New Hampshire Enchiladas

Tonight I made one of my family’s favorite dinners – enchiladas! What do my enchilada recipe and New Hampshire have in common? Well, to become a Registered Dietitian you must complete a year-long internship after completing an undergraduate or masters degree in nutrition. The first week of my internship program was spent in a lodge in New Hampshire taking classes. All of the dietitians-in training were responsible for sharing in the cooking duties for dinner. One of the interns made this recipe and I thought these were the yummiest enchiladas I had ever had. What’s the difference? First, they are made with flour tortillas instead of corn tortillas. Second, there is a little sour cream mixed with the enchilada sauce, which is particularly appealing to children, since the fat molecules in the sour cream moderate the spiciness of the enchilada sauce. My version uses reduced-fat sour cream and whole wheat tortillas. Since the sour cream is mixed in with the sauce the difference in fat content is undetectable. The whole wheat tortillas actually improve this recipe by contributing a great texture and the edges become nicely crispy in the oven.

I served these with some refried beans on the side (the vegetarian variety have no saturated fat in them, unlike the traditional variety) with baked chips for dipping in the beans, salsa, fresh mango and strawberries. A nutritionally complete meal in less than 30 minutes and everyone cleared their plates!

• New Hampshire Enchiladas