This week’s Sunday Slow Cooker recipe is not only delicious, its spicy underpinnings are great for revving up your metabolism.  In order to control your weight, your energy expenditure must be greater than your caloric intake.  Energy expenditure is a result of your metabolic rate or the amount of calories you burn per hour.  Obviously the higher your metabolic rate, the more calories your burn.  The more calories you burn the easier it is to lose/maintain weight.  So, one of the keys to weight loss is increasing your metabolism (which naturally decreases as you age btw).  Studies have shown that capsaicin, the spice in chiles, boosts your metabolic rate.  So, eating this nice and spicy dish won’t just satisfy your hunger, it will help boost your metabolism and assist you in your New Year’s weight loss goals!  Give it a try!

Chilaquiles

Serves 2

(Recipe adapted from Cooking Light)

Ingredients

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 cup of red onion, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 orange bell pepper, chopped

3/4 cup of fat free, low sodium chicken broth

1 tablespoon ground cumin

2 tablespoons chopped chipotle chile, canned in adobo sauce*

4 garlic cloves

1 (28 oz) can of fire roasted diced tomatoes

1 (4 oz) can of chopped green chiles

baked tortilla chips

Queso fresco, monterey jack or pepper jack cheese for topping

Directions

1.) Cut your chicken breasts into small pieces.  If your slow cooker has a saute/brown function, brown the chicken in the slow cooker.  Otherwise, heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat with EVOO spray.  Brown chicken in skillet then transfer to slow cooker.

2.) Add remaining ingredients through chiles to slow cooker.  Cook on low for 4 hours.

3.) Spoon Chilaquiles into bowls.  Sprinkle cheese on top to garnish and serve with tortillas.  Enjoy!

* Note- Chipotle chile in adobo is extremely spicy.  I recommend using the chiles plus some of the sauce to get the real smoky, spicy flavor.  If you want to cut down on the spiciness I recommend de-seeding the chiles or if you are really heat adverse, ditch the chiles altogether and use just the sauce.