I thought that we had made all of the various enchilada recipes from the Dish of the Day and Vegetable of the Day cookbooks. But it turns out that I'd missed one! This one involves a simple filling of black beans and kale (spinach in the original recipe) with a bit of cheese and some homemade salsa verde to bring it all together.

Personally, I felt like the sauce could have used a bit more kick. I would be tempted to add some jalapeños and/or finger chilies next time. But the kids seemed to enjoy it this way, so that's good at least.

I'm glad that I tried doing the sauce from scratch for these. It was nice. That said, if you're looking for a way to streamline the recipe, I wouldn't hesitate to use store-bought salsa verde in place of the homemade.

Kale and Black Bean Enchiladas

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

Sauce

• 12 tomatillos, husked and halved
• 3 poblanos, halved and seeded
• 1 jalapeño, halved and seeded (optional)
• 2-3 cloves garlic
• 1 large onion, quartered
• 1 c. fresh cilantro
• salt and pepper, taste

OR

• ~1L store-bought salsa verde

Enchiladas

• 2 Tbsp. canola (or other neutral) oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 small red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 Tbsp. cumin seeds, ground
• 1 tsp. dhania-jeera masala
• ~300g frozen chopped kale or spinach
• 2 cans (~400mL each) black beans (or 1 1/2 c. dried black beans, cooked), drained and rinsed
• 1/2 c. chopped fresh cilantro
• 250g Monterey Jack (or pepper jack) cheese, shredded and divided
• 1 medium tortillas¹
• 1-2 avocadoes, sliced

Directions

1. Preheat the broiler (on high if it has multiple settings).
2. Place the tomatillos and chilies, cut-side-down, on a baking sheet and broil until slightly charred and softened (8-10 minutes).
3. Transfer tomatillos, chilies, onion, garlic, and cilantro to a blender and purée.
4. Season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside.
5. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F).
6. Heat oil over medium heat.
7. Add onion and bell pepper and cook until softened (~5 minutes).
8. Add the cumin and masala and cook for another minute or two.
9. Add the frozen greens and cook until thawed.
10. Remove from heat and stir in the beans, cilantro, half the cheese (~1 c.), and 3/4 c. of the sauce.
11. Spoon ~1/2 c. of sauce into the bottom of a 23x33cm (9x13") baking dish.
12. Put ~1/2 c. of filling in the centre of each tortilla, roll up into a tube, and place seam-side-down into the prepared baking dish.
13. Once all of the tortillas have been filled and placed in the baking dish, pour the rest of the sauce over them.
14. Sprinkle with remaining cheese, cover with foil, and bake at 180°C (350°F) for 30 minutes.
15. Remove foil and continue baking for another 10 minutes.
16. Serve topped with avocado and seasoned to taste with salt and pepper.

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¹ The recipe calls for flour tortillas and that's what I used this time, but I actually think that corn tortillas would have been better here. They just didn't have any when I went to the grocery store and I didn't feel up to making my own from scratch this time. The flour tortillas were fine. I just think that corn ones tend to work especially well for enchiladas. ^Back

I totally missed the part of the instructions that mentioned that this recipe absolutely requires fresh corn and that frozen corn must not be substituted for this crucial ingredient because, being par-cooked, it wouldn't release the essential starches. Unfortunately, I was in a bit of a hurry and I didn't read that bit until after I'd already made the soup. My soup may not have been as thick as would have been ideal, but it was still very good! Definitely use fresh corn if you can get it but, as it turns out, frozen will do in a pinch, although the texture won't be as thick and the flavour won't be as rich.

Roasted Corn and Poblano Chowder

Slightly adapted from Cook's Country June/July 2016

Ingredients

• 2 poblano chilies
• 1/2 Tbsp. oil, divided
• 6 ears of corn, kernels cut from cobs (~5 c.)
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1 1/4 tsp. black pepper, ground, divided
• 1 Tbsp. bacon grease (or fat of your choice)
• 1/2 package smoked tofu¹ (~90g), sliced thin and cut into bite-sized pieces
• 2 onions, chopped
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 7 c. chicken or vegetable stock
• 450g potatoes, cubed
• 1/4 c. half-and-half²
• 2 (15cm/6") corn tortillas
• 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 Tbsp. lime juice
• sour cream, to serve
• queso fresco³
• fried corn tortilla pieces or crumbled tostadas or corn chips, to serve
• lime wedge, to serve

Directions

1. Halve the peppers and remove the stems and seeds.
2. Line a baking sheet with tin foil and adjust oven rack to be ~15cm (6") from the broiler.
3. Toss the peppers with 1/2 tsp. of the oil and place them at one end of the baking sheet.
4. Toss the corn with the remaining 1 tsp. of oil, 1/4 tsp. of salt, and 1/2 tsp. of the pepper and place it at the other end of the baking sheet.
5. Broil for ~15 minutes, flipping the peppers and stirring the corn halfway through.
6. Place the peppers in a plastic bag and set aside for ~10 minutes.
7. Meanwhile, heat the bacon grease over medium heat.
8. Add the tofu (if using) and cook until slightly crispy.
9. Add the onions and cook for another 5-6 minutes.
10. Add the garlic and cook for another minute or so.
11. Add the broth, potatoes, and roasted corn and bring to a boil.
12. Cook at a vigorous simmer for ~20 minutes.
13. Meanwhile, take the roasted peppers out of the plastic bag and peel off and discard the skins. Chop the flesh and set aside.
14. Once the potatoes are cooked, remove the soup from heat and stir in half-and-half.
15. Transfer ~500mL of soup to a blender.
16. Add the tortillas to the blender with the soup and purée until smooth.
17. Pour puréed soup back into pot and add the chopped peppers.
18. Bring to a simmer and cook for another minute or two.
19. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro, lime juice, and the remaining 3/4 tsp. pepper. If you use homemade or low-sodium stock, you may need to adjust the salt as well.
20. Serve chowder topped with extra cilantro, sour cream, and queso fresco (or a cheese of your choice) with lime wedges on the side.

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¹ The original recipe calls for 4 slices of bacon here. You fry the bacon, then cook the onions in the bacon grease, then serve the crumbled bacon as a topping for the soup. I was going to just crisp up a bit of smoked tofu in some bacon grease and mix that into the soup along with the onions, but I ran out of smoked tofu. So, in the end, I just left it out. (And TF and the Kidlet topped their soups with a bit of chopped kielbasa instead.) I definitely recommend adding it if you have any available though: smoked tofu is delicious and I'm sure the smokiness would've been a nice addition to the soup. ^Back
2 I might try experimenting with using whole milk (3.25% MF) in place of the half-and-half (10% MF) next time. Especially if I'm making it properly with fresh corn rather than frozen. I think having fresh corn would add a lot of richness so, as long as the heat doesn't curdle the milk, you might be able to get away with a lower fat content in your dairy. ^Back
3 If you can't get queso fresco, then ricotta salata or cotija make reasonable substitutes. If you can't get those either (I rarely see any of the above three for sale around here), then feta is probably your next best bet. I've also seen cottage cheese recommended as a substitute, but I haven't tried it yet. ^Back

This Hello Fresh recipe wants you to make tacos and serve them half-open and covered in salad and feta. The Kidlet found that form factor kind of hard to eat, but absolutely loved them as burritos and, later, as quesadillas.

We did need considerably more tortillas than it called for, though.

Smoky Lentil Tacos/Quesadillas with Corn & Poblano Peppers

Hello Fresh

Ingredients

• 1½ C dry red lentils
• ½ lb poblano peppers, chopped
• ½ C frozen corn kernels
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
  
• 2 tbsp mexican seasoning
• ¼ tsp chipotle powder
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• ½ C worth of vegetable broth concentrate
• ¼ C freshly chopped cilantro
  
• a large quantity of tortillas
• toppings (salad, feta cheese, etc...)
  

Directions

1. Add lentils and enough water to cover by 1" to a medium pot. Cover and bring to a boil.
2. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, covered, for 10-12 minutes.
3. Drain, reserving ½C water.
4. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
5. Add the peppers and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender-crisp, ~5 minutes.
   
6. Add the corn and cook until warmed through, 1-2 minutes.
   
7. Season with salt and pepper, and buffer on a plate.
8. Add another 1 tbsp oil, then the onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened.
9. Add garlic, mexican seasoning, and chipotle powder. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, ~30 seconds.
10. Add the cooked lentils, soy sauce, broth concentrate, and reserved water to the pan with the onions. Simmer until sauce thickens.
11. Remove from the heat and roughly mash the lentils with a potato masher. Stir in the cilantro and the corn-pepper mixture, and season with salt and pepper.
12. Serve as tacos or burritos, or add cheddar cheese and turn them into quesadillas.