Simple Chicken and Vegetable Enchiladas

Good Lord, I need some color in my life STAT.

Winter is slowly but surely making me wish for summer like you wouldn’t believe…and not in an ‘I’m depressed with SAD’ way, but the lack of color, the endless snow forecasts and the wind (omg the wind…) is slowly but surely crushing my soul.

I can be a little dramatic sometimes.  Especially when my soul is being crushed.

The good news is that greener foods are starting to come back into the picture and I’m starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel.  I mean, check out this list on Becky’s blog…there’s hope!  For fresh colorful veggies!  And sunshine!  Just around the corner!

Speaking of which almost all of the snow has melted off of our front lawn (well, it had until last night…now it’s back.  Yay), and Nate and were just so excited to see a couple blades of green grass under there.  Excited because we’ve been nothing short of the worst yard owners to ever exist (except that guy down the street…he knows who he is) and excited because there’s a prospect of spring.

So dear sweet summer?  I promise to never take you for granted again.  I promise to try to enjoy the heat, go to farmer’s markets more, take some long hikes, wear sunscreen, and get on a paddleboard a couple times a month.  Oh, and eat lots of colorful veggies.  You and I…we can fight off winter.  Let’s get started!

SIMPLE CHICKEN AND VEGETABLE ENCHILADAS

• 1 lb. ground chicken
• 1 zucchini, cut into thin slices
• 1 yellow squash, cut into thin slices
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup frozen spinach, defrosted and drained
• 1 15-oz can enchilada sauce
• 2 cups colby jack cheese
• 15 6″ tortillas (I would recommend corn tortillas over flour)

Preheat your oven to 400.  In a large saucepan brown the ground chicken; drain and set aside.  Add a little oil to the skillet and saute the vegetables except the spinach until tender, around 10 minutes.  Drain the excess liquid.  Add the chicken back in there along with about 1/8 cup of the enchilada sauce.  Let it simmer until thick and the sauce has evaporated, about 5-8 minutes.  Spray a 9×13 pan with nonstick spray and spread another 1/8 cup of the sauce in the bottom of the pan.  Soften the tortillas slightly in the microwave; fill each one with about 1/4 cup of the chicken and veggie mixture, a pinch (around a tablespoon) of the cheese, and roll it up.  Place seam-side-down in the pan and repeat.  If you have any extra veggie filling don’t be shy – just dump it on top!  Pour the remaining enchilada sauce evenly over the top of the enchiladas, cover with the remaining cheese, and then cover with foil.  Bake at 400 for 20 minutes; remove the foil and broil for 3-5 minutes until golden brown and bubbly.  Let rest for about 5 minutes, and then serve hot!

I’m not above letting enchiladas stand in for summertime.  Clearly.

Tagged as: bell pepper, chicken enchiladas, colby jack cheese, enchilada sauce, garlic, pining for summer, SAD, simple enchilada recipe, tortillas, vegetable enchiladas, yellow squash, zucchini