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!

Mexican Rice

When I first arrived in France last April, I went through a period of Tex-Mex withdrawal.  Some things I could manage (guacamole) or whip up in a MacGyver-meets-Julia Child type of way (chicken fajitas), but certain elements of a quintessential Tex-Mex meal were missing: salsa, Mexican rice, refried beans, and queso.  Since those first frightening months I've conquered three of these four items (queso still eludes me....).  This is a recipe for Mexican rice that's ridiculously easy, delicious, and can be vegetarian/vegan.  And, yes, it's received two enthusiastic kid stamps of approval.

1/2 cup chopped onion (about half a large onion)

1/4 cup chopped green (yellow or orange also work well) bell pepper

1 large garlic clove, minced
2 tsp olive oil

1 cup long grain rice

1 can (15 oz) diced tomatoes with liquid

1 tsp chilli powder

1/4 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups broth

1/3 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro

1 avocado, halved lenthwise and sliced in 1/4" sections

Heat oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat; saute the onion, bell pepper, and garlic until onion is soft, about 3 min.  Add rice to skillet and cook over med-hi heat until rice is browned.  Add tomatoes, chilli powder, salt, and broth.  Bring to a boil; cover, lower heat, and simmer until the liquid has been absorbed (18-20 min).  Taste and add up to 1/4 tsp salt, if needed.  Garnish with fresh cilantro and sliced avocado.

Makes 6 servings.

NOTES:

(a)  Stir the rice continuously during the browning process to ensure none of the rice burns.  It's okay for some grains to get darker than others, but a burned taste stays with the rice and ruins the whole dish.

(b)  Any broth will work - I prefer vegetable, but if you're pairing this rice with chicken fajitas, it's a good idea to use chicken stock.  Likewise for beef tacos or steak fajitas (beef broth is best).  Fish tacos?  I'd go back to the veggie stock.

(c)  To give the rice an added kick, add 2 jalapenos, seeded and chopped, to the skillet when you saute the onion and garlic. 

(d)  Green bell peppers have the least nutritional value of any bell pepper, so if you have a yellow or orange bell pepper, go for that one.  The green contrasts nicely with the color of the rice when it's finished, but if you toss in some diced jalapenos you'll get the same lovely effect without sacrificing nutritional value.  And, let's be honest, nutrition is what Tex-Mex is all about.

Green Chile and Chicken Enchiladas

I saw this recipe on an episode of "Cook Yourself Thin," a show which takes people's favorite (and usually unhealthy) recipes and reworks them in a healthier way.  I had to improvise a bit since France isn't know for its extensive Mexican product selection (the guy at the "Fromage" counter at the Carrefour had actually never heard of Monterey Jack cheese -- so sad in this day and age!).  Instead of your usual rolled enchiladas, this recipe uses layered corn tortillas in a lasagna-inspired method.  It's simple, can be amended as necessary, is quite tasty, and reasonably healthy.  Gotta love that!

2 roasted poblano peppers

1 bunch of cilantro, stems removed, or 1 tsp dried coriander

1 lime, zested and juiced

2 cloves garlic

3/4 cup chicken broth

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

12 corn tortillas

1 cup cooked black beans, mashed or blended til smooth

3 cups boiled chicken, shredded

3/4 cup reduced-fat shredded cheese (ie. Mexican-style, Monterey Jack, cheddar)

2 scallions, green parts only, chopped

1/2 cup fresh tomato salsa

Fresh cilantro, chopped (optional)

1 lime, cut into wedges, for garnish (optional)

Makes 4 servings.

** <456 calories per serving

Preheat oven to 425 F (220 C).  Lightly oil a 9"x13" baking dish with cooking spray or 1 tsp olive oil.  In a food processor or blender, combine the roasted and peeled peppers, cilantro, garlic, lime zest and juice, chicken stock, salt and pepper, and puree until smooth.  In a separate bowl, combine the chopped scallions and cheese; set aside.

Spread 1/3 cup of the sauce in the prepared baking dish.  Top with a layer of 6 overlapping tortillas.  Spread black beans evenly over the tortillas.  Top the beans with the shredded chicken mixture, and add 1/3 cup of sauce, followed by the remaining 6 tortillas.  Pour the remaining sauce evenly over the tortillas. 

Cover with foil and bake, covered, for 20 minutes, or until the enchiladas begin to bubble on the sides.  Remove the foil and spoon salsa intermittently on top of the enchiladas; sprinkle the scallion and cheese mixture on top.  Continue baking until heated through and the cheese is melted, about 5 minutes more.  Allow to cool for 3-5 minutes, then top with chopped cilantro and serve with the lime wedges.

NOTES:

(a)  Poblano peppers definitely don't exist in the Rhone-Alps (not that I've been able to find anyway), so I had to make my own.  To do this, take your fresh peppers (I used a red bell pepper and two jalapeno-esque [roughly the same size, though not as spicy] peppers) and roast them over the open flame of the stove or barbeque until the skin is almost completely black.  Place immediately in a bowl and cover with a lid or aluminum foil for 20 min.  After 20 min, remove stems and peel the blackened skin off.  You can either leave the seeds or remove them, depending upon the level of hotness you're after.

(b)  Fresh cilantro in the sauce is exponentially better than dry in terms of flavoring, but the rest of the ingredients can hold their own if you must use dry.

(c)  Before you boil your chicken (3-4 boneless, skinless breasts), cut each chicken breast into large chunks.  It makes the boiling easier and the shredding more uniform and quick, especially if you're using a small food processor or blender.  You can also use any leftover chicken (or turkey) you might have, but boiling your own also gives you fresh chicken broth and lets you control the sodium in your stock.  To enhance the flavor of both your chicken and stock, add 2 tsp vegetable bullion to the water before you bring it to a boil.

(d)  The original recipe called for nonfat refried beans, but since that also isn't readily available in France (apparently the Taco Bell brand hasn't begun exporting to this part of Europe yet - shame), pureed black beans are an excellent substitution.  They're high in dietary fiber, help to prevent blood sugar levels from rising too quickly after a meal (make a note, diabetics!), are high in tryptophan (an essential amino acid), and, when paired with whole grains, are a great replacement for red meat.

(e)  I preferred to make my enchiladas taller by using a smaller dish.  I only used 8 corn tortillas, quartered, slightly overlapping in parts.  This gave me three layers instead of two.  Not a huge difference, but I thought it looked prettier. 

Chunky Tomato Salsa

As anyone living or traveling through Europe can tell you, it's extremely difficult (if not impossible) to find decent salsa.  For a Texan, born and raised on Pace picante (pronounced pi-CON-tee, of course), this is a travesty.  And don't be fooled by the tiny section on the foreign foods aisle at the shops - that bottled mess at the Carrefour and Migros is NOT salsa!  It's an abomination and makes God cry.  So this is a recipe I found on the very last page of the "Taste of Home - Chicken" Aug. 2009 magazine.  It's easy and delicious.  I've had good reviews from the foreign employers (one of whom lived in Texas for a bit), from church friends, and even from my family in Tejas over the holidays -- that's how you know it's legit!

3 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes (about 4 large)

1 large green bell pepper, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

1 serrano pepper, seeded and chopped

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped

1 Tbsp sugar

2 1/4 tsp salt

1 garlic clove, minced

3/4 tsp ground cumin

1 can (6 oz) tomato paste

1/4 cup white vinegar (I like white balsamic)

2 Tbsp lemon juice
Fresh cilantro (coriander), coarsely chopped (optional)

In a large saucepan, combine the first nine ingredients (stopping at the tomato paste).  Stir in the tomato paste, vinegar and lemon juice.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 1 hour, stirring frequently.  Cool to room temperature.  Can be served warm or chilled from the fridge - both are good!  Garnish with fresh cilantro to give it a fancy-shmancy touch.

NOTES:

(a)  I always make a double batch of this because it's really very little extra effort to double the chopping duties and you get fresh salsa for quite awhile.

(b)  Freshly chopped tomatoes are essential to give the salsa the right texture and a fresh taste, but a can of Rotel or regular diced tomatoes can be added if you want more liquid or to give it a little more tomato-y umph (that's a technical culinary term).

(c)  Stirring frequently is NOT a suggestion!  Don't put the pot on the fire and walk away for an hour - if the ingredients aren't mixed around, the salsa on the bottom can get slightly overcooked or burned, giving the entire pot of salsa a sour-ish aftertaste.  And that's alot of chopping gone to waste.

(d)  My Daddy said this was the best tasting ketchup he'd ever had.  My Aunt thought her tongue might fall off after sampling the same pot.  Everyone's tolerence differs, so if you're making a double batch, you might want to separate it into two pots.  Load up the jalapenos in one, and keep the regular version in the other.

(e)  Handling hot peppers.....from experience I can say it's a very bad idea to cut peppers, then try and put in your contacts.  No amount of hand washing will get rid of the pepper resin, so either wear latex gloves to chop or, if the E.R. in your kitchen is running low, dip the fingertips on both hands in oil before handling the peppers.  It makes all the difference!