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

These were surprisingly tasty! I wasn't expecting much from a filling made up predominantly of zucchini and corn. Especially since the dish seemed to rely entirely on store-bought salsa for its seasoning. But it actually produced really nice results. A bit lacking in protein maybe, but there were certainly no issues with the flavour!

If I were doing this again, I might try swapping out half of the zucchini for some black beans, just to make it a little more filling and nutritionally balanced. But overall, it was very good.

Vegetable Enchiladas

Adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 1 zucchini
• 1 (400mL) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 c. frozen corn
• 1 onion, quartered and sliced
• 1 c. grated cheddar cheese
• 2 (~400mL) jars salsa verde, divided
• 12 corn tortillas (20cm/8" size)
• 1 c. grated Monterey jack¹
• 1/4 c. sour cream
• 1 green onion, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. lime zest
• 1/8 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 avocado, divided
• 2-4 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 190°C (375°F).
2. Quarter the zucchini lengthwise and slice crosswise.
3. Combine the zucchini, beans, corn, onion, and cheddar and mix well.
4. Wrap the tortillas in a tea towel or tortilla warmer and microwave until softened (30-60 seconds).
5. Pour 1 jar of salsa into a 23x33cm (9x13") baking dish.
6. Place a warm tortilla on your work surface and put 2-3 Tbsp. of filling down the middle of it, then roll up and place seam-side-down in the prepared baking dish.
7. Assemble remaining enchiladas in the same way.
8. Pour remaining jar of salsa over the enchiladas and top with Monterey jack.
9. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes.
10. Remove foil and bake for another 10 minutes.
11. Meanwhile, combine the sour cream, green onion, lime zest, salt, and half the avocado and mix very well, mashing the avocado as you stir.
12. Slice the remaining half avocado.
13. Serve the enchiladas topped with avocado slices, sour cream mixture, and cilantro (if using).
14. Radishes and tomato salsa/salsa roja also make good toppings.

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¹ I ended up swapping out the Monterey jack for 125g of sliced Swiss cheese instead, which worked reasonably well. More cheddar would also be acceptable in place of the jack. ^Back

This came together gratifyingly quickly. The longest part was pressure-cooking the beans, but that gave me time to dismantle the chicken and mise-en-place all the ingredients.

Quick Green Chicken Chili

Cook's Country August/September 2018 (recipe card)

Ingredients

• 1.5 C mixed dry black and great northern beans
• 6C half-strength chicken or vegetable stock (or 6C water + 1 stock cube)
• 2 tsp (~0.5L worth) Better than Bouillon stock concentrate or equivalent
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• ¾ tsp pepper, ground
• 3-4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tsp cumin, ground
• 1 C premade green salsa
• 1 grocery store roast chicken, skinned and shredded
• ½ C fresh cilantro, chopped
• Yoghurt and hot sauce (for serving)

Directions

1. Add beans and stock to pressure cooker. Pressure cook high for 40 minutes.
2. Depressurize and drain beans, reserving 1L of cooking water. If you have less than 1L, top up with tap water.
3. Stir stock concentrate into the bean water; set aside.
4. Heat oil in a dutch oven over medium heat.
5. Add onion and pepper and cook until translucent and softened, ~5 minutes.
6. Stir in garlic and cumin and cook until fragrant, ~1 minute.
7. Stir in beans, bean water, and salsa. Increase heat to medium high and bring to a boil.
8. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer 10 minutes.
9. Mash some of the beans against the side of the pot for thickness, if desired.
10. Stir in chicken and cilantro and cook until warmed through, ~2 minutes.
11. Serve with yoghurt and hot sauce; we found that this tomatillo-based sauce worked nicely.

This recipe is from a while ago. So long ago that I don't clearly remember making it or what substitutions and adjustments (if any) we made. I think we stuck pretty close to the recipe. Possibly just substituting California chilies for the pasilla since the latter tend to be fairly difficult to find here.

Despite not remembering the details of making this dish, I do remember the results. Much like other adobo recipes that we've tried, it did produce tender meat in a tasty sauce. I remember it being good. But I also remember feeling somewhat disappointed and let down because the results of this slow cooker version paled in comparison to the stovetop- and oven-cooked one that we made a few years earlier: Beef in Adobo. Although both recipes include very similar ingredients and proportions, making it in the slow cooker just couldn't deliver the same results. So, while I appreciate the convenience of being able to throw everything in the pot and walk away, I prefer the results of the slightly more involved cooking methods from the earlier recipe.

Slow Cooker Adobo-Braised Beef

From Cook's Country June/July 2020

Ingredients

• 45g dried ancho or guajillo chilies, stemmed
• 30g dried pasilla or California chilies, stemmed
• 3/4 c. salsa verde
• 1/2 c. orange juice
• 1/4 c. lime juice
• 3 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 2 tsp. cumin seeds, ground
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 tsp. coarse sea salt, divided
• 1/2 Tbsp. dried oregano
• 1 tsp. black peppercorns, ground and divided
• ~1.3kg stewing beef
• tortillas, to serve
• 125g queso fresco or feta, crumbled
• 1/2 c. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Use kitchen shears to cut chilies in half lengthwise and discard the seeds.
2. Cut chilies into 2-3cm pieces.
3. Toast chilies over medium heat, stirring often, until fragrant (~5 minutes).
4. Transfer to bowl and cover with hot water. Let stand ~5 minutes, then drain.
5. Add salsa verde, orange juice, lime juice, sugar, cumin, garlic, chilies, 1 tsp. of the salt, oregano, and 1/2 tsp. of the pepper to a blender and purée until smooth. Pour into slow cooker.
6. Season beef with remaining 1 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper and add to slow cooker with sauce. Stir to combine.
7. Cover and cook until tender (4-5 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low).
8. Serve with warmed tortillas, queso fresco, and cilantro. Chopped avocado, sliced radishes, and minced red onion also make nice toppings.

I only had a tiny fraction of the amount of avocado that I was supposed to for this recipe, so imagine these patties topped with a lot more guac/avocado mash than they are in the photos. Also, the recipe as written just calls for mashing up the avocado with a bit of tomato, lime juice, and salt. This is fine, but I wanted to gussy it up a bit (especially since I had so much less than I was supposed to), so I opted to add some fried garlic, cilantro, and ground Kashmiri chilies.¹

The patties themselves were also relatively simple: just some onion, cumin, oregano, and jalapeño mashed up with some beans with a bit of egg and panko to bind it. This seemed a bit bland to me, so I added some garlic and a bit of adobo sauce from some chipotles in adobo. I also replaced some of the cumin with dhania-jeera masala to add another layer of flavour. I didn't add any black pepper this time, but I feel like that wouldn't've gone amiss either. There's room to play around with the seasonings a bit.

Black Bean Patties

Adapted from Healthy Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

Patties

• scant 2 c. cooked black beans
• 1 Tbsp. garlic oil, divided (home-made or store-bought)
• 1/2 onion, minced
• 1 jalapeño, seeded and minced
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp. cumin seeds, ground
• 1 tsp. dhania-jeera masala
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 tsp. adobo sauce from chipotles in adobo
• 1 large egg
• 6 Tbsp. panko breadcrumbs

Topping

• 1 avocado
• 1 roma tomato, seeded and diced
• juice of 1 lime
• 1/2 tsp. dhania-jeera masala
• 1/2 tsp. balti masala (optional)
• 1 tsp. minced fried garlic (from garlic oil or store-bought)
• 1/4 tsp. ground Kashmiri chilies
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/2 tsp. lime zest (optional)
• ~1/2 c. plain Greek yogurt or sour cream
• ~1/4 c. salsa verde, Envy sauce, or cilantro-mint chutney

Directions

1. Mash the beans and set aside.
2. Heat 1/2 Tbsp. of the oil over medium heat.
3. Add the onion, garlic, and jalapeño and cook until soft (3-5 minutes).
4. Stir in the cumin, masala, pepper, oregano, and salt and cook for another minute or so.
5. Add the onion mixture to the mashed beans along with the adobo sauce and stir to combine.
6. Mix in the egg and the breadcrumbs.
7. Shape into patties. You should get 4-8 patties depending on how big you want them.
8. Heat the remaining oil over medium heat.
9. Add the patties to the pan and cook until heated through and browned on both sides (5-6 minutes per side).
10. Meanwhile, mash the avocado and mix in the tomato, lime juice, masala(s), fried garlic, Kashmiri chilies, cilantro, salt, and lime zest (if using).
11. Serve the patties topped with the avocado mixture, yogurt/sour cream, and salsa/Envy/chutney.

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¹ I feel like I added one or two other things as well, but I can't remember what they were now. That said, I think a little balti masala and/or dhania-jeera masala would go nicely in this. Use whatever you feel best fits the vibe. ^Back

I ran across the suggestion of making breakfast tostadas on... some blog somewhere. It was from a blogger who focused on weight loss and had a lot of Weight Watchers recipes. This one, surprisingly, wasn't a WW recipe; it was from another food blog. I didn't end up using the recipe provided, but I took inspiration from it.

I ended up using ready-made, canned refried beans, but you could easily make your own at home if you prefer. I did make my own baked tostadas for this, but you could use store-bought tostadas if you wanted to shave a little time and effort off the prep. The store-bought ones will be more Points/calories, of course, but sometimes that's a trade-off worth making. And it should still reasonably healthy (and low-Points) overall.

You can dress these up however you like. I did mine with refried beans, tomato salsa, cherry tomatoes, pickled jalapeños, fresh cilantro, avocado, and a fried egg. You could also try fresh or pickled onions on them, shredded lettuce, various types of cheese (cheddar, pepper jack, feta, cotija, etc.), bacon, chorizo, tempeh, smoked tofu... You could swap out the fresh avocado for guacamole. Try cooking your eggs a different way (scrambled, poached, or boiled come to mind). For a vegan take, you could go for scrambled tofu in place of the egg. There are lots of options!

Breakfast Tostadas

Ingredients

• 1-2 tostadas per person
• ~2 Tbsp. of refried beans per tostada
• 1-2 Tbsp. of grated or crumbled cheese per tostada (optional)
• ~1 Tbsp. of salsa or salsa verde per tostada
• ~1/8 of an avocado, sliced or 1-2 Tbsp. of guacamole per tostada (optional)
• 2-4 Tbsp. of veggies per tostada (lettuce, tomatoes, onion, jalapeños, bell pepper, radishes, etc.)
• 1 Tbsp. of crumbled bacon, tempeh, smoked tofu, or chorizo per tostada (optional)
• 1 egg per tostada (scrambled, fried, poached, or boiled) or ~1/4 c. of scrambled tofu
• ~1 Tbsp. of chopped fresh cilantro per tostada

Directions

1. Make sure your refried beans are nice and hot.
2. Spread the beans on your tostada.
3. Top with cheese (if using).
4. Top with salsa, avocado or guac (if using), and veggies, bacon/tofu/tempeh/chorizo (if using).
5. Top with egg or tofu.
6. Garnish with cilantro and serve.

I've been in a breakfast rut lately. Usually dressing up some ramen with some extra veggies and protein is a good go-to breakfast for me when I don't know what else to have. But that hasn't been appealing to me lately. Yesterday I had some left over pork chop and brussels sprouts for brunch. Now we're all out of pork chops and I'm faced with the breakfast question again.

Initially I was thinking that maybe I'd just have some ramen anyway, even if it didn't appeal. But I figured it wouldn't hurt to take a few minutes staring at breakfast inspiration to see if anything sang to me. What this revealed was that I wanted a eggs and toast sort of breakfast. I thought about making a croque madame, but we didn't have either the gruyère or the ham. Then I stumbled across this salsa verde baked eggs recipe... I even had an unopened jar of salsa verde in the pantry! I'd gotten it just in case I my mole de olla ended up needing some extra tomatillos/sauce, but didn't end up needing it in the end.

This is an incredibly simple recipe: Just put some salsa verde in a pan and bake some eggs in it. Then top with cheese and veggies as you see fit and serve with a starch of your choice. I topped mine with Cheddar cheese and a sort of cabbage-carrot-radish salad that we had on hand and served it with toasted sourdough and it was delicious. I don't have salsa verde on hand that often, but I definitely want to keep this recipe in mind for when I do!

Salsa Verde Baked Eggs

Slightly adapted from The Modern Proper

Ingredients

• 1 tsp. butter, oil, bacon grease, or lard
• 1 c. salsa verde
• 4 large eggs

Toppings & Accompaniments

Choose as many or as few as you'd like.

• cheese: cotija, feta, Cheddar, and/or monterey jack
• veggies: sliced radish, shredded cabbage, grated carrot, sliced avocado, corn, and/or shredded radicchio
• other: lime wedges/lime juice and/or chopped fresh cilantro
• starches: toast, corn tortillas, and/or flour tortillas

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F) and grease a 25cm (10") pan with a fat of your choice. (I like using pork fat here, but follow your heart.)
2. Pour the salsa verde into the greased pan.
3. Crack one egg into each quadrant of the pan. Season with a little salt and pepper if you like, but I didn't find mine really needed it.
4. Bake at 200°C (400°F) for 12-15 minutes¹.
5. While eggs are cooking, toast your bread and/or warm up some tortillas.
6. Serve eggs on (or alongside) toast and/or tortillas and topped with cheese(s) and veggies of your choice.

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¹ I baked mine for the full 15 minutes because TF and I really can't stand undercooked egg whites. This turned out to be a bit too much though and left the yolks cooked hard. I think next time I'd try cooking them for only 12 minutes. Or possibly separate the whites and yolks so that they can be cooked for different amounts of time. I might try putting a white in each quadrant, baking for 3-5 minutes, and then adding a yolk on top of each white and baking for another 8-10 minutes or something. Not sure what the best timing would be, but it may be worth experimenting with. ^Back