Exciting flavors of the southwest almost melt in your mouth with this delicious, healthier enchilada bake. Gluten-free
VIDEO ABOVE RECIPE CARD
Hi, friends! How goes it on this awesome hump day? Yesterday I finally pulled myself out of the sugar coma I’ve been living in, day one without dessert. Four more days to go until Christmas Eve!
According to the survey, some of you like the what I ate posts, and some of you don’t. However, almost all of you love the day in the life posts. That cracks me up. Apparently, you guys think what I do all day is exciting or something? Okay, your wish is my command here is what I did all day on Monday.
- 7 am: wake up, make coffee with collagen, and A2 2% milk. I usually like half and a half or heavy whipping cream, but I wanted to use the milk up first.
- 9 am – published the Secret to Permanent Healthy Living Post. By then, I was starving, so I made a big breakfast hash that I posted to IG.
Then I went to working on recipe development and photo shoots.
- 10 am – photographed yesterday’s Garlic Dill Salmon with Herb Roasted Butter
- I also photographed a recipe for the Healthy Fast Dinners ebook I’m publishing for Newsletter subscribers in January.
- 11 am – 90 days LEAP test follow up with a Hungry Hobby RD client. It’s great to hear she still isn’t having any GI or fibromyalgia symptoms! At 90 days, she can begin implementing some of the yellow foods, being careful not to combine them. She is doing great!
- 11:45 am – clean up the kitchen
- 12 pm – worked on finishing up a recipe for A2 Milk and sending it over to them for approval, ate the recipe for the ebook for lunch (it’s a secret! muahahahaha)
- 130pm – edited photographs for this week’s posts and shared the sneak preview on IG
- 300p – ate a plain Green Mountain Creamery yogurt with six drops stevia and a sweet potato cookie while I fished photographs
- 330pm – walked Nala
- 4 pm worked out on my own at TI Fitness (I’ve mostly been doing CrossFit style workouts from random blogs or CrossFit boxes, working a lot on technique with super light weights)
- 520pm ate an RX bar and worked on stuff for my healthy living challenges group at the gym, and I’m a huge fan of real food ingredients!
- 550pm met with the healthy living challenges group
- 7:15 pm arrived home and made cauliflower mash (subbing regular milk) to go with the salmon leftovers
- 7:35 pm jump in the shower so I can be relaxed while I eat dinner
- 7:45 pm eat dinner and then clean up
- 8:15 pm check email finally, then work on Garlic Dill Salmon Recipe post. I got distracted by Shameless, even without the sound. Mr. Hungry was watching it
- 10:15 pm head to bed, do my nightly reflection (decide I had a good day of eats and need to stick with less sugar), and lights out!
Remember to follow @hungryhobbyRD on Insta if you want more consistent daily nonsense! Linking up for WIAW today!
Turkey Enchilada Casserole
So a few weeks ago I asked Mr. Hungry what traditional Christmas Eve food was, and he said there wasn’t anything, it varies by family. In Arizona, I feel like it is somewhat typical to have some Mexican food, most often tamales.
While I can guarantee the best tasting ones are bought from the ladies in the Food City (Arizona grocery store) parking lot, I can not ensure your safety when eating them. Although, most women I’ve met who sell these during the holidays take the utmost food safety precautions while preparing the tamales.
They sanitize the kitchen, wear hairnets, and don’t let any kids or pets in the kitchen while making them. However, I’ve heard horror stories too, so; we usually opt to purchase our tamales at Costco or sometimes Trader Joes.
Although the word on the street is that my MIL knows how to make them, maybe I can convince her this is the year we make our own?! She reads the blog, so this is my indirect way of asking my white mother in law to make my half Chaldean family tamales for Christmas, ain’t that American, land of the mutts.
However, tamales are somewhat time-intensive, which is why a bribe might be required to get those homemade versions happening at home. So, if you don’t have someone to bribe at home, You can make this delicious super easy bake no problem and still get all the southwest flavors without having to buy food in a grocery store parking lot in a shady area of town.
This recipe comes to you via my MIL, who made this with the leftover turkey from Thanksgiving (aka my favorite part of thanksgiving). We usually make Turkey Enchiladas, but she decided to make a casserole-style bake so it could be gluten-free for Mr. Hungry! If you are a fan of southwestern food on Christmas, I think they would be great, but subbing rotisserie chicken makes it a delicious option for any night.
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Healthy Turkey Enchilada Casserole
Ingredients
- one medium yellow onion chopped
- 3 cups shredded turkey or chicken meat
- 15 corn tortillas
- 1.75 cups green chile enchilada sauce
- 1.5 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese or mexican blend
- 1/2 cup black olives
- 1/4 cup green onions
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Heat 1/4 cup of sauce and onions on medium high heat until onions are translucent and tender.
- Add the meat with another 3/4 cup of the sauce. Heat on medium until heated throughout.
- Add a huge spoonful of sauce (1/4 cup) to the bottom of a 9 x 13 casserole dish.
- Layer a single layer of tortillas across the bottom. We used 5 tortillas, 2 rows of 2 full ones next to a half of one.
- Add 1/2 of the meat mixture, sprinkle with 1/4 cup cheese.
- Add another layer of tortillas with an additional 1/4 cup of sauce, then add the remaining meat mixture, followed by 1/4 cup cheese sprinkled on top.
- Add your last layer of tortillas, followed by 1/4 cup sauce and top with 1 cup of cheese.
- Top with black olives and green onions.
- Bake on 350F for 30 minutes, make sure to bake until it is heated to 165F in the center. It should be crispy and bubbly on top.
Video
Nutrition
Questions of the day:
Friends, that celebrate Christmas tell me, what do you guys eat for Christmas?
What is the most labor-intensive meal you’ve ever made?
In grad school, my roommate and I set out to develop a whole grain graham cracker recipe that was insane. Make it, chill it, bake it, cut it, so many steps for an itty bitty cracker!
More ideas? Try these!
Turkey Enchiladas (low carb)
These look delicious–I adore enchiladas! What gluten-free enchilada sauce do you use? Most brands I’ve found at the store have some wheat in them.
Such a great question! I know I had a hard time before too! La Victoria is gluten free however I don’t love some of their other ingredients, I’m 99% sure the Sprouts store brand is gluten free but I don’t have any in the cabinet to confirm. I will double check next time I go and let you know!
Hi Joyce I have an update the sauce I like to use best is sprouts green enchilada sauce OR frontera enchilada sauce !
Looks so good!!!
They almost melt in your mouth? What happens if they don’t? LOL…I’m messing with ya. Actually, have a friend who make tamales. I can set you up if you need me to!
HOW DID I MISS THIS COMMENT I COULD HAVE HAD TAMALES!
Hi! Wondering if this could be made ahead of time? Assemble everything and would it still work if it sat in the fridge for a day or two before baking? Or even the freezer?
Ya I definitely think that would be fine!!!!
I want to make this recipe immeidately!