Meatless Monday Meal of the Week: Layered Vegetable Enchiladas

Hey everyone!

So it's the beginning of the school year again (already 2 weeks in!) and that means that I have almost no time in my schedule to be doing anything other than running, homework and piano. But not to worry, dear readers! I have decided to take some time out of my busy schedule to post a meatless Monday recipe. This one's gonna be short and sweet, because I really need to go to bed.

Anyway, tonight I did not make this meatless Monday meal. I know, I know. I'm sorry. It's just so time consuming (not to say that you can't do it too!). So all credit for this meal goes to my mom. And she's a great cook. Better than me. I mean, I get it all from her (thank you mommy!).

Here's the recipe:


Ingredients

2 cups frozen corn, thawed
1 cup frozen bell pepper strips, thawed
3 tablespoons lime juice (from 1 or 2 limes), divided, plus lime wedges for garnish
1 1/2 tablespoon salt-free chili powder, divided
1 (15-ounce) can no-salt-added pinto or black beans, rinsed and drained
4 tablespoons chopped cilantro, divided
1 (15-ounce) can no-salt-added diced tomatoes*
8 ounces frozen leafy greens*, thawed
8 corn tortillas*
3/4 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese (optional)


Method

Preheat oven to 400ºF. In a large pot, combine corn, bell peppers, 2 tablespoons lime juice, 1 tablespoon chili powder, tomatoes and greens and cook over medium-high heat until liquid is almost evaporated, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, mash beans with 2 tablespoons cilantro, and remaining 1/ tablespoon chili powder and 1 tablespoon lime juice.

Arrange four tortillas on a large parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Spread bean mixture evenly on tortillas. Top each with about 1/2 cup of the vegetable mixture and some cheese. Top with remaining tortillas, vegetables and cheese and bake until hot throughout and cheese is melted, about 15 minutes. Transfer to plates, garnish with remaining cilantro and lime wedges and serve.

Nutrition

Per serving: 380 calories (50 from fat), 5g total fat, 2g saturated fat, 15mg cholesterol, 200mg sodium, 66g total carbohydrate (14g dietary fiber, 8g sugar), 18g protein


This dish is definitely a favorite in my house. Because my brothers can sometimes be pretty anti vegetable, this pairs some familiar ingredients that they enjoy with some more foreign ones that htey don't even know they're eating. It also is a very substantial dish as it provides protein by way of beans and cheese. My favorite part is definitely the kale (debatably the vegetable that is best for you) and you can use either fresh or frozen (it tastes good either way!). Also, don't forget to pair it with some homemade guacamole! (my dad's personal favorite)


Happy Eating!
Leda :)

The Ultimate Meatless Monday

Why hello there readers!

No, I didn't forget about you and no I did not drop off the face of the earth. I simply have been ever so consumed in my own life and travels that I have found it hard to find time to write something fantastical on this blog.

Anyway, I have just returned from a wonderful trip to Vermont with my Girl Scout Troop 3450. And as many of you know, Vermont is one of those places where everyone is really into knowing where your food comes from. And what do we call people who are interested in this matter?

LOCAVORES

Please note the word play of the words "local" and "vore" which I'm guessing is a suffix for eating or something (this is the real deal, people. I didn't just make this up)

So as part of our little trip to the green mountains, we decided that one night we would put all our heads together to come up with a meal that consisted of only local fare (whether it be from Vermont or Massachusetts, it was still considered local).

You may be asking "...umm what does this have to do with Meatless Mondays?". The answer, my friends, is that it has anything and everything to do with Meatless Monday! This is because eating locally may disable you from eating meat, because in some regions and parts of the world meat travels far and wide to reach your table. In addition, we decided to make our meal meatless as well.

So here's what we made!


Top Left: Potato gratin with Shelburne Farms cheddar cheese
Top Right: Vegetable Soup with carrots, beans, potatoes and corn
Bottom Right: Apple, carrot, cucumber and kholrabi cole slaw
Bottom Left: Bruschetta with mozerella, tomatoes and eggplant
Top Middle: Corn with tomatoes, basil and goat cheese
Bottom Middle (the green stuff): Fried okra


Let me tell you, this whole thing was a lot harder to do than I originally thought. By eating local we were totally handicapped in that we couldn't eat pasta or rice. So this was almost entirely plant based (almost vegan!).

So here's a big round of applause to all of my girls from Troop 3450 for working together and making such a fabluous meal!

Also, sorry I can't give you any recipes. This was all done kinda spur of the moment.

Oh and one more thing:


EAT REAL
and
EAT LOCAL

Happy Eating!

Leda :)