Cheesy Enchilada Soup

I saw a recipe on Pinterest for a creamy enchilada soup that looked delightful. When I clicked on it to see the recipe, it was a bunch of cream of 'X' soups mixed together. Gross. I knew there had to be a better way and I came up with this. After having it for lunch a couple of days already, I will say that I will definitely be making it again! There are a ton of ways to adapt this to whatever you like in your enchiladas- I am a straight cheese enchilada girl so this is mostly cheesy with some beans for protein.

Cheesy Enchilada Soup

1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
1/2 onion, diced
3 tbsp flour
2 cups skim milk
2 cups shredded cheddar (I used a Mexican blend)
1/2 (15 oz) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 (15 oz) can of corn drained
1 (10 oz) can enchilada sauce (whatever your preferred brand is)
1 cup chicken broth

Melt the olive oil and butter in a large saucepan. Once melted, add the onion and stir. Let cook until the onion is softened, about 5 minutes. To the onion mixture, whisk in the flour and combine until you get something the consistency of a paste. Continue whisking for 1 minute.

While still whisking, add milk to the onion paste. Continue whisking until all of the butter/flour is dissolved into the milk and the milk thicken. I like a pretty thick soup so I let it thicken (still stirring!) for 5-8 minutes. Once your base is thickened, stir in the cheese until it is all melted.

Add the chickpeas, beans and corn to the soup. Stir to combine. Stir in the enchilada sauce and chicken broth and let simmer for 5-10 minutes and serve!

This would be delicious topped with sour cream, shredded cheese, crushed tortilla chips, green onions, cilantro, etc. Personalize as you wish!

Yield: (5) 1-1/2 cup servings

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Taco Raviolis

Recently we went to a friend's house for a birthday party and I wanted to bring a snack. I did not want to go to the grocery store, so I was limited to the items I had on hand.

After some brainstorming, I came up with these little taco raviolis. Dippable (a party-must), portable and delicious.


Taco Raviolis
Yield: 15+ (It really depends on how full you make the raviolis. You can stretch this pretty far.)

1/2 lb ground turkey (or beef)
2 or 3 green onions, chopped
1/2 packet taco seasoning
1/2 cup cheddar cheese
2 pie crusts (I use the refrigerated kind & keep them in my freezer)


-Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

-Brown the ground meat on the stove. Add the taco seasoning and water, as directed on the package. Remove from heat and stir in the chopped up green onions.

-Roll out the pie crusts to about 1/8" thickness. Use a biscuit cutter to cut the dough into circles about 3" in diameter.


-Put a spoonful of taco meat on half of each circle of dough. Top the mounds with a sprinkle of cheddar cheese. Be careful to not overload the dough- you will not be able to close them!

(Too full.)

-Fold the dough in half over the meat to make a half moon shape. Use a fork to pinch the dough closed. If the dough is not staying closed, use your finger to spread some water on the edges of the inside before closing the dough- this will help "glue" the ravioli closed.

-Once all of the ravioli are folded and sealed, lay them onto a sprayed cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, or until the dough is golden.

-Serve warm or room temperature with salsa for dipping.

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Shrimp Fajitas

This is another of my "healthy" recipes- shrimp fajitas.

I marinated the shrimp (lime juice, cilantro, 3 cloves of garlic, a splash (less than a tsp) of olive oil, and a shake of red cayenne pepper) and then grilled them, along with an onion.

I plopped the shrimp, onions and a little bit of low fat sour cream in a flour tortilla and rolled it up. I only had one tortilla and then ate the rest of my shrimp and onions with a fork. It was really yummy and filling.

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Southwestern Skillet Mac & Cheese

Southwestern Skillet Mac & Cheese
Adapted from Weight Watchers

Makes 6 servings
From Weight Watchers- 6 points/serving.

Ingredients

1	cup Elbow pasta
1	lb Ground turkey
1/2	cup Onion, chopped
1/2	cup Bell pepper, chopped
2	tbsp Chili powder
1	tsp Cumin
1/2	tsp Salt
14	oz Diced tomatoes
8	oz Tomato sauce
1/2	cup Water
1	cup Reduced Fat Cheddar cheese, shredded

Directions

1. Cook the macaroni according to package directions omitting the salt, if desired; Drain.
   
   
2. Meanwhile, spray a large nonstick skillet with a nonstick spray and set over medium-high heat. Add the turkey and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 8 minutes.
   
   
3. Stir in the onion, bell pepper, chili powder, cumin and salt. Cook, stiring occasionally, until the onion is softened, about 3 minutes.
   
   
4. Add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the flavors are blended, about 10 minutes.
   
   
5. Add the macaroni and the cheese, stirring to combine.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 258.8g

Amount Per Serving

Calories 334 Calories from Fat 134

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 14.9g 23%

Saturated Fat 5.1g 25%

Cholesterol 90mg 30%

Sodium 623mg 26%

Total Carbohydrates 21.5g 7%

Dietary Fiber 3.2g 13%

Sugars 4.7g

Protein 30.1g

Vitamin A 39% • Vitamin C 39% Calcium 22% • Iron 19%

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet Nutritional details are an estimate and should only be used as a guide for approximation.

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Mexican Stuffed Peppers

This was yummy. I've never had stuffed peppers, but was craving Mexican so I came up with a fusion. This combines taco meat, enchilada sauce and Spanish rice. And a ton of cheese :)

Spanish Rice:
1 cup of rice, uncooked (I used brown)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 1/2 cups water
1 cup tomato sauce
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and rice. Stir constantly until browned. Remove from the heat and add the water, tomato sauce, chili powder and salt. Combine and place back on high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil- when it does, reduce the heat to continue bubbling. Stir occasionally until the mixture thickens.

After the rice is done, pour it into a large bowl. I used the same skillet to cook my meat.

While the rice is thickening, start your enchilada sauce.

Enchilada Sauce:
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbsp flour
several shakes of chili powder (I don't like things TOO spicy- the recipe I based this off of called for 1/4 CUP, but many of the reviewers disagreed with this, so I just shook some in)
1 cup water
1 cup tomato sauce
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp paprika
salt to taste

Heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the flour and combine to create a paste. Add the chili powder and stir for a couple of minutes- until this starts to lightly brown. Add the water, tomato sauce, garlic powder, paprika and salt. Combine, and stir occasionally until the sauce thickens.

When you are ready to start the taco meat, preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Taco Meat
1/2 lb ground turkey
1/2 packet of mild taco seasoning
a splash of water

Brown the turkey in the skillet used for the rice. Add the 1/2 packet of taco seasoning, along with enough water to thoroughly mix the seasoning with the meat (about 1/3 cup?). Mix until the meat and seasoning thicken and the water is gone. Stir the meat into the large bowl containing the rice. Mix thoroughly.

To stuff the peppers:

2 peppers- I had 2 relatively large ones and ended up with just a bit of leftover stuffing. If you have smaller ones, I would recommend using 3-4
Cheddar Cheese
Sour Cream

Cut the tops off of the peppers and remove the seeds and ribs (the white parts that are sticky-outy).

Line a glass pan with aluminum foil (to help cleanup) and place the peppers inside the pan. If the peppers are tipsy, cut a bit off of the bottom to level them out.

Add a few handfuls of the cheddar to the bowl containing the meat and rice. Scoop the meat mixture into the peppers. After the peppers are filled to the brim, spoon over the enchilada sauce. Top with a bit more cheddar cheese.

Stick the pan with the peppers into the 400 degree oven for about 20-30 minutes. Take the peppers out with they start to brown and get soft.

I topped my peppers with sour cream and a bit more cheese... I might like cheese.. a little.

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