Zucchini Enchiladas

Don't be fooled... this is a Mexican dish, not an Italian dish! But since I loathe cilantro I had to find something else to top it with. And of course I have plenty of oregano :)

This recipe is a little more time consuming than it would lead you to believe. I would advise cooking this one in two nights... night 1: cooking and shredding the chicken and night 2: adding the chicken to the rest of the preparation.

Enjoy!
Ingredients:
4 medium zucchinis, cut in half lengthwise
1 tablespoon oil
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon cumin, toasted and ground
1 tablespoon chipotle chili powder or to taste
1 cup cooked and shredded chicken
1/2 cup corn
1 teaspoon oregano
1 1/2 cups enchilada sauce
1/2 cup cheddar, shredded
1/2 cup mozzarella, shredded
Directions:
Place the zucchini halves in boiling water for a minute, remove and let cool.
Hollow out the zucchini halves with a small spoon reserving the removed flesh.
Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat.
Add the onion and saute until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
Add the garlic, cumin and chili powder and saute until fragrant, about a minute.
Add the reserved zucchini flesh, chicken, corn, oregano, 1/2 cup of enchiladas sauce and cilantro, cook for a few minutes and remove from heat.
Spread 1/4 cup of the enchilada sauce over the bottom of a large baking dish, place the zucchini in the dish, stuff them with the filling and top with the remaining enchilada sauce and the cheese.
Bake in a preheated 350F oven until the zucchini is nice and tender and the cheese has melted, about 30-40 minutes.

Pumpkin Season

As a beach lover, sun worshiper and baseball fan there is almost no reason to look forward to fall. No reason except pumpkin pie, pumpkin spice lattes and, well, pumpkin everything. I admit - I'm a little obsessed. But as pumpkin is a great source of fiber as well as beta-carotene, vitamin A and potassium it's nothing to be ashamed of!

I was THRILLED to get the latest edition of the Tone It Up diet* and find pumpkin pie pancakes and homemade pumpkin spice lattes - something I thought I would have to eliminate from my diet this year. I was also lucky enough to find this amazing enchilada recipe online. Make it spicy enough and it will even appeal to non pumpkin lovers.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1/3 cup chopped onion
2/3 cup canned pure pumpkin
1 1/2 tbsp. taco sauce
1 tsp. taco seasoning mix
2 large corn tortillas
3/4 cup red enchilada sauce, divided
1 slice fat-free cheddar cheese, halved
1/4 cup shredded fat-free cheddar cheese


Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Brown onions on the stove, transfer to bowl.
Add pumpkin, taco sauce, and taco seasoning to the bowl. Mix well.
Lay two tortillas flat, side by side. Spread 2 tbsp. enchilada sauce onto each one. Place a half-slice of cheese in the center of each tortilla. Distribute the pumpkin mixture between the centers of the tortillas.
Wrap tortillas up tightly and place them in the baking pan with the seam sides down. Cover with remaining 1/2 cup enchilada sauce.
Bake in the oven until enchiladas are hot (about 8 minutes.)
Sprinkle enchiladas with shredded cheese.
Return to the oven and bake until the cheese has melted, about 5 minutes.


*Tone It Up is a lifetime membership so you will get new editions of the plan periodically (summer, fall etc.) The fall plan is all about "comfort food" and even includes a recipe for healthy mac n cheese:)