eat your veggies: spinach chicken enchiladas

I like sneaking veggies in dishes that don't traditionally call for them-- like enchiladas*. So when you think extra cheese, think instead, extra spinach.

Not only is spinach available year-round in most places, it's also full of all that stuff you know you need. So feel free to stick it in all your random dishes... although maybe not dessert.

spinach chicken enchiladas
1 1/2 cup green salsa
1/4 cup plain yogurt (I use full-fat greek, without sugar or additives)
1 jalepeno, deseeded and diced (optional)
1/2 diced white onion
2 cups washed, torn spinach leaves (or 3 cups frozen, defrosted and patted with a paper towel)
1 tsp cumin
4 to 6 whole wheat tortillas
1/2 cup shredded Monterrey jack cheese
2 shredded chicken breasts or 2 cups white beans

Mix green salsa, yogurt, jalepeno, and cumin in a large bowl.
In a pie pan or other oven-safe dish, lay one tortilla down and top with 2 spoonfuls of yogurt-salsa mixture, some chicken or beans, spinach and sprinkling of cheese.
Top with another tortilla and repeat the process until you have filled the pan. (I usually have 5 tortillas layered by the time I'm done.)
Sprinkle any remaining cheese on top or yogurt mixure.
Bake at 350 degrees until cheese is melted, tortillas are slightly browned-- about 15 minutes.

see the other posts in the series: beets || fennel
have a veggie suggestion for me? Let me know!

xo, erika

* I don't know if these technically can be called enchiladas because they aren't rolled and don't have enchilada sauce. But I didn't know what else to call this dish... so enchilada it is :)

eat your veggies: fennel

We all know we should eat more vegetables but to be honest, there are some vegetables that I am entirely unfamiliar with-- or at least unfamiliar with how to cook them.

As I've mentioned often, I'm an experimental cook and love to try making new things so for the next few weeks, I'm going to experiment with vegetables-- trying to make dishes out of vegetables I've eaten many times, and those I've rarely touched.

I hope you join me on this kitchen journey and I would love to hear from you what vegetables I should try cooking next. I'm honestly up for anything that falls in the "veggie" category.


First up: fennel.

I've had it before but I've never cooked with it.

Fennel has a light, delicate sweet flavor with a touch of anise (licorice). You can slice it thin for a salad, or you can roast it to bring out its flavor. I decided to roast it and pair it with mint, lemon and almond couscous.

ingredients:
- 2 fennel bulbs -- soaked and sliced into bite size pieces. You need to soak it because some of the dirt can get into the layers-- don't soak for long, just a minute or two should work. Slice just the white bulb of the fennel, leaving the stalks and fronds aside.
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds
- 1/2 cup mint leaves, torn
- 1 tbs fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tbs lemon zest
- 2 tsp red wine vinegar
- 1 cup prepared plain couscous
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp sea salt

Toss the fennel with olive oil and roast in a dish at 350 for 30 minutes. You may need more or less time depending on your oven. The fennel should be soft, but not overly browned.

In the meantime, cook the couscous according to package directions (generally 1 cup couscous to 1 1/4 cup water.)

Heat a pan on low, and toast the almonds until slightly fragrant and brown. (Be careful not to burn!)

In a small bowl, create the dressing by whisking together lemon juice, zest, red wine vinegar, black pepper and salt.

When the fennel is done, mix with couscous, almonds and torn mint leaves. Top with the lemon dressing. Serve warm (but it's also delicious cold!)

Top the couscous with a few fennel fronds. Enjoy!

xo, erika

what vegetable shall I tackle next?