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Healthy Mexican Food Recipes
Try These Frugal Enchiladas
Healthy Mexican food recipes like these frugal enchiladas are healthy recipes that taste like the real thing without all that unhealthy fat.
I call these frugal enchiladas because most of the ingredients come from items I have in bulk on my shelves.
The filling for these enchiladas is made with beef-flavored texturized vegetable protein, also known as TVP.
The beef flavored tvp
is my favorite because it looks and tastes very much like cooked ground beef when refreshed with water.
Or use organic beef or your own home-raised chicken.
For this recipe, I used pre-made corn tortillas
because it was easier, but you can also make your own corn tortillas by using Maseca Corn Masa for Tamales .
I've done this many times before in my healthy Mexican food recipes. The end result doesn't look as pretty, but it tastes just as good.
These frugal enchiladas are as good or better than any you would find in a Mexican restaurant.
It's truly a frugal dish on those days when you crave Mexican but want to save money as well as cut out the unhealthy fat.
By the way, don't let the long instructions intimidate you from trying this dish.
Reading healthy Mexican food recipes like this one makes it sound more time consuming than it actually is.
I can usually assemble a dish of 20 enchiladas in about thirty minutes.
Mealthy Mexican Food Recipse
The Ingredients
Make your own fresh tortillas for your enchiladas with Maseca Corn Masa for Tamales
.
You Will Need
- 20 corn tortillas OR -
- Two and a half cups of Maseca Corn Masa for Tamales
and
- About one and a half cups of water with
- About 1/2 teaspoon of salt
For the filling you will need:
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- 1 onion diced
- One and one third cups of beef flavored tvp
OR
- one cup of ground beef
- 1/8 teaspoon of black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- 1/4 teaspoon powdered marjoram
- 1/4 teaspoon powdered thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon powdered sage
- 1/4 teaspoon savory seasoning
Please note: The pepper, marjoram, thyme, sage and savory spices will give your ground beef or TVP a sausage taste.
If you prefer something milder, omit these spices and just add the salt.)
Craving a taco salad? Make your own fresh tortilla shells with these Tortilla Shell Pans
.
For the enchilada sauce you will need:
- 1/4 cup of oil
- 1/4 cup of flour
- 2 cups of water
- 1 tablespoon of chili powder
- 2 teaspoons of cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
With healthy Mexican food recipes, it won't hurt to throw on a little bit of grated cheese right before you put them in the oven.
Those are the ingredients, so let's start making our frugal enchiladas! Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Keep your tortillas warm in this beautiful and functional Fox Run Terra Cotta Tortilla Warmer .
Healthy Mexican Food Recipes
Refresh the TVP
Put your TVP in a bowl or measuring cup and just cover it with water.
Let the TVP stand for about ten minutes before use.
Healthy Mexican Food Recipes
Prepare the Filling
Heat the oil in a pan and sauté the onion for three minutes, until the onion is soft.
Then add the refreshed TVP and the spices. Stir until well mixed and remove from heat.
Ready to make even more authentic Mexican dishes? Try this cookbook.
Healthy Mexican Food Recipes
Prepare the Tortillas For Your Frugal Enchiladas
You will need to either prepare your tortillas from scratch using Maseca flour or warm your pre-made corn tortillas.
If you have never made enchiladas before, I would really recommend using the pre-made tortillas at least the first couple of times around.
(Trust me - you'll want to make this frugal enchiladas recipe again!)
If you plan to make them from scratch, follow the mixing instructions on the package.
Once the dough is mixed, divide it into 20 balls.
Place each ball between two sheets of parchment paper (they recommend plastic, but I think parchment works better) and roll flat.
Then cook the tortillas in an ungreased frying pan for 50 seconds on each side.
For pre-made corn tortillas, warm them in an ungreased frying pan for 30 seconds on each side.
Whether you make your tortillas from scratch or are using pre-made corn tortillas, you will need to keep your warmed tortillas in a sealed container to keep in the moist heat.
That way they will remain warm and flexible until ready for use.
I always keep my cooked tortillas in a sealed Tupperware container.
Healthy Mexican Food Recipes
Prepare the Enchilada Sauce
In a medium (I use the 2-quart size) saucepan, heat the oil and then add the flour, mixing thoroughly. Then gradually add the water. The mixture should thicken immediately. Gradually add enough water to make a slightly thin sauce. Then add the chili powder, cumin powder, salt and garlic powder.
Spoon a little of this sauce on the bottom of your baking dish until the dish is completely covered. This will keep your enchiladas from becoming tough on the bottom.
Now it’s time to assemble your frugal enchiladas!
Take one corn tortilla, letting it lay flat in your hand. Add about one to one and a half tablespoons of filling.
Then roll your tortilla and place it in the dish. Repeat for all twenty of your corn tortillas.
The end result should look like this:
Then cover with the rest of the enchilada sauce. Top it all with the grated cheese and bake these frugal enchiladas for about 30 minutes or until the sauce begins to bubble.
This frugal enchiladas recipe feeds my family of five with enough left over for my husband to take some to work the next day.
Ready to make even more authentic Mexican dishes? Click here!
Learn More About Frugal Cooking
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