Baked Not Fried…..

Now that the holidays are over I am bringing you more dinner, and lunch recipes, just as I promised. I am always super excited to share a recipe that is a slam dunk with my husband. He isn’t really a picky guy, but he is definitely a meat and potatoes guy so when I make something that he falls in love with I know that everyone will love it! Last night was one of those times. He raved throughout the entire meal, and after, how good it was. The second best thing about recipes like this is when they are so easy to throw together, but taste like a million bucks.

Last night I made a baked version of chimichangas. Traditionally chimichangas are deep fried, but anyone who has read my blog, or knows me, also knows that deep fried isn’t an option for me. I read a little story on Wikipedia (Not always very reliable, but entertaining.) about how the chimichanga came into existence. A lady was making burritos and accidentally dropped one into the fryer. She began to shout out a curse word that started with “chi”, and finished it chimichange which is loosely translated as “thingamajigy”. That is how chimichangas were born, and there is your history lesson for the day. 😉

Now here is the part that will make everyone smile. A serving of traditional chimichangas will set you back 1,430 calories and 90 grams of fat! These “unfried”, but still crispy, beauties will only cost you 468 calories and 26 grams of fat! You can’t beat that now can you?

There aren’t any hard fast rules to how you have to top these little packets of yummy goodness, but a lot of people either use salsa, avocado, or sour cream. On my husbands I melted some cheese over the top and sprinkled fresh tomatoes over the cheese and served ½ of an avocado on the side. On mine I topped it with sour cream and fresh tomatoes and had a salad on the side. YUM! Any way you choose to top them make sure to sit back, relax, and enjoy!

Baked Ground Turkey Chimichangas

By Angie Gouchenour

2 servings

Ingredients

½ pound 85% lean ground turkey – cooked and drained

½ teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin

8 ounce can tomato sauce

Pinch of salt

2 Tablespoons canned green chilis

1 ounce shredded sharp cheddar cheese

4 wheat tortillas (I used Xtreme wellness wheat low carb high fiber tortillas)

Directions

Pre heat oven to 400’f

Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray

In a skillet brown the ground turkey and drain

Add garlic powder, Italian seasoning, chili powder, cumin, tomato sauce, salt, and green chilis to the pan

Once everything is simmered down add the cheese and combine

Place ¼ of the mixture in the middle of each tortilla, fold in the sides, and roll like a burrito

Place on the prepared cookie sheet and bake in pre heated oven for 30 minutes

Remove and allow to sit for 2-3 minutes before plating

468 calories per serving (2 chimichangas)

Modified from Chew Nibble Nosh