I don’t know about you, but I LOVE enchilada suizas! Enchilada Suizas are basically “Swiss-style” enchiladas, meaning it’s a bit creamier than your typical enchilada (not to mention the added Swiss cheese)! You can find my favorite recipe here. Well one of my favorite people of all time (Rachael Ray), made it into a soup! Here is the original recipe. I modified it to make it a little healthier for my family (my kids LOVED it). I cannot tell you how happy this meal made me! SOOOOOO satisfying! Please, please make this since it’s still so cold out! Your tummy will thank you! And so will I! Comment, take pics, and let us know how it goes! ❤

 -Tammy

Health tips: Low carb, diabetes friendly, kid-friendly, kidney-friendly*

Ingredients (4 servings)

• 8 tomatillos, peeled, rinsed and dried
• 1 large white onion, peeled and thickly sliced or cut into wedges
• 1 small bulb of garlic, cloves cracked and left in jackets
• 2 large or 3 medium (3/4 pound) poblano chile peppers
• Olive oil spray or olive oil, for drizzling
• 1 TBS thyme leaves, picked
• 1 tsp oregano
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 2 limes; juice of 1 lime & 1/2 of another, cut to serve in wedges and the other half to use in “quick, pickled onions”
• A small handful cilantro
• 1 tsp agave or honey
• Salt and pepper (omit salt if you have kidney disease)
• 1 quart chicken stock
• 1 lb. of shredded chicken
• 4 low-cab, low- sodium, whole wheat flour tortillas (low carb for our diabetes friends out there)
• Greek yogurt (find a 0% or 2% with very low sugar)
• 1 cup  Swiss cheese, shredded
• 1 cup  Monterey Jack or Pepper Jack, shredded
• Drained sliced pickled jalapeño peppers
• 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
• Quick pickled onions (optional, but see recipe below)

Steps

1. Preheat broiler.  

2. Arrange tomatillos, onions, garlic and poblanos on a baking sheet, lightly spray with olive oil spray or drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper (omit salt if you have kidney disease). Place under broiler and char until tomatillos have browned and burst, the onions are tender-crisp and charred at edges, and the garlic is golden. You will have to flip the poblanos a few times. Place poblanos in a bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap for 10 minutes. Allow the peppers to cool to handle. Peel skins off peppers and  take the stem and seeds out.  Remove garlic cloves from their jackets. Place everything in a food processor along with the thyme, oregano, cumin, lime juice, cilantro , and agave or honey. Pulse until almost smooth. Pour the mixture into a soup pot; add stock , shredded chicken and about 1 cup of water, depending on how thick or thin you prefer your soup. Bring soup to a boil then reduce heat to a low simmer.  

   

   

   

   ***Make quick pickled onions: in a small Ziploc baggie or small bowl, add 1/2 thinly sliced red onion, juice of 1/2 of a lime. and a pinch of salt. Give it a good stir or shake. Set aside.

3.  Add pulled chicken to soup.  

4. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Smear a tortilla with Greek yogurt and top with some of both cheeses and sliced pickled jalapeño peppers. Add another tortilla on top and  press in the skillet, then turn; cook 1-2 minutes total to desired crispness and cheese is melted.

   

   

5. To serve; ladle soup in shallow bowls with wedges of quesadilla alongside for dipping. Serve with an extra wedge of lime, and top with a dollop of Greek  yogurt, pickled onions, and extra cilantro (I wouldn’t tell if you added a few chunks of avocado)! 

6. Thank you Rachael Ray…and to our fans…you’re welcome!

*Cheese isn’t exactly on the kidney-friendly list, so instead of making a cheesy quesadilla, I would recommend crushing a few corn tortilla chips on top, along with a few pickled jalapeños!  I actually had the (chips only) leftovers for lunch today-minus the quesadilla and was EXTREMELY satisfied!