Family Dinner: Christmas Eve Enchiladas

On Christmas Eve, we eat enchiladas.

 You might be wondering what makes these so "Christmas-ey"?

Well, nothing really. Except the ingredients list. Take a gander....see the absence of anything with reduced fat in the title? I could make these healthier, but I don't. And that, my friends, is what makes them worthy of a special occasion. Well, that and the fact that they are delicious. If you are in need of something cheesy, gooey, spicy, and awesome, this is your huckleberry.

PS - 1 more unhealthified recipe to share and then I am back to regularly scheduled healthy meals. I swear. I have to, because I can't afford new pants.

C.E. Enchiladas
Makes 10

1 recipe enchilada sauce (I use this one)
1 10-pack flour tortillas
4 plum tomatoes
1/2 onion
1 can black beans
1 can corn
4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Sour cream and sliced green onions for garnish, if desired

1. Make your enchilada sauce and set aside.

2. Heat oven to 375. Spray a 13x9 baking dish with cooking spray and set aside. Add enough enchilada sauce tithe bottom of your dish to cover it. And set aside.

3. Cut your plum tomatoes in half length-wise and use a spoon to scrape out the seeds and insides, throws this away. Dice up the tomato shells and place them in a medium bowl. Dice the onion and add this to the tomatoes. Drain and rinse the beans and corn and mix together with the tomatoes and onions.

4. Fill one shell at a time with a handful of cheese (about 1/4 cup) and a scoop of vegetable filling (3-4 tablespoons). Roll and place each in the pan, seam side down. I do 8 across, and then 2 length-wise. And you will have to jam them in. Note....you will have extra filling leftover.

5. Smush the enchiladas down a little if you need some room, then top with the remaining enchilada sauce. Cover with foil and bake until hot and bubbly, 35 minutes. Remove foil and top with remaining cheese and a handful of sliced green onions, if desired. Bake an additional 10 minutes or so, uncovered, until the cheese topping is melted. Serve with sour cream.

Family Dinner: Chicken and Avocado Soup

So, my kids are small.  Like really small. 0-10th percentile small. They eat.  I swear, they eat.  But still, they are tiny. This is a constant source of stress for me. I try not to worry, but when it is kid related, I guess worrying is part of life.

To alleviate some of this, I try to incorporate lots of healthy fats into our diets. By far the most popular is avocados. The kids love avocado, so this soup is a quick dinner that they will inhale.  Winner winner...

If you don't have shredded chicken on-hand you can make some by cooking 2 breasts in the broth over medium heat for 15-20 minutes, then remove them and shred with 2 forks.

Chicken and Avocado Soup
Serves 4
250 cals / 15g fat / 8g carbs / 19g protein

1 tsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 green onions, sliced
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
4 TB cilantro, chopped
1 lime
5 cups chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste
3 cups shredded chicken breasts
2 avocados, diced

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and green onions, and cook until soft and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Stir in cumin, chili powder, cilantro, and salt and pepper, cook an additional minute then add juice from 1/2 the lime and chicken broth. Allow to simmer about 15-20 minutes.  While broth is simmering, divide chicken, a lime wedge, and avocado between 4 bowls. Top with finished broth and extra green onions or cilantro, if desired.

I served this with some quick cheese quesadillas. We also like it with some warmed up tortillas on the side.

Pictures of mine and J's bowls.

Family Dinner: Chicken Enchilada Casserole

I have seen several versions of these all over the Internet, but this is mine.  I think I need to be upfront and let you know that our kids are not picky....or really, they try to be, but I am not having that crap.  And they also enjoy a little spice, so this recipe has a little heat, but you can adjust that easily to your own preference. I love casseroles, especially as the weather gets cooler. A simple one dish meal, a little effort to get all the ingredients together, and then you can chuck it in the oven and get to whatever you need to get done, which in my case is some driveway chalk drawings and soaking up the last bit of sun and warmth before we are forced indoors for the winter (ughhhhh).

I make my own enchilada sauce, but you can easily buy cans of sauce or the seasoning packet and save a few minutes. Another note, often I will cook a big batch of chicken breasts in the crock pot to shred and use in a couple of recipes throughout the week.  I didn't do that here, because I didn't plan ahead, but if you do, then this is reallllllly quick to throw together.

Chicken Enchilada Casserole
1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts (or this amount already cooked shredded)
3 cups chicken broth (if you have your chicken cooked already, you just need 1 cup)
1 can tomato sauce (15 oz)
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 chipotle chiles in adobo, finely minced
1/2 tsp chipotle chile powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 green pepper, diced
1 small onion, diced
1 tomato, diced
1/4 cup cilantro (a small handful), minced
1 can black beans, rinsed
6 fat-free flour tortillas, cut into 1/8ths
1 cup reduced-fat shredded cheddar cheese
6 green onions, sliced
1 small can sliced black olives, drained

First, if you need to cook your chicken, cut off all the fat and gross vein-ey looking things, place your chicken breasts in a saucepan and cover with chicken broth.  Cook over medium-low heat until done, about 20-25 minutes.  Shred with forks, and set aside.  Reserve 1 cup of the broth for the enchilada sauce, and give the pan a quick rinse and wipe.


Next, you will need a large frying pan and your sauce pan.  Spray each pan with cooking spray, then I like to mince all my garlic at once.  Split the garlic between the two pans.  Next I like to make the sauce:  turn the saucepan on to medium, and sautee the garlic, about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.  While the garlic is cooking, mince up your chipotle peppers.  Add those to the pan, cook for another minute or so, then add tomato sauce, 1 cup of chicken broth, chipotle chile powder, cumin, salt, and pepper.  Continue to cook over medium-low heat about 10 minutes.

Next, while the sauce is cooking, I dice my onion and add it to the frying pan with the garlic.  Begin to cook these over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until starting to soften, about 3 minutes.  While the onions are cooking, I dice up my green pepper, then add it to the pan, and cook an additional 3 minutes or so.  While this is cooking, I rinse my beans and dice my tomato and cilantro.  After the pepper starts to soften, I add the diced tomatoes, beans, and cilantro, mix and cook for another minute or 2, then stir in the shredded chicken.

Pre-heat the oven to 400, and spray a casserole dish with cooking spray.  Cover the bottom with half the cut up tortillas, then top with half the enchilada sauce.  Add the chicken mixture, the cover with the remaining tortilla strips.  Top with the remaing sauce, sprinkle with cheese, sliced green onions, and olives.  Cover with foil and bake until hot, 25-30 minutes.