Monday Nutrition Tip of the Week: From Mexico to Greece

I'll put a sweet potato in anything. Seriously. Cupcakes, pancakes, pie, casserole...you name it. So when I spotted this recipe in Real Simple magazine for Black Bean Sweet Potato Enchiladas, I was all over it. I knew it would be the bomb before I even made it -- and I was right!

Part of the reason this recipe is so great is because it avoids that scary enchilada sauce that comes in a can. I mean, I love Mexican food and you can make some great Mexican food at home, but that canned red sauce is kind of nasty. This recipe has you create your own sauce out of canned tomatoes, and it's much, much better.

Here's the recipe -- the only changes I made were to decrease the amount of cheese by about half, and to add cilantro to both the sweet potato/black bean mixture and to the top of the enchiladas before serving. This is really good, people. Try it out!

Oh -- I also made the homemade Mexi-corn shown in the photo, but I added some diced red pepper. Yum!

Photo courtesy of Real Simple magazine

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Enchiladas

• 1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 tablespoons canola oil
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 15.5-ounce can black beans, rinsed
• 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and coarsely grated
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1/2 pound Cheddar, grated (2 cups)
• 8 6-inch flour tortillas
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced and white and green parts separated
• 2 cups frozen corn

Directions

1. Heat oven to 450° F. In a blender, puree the tomatoes, chili powder, half the onion, 1 tablespoon of the oil, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper until smooth.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of the remaining oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the remaining onion and half the garlic and cook until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the black beans, sweet potato, oregano, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Cook, tossing frequently, until the sweet potatoes are tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and let cool. Stir in 1 cup of the Cheddar.
3. Spread 1 cup of the tomato mixture in the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Roll up the bean mixture in the tortillas (about ½ cup each) and place the rolls seam-side down in the dish. Top with the remaining tomato sauce and 1 cup of Cheddar. Bake on the top rack of oven until the Cheddar is brown and bubbly, 10 to 15 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, wipe out the skillet and heat the remaining tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat. Add the remaining garlic and the scallion whites and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the corn and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Cook, tossing frequently, until tender, 3 to 5 minutes more. Sprinkle the enchiladas with the scallion greens and serve with the corn.

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Now from Mexico over to Greece, where we are fixing Zesty Greek Couscous Salad from the back of the couscous box. 

Never heard of couscous? It's kind of like rice, but awesome-r because it takes about seven minutes to fix: two minutes to boil the water, then five minutes for the couscous to soak it up. Then fluff and voila: you're ready to go. 

"Couscous is among the healthiest grain-based products. It has a glycemic load per gram 25% below that of pasta. It has a superior vitamin profile to pasta, containing twice as much riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6, and folate, and containing four times as much thiamine and pantothenic acid.

In terms of protein, couscous has 3.6 g for every 100 calories, equivalent to pasta, and well above the 2.6 g for every 100 calories of white rice. Furthermore, couscous contains a 1% fat-to-calorie ratio, compared to 3% for white rice, 5% for pasta, and 11.3% for rice pilaf."

I fixed this dish as a side to leftover pork roast along with roasted root vegetables. It was about the best "leftover" dinner I ever fixed.The Greek salad was easy because it can be served warm or cold. The feta really gives this one that extra kick.

Zesty Greek Couscous Salad

• 1 cup couscous, prepared according to box
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 large tomatoes, chopped
• 1 medium zucchini, halved and thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup fresh basil, cut into strips
• 3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

Directions:

1. Can be served hot or cold. If served hot, put zucchini in with couscous as it is being cooked (we prefer it hot). If served cold, chill for 4 hours before serving.
2. Prepare couscous according to box directions using chicken broth or water, adding the black pepper, lemon juice, and olive oil.
3. Once couscous has reached proper consistency, let cool slightly, and add remaining ingredients.
   
   

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Workout of the Day
P90X One on One Volume 3: Chest, Back, and Balls