For dinner last night, I made enchiladas with a sweet potato and shrimp filling. This is actually a pretty healthy dish — it helps you get one of your 2x/week servings of fish and sweet potatoes are an amazing vegetable. In the midst of winter blah, sweet potatoes are a perfect choice for supper.
I also made a couple of substitutions to lighten up the dish. When you swap ingredients, it’s important to consider how different foods behave under cooking conditions. For example, I kept the full-fat cheese because low-fat cheeses generally don’t melt well, and since a nice, smooth, cheesey topping is key to the finished dish, it didn’t make sense to sacrifice on that one.
I did exchange yogurt for the sour cream. Because the sour cream serves as the base for a sauce that is then melted over the enchiladas, the characteristic taste and texture of sour cream would be muted. Blended with salsa and cilantro, I simply needed it to bind everything together, so using yogurt instead worked out great.
Sweet Potato & Shrimp Enchilada
Adapted from thefifthtine.com
Ingredients
Mexican spice blend (I used ¼ tsp. cumin, ½ tsp. chili powder, ¼ tsp. oregano, ½ tsp. salt)
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into ¼-inch cubes
1 onion, chopped
¾ cup frozen corn
1 large garlic clove, minced
3-4 Tablespoons canola oil
1 cup chopped cilantro
½ pound shrimp, raw or thawed, peeled, deveined and coarsely chopped
1 cup salsa verde, strained
¼ cup plain or Greek-style yogurt
6 flour tortillas
1 cup Monterrey Jack/Cheddar blend
Steps:
1) Preheat oven to 400°F.
2) Gently toss the sweet potato cubes with about 1/2 of the spice mixture and half of the vegetable oil. Line a baking sheet with foil and coat with oil or cooking spray. Spread the sweet potatoes evenly on the sheet in one layer. Roast until soft and browned, about 15 minutes. Don’t let these get too soft and mushy, or your enchilada filling will be mushy. Set aside to cool.
3) While the sweet potatoes roast, heat the rest of the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion and spice mixture and cook for 4 minutes. Add the corn and garlic, cook until both onions and corn are well-browned, another 4-6 minutes. Finally, add the uncooked chopped shrimp. Cook until the shrimp begins to turn pink, but do not cook through. Remove from heat.
4) When both the sweet potatoes and shrimp mixture are cooked, toss gently together in a large bowl to combine. Add in 1/3 cup chopped cilantro and toss to combine all ingredients. Season with salt and pepper.
5) Spray a glass or casserole baking dish with non-stick cooking oil. I used an 11×7 pan, but any dish that comfortably holds the rolled tortillas in one layer will work. Make sure the tortillas aren’t stiff from storage in the refrigerator – microwave for a few seconds to make them more flexible if you need to. Spoon 1/3 cup shrimp mixture on each. Roll up and place seam-side down in prepared dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling.
6) Combine the salsa verde, yogurt, and 1/3 cup cilantro in a small bowl and whisk to blend. Spread the sauce in an even layer over the tortillas. Top with the Monterrey Jack and cheddar cheese blend. Bake uncovered for 15 minutes, allowing the cheese to melt completely. Serve immediately, garnished with 1/3 cup remaining cilantro.
