Tasty Tuesday: Zucchini Enchiladas

Thank you to the Food Network Kitchen for today’s recipe… No tortillas? No problem. Wrap your enchilada filling up in zucchini.

Total Time:1 hr 5 min   Makes: 4 servings (3 enchiladas per person)
Level: Easy (looks like I could even do this so it must be) 🙂

Ingredients

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 scallions, sliced (white and green parts separated)
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon chili powder
3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken (skin discarded)
1 1/2 cups salsa (not chunky)
1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese
3 to 4 medium zucchini
Several dashes chipotle hot sauce, plus more for serving, optional
2 tablespoons sour cream

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the scallion whites and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until soft, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle in the chili powder and cook, stirring, until the scallions are coated and the oil is brick red, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and stir in the chicken, 1/2 cup of the salsa and 1/2 cup of the cheese. Set aside.
• Halve the zucchini lengthwise and arrange cut-side down on a work surface. Use a Y-shaped vegetable peeler to shave off ribbons the entire length of each zucchini and as wide as possible (the first few may be too skinny). Make 36 zucchini ribbons total.
• Lay out 3 ribbons, slightly overlapping to make a rectangle (think of this as your “tortilla”). Pile about 1/4 cup of the chicken mixture down along one of the short ends of the zucchini tortilla and then roll up to enclose the filling. Put in a 2- to 3-quart baking dish. Roll up the remaining zucchini ribbons and filling and arrange in the dish. Top the rolls with the remaining 1 cup salsa. Add several dashes of the hot sauce and sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup cheese.
• Bake until the cheese is melted and the filling is hot, about 25 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes. Thin the sour cream out with a little water and drizzle over the enchiladas. Sprinkle with the reserved scallion greens and serve with more hot sauce if you’d like.

Make a pan (or two) to take to the next tailgate party or covered dish.  You can carry one or two pans in Thirty One’s Perfect Party Set.Why will you love this AMAZING thermal?  The Perfect Party Set expands to hold two 9” x 13” casserole pans inside 2 interior water-resistant thermal compartments. Handle grips make it easy to carry, while the exterior zipper pocket can keep additional items like utensils, baking instructions and additional ingredients secure during transport. It’s the most convenient way to take your favorite (HOT or COLD) casseroles, desserts, appetizers and more to your next family picnic, neighborhood cookout, celebration or camping trip! Key features include: 2 interior water-resistant thermal compartments, 1 exterior zipper pocket, 2 handles with handle grips.  Approx. 4”H unexpanded, 7”H expanded x 16.25”L x 10.25”D

Have a recipe you want to share?  Let me know, we love trying new things.

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!

Tasty Tuesday: Swap and Save Calories

The LONG week-end is over.  There is still time to shed a few pounds before the summer season kicks off for real on July 4th.  Try some of these swaps courtesy of Hungry Girl.

1. Go egg-whites only for your morning scramble or omelette. A 3/4-cup serving of liquid egg whites (the equivalent of 3 eggs) is about 100 calories, and 3 whole large eggs are about 215 calories. I like the nutrients from the yolk so I only keep 1 yolk if I am having more than 1 eff.

2. Opt for English muffins over bagels.  The average whole-wheat English muffin has around 130 calories; a wheat bagel has closer to 300.

3. Three words: Powdered. Peanut. Butter. I LOVE Peanut butter. I mean who doesn’t right but who wants all of the calories (or points), right?  PB2 is good and can take the place of PB for less than half the calories.  Want it to be a little creamier?  Add a few extra drops of water.

4. Trade doughy rolls for flat sandwich buns.  These come in lots of flavors including bagels.  These slim 100-calorie versions are really good.

5. Making tuna or chicken salad, use fat-free plain Greek yogurt in place of regular mayo. For every 2 tbsp., you’ll slash over 150 calories!  I am a Miracle Whip Light kind of girl since I can’t have dairy and slash the calories as well.

6. Exchange rice for cauliflower rice.  I will admit, I love this swap BUT I do buy the frozen or bits since I never got it right with my blender.  Mash it up with your potatoes to cut the calories too.

7. Use nonstick spray on your skillet instead of oil. The spray is practically calorie-free, while a 1-tbsp. “glug” of oil runs about 120 calories.

8. Combine finely chopped brown mushrooms with ground beef to cut calories! Replace 4 oz. raw extra-lean ground beef with 2 cups of the mushrooms to save around 100 calories — just think if you were swapping out the fattier stuff!  I need to try this.

9. Spaghetti squash! Zucchini noodles! Veggie noodles are a great calorie saver — ditch conventional carby pasta, and you’ll save around 160 calories per cup.

 10. Eat an orange (or clementines) instead drinking orange juice. OJ has around 112 calories per cup, while a medium orange has just over 60 cals, plus filling fiber.

11. Switch from sugary sodas to zero-calorie carbonated water or seltzer. Or eliminate carbonated beverages totally.  Save about 120 calories per can!

12. Got dip? Use veggies instead of chips to scoop it up. An ounce (about 9 chips) of tortilla chips has around 140 calories and will be gone in no time.  Eat an entire large red bell pepper or about 14 baby carrots instead for around 50 calories.

13. Choose popcorn over chips — you get more volume! A single-serving baggie of Lay’s Classic has 160 calories. You can have 5 whole cups of 94% fat-free popcorn for 100 calories or less.

14. Having a chocolate craving? Why not have a fudge-flavored Enlightened The-Good-for-You Ice Cream Bar for 70 calories (plus 8g protein!).

15. Want something refreshing and sweet? Give fruity ice cream the cold shoulder. A measly 1/2 cup of strawberry ice cream has around 130 calories; have an entire cup of frozen berries for half the calories.

16. Halve the cheese. Cheese is great, but we’re generally served way more than we need. At a restaurant, ask for half of the usual amount to save calories without sacrificing flavor.

17. Request a to-go box right when your meal arrives. Keep a reasonable serving, put the rest in the box, and set it aside for another meal. (Or just split one entrée with a pal when dining out — save calories AND cash!)

18. When at the sandwich shop, opt for mustard over mayo. A tablespoon of full-fat mayo has around 100 calories, while standard yellow mustard has closer to 5. Yes, 5!

19. Trade dressing for salsa. Salad dressing can add hundreds of fatty calories to a healthy meal; 10 – 20 calories’ worth of salsa is a total bargain in comparison!

20. Choose broth-based soups over creamy ones. Fun fact: Yeah, you’ll save calories by selecting a lighter soup option — around 100 vs. 200 — but studies have shown starting a meal with a brothy soup leads people to take in fewer calories overall!

21. Lettuce buns. It’s gotten pretty trendy for restaurants to offer lettuce in place of traditional sandwich and burger buns; this is a stellar way to easily ditch around 200 – 300 calories. Don’t want to be extreme?  Take off the top, and eat the sandwich open faced.

22. Skip whole-milk morning lattes and sugary cappuccinos; grab a coffee with skim milk instead. We’ve been known to carry packets of our favorite natural no-calorie sweetener around for this very purpose.

What are your best tips for cutting calories?  Share them with us.

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!