When I first stumbled on to this recipe in my quest to eat healthier I was VERY skeptical. A friend reassured me they were good so I figured what the heck. I offered to share a few since I thought 12 would be more than enough before I was tired of eating them. Turns out I was wishing I’d kept them all for myself! You can make these as spicy or mild as you’d like by modifying the enchilada sauce, red pepper flakes, and hot sauce. I had a hard time only eating the recommended serving size of two at a time.
It looks like a lot of ingredients and steps but really these are ready to go in the oven in about 30 minutes!
Ingredients
1/3 cup quinoa
2/3 cup water
4 cloves of garlic minced
1/2 cup finely diced red pepper
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon chili powder
dash of hot sauce (season to taste)
red pepper flakes (season to taste)
1/2 cup cilantro (I use a little extra)
Salt and Pepper
3/4 cup enchilada sauce divided in half (I use hot)
1# ground chicken (or turkey)
2 eggs whites
2/3 cup shredded colby jack cheese
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Lightly spray a non-stick muffin tin with olive oil
3. In a small sauce pan combine quinoa and water.
4. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat
5. Simmer for about 10-15 minutes until the quinoa is cooked, then let stand for 5 minutes and fluff with a fork (disclaimer: my stovetop is gas and gets very hot so I noticed the quinoa cooking faster than expected)
6. In a small skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat
7. Add garlic, onion, and pepper to the skillet and saute for 2-3 minutes until soft
8. Set the onion and peppers aside to cool with the quinoa
9. In a separate bowl add the following: cumin, oregano, chili powder, cilantro, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, hot sauce, 1/2 the enchilada sauce
10. When cooled (or mostly cool) add quinoa and peppers mix to the spices
11. Add ground chicken, egg whites, 1/4 cup of cheese
12. Mix all ingredients in the bowl together (you might have to use your hands for the best result)
13. Divide the chicken mix between 12 muffins in the tin
14. Bake for 25-30 minutes
15. Add the remaining enchilada sauce to the top of the muffins and top with cheese.
16. Bake for 2 more minutes until cheese melts
Recent Comments