Everett, Wash. Published: Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Winter-worthy enchiladas fit New Year's resolutions
By Howie Rumberg Associated Press
If you're at all like me, you've just spent the holiday season indulging in a monthlong feast and are prepared to pay the price by starting the new year with a healthy diet.
But the last thing I want on a blustery winter day is a lonely salad. I want warm and hearty.
One thing I've learned is that with some tinkering you can turn a caloric catastrophe into a healthy option. To do this, I turned to Devin Alexander, who has made a career of taking artery-clogging, pound-packing recipes and turning them into healthy fare.
She taught me how to make grilled chicken enchiladas from her Discovery Health channel show, "Healthy Decadence with Devin Alexander."
Yes, those cheesy, saucy Mexican restaurant favorites.
Her version has is lighter by 20 grams of fat and 300 calories, according to her calculation.
"Honestly, I swear you'd never know the difference in recipes," Alexander said. "It tastes hearty but it's not heavy."
The secret to Alexander's fat-cutting recipe is using 75 percent reduced-fat cheese and grilling.
Grilling the chicken helps keeps the fat content down because much of the fat drips off during cooking. And you don't need a stove or a grill. You can use a nonstick frying pan coated with a little olive-oil spray.
Serve enchiladas with a small salad or grill some vegetables and you'll have a meal that might just trick you into thinking the party is still on.
Grilled chicken enchiladas
2 teaspoons salt-free Southwest or Mexican seasoning
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
4 (4-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1-1/4 cups canned medium red enchilada sauce
1-1/4 cups canned medium green chile enchilada sauce
Preheat a grill to high heat. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
In a small bowl, mix the seasoning, garlic and salt. Rub the mixture evenly over chicken breasts to cover. Let stand 10 minutes, then place the breasts side by side on the grill or in your pan.
Turn the heat to medium and cook the breasts for 3 to 5 minutes per side or until no longer pink inside. Remove from the grill and let stand 5 minutes.
In a medium pan over medium heat, combine the enchilada sauces. Stir occasionally until simmering.
In a medium bowl, mix 1-1/4 cups of the cheese, the cilantro, olives and chilies. Set aside.
Coarsely chop one chicken breast. Repeat with remaining breasts and keep each resulting pile of chopped chicken separate from the others.
Spoon ½ cup of the sauce into a 13-by-9-by 2-inch baking dish, spreading it evenly to cover the bottom.
Wrap the tortillas in a damp, lint-free dish towel and microwave until just warm and pliable, about 30 seconds. Dip one tortilla in the remaining sauce, then place 1/8 of the cheese mixture in a 2-inch wide strip down the center of the tortilla. Top with ½ of a chopped chicken breast.
Fold the sides of tortilla into the center so they overlap, creating a tube, and place the tube seam side down in the baking dish. Repeat with the remaining tortillas, chicken and cheese mixture, placing them side by side in the dish. Ladle the remaining sauce over the top then sprinkle with the reserved cheese.
Cover the dish with foil and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the foil and bake the enchiladas an additional 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted both on the top and on the insides.
Makes 4 two-enchilada servings. Per serving: 366 calories, 38 g protein, 32 g carbohydrates, 9 g fat (2 saturated), 75 mg cholesterol, 4 g fiber, 1151 mg sodium.
