Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Kale and Black Bean Enchiladas with Green Sauce


I'm not gonna lie - this recipe takes a little bit of time and effort. However, it's worth every minute, AND you can make a big tray of these enchiladas and enjoy them throughout the week. They're packed with good-for-you kale, and the creamy cilantro-scallion-coriander-cumin sauce is so good that I had to stop myself from eating it with a spoon! Adapted from epicurious.

Sauce
  • 1/2 16-ounce package frozen chopped kale, available at Whole Foods. You could also use fresh kale for this - just wash and chop it into small pieces first. Alternately, you can easily sub in other green ingredients, like spinach.
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
  •  2 cups whole milk
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • 3 green onions, minced (I included the white parts)
  • About 2-3 tablespoons sliced jalapenos from a jar. (Can be upped or decreased based on your spice preferences)
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 2 teaspoons ground coriander
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
Enchiladas
  • 12 6-inch corn tortillas
  • 1/2 16-ounce package of frozen kale or spinach (again, it's fine to use fresh - just wash and chop first)
  • 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
  • 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1 green onion, minced
  • 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/2 tsp ground coriander
  • 1/2 cup nonfat Greek yogurt, or extra milk
For sauce:
Warm the frozen kale or spinach until it's just melted, but not hot. (I usually dump it in a pan with a little water, heat it for a few minutes, then drain it well. If you're using fresh, you can use the same method - just stir it around in a pan with a little bit of water over medium heat until it wilts). Set aside. Melt butter in heavy medium skillet over medium heat. Add flour and stir mixture 2 minutes; do not brown. Gradually whisk in milk. Simmer until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Stir in half the kale/spinach, the 1/2 cup cilantro, 2 green onions, chilies, cumin, coriander and red pepper. Puree in batches in processor until almost smooth. (If it's a little dry, you can add more milk at this stage). Season with salt and pepper. 

For enchiladas:
Combine the rest of the kale or spinach with the black beans, cheddar, and the rest of the cilantro, green onion, cumin, and coriander. Warm the tortillas so they're a little more flexible (I stuck mine in the microwave). Place a few spoonfuls of the filling (about 1/4 cup) in the middle of each tortilla, then roll it up. Place seam side down in large glass baking dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Stir sour cream into sauce, and pour over enchiladas. Bake until cheese melts and enchiladas are heated through, about 25 minutes.

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