Garbanzo Bean Enchiladas Verde

This weekend my little sister came home for the Easter holiday. She is just about done with her first year of college. I couldn’t be more proud of her. She has made a home for herself in their geology department and has become a serious outdoor adventure enthusiast. Here she is rock climbing like a total bad ass!

When my sister comes home, she always lets my mom and I know about her menu requests in advance. Usually she wants vegetable based meals, because she is sick of eating the crap they serve in her cafeteria. This time she asked for vegetarian enchiladas. I was more than happy to oblige because I already had most of the ingredients in my fridge.

Normally when I make this dish, I make my own salsa verde(green salsa) using tomatillos, garlic, seranos, salt, cilantro, and red onion. Its really easy, I just throw it all in my food processor and pulse it down. The tomatillos in the store didn’t look all that great, so I bought a jar of salsa verde instead. I recommend the Frontera brand, but my foodie crush on Rick Bayless makes me bias.

Focus Elise, focus…

The only thing one might consider unhealthy about these enchilladas is the cheese. I sprinkled a little bit of pepper jack on top of them before they baked, but I served the rest of the cheese as a condiment so that each of us could control how much we wanted. You could easily omit the cheese all together and have a delicious vegan dinner. I kind of wish I had just left it out. It didn’t really enhance the flavor in any way.

Garbanzo Bean Enchiladas Verde

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 10 Corn Tortillas
• 1 can Garbanzo Beans(also known as Chick Peas)rinsed and drained
• 1 large Zucchini, quartered and sliced(I used baby zucchini)
• 1 small Red Onion, roughly chopped
• 2 tbs Chili Powder
• 1 tbs Cumin
• 1/2 tbs Garlic Powder(or a few cloves of fresh garlic)
• Splash of Chicken or Veggie Stock
• 1 & 1/2 cups Salsa Verde
• Pepper Jack Cheese(optional)
• Radish Slices and Chives to garnish(optional)

Extra toppings:

• Lime Wedges
• Fat-Free Greek Yogurt
• Cheese
• Salsa Verde
• Cilantro
• Shredded Lettuce
• Hot Sauce

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add onion and cook for a few minutes, then add in zucchini and beans.

2. Cook veggies and beans until they start to brown a bit, stirring often. Add in spices and stir to combine. Cook a couple minutes more.

3. Add a generous splash of chicken or veggie stock to the pan. Scrape up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan if there are any, and continue to cook your veggie filling until the liquid has evaporated.

4. While the veggies are cooking, heat up the tortillas in the microwave or in a pan over medium-low heat. Keep warm in a tea towel. This is just to make them soft and pliable, don’t over cook them.

5. Spray a small rectangular baking dish with cooking spray(I really like olive oil spray. I use it all the time. I highly recommend investing in some if you are trying to cut back on fat and calories). Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

6. Fill tortillas with a heaping spoonful of the veggie filling. Roll up the tortillas and place them seam side down in the baking dish. You can pack them in pretty tight.

7. Pour salsa verde over the top of the enchiladas, then sprinkle cheese, radish slices and chives on top of the salsa.

8. Bake until the cheese has fully melted. It takes about 15 minutes. If you aren’t using the cheese, I would still cook them for 10 to 15 minutes, just so everything can meld together.

9. Scoop echiladas out with a spatula and some tongs. Serve with extra toppings.

I made a Creamy Pear Soda to go with dinner. I mixed together 1 can of Pear Nectar(found in the international aisle of my super market), 1 can of Light Coconut Milk, and a 1 liter bottle of Club Soda in a pitcher. It was delicious! A little rum may have been a fun addition, but the sister is not of legal drinking age and I am a fuddy duddy.