Healthy Enchilada Bowl

Happy New Year! Welcome to 2016. I hope everyone made some great New Year's resolutions. One resolution of mine is to eat healthier and lose a few pounds. I put a few extra pounds on since I started this food blog and I am vowing to take those off during 2016. So here's to a healthy 2016! Follow me as I show you how to swap out some of the fattening foods that we love with flavorful, yet healthier substitutes. I always remember my grandfather saying that "fat is flavor" and that is so true. When I buy a ribeye, I look for the beautiful marbling of fat that adds that robust flavor. But, when we want to eat healthier we must replace the high fat items with other things. I like to do that with seasonings, spices and marinades. Let me show you my new favorite dish, it's my Healthy Enchilada Bowl. 

If you are in the Tampa Bay - Sarasota area, tune into Studio 10 - WTSP 10 News on Tuesday, January 12th at 9am. I will be making this Healthy Enchilada Bowl live on air. 

Here's the video link

Here are the substitutes that I did:
 - Instead of wrapping the enchiladas in corn tortillas  - I just crumble one tortilla chip over the enchilada bowl for the flavor of the corn tortilla without the extra calories.
 - I use quinoa or farro instead of spanish rice. Use quinoa if you want to make this dish gluten free, use farro if you want to add extra protein and calcium to this dish.
 - I make my own enchilada sauce. I substitute coconut oil for butter/oil and I use coconut flour or gluten free flour instead of regular flour.
 - I use black beans instead of refried beans.
 - Another substitute can be Greek yogurt instead of a dollop of sour cream as a garnishment. (Although I must admit, my splurge is to have the sour cream on this instead of yogurt.) So you decide which one you want to use. :)

Ingredients:

Enchilada Sauce -
3 tablespoons coconut oil
2 tablespoons coconut flour or gluten- free flour
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon celery salt
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup chicken stock
1/4  - 1/2 cup harissa (depending on how much spice you like)

Quinoa -
1 cup quinoa or farro
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups water or chicken stock

2 cups shredded or cubed cooked chicken
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup corn
1 cup black beans
1/2 cup diced red pepper
1/2 cup diced avocado

Garnish-
Leaf Lettuce for the bottom of the bowls
Cilantro/Diced Tomato/Sour Cream/Tortilla Chip
(Another great garnish is to add some pickled avocado or guacamole)


Preparation:

In a medium saucepan, add oil and flour over medium heat and stir to combine. Cook for a few minutes to cook out the flour taste. Add chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, celery salt, tomato paste and chicken stock. Cook until thickened, then add harissa. Harissa is a North African garlicky chile paste. (You can buy harissa at the store or you can make it home made. I have a recipe on my blog for harissa).

In a medium saucepan, add quinoa, cumin, salt and water or chicken stock. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer and cover the pan. Cook for 12-15 minutes, or until all the liquid is absorbed. (If you use farro, increase the cooking time to 25 minutes, or until all liquid is absorbed.)

Add all the remaining ingredients to the sauce and quinoa and fold together to thoroughly combine. Add leaf lettuce to bowls and then add the quinoa mixture in each bowl and garnish with your favorite toppings.


If you can't find Harissa or want to make our own, here is my recipe.

Harissa is a garlicky chile paste. Harissa is the new Sriracha. Harissa adds tons of flavor to all of your favorite dishes, without the extra calories. This sauce can been used alongside of crudités as well as adding it to meats, poultry, seafood, vegetables, pasta and eggs. It is also a great addition to hummus and aioli.

Harissa 

2 red bell peppers, halved and seeded

4 ounces dried chili peppers, stemmed and seeded (I like to use ancho and guajillo for a mild to medium heat, but if you prefer it spicy you can add chile de arbol to them as well. Chipotle peppers will add extra heat along with a smoky flavor)

2 teaspoons coriander seeds

1 ½ teaspoons caraway seeds

1 ½ teaspoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon celery seeds

1 ½ teaspoons salt

4 garlic cloves 

¼ cup olive oil plus 2 tablespoons for sealing jar at the end

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar 

1 lemon, juiced 

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Roast red peppers in oven, skin side up, for 30 minutes. Let cool then remove the outer skin.

Place dried peppers in a bowl and add hot water to rehydrate for 30 minutes. Then drain the peppers and set aside. 

Add coriander, caraway, cumin and celery seeds to a small skillet and toast seeds for 3-4 minutes over medium heat. Add toasted seeds to a mortar and pestle or spice grinder and finely grind.

In a food processor, add all the peppers and remaining ingredients and blend well to form a paste scraping down the sides as necessary. Transfer to an airtight container and add the remaining oil on top and refrigerate for up to 3 weeks.

Note: Dried chili peppers should be handled with care to avoid burning hands or fingers. Use gloves when handling peppers.  Always wash hands after handling chile peppers.