I have shocked both myself, and nearly everyone who has known me over the years: I enjoy eating healthy food now. In the span of just one school year, I went from happily gorging myself on vegetarian junkfoods like cheese, french fries, and cookies on a tri-daily basis to actually attempting to incorporate vegetables into my diet. (I credit my formerly fast metabolism as being the only thing standing between me and obesity these past 19 years.) I’ve been experimenting with such previously unfamiliar ingredients as kale, fruit, and even the dreaded whole grains.

But despite the fact that some think eating healthy sounds like torture, both my waistline and tastebuds couldn’t be happier about the change.

So, where I would have previously opted to cook sinfully greasy cheese-stuffed enchiladas, I decided to satisfy my Mexican cuisine craving with a new recipe: black bean, corn, and kale enchiladas. I even completely left the cheese out of my half in order to continue my haphazard attempts at being mostly vegan, and I didn’t miss it at all. My parents–avid meat eaters–raved about their cheesy half of the dish, too!

Don’t get me wrong, I still don’t stand a chance when my sweet tooth drags me to the cookie jar now and again, but at least eating healthy most of the time makes me feel much better about it when I give in!

Makes 10 Enchiladas

Ingredients:

For the Sauce:

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 1/2 cups of tomato sauce

3/4 cup of vegetable stock

1/2 teaspoon of cumin

1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon of chipotle chili powder to taste

Salt and pepper

1/4-1/3 cup Las Palmas red pepper sauce to taste (optional)

For the Enchiladas:

10 tortillas–I used 6″ diameter corn & whole wheat blend

1-15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained

10 oz can of corn

10 oz kale, washed and shredded (can also sub 5oz for equal amount spinach instead)

1/2 yellow (or white) onion, chopped

1/2 avocado, cut into small cubes

1 tsp cumin

Salt and pepper

1/2 cup of shredded Mexican blend cheese + 1 cup for topping

Chopped scallions or sour cream for garnish

Directions:

1. Heat the oil over medium heat in a saucepan, and saute the garlic until fragrant or just beginning to brown. Add the tomato sauce, vegetable stock, spices, and red pepper sauce if desired. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 10-15 until thickened slightly. Remove from heat and set aside.

2. In a large bowl, mix together the beans, corn, kale, onion, avocado, cumin, and salt and pepper until avocado is mashed and evenly distributed and there are no large clumps of kale. If allowing mixture to sit before making enchiladas, add the avocado pit to prevent browning.

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and grease a 9×13″ baking dish.

4. Assemble the enchiladas by placing a tortilla on a plate, and spooning desired amount of filling in a line down the middle. Sprinkle cheese (about 1/2 to 1 tbs) on top of filling if desired, roll the tortilla, and place them seam-side down into the baking pan. Repeat with remaining filling and tortillas. Pour the sauce over the prepared enchiladas, and then sprinkle with 1 cup of cheese if desired.

I made half of it vegan, but feel free to make it as you like!

5. Cover with tinfoil and bake for 25-30 minutes, then remove tinfoil and bake for another 5 minutes, or until cheese and sauce is bubbling. Garnish with chopped scallions or sour cream, and serve with a spatula.

I served this alongside a Mexican salad with a divine dressing (recipe coming up!), and a mango for dessert. There are tons of options for side dishes, but these two were particularly fresh and low calorie!

Thanks for stopping by!

Michelle