Jelly Toast

veggie enchiladas with corn, black beans + kale


I’m throwing you for a loop, aren’t I? Not less than two weeks ago, I go on a tirade (well, maybe not a tirade) about my love/hate relationship with kale and here I go, shoving it in some Veggie Enchiladas and eating more than my fair share. Seriously, I ate a ton of these.
I’m not above admitting when I was wrong. Or at least, admitting that there may be more to the story than I originally realized.

See, I think I need to amend my stance of ‘I don’t generally like kale’ to ‘I don’t like a pile of sauteed kale stinking up an otherwise delicious plate of food’.

I’d also like to take a cue from my sweet Mother-in-Law who has told me on many occasions that if something is healthy, she’ll find a way to work it into her diet. I think that’s great advice. There is something responsible about choosing to eat something because of the great health benefits, even if it doesn’t taste like a candy bar. It makes me feel grown up when I do this. Or at least like I may live a little longer. Too bad kale doesn’t taste like a Caramello. Although, I guess if it did, we wouldn’t be having this conversation to begin with.Anyway…

It’s probably something in the whole ‘mom code’ thing, but I am unwilling to accept when my kids don’t like a food. I find it a personal challenge to figure out a way to prepare something in a way that they will find it edible. While I try to avoid ‘hiding’ vegetables in other food so my kids don’t realize they’re eating the vegetables, I admit that I am blessed with some fantastic little eaters who pretty much love any vegetable I put in front of them. I know this is not the case with many kids, and a mom’s gotta do what a mom’s gotta do. You’ll receive no judgment from me if you’re a hide-broccoli-in-the-mac-and-cheese kind of person.

On the same token, if there is something that we just don’t like the taste of, but I feel it’s important to try to incorporate into our diet, I go out of my way to do that. Case in point, these Veggie Enchiladas with Corn, Black Beans and Kale.

These enchiladas are packed with kale and still, they taste fantastic. My husband and I knew there was kale in them, my kids knew there was kale in them, and it never slowed any of us down. These enchiladas are filled with a spiced corn, black bean and kale filling, and to increase the healthy-ish factor even further, I used low-carb, high fiber tortillas (La Tortilla Factory) instead of a typical flour or corn tortilla. I also topped it with reduced fat cheese, but you can easily use whatever cheese your family loves.

Choosing cheese is a very personal matter, I realize that.

Whatever cheese you choose, I’m sure these Veggie Enchiladas will hit the spot. Especially if you’re craving Veggie Enchiladas with Corn, Black Beans and Kale, in which case I’ll say ‘what a coincidence! I have just the recipe for you’.

Or something like that.

Happy Thursday!

Veggie Enchiladas with Corn, Black Beans and Kale Recipe

Yield: 10 enchiladas

Ingredients

3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 1/2 cups of tomato sauce
3/4 cup of vegetable stock (or chicken if you have it)
1/2 teaspoon of cumin
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon of chipotle chili powder (to taste)
kosher salt to taste
10 whole wheat tortillas (I used high fiber La Tortilla Factory)
10 oz bag of frozen corn, thawed
10 oz frozen kale, thawed and squeezed dry
1-15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 tsp cumin
cracked black pepper
1/2 cup of shredded Mexican blend cheese + 1 cup for topping (I used reduced fat)
Optional Garnish: sliced scallions or chives + sour cream

Directions

In a small sauce pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add garlic and saute for about 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add tomato sauce, stock, cumin, chipotle chili powder and salt and stir. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low and allow sauce to simmer about 10-15 minutes or until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish and set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together corn, black beans, kale, cumin, 1/2 cup of cheese, salt and pepper.

To assemble the enchiladas: Place a heaping 1/3 cup of corn mixture in the center of 1 tortilla. Roll tortilla and place, seam side down, in the prepared baking dish. Repeat with all of the tortillas and filling. Pour sauce over the top of the rolled enchiladas and sprinkle with remaining 1 cup of cheese.

Cover with foil and bake for 25-30 minutes or until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbling.

Top with garnishes, eat and repeat!

Enjoy!

April 11th, 2013

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

25 comments on “veggie enchiladas with corn, black beans + kale”

  1. Kale is definitely one of those things I’m honestly trying to like lately. It’s just so darn good for you that I feel like I NEED to eat it and I haven’t particularly liked it in the past. Thanks to you lately, I’m finding ways to truly enjoy it and I have no doubt that I’ll love these enchiladas. I’ll be making them and I’m 99% sure the rest of my household will hate them, but I’m giving it to them anyway 😉 They’re all so picky but maybe they’ll suprise me. The baby’s a trooper and will eat anything. Hope it stays that way!

    • I’m glad I’m not the only one who tries to make myself like healthy things! It is definitely growing on me 🙂 I hope your family ends up liking them!

  2. Hey – I am totally with the wise older lady in your life on this one. If it’s healthy, we must find a way! And dammit if this doesnt look like a brilliant way to eat just about any veg!

  3. Love it! Thanks 🙂

  4. Your enchiladas look so delicious!

  5. I’ve just made these enchiladas and they were great! We had a great dinner, thank you for sharing!

  6. I happen to love kale, so these are going on my must-make list. They are making me hungry!

  7. These enchiladas were amazing! My entire family loved them and so did our dinner guests! I added a little more cheese to the filling and therefore it yielded more like 15 enchiladas- plus I doubled the sauce. I will definitely be making these again! I shared your recipe in my most recent meal plan on my blog, rainbowdelicious.com. Thanks!

    • I’m so glad your family and guests liked them, Emily! I love the idea of adding more cheese! Thanks so much for sharing your adaptations, I’ll definitely need to try more cheese next time, too!

  8. Pingback: warm kale salad with maple roasted acorn squash - Jelly Toast

  9. Pingback: Enchiladas, Part 2 | Prancing On My Own

  10. Pingback: kale salad with roasted salmon - Jelly Toast

  11. I can’t wait to try this recipe and was wondering if fresh kale could be substituted? I have a garden full of kale but I am not sure how it would work. Thanks

    • I’ve never made it with fresh kale, but I’m fairly certain it would work. I would chop it quite small, and possibly cook it slightly first, although not all the way through? I hope that helps! Good luck and I would love to hear how it turns out! Thank you for stopping by 🙂
      ~Emily

    • How did it work with the fresh kale…was gonna try to saute it a little today and use in this recipe?

    • It works great, Jodi! I would recommend chopping the kale into pretty small pieces and before you sauté – it helps mix into the filling better. Thanks for stopping by!
      ~Emily

  12. Pingback: Top 10: Vegetarian Enchilada Recipes

  13. Pingback: Cinco de Mayo Roundup - Jelly Toast

  14. Pingback: Cinco de Mayo Round Up - Jelly Toast