Thursday, January 17, 2013

Cerveza Chicken Enchilada Casserole (Slow Cooker Recipe)

After telling everyone "I never get sick" and "I don't need the flu shot"......I got sick.  Ugh.  It's not the flu, but food poisoning (I think). The worst!  So, at this point nothing sounds good, and I've been eating toast and chicken noodle soup since yesterday when I could finally stomach the thought of eating something.  This morning's breakfast?  Gourmet Rice Krispies and almond milk.  I can't remember the last time I ate Rice Krispies for breakfast!  They are actually really good.

Anyway, I digress, time for today's delicious post!

I often get asked to recommend good cookbooks that contain light recipes.  I have a handful of recommendations, but my typical response is that I use Pinterest, Blogs, and AllRecipes.com for most of my recipes.  I also use Cooking Light Magazine and Diabetic Living quite often.   However, in reality I really enjoy just about any cookbook that contains simple recipes, because even if they aren't inherently light I can always modify them to make them light (or at least lighter).  This recipe was a perfect example of a recipe that was not at all light, but was made "lighter" by making a few simple modifications (ie: less calories, fat, and sodium, but still not technically light, per USDA/FDA standards)

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Yes, I take many of my photos as night, and I still haven't mastered the art of nighttime photo taking.


Trust me when I say, this recipe was fantastic.




Cerveza Chicken Enchilada Casserole
Slightly modified from a recipe found in the Crock-Pot Slow Cooker Bible
Makes 4-6 servings

Ingredients

2 cups water
1 stalk celery
1 small carrot, peeled and chopped
1 bottle (12 ounces) light Mexican beer (I used Corona)
Juice of 1 lime
1.5 pounds chicken breast, boneless and skinless
1 can (19 ounces) enchilada sauce, divided
7 ounces baked white corn tortilla chips
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2 cups reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese
Plain Greek yogurt, sliced olives, and cilantro for optional toppings

Directions

1.  Heat water, celery, carrot, 1 cup beer, lime juice and salt in saucepan over high heat until boiling.  Add chicken breasts; reduce heat to simmer.  Cook until chicken is cooked through, about 12 to 14 minutes.  Remove chicken; cool and shred into bite-sized pieces.  NOTE:  You can also remove the celery and carrots if you wish, but the recipe doesn't say to do so.  I added these to the casserole!  Why not?!

2.  Spoon 1/2 cup enchilada sauce in bottom of slow-cooker.  Place tortilla chips in 1-layer over sauce.  Cover with 1/3rd of the shredded cheese, spreading evenly.  Pour 1/2 cup enchilada sauce over cheese.  Repeat layering process 2 more times (or until you are out of the ingredients and have a bit of cheese left for the last layer), pouring remaining beer over casserole before adding last layer of cheese.

3.  Cover and cook on low 3.5 to 4 hours.  Serve garnished with Greek yogurt, sliced olives and cilantro, if desired.



NOTE:  If you are following a low FODMAPs diet, this can be modified to be lower FODMAPs, but not FODMAPs-free.  I omitted the onion when I made this, but the enchilada sauce had garlic and onion (as do most enchilada sauces) and it's impossible to omit the sauce!  If you are lactose-intolerant you can use a lactose-free cheese.  Also, omit the celery if you are sensitive to polyols.


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I made this recipe for Nick, my friend Ashley, my mom, and me.  All of us agreed that this recipe was a winner!  Even with all the modifications I made it was still very tasty, and has now been "bookmarked" in my Crock-Pot cookbook.

Estimated Nutrition Facts for 1/6th of recipe
Nutrition Highlights:  Good source of vitamin A and vitamin C, excellent source of Calcium

Ok, ok, despite the handful of "nutrition highlights" this isn't the healthiest recipe, but can you imagine the stats before my "healthy" modifications?!  Yikes.  At least it's under 500 calories, that's a plus considering how indulgent this meal tasted! You can bet you're still eating less calories and sodium than you would if you were eating out.  Scary thought, right?!



Thanks for reading!

The Candid Rd
NOTE: I love comments!  But, be sure to come back to read any replies to questions or comments, as they do not go directly to your e-mail.



6 comments :

  1. This sounds awesome! I can't remember the last time I had enchilada's...not good! And this is even more tempting to me because it's done in the slow cooker. Thanks for posting!

    I hope you feel better ASAP, Gina!!

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  2. Pin'd! I can't wait to try! Feel better soon.

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  3. Sometimes I think it's even MORE fun to look at high calorie, high fat recipes because it's fun to think about how you can lighten them up. This looks delicious!

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  4. oh no! I hope you feel better soon!

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  5. Looks lovely! I love finding relatively 'unhealthy' recipes and tweaking them to make them healthier but just as tasty!

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  6. This recipe fits two of my favorites - Mexican and slow cooker!

    Sorry you got the flu, wishing you continued recovery!

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