Wake Up, Little Suizas – it’s time for taquitos!

Taquitos are one of those foods I never considered as a possible homemade meal. It was either a greasy mystery meat tube wrapped in a deep fried corn tortilla picked up in desperation at a gas station on a long road trip, or a limp, disappointing roll of molten napalm microwaved at home from a frozen box from the local mega-mart.Either way, it was a nutritional disaster, consisting of mechanically separated gristle pulverized into a paste that even cat food companies would consider as questionable.

Another meal I never considered making before was enchiladas suizas, although I’m not sure why. I made other versions of enchiladas all the time. Perhaps it was because that was a mainstay flavor of my work lunch, a sad, microwaved Lean Cuisine that I thought in my ignorance was “healthy” eating at one time of my life.

Nevermind that the tray was releasing billions on nanoplastic particles as it was superheated and cooked along with the food, the ingredients in the “Lean” cuisine frozen dinner is…well…predictable:

Ingredients

INGREDIENTS: COOKED ENRICHED LONG GRAIN RICE (WATER, RICE, IRON, NIACIN, THIAMIN MONONITRATE, FOLIC ACID), CHICKEN ENCHILADA (FILLING [WHITE CHICKEN MEAT, ONIONS, TOMATOES, WATER, GREEN CHILES {GREEN CHILES, WATER, SALT, CITRIC ACID}, CORNSTARCH, GARLIC POWDER, JALAPENO PEPPER, SALT, CUMIN, CILANTRO, PAPRIKA, BLACK PEPPER], CORN TORTILLA [WATER, YELLOW CORN MASA FLOUR, GUAR GUM, CELLULOSE GUM, MONO AND DIGLYCERIDES, CORNSTARCH, CITRIC ACID]), WATER, SKIM MILK, ONIONS, CORN, RED PEPPERS, 2% OR LESS OF BUTTERMILK POWDER, GREEN CHILES, CHEDDAR CHEESE (CULTURED MILK, SALT, ENZYMES, ANNATTO COLOR), APPLE CIDER VINEGAR, MODIFIED CORNSTARCH, SOUR CREAM (CULTURED CREAM, NONFAT MILK), SPICES, GARLIC, BLEACHED WHEAT FLOUR, SALT, GARLIC PUREE, SUGAR, SOYBEAN OIL, JALAPENO PEPPERS, AUTOLYZED YEAST EXTRACT, CHICKEN FAT, LIME JUICE CONCENTRATE, MALTODEXTRIN, DRIED ONIONS, WHEAT STARCH, MEDIUM CHAIN TRIGLYCERIDES, CITRIC ACID, ACETIC ACID, CALCIUM CHLORIDE, NATURAL FLAVORS, EXTRACTS OF TURMERIC & ANNATTO COLOR.

A basic rule of thumb for any food you consume is this: If the ingredients list is longer than the credits after a three hour long epic war movie shot in multiple locations, run away.

The nutrition profile is also making the “Lean” part of that title questionable at best:

Calories300

Amount per serving	% Daily Value*
Total Fat 4.5g	6%
Saturated Fat2g	10%
Trans Fat0g
Polyunsaturated Fat0.50g
Monounsaturated Fat1.00g
Cholesterol 10.00mg	3%
Sodium 600mg	26%
Total Carbohydrate 54g	20%
Dietary Fiber3g
Sugars7g
Includes Added Sugars0g
Protein 12g

Sodium and simple carbs seem to make up most of this nuclear tray of disappointment. There is barely any protein to be found. It’s no wonder I was starving almost immediately after eating one of these lunches. I was at my heaviest eating all these meals marketed at people wanting to lose weight, and now that I understand nutrition, it’s clear as to why that happened.

We can most definitely do better than this, and make it taste fantastic as well. But even better, we can combine the crispy texture of a taquito with the flavor of the Suizas sauce, and get the best of both worlds.

We will get far more lean protein to keep us full and satisfied, and replace simple carbs and nanoplastics with fiber and vitamins. No more gas station roulette wheel tubes of mystery or frozen sodium laden boxes from the discount stores. Finally, a Enchilada/taquito Suizas meal worth waking up Susie to enjoy.

Taquito Suizas

Ingredients:

3-4 chicken breasts

1 can rotel

4 ounces grass fed pepper jack cheese, shredded

2 packages Egg Life egg white tortillas

1/2 tsp sea salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, chili powder

1 tbsp cumin

Juice and zest of 1/2 lime

Rice:

24 oz package frozen rice

1 can rotel

1 yellow onion, diced

1 package baby bella mushrooms, sliced

1/4 tsp sea salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, 1 tsp cumin

Cilantro, rough chopped

Suizas sauce:

1 jar salsa verde

4 ounces grass fed cream cheese

4 ounces grass fed pepper jack cheese, shredded

1 can green chilies

Instructions:

Place your chicken breasts in a slow cooker first thing in the morning with the spices, lime juice, and rotel.Cook on slow 6 to 8 hours. Once 6 hours has past, shred the chicken with forks and set as keep warm in the cooker while you make the rest of the meal:

Saute the onions and mushrooms with the second drained can of rotel in a large pan until soft. Drain any moisture after the veggies are cooked. Hit with a pinch of salt and pepper, then add the frozen cauliflower rice and cook over medium heat until the cauliflower rice is browned and the moisture has evaporated. Add the cilantro and stir:

Drain any liquid in the shredded chicken, getting out as much as possible. Mix 4 ounces of the pepper jack cheese into the chicken and fill each egg white tortilla, rolling tightly: Spray each side with a hit of non-stick avocado oil spray, and air fry 15 – 20 minutes until golden brown and delicious. If you don’t have an air fryer, you can bake at 400 degrees 10 minutes per side:

Add the salsa verde, green chilis, and the cream cheese to a large saute pan and melt over medium heat.Stir until smooth, then add the remaining 4 ounces of pepper jack cheese and stir again until melted and smooth:

Spoon out the Suizas sauce on top of your taquitos, and top with options like fresh pico, diced avocado, and crumbled black bean chips, Serve the cauliflower rice on the side: