

Recipe inspired by: Favorite Family Recipes

Healthy Chicken Enchiladas

My husband didn't even realize I made a few little swaps to make this bad boy HEALTHY! They were SOOO good! (If you have really picky eaters, like I sometimes do, you can always use half wheat tortillas & half white.) I like wheat & my husband sometimes likes wheat.

Healthy Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients:

Filling:
3 cups cooked, shredded chicken
2 (4 oz.) cans of green chiles, lightly drained
½ teaspoon cumin
1 cup of cottage cheese
Sauce:
1 teaspoon butter
½ cup chopped onion (about 1/2 medium onion)
2 tablespoons flour
1/3 cup chicken broth
¼ cup milk
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 can (10 ounce) green chile enchilada sauce
½ cup plain greek yogurt
Monterey jack cheese or cheddar, shredded (as much or as little as you like) (I used about 1-1/2 cups)
8 wheat flour tortillas
Suggested toppings- handful of chopped fresh cilantro, green onions, tomatoes, and a dollop of greek yogurt.

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a blender, blend green chiles, cottage cheese, and cumin until smooth. In a separate bow, add cottage cheese mixture to shredded chicken. Mix to combine. Set aside.
In a large nonstick skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion softens and starts to turn translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the onions and stir well. Cook for 1 minute, stirring. Slowly whisk in the chicken broth and milk. As you whisk and the mixture cooks, the flour will get less lumpy around the onions and the mixture will become smooth. Add salt & pepper. Cook over medium heat until the mixture is bubbling and has thickened, about 4-5 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the enchilada sauce and greek yogurt.
Lightly grease a 9X13-inch baking dish. Spread about 1/4 cup of the sauce on the bottom of the dish. Fill each tortilla with about 1/3-1/2 cup of the chicken/cottage cheese filling. Top with shredded cheese. Roll the tortillas up and place seam side down in the prepared baking dish. Continue filling enchiladas until the dish is full.
Pour the white sauce over the top of the enchiladas. Top with cheese (I did about ½ cup). Bake for 20-30 minutes until the enchiladas are bubbling, hot and lightly browned. Sprinkle fresh cilantro, green onions, tomatoes, and greek yogurt over the top and serve.
Mmmmm, ENJOY!

Did you know whole grains are excellent sources of antioxidants, fiber, phytonutrients
and vitamins, all of which contribute to good health?!

Here are some of the benefits:

Decreased risk of heart disease
Lower cholesterol levels
Protection against many types of cancer
Assistance with weight management

 

Source: http://www.montana.edu/wellness/UMforms/Whole_grains.pdf

Recipe inspired by: melskitchencafe