
Vegetable Enchiladas
Our days are so long lately I need dinners that come together in a snap. Well, Scarlett can’t snap, but as quick as it takes her to ignore my plea to hang up her coat after we’ve come through the front door. Mexican food is my favorite, but I don’t like making those kinds of dishes at home. I guess I’m not confident in my abilities. I don’t think I can live up to my favorite restaurant’s yumminess. I figured it was time try and decided to tackle two recipes this week that satiate my desire for anything lovingly wrapped in a tortilla. Scarlett suggested that we make the quesadilla she favors. I liked the idea of my favorite margarita, but remembered this was a blog about cooking with kids. We settled on this vegetarian enchilada. Not sure if it’s a compromise but it works.
This is stretch it week so we’ll be taking the leftover bean mixture from this meal to create a Tamale Casserole for tomorrow, so be sure to come back. The prep time for this meal was really fast so I was digging it but Scarlett was a little dubious. She didn’t like the way the beans looked in the bowl. In fact, she told me to keep any and all beans away from her tortilla. However, when we sat down to eat the meal, she ended up cleaning her plate completely. Afterwards, as we were clearing the table, she told me her “encheladi was super duper yummy.” My mom was present so she can attest to Scarlett’s total turnaround.
Ingredients
- 1 green pepper, cored, seeded and sliced
- 4 tablespoons lime juice (from 3 limes), divided
- 3 1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper, divided
- 2 (15-ounce) can of no-salt added black beans
- 1/2 cup of frozen, chopped kale
- 1 (15-ounce) can of diced tomatoes
- 1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
- 4 tablespoons chopped cilantro, divided
- 10 corn tortillas
- 2 cups shredded, part-skim mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup low-fat sour cream
Method
Preheat oven to 400.
In a large sauce pan, combine peppers, 2 tablespoons of lime juice, tomatoes, 1 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper, onion and kale and cook over medium heat until peppers are soft and liquid is reduced, about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a blender, puree black beans.
Then place in a bowl and mix in remaining 2 teaspoons of red pepper and lime juice as well as 3 tablespoons of cilantro.
Place 5 tortillas on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with a non-stick spray.
Place a tablespoon of bean mixture on each tortilla and spread evenly.
Spoon and spread a layer of tomato on each tortilla, then sprinkle with cheese.
Cover each with the remaining tortillas and place in the oven.
Bake until hot throughout and cheese is melted, about 10 minutes.
Transfer to plates and garnish with sour cream and remaining cilantro.
As I managed the stove, I put Scarlett in charge of the beans. She blended them and then handled the seasoning. My mom also helped. A black bean lover, she couldn’t keep her fingers out of the bowl. I think her enthusiasm for black beans encouraged Scarlett’s interest.
As we layered the tortillas, Scarlett requested we go easy on the beans for hers – at least she’s now willing to have them touch her tortilla. She loved the layering stage and was in charge of the cheese and capping each with a tortilla. We used Food For Life Organic Sprouted Corn Tortillas. I have to say, a great tasting tortilla will really make the difference in this meal. If you can use a true corn tortilla instead of a wrap, I recommend it. You could also easily sub in other frozen greens like spinach. Some frozen corn wouldn’t hurt either.
I may have gotten over the cooking-Mexican-at-home hump, but we’ll see how tomorrow’s tamale casserole goes. If you don’t hear from me, I’m out to dinner.
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2 Comments
Natalee
March 14, 20:24this looks great and that kind of extravangant praise from your beautiful daughter must have made you glow! Are we crazy to be so thrilled when they praise us? We will try this soon!
Meatless Mains Week: Roundup! - Sweet Potato Chronicles
June 01, 06:50[…] Vegetable Enchiladas. Take a break from pizza night and give these enchiladas a try. They’re easy and fun to get kids involved with. […]