Tasty Enchilada Tuesday

When you are on a diet, do you favorite foods happen to become an ever-present CRAVING?  Mine is Mexican food.  For some reason when I start eating good I always want umm Lolita's- weird right? Well in order to combat that temptation of 1,000,000,000+ calories for one burrito, I have found a healthier version of one of my favorite Mexican dishes- Enchiladas!!

So next time you want some delicious south of the border food, look no further!  This is seriously the best homemade Enchiladas I have ever had (excuse the horrible picture).  I know am white and probably do no make Mexican food how it is intended, but just give these a try!!  They are freaking delicious! Note: This recipe does take almost 2 hours total, so reserve some time this weekend to try, you wont be disappointed!

Chicken Enchiladas (from Cooking Light Magazine)

Serving Size: 2 Enchiladas  Calories: 285  Fat: 11.8 g  Carbs: 23.3 g  Fiber: 2.6 g  Protein: 21.6 g  Sodium:  695 mg

Ingredients:
- 3 cups cold water
- 2 cups fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
- 1 tbsp pepper
- 5 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 celery stock, coarsely chopped
- 1 large carrot, peeling and cut into 1/2 pieces
- 1 jalapeño pepper, halved
- 1/2 medium onion, cut into wedges
- 2 (6 ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
- 1 (7 ounce) can salsa verde
- 3 tbsp heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup chopped tomato
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/4 ground red pepper
- 4 ounces 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened
- 10 (6 inch) soft corn tortillas
- Cooking spray
- 1 ounce sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (about 1/4 cup)

Directions:

Combine first 8 ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer.  Add chicken and cook 8 minutes or until chicken is done.  Remove chicken from pan; let stand for 10 minutes.  Shred the chicken and set aside.  Drain cooking liquid through a sieve over a bowl and save for later. Discard solids.

Combine saved cooking liquid and salsa verde in a saucepan; bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Cook until mixture is reduced to 1 1/2 cups (about 33 minutes).  Reduce heat to low; stir in whipping cream.  Remove pan from heat.

Preheat over to 400 degrees.

Place chick in a medium bowl.  Add tomato and the next five ingredients (through cream cheese) to chicken; toss.  Dip each tortilla in sauce mixture for 10 seconds.  Fill each tortilla with about 1/3 chicken mixture, and roll up.  Arrange filled tortillas in an 11 x 7 inch glass baking dish coated with cooking spray.  Spoon sauce over tortillas, and top evenly with cheddar cheese.  Bake enchiladas at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until lightly browned.

Enjoy!