17 Jan '11

I've almost undone all the damage I did over the holidays to my plan.  I'm back to 29 lbs down which is motivating; I've lost 3 lbs this past week.  I went in to the surgery this morning to have my routine blood work done (no joy--I'm a very 'hard stick'--so I have to go to the hospital tomorrow morning) and I had her check my blood pressure.  It was 110/60 (woo hoo!) so the weight loss is showing some results there, too.  When I was younger (and less fat), my blood pressure was normally about 100/60 so I was very happy to see the 60 again.
Before I went off to get my blood drawn, I mad myself a new flavor of 'spa water': lime and ginger.  Very nice!  I got home from the surgery and made porridge for breakfast.  I did a bit of work in the kitchen, then made a can of clam chowder for lunch.  I did a few more errands, including going over to the Stop 'n' Rob on base.  They currently have some 1.2 oz Lindt dark chocolate bars and I'm trying a little experiment.  An ounce of dark chocolate is one serving, so I got a few of these since they're basically a 1 serving size.  I've always said my problem is opening a large pack of something and not having the will power to resist finishing it; well, these are a single serving, so I'll see how I do.  I also had a yogurt this afternoon.

I made the enchiladas at the end for my dinner tonight and my lunches.  They're pretty good, although I only got 12 and not 16 out of the recipe--and I don't think mine we're especially full.  I used most of a container of Breakstone 2% cottage cheese; I think next time, I'll use the whole thing.  I also sprinkled them with a little shredded cheese and a dollop of Lite Sour Cream.  Very tasty!

Lite Bean and Cheese EnchiladasAdapted from Noble Pig blog and Everyday Food
2 cups low-fat (1% or 2%) cottage cheese
1 can (15.5 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
Kosher salt and ground pepper
16 corn tortillas
Nonstick Cooking Spray
3 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 large white onion, diced small (1/2 cup reserved for serving)
4 teaspoons chili powder
2 Tablespoons white vinegar
1 can (15 ounces) tomato puree
2 cups vegetable broth
fresh cilantro leaves for serving

Preheat oven to 350^o.  In a food processor, process cottage cheese until smooth.  Transfer to a medium bowl and stir in black beans.  Season with salt and pepper.

Wrap stacked corn tortillas in a damp dish towel and microwave until softened, 2 minutes.  Working with one tortilla at a time, lightly spray both sides with cooking spray, place two rounded Tablespoons cottage cheese mixture down center of each, then roll tortilla around filling.  Place seam side down, on rimmed baking sheet.  Bake tortillas until heated through, 8-10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium-high.  Add garlic and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion softens, 5 minutes.  Add chili powder and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds.  Whisk in vinegar, tomato puree and broth, bring to a simmer and cook 5 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.  Transfer mixture to a blender and puree until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids).

To serve, divide enchiladas among plates and top with sauce, onion and cilantro.