I posted this on Instagram today, and I was shocked when I realized this recipe has never been posted on my blog! I’ve made it several times in the last year and a half, and it’s one of our family favorites (OK, full disclosure: me and our 14yo daughter absolutely FLIP over these, son thinks they’re good, and hubs thinks they could be better if I added some meat). My precious daughter turned 14 today, and this enchilada recipe was her requested birthday meal, along with black bean brownies. Yes, I gave her an open door to unhealthy anything, and she chose black bean brownies all on her own. She really loves them that much (no one else in the family does, so I’m not making a hearty recommendation here). You can find that recipe on Dr. Axe blog if you’re interested in making those. But for the veggie enchiladas, here ya go…

What you need: (all organic if possible, especially the kale, which is often on the Dirty Dozen list for pesticides)

1 large sweet potato

1 can black beans, drained (makes 8 small enchiladas which feeds the 4 of us, but double if you need to) OR even better, use home cooked beans of equivalent amount. If buying canned, buy non BPA canned goods if possible. The BPA plastic coating in cans can be toxic. Another reason to use the bag of beans and cook them at home.

some kale, spinach, or chard greens to add to the beans (as much or as little as you like)

coconut oil, butter, or olive oil to sautee beans and greens in. Do not use highly processed vegetable oils like canola or corn oil, both of which are GMO.

garlic, cumin, and chili powder and s&p to flavor those beans and greens (your discretion for amounts of seasonings)

green enchilada sauce or salsa verde (trader joes salsa verde is what I use)

6-8 soft shells, I use Trader Joes corn shells that only have 2 ingredients and are GMO-free according to store policy. Or use another healthy (very few ingredients, real food type shell) that are usually only found in health food stores. Or try a homemade shells recipe and make your own grainfree shells! Do NOT use shelf stable flour (aka “frankenwheat”) tortillas that have a paragraph of ingredients and preservatives. Gross! Wheat is never really recommended on this blog, but if you have to, then use the traditional foods version of soaked and sprouted wheat. You can even find those in the freezer section of the health food stores (Food For Life brand, that makes Ezekiel bread).

1 jar salsa, I use Trader Joes Pineapple salsa because we love that hint of sweet from the pinapple in there!! It’s perfect in this recipe with all the other veggies. I think it’s actually the KEY to awesomeness in this recipe.

Cheddar cheese, preferably raw milk cheddar that is white, not fake colored orange cheese. Another good alternative if you can’t find raw or grassfed (at Trader Joes) is an organic white cheddar, or even a Cabot brand, because it’s hormone free and it’s white (not colored orange) and they have a range of sharpness available. Again, I’m gonna leave the amount up to you, but I use enough to totally cover my shells before baking! I always buy a block of cheese, and grate it myself because of the additives in bagged cheese. Read the ingredients list!

options: mushrooms (I rarely add), fresh cilantro (I always add), green onions (I usually add), peppers (I never add), hot sauce on top, avocado and tomatoes and sour cream on top! You could also put this on a bed of lettuce or other raw greens if you need even more greens in your diet!

A baking sheet (or pot if you boil the potatoes), a large frying pan, and a baking dish like an 8×8 Pyrex, or glass, etc. Do not use a non-stick metal baking dish (click if you don’t know why non-stick surfaces can be unhealthy cooking)

What to do: preheat to 350 first

Skin and chop and heat the sweet potato because you’re going to mash it. Options: boil the potato chunks, or lay pieces on a baking sheet and put in oven (you’re preheating to 350 anyway), while you’re doing everything else. Either way you heat it, mash it after it’s heated.

In a large frying pan (please don’t use non-stick pans) heat the oil, beans, garlic, seasoning, and greens on medium (and any options you’re adding, but save some cilantro for toppings if you’re using it in this). Cook until greens get wilted because they will cook further in next step.

In your glass or ceramic baking dish, pour some salas verde (green sauce) in the bottom and then start making your enchiladas: shell in hand, add mashed sweet potatoes down middle of shell. Add about 2 Tbs of the beans/greens mixture from the frying pan. Top with about a Tbs of salsa. Roll shell and put seam down into the salsa verde covered dish, one right next to the other. When you are finished with rolling the shells for that dish, cover each one with more salsa (or salsa verde if you rather), then top with cheese and fresh cilantro and bake until cheese looks done, maybe 20 mins.  We top with avocado, tomatoes, and sour cream or plain yogurt and the rest of the fresh cilantro! Ole!

I promise this gets easier and quicker after you try it once! Some ideas for making this as quick as possible: consider putting the bean/green mixure and potatoes in the crock pot on low, then add that mixture to shells and bake after you get home. Let me know if you try that, and it actually works!! You could always do your sweet potatoes and your bean/greens mixture the night before, and store it until you’re ready to make these. They’re going in the oven anyway, so it shouldn’t matter that it’s cold when you assemble them. I’m always looking for easier ways to make dinners, so if you figure out a tip here, please let us know!

Here are pictures of some of the Trader Joes ingredients I use for this: 

Keep this recipe in mind during CSA vegetable season (at least here in NC), because it’s a great way to use kale and sweet potatoes from your CSA box! Also, I think it would be easy to add ground beef or chicken or turkey (pastured/clean/organic meats) to this if you want to!

Fannetastic Food blog was the original inspiration for this recipe.

Please let me know if you try this yumminess!! I am eager to hear if any of you love it as much as we do. And now, on to the next January birthday (we have 7 of them this month!)……

Encouraging Health,

Organic Eater