Double Layer Enchiladas

thehealthychew

5 years ago

Throughout my pregnancy I have been craving plenty of Mexican food, especially rice, black beans, salsa, and chunky guacamole. Although I didn’t try to make too many Mexican food dishes during my first trimester, the thought of cooking alone made me squeamish and uncomfortable. Now that I am heading towards the finish line and well into my last trimester, I am cooking and creating in the kitchen once again. Happy to be back home in my own kitchen, I’ve been experimenting on several different recipes. My enchiladas really made a home run recently and I am excited to be sharing them with you.

These ‘Healthy Chew’ Enchiladas are a bit two faced because they contain both red sauce and green sauce. Some might argue that these are not your traditional enchiladas but you can’t argue with your taste buds when they say it’s delicious. To build the inside, I use chicken, black beans, onions, garlic, green chiles, and a secret weapon red sauce. The outside is as simple as possible, store bought green enchilada sauce. Lastly, it’s up to you if you decide to keep or leave the cheese- it’s up to you how much you want to add. However, when I make my enchiladas, I won’t hold back on the gooey goodness for the sake of (a few) calories.

Typically enchiladas are quite lengthy in labor, especially making them from scratch. Although, I can’t deny the flavor of a homemade enchilada from scratch, they are a universal favorite for a reason. They scream comfort food and instant gratification due to the heavy carbs and cheese, but not all enchiladas have to be dripping with sugar and fat. These enchiladas still have that homemade taste and look, but increased protein from the black beans. Furthermore, picking out a whole wheat tortilla instead of white flour tortillas gives the dish some added fiber. Using basic ingredients for the inside sauce without sour cream reduces the carb load as well, all while still keeping the taste abundant and savory.

Photographing an enchilada plate is a bit challenging, as well as any Mexican food dish because, in most cases the best recipes just look like mush with rice and beans spilling out from the sides. I hope I did these enchiladas justice, for they really do taste as good as they look. From the melty gooey cheese, to the spicy flavor packed inside, these enchiladas are looking and feeling like a million bucks. After serving them a few times in our home, I think it’s safe to say they have become a new favorite, especially since My husband and I both have growing appetites lately.

I wanted to cut the cooking time in half, making these guys a home run in both taste and convenience categories. From prep to table, this recipe should take less than 45 minutes aaand maybe about 10 minutes to eat- they are that good. Don’t believe all the hype I’ve been writing? Test them out for yourself, let me know how you like them. Serve them up for a dinner party, or summertime get-together, or just simply have them on a wednesday night like we did.

Here’s the store bought green enchilada sauce I used, feel free to use a different one of your choice. Green Enchilada Sauce