Baked Chipotle Chimichangas

After I got home Sunday night from a fun – albeit short – snowboarding trip in New Hampshire, I was famished; and oddly in the mood to cook. I had received a new cookbook from Betty Crocker (just for being their fan on Facebook – woot woot), so I decide to flip to the “Vegetarian” tab and get some inspiration for dinner. There is where I found a recipe for baked chimichangas.

I had barely any of the same ingredients Betty used in her chimichangas, so I just improvised with what I had in my own kitchen (including finally opening a grinder of tex-mex chipotle seasoning my mom gave us a while ago).

The end result was a smoky, spicy chimichanga that was crispy on the outside without the typical fried-chimichanga grease. The vibrant filling I whipped together was also incredibly flavorful, and nutritious to boot.

Baked Chipotle Chimichangas
-1 tbsp. olive oil
-1/4 white onion, diced
-1 tsp. minced garlic
-1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
-1 cup frozen corn
-6-7 jarred jalapeno slices, minced
-Tex-Mex Chipotle seasoning (or chipotle powder)
-Dried parsley
-Salt and black pepper, to taste
-Squirt of lime juice
-1/2 cup chipotle salsa (plus extra for serving)
-4 whole wheat tortillas
-1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

Directions:
1.) Heat olive oil on medium to low heat in a large frying pan; add onion, and cook until soft and translucent (about 3-4 minutes). Add garlic, and stir; let cook for an additional 30 seconds.
2.) Add beans, corn and jalapeno slices; season with Tex-Mex Chipotle seasoning, parsley, salt and pepper. Stir, and let cook for 2-3 minutes.
3.) Squirt lime juice over the bean mixture, and add salsa. Stir, and let cook for an additional minute on low heat.
4.) Spoon 1/4 of the mixture into each tortilla; top with 1/4 part of the shredded cheese. Fold tortillas, and place seam-side down onto a greased baking dish. Cook at 475 degrees for 6-8 minutes, or until tortillas are lightly browned.
5.) Serve with Spicy Rice (recipe to come!) and extra chipotle salsa.

Now, don’t get me wrong – I love just about anything deep-fried. But after a weekend of being out on the slopes, it was really nice to have a satisfying meal that was also light and good for me.

What substitutions or techniques have you incorporated to make a not-so-healthy meal healthier?

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