Zesty Veggie Enchiladas

"My" kids (the 2 multinational, expat-ish, England-type children I nanny) are huge fans of Tex-Mex and request it at least once a week.  However, my she-boss is extremely health-aware and insists on balanced, nutritional meals.  Tex-Mex doesn't always fit the bill.  My first go at enchiladas were delicious, to be sure, but were deemed "stodgy," which I gather is along the lines of heavy or soggy.  In any event, it's not a compliment.  THIS recipe is not stodgy; I daresay it's come darn close to receiving Madame's stamp of approval.  I tweaked this from a recipe I found in the Better Homes and Gardens "Ultimate Casseroles - March 2010" magazine.  It's healthy, vegetarian, and a great new twist on your standard enchiladas!

1 1/3 cups water

1/2 cup dried brown or puy lentils, rinsed and drained

Nonstick cooking spray (or olive oil)

8 7-8" flour tortillas

2 medium carrots, thinly sliced (about 1 cup)

2 small zucchini or yellow summer squash, quartered lengthwise and sliced (2 cups)

1/2 large onion, diced

1 tsp ground cumin

1 8-oz can tomato sauce

1 cup shredded reduced-fat Monterey Jack cheese (4 oz)

Dash bottled hot pepper sauce (optional)

Salt & Pepper

1 cup chunky tomato salsa

Fresh coarsely chopped cilantro (optional)

In a medium saucepan, combine the water and lentils.  Bring to a boil; reduce heat.  Simmer, covered, about 30 min, or until tender; drain.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 F.  Coat a 2-qt rectangular baking dish with cooking spray (or wipe 1-2 Tbsp of olive oil around the bottom); set aside.  Stack tortillas and wrap tightly in foil.  Bake about 10 min or until warm.

Lightly coat a large skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium heat.  Add carrots; cook and stir for 2 min.  Add zucchini, onion, and cumin; cook and stir for 2-3 min or until vegetables are crisp-tender.  Remove from heat.  Stir in cooked lentils, tomato sauce, 1/2-3/4 cup of cheese, and hot pepper sauce (if desired; 3-4 dashes).  Add 1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper and up to 1/4 tsp salt, if needed.

Divide lentil mixture among warm tortillas; roll up tortillas and arrange, seam side down, in the prepared baking dish.  Sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup of cheese.  Spoon salsa over tortillas.

Bake, uncovered, for 15-20 min or until heated through.  Top with 1-2 tsp cold salsa; garnish with cilantro, if desired.

Makes 4 servings.

**401 cal, 10 g fat (4 g sat fat), 20 mg chol, 88g mg sodium, 58 g carbs, 3 g fiber, 21 g pro

NOTES:

(a)  Adding a tsp of vegetable bullion to the water you cook the lentils in gives them just a little added kick (and means you probably won't need to salt as much later). 

(b)  A trick my mom taught me about heating up tortillas: rip of 2 lengths of paper towels.  Wad up the paper towels and run them under the faucet, getting them completely wet.  Lightly wring them out (just so they aren't dripping); un-wad and lay flat.  Place your stack of tortillas on one damp paper towel and fold the other one over.  Place the stack in the microwave and heat for 45 sec.  Add time in 10 sec increments if your tortillas aren't soft and warm enough.

(c)  Go light on the salsa when you back the tortillas (to prevent them from getting too moist and, consequently, "stodgy").  About 1 Tbsp on each tortilla is perfect - add an additional spoonful of cold salsa to each serving when it comes out of the oven.

(d)  The cheese in this recipe is good for flavor, of course, but it's also really helpful in holding the lentil and veggie mixture together.  If you want to cut back on fat, get reduced-fat cheese and omit the cheese sprinkled on top of the tortillas before they go in the oven, but DON'T skip the cheese in the filling!