I'm a fan of WiseGEEK's description of enchiladas . . .
Enchiladas are a favorite entrée of Mexican cuisine. Most consist of a tortilla stuffed with meat and other food items, which is rolled up, covered with a spicy sauce, and baked. However, this dish can be filled and covered with a seemingly endless variety of ingredients.
I'm happy because this definition means I can stuff whole grain tortillas with anything that suits my tastes, and slenderize them as much as I want.
With summer squash in abundance this time of year, roasted vegetables seemed like an obvious choice for an enchilada filling, especially with the addition of sweet potatoes and black beans to add bulk.
I used large whole grain tortillas to encase the fragrant roasted vegetables I pulled from the oven. It was easy enough to spoon them into a tortilla, roll them up, then pour canned enchilada sauce over the top (watch nutrition labels folks! low sugar, low sodium, and a minimal ingredient list is what you're looking for in a canned sauce).
Shredded low-fat pepper jack cheese and minced jalapeno add another layer of gentle heat before these veggie-packed enchiladas hit the oven.
After the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbly, my enchiladas are removed from the oven, then served with fresh slices of lime, chunks of avocado and dollops of sour cream.
I love that splash of color!
Isn't this a fresh looking meat-free enchilada? It's packed with in-season zucchini and yellow squash, sweet potatoes, black beans, and enough spicy flavor that you won't miss the meat.
Life doesn't get better than sharing big days with my foodie friends, so before I end for today, I want to share a photo from my daughter's recent wedding in our backyard. What a fun day filled with love, and as you can see, more than a few flower children!
I have one happy daughter and one fantastic son-in-law. Life doesn't get better than this!
Mexican Spiced Roasted Vegetables
- 6 cups zucchini cubed into bite sized pieces
- 2 cups yellow squash, cubed into bite sized pieces
- 4 cups sweet potatoes, cubed into bite sized pieces
- 1 large red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 2 tablespoons grape seed oil
- 1 ½ tablespoons chili powder
- ½ tablespoon cumin
- ½ tablespoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, or use a non-stick cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray.
- Toss ingredients in a very large bowl and spread out onto the cookie sheet.
- Roast in the oven for 15 minutes, then gently stir. Roast another 15 minutes.
Mexican Roasted Vegetable Enchiladas
- 8 large whole grain tortillas
- 28 ounces enchilada sauce
- 1 cup pepper jack cheese, shredded
- 1 tablespoon jalapeno, minced
- 1 large avocado, cubed
- 16 tablespoons low-fat sour cream
- 8 tablespoons green onion, sliced
- 8 tablespoons cilantro, minced
- 8 cups Mexican Roasted Vegetables
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray two 13 x 9 casserole dishes with cooking spray.
- Spread 1 cup enchilada sauce on the bottom of each pan.
- Take a tortilla and lay if on a cutting board. Fill the first half with 1 cup roasted vegetables, then gently roll up into a log. Place in the casserole dish. Repeat until all 8 tortillas are filled. My casserole dishes could hold 4 tortillas each.
- Top each casserole dish with remaining enchilada sauce and sprinkle with diced jalapeños and shredded cheese.
- Bake for 30 minutes until cheese is melted.
- Serve with sour cream, avocado, cilantro and sliced onion.
Short on calories or Weight Watchers points for the day? You can reduce the total calories by skipping the sour cream or avocado in favor of a squeeze of refreshing lime.
