"Beef" and Kale Enchiladas 5/5 Spoons

Here is one of my own mad creations! It mostly comes from me wanting to use up the almost not okay to eat kale that was in our fridge and wanting to have some Mexican food. I think it was a great way to combine those two desires. I actually cut this recipe down a bit because one of my roommates is out of town and she likes my cooking more than the other roommate. (AKA - the big carnivore). This was not something pretty to take a picture of so enjoy this insane drawing I found!

(Thank you VelvetMinxx5)

“Beef” and Kale Enchilada Bake

2-3 T. vegetable oil
½ c. onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
½ green pepper, diced
1 c. (1/2 bunch) kale, chopped roughly
A few glugs of veggie broth or water (about ½ - ¾ c.)
Jackie’s Taco Seasoning (recipe below)
1 package MorningStar Farms veggie crumbles (or tofu, tempeh, seitan, etc.)
1 can small can hot enchilada sauce (or make your own! I do this sometimes, but definitely not today.)
1 8 - ounce package sharp cheddar cheese
6-8 small corn tortillas
Salt and pepper to taste

1 T. chili powder
1 t. cumin and oregano
¼ t. garlic powder, onion powder and cayenne pepper

Throw in a container and shake. You can double, triple, etc. this and save it for the next time you make tacos!

Set your oven to 375. Grease a 3 qt. casserole dish with cooking spray or oil. Open the can of enchilada sauce and put about 1/3 of the contents in the bottom. Spread the sauce around so it evenly coats the bottom of the pan.

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Toss in the onions, garlic, green pepper and kale. Cook until onions are translucent and the kale wilts down quite a bit (about 5-10 minutes). Add a few glugs of broth/water, the veggie crumbles and taco seasoning. Crank the heat up to med-high and let it simmer for about 5 minutes until the liquid has dissipated.

Lay 3-4 tortillas in the bottom of the pan and add ½ of “beef” mixture. Cover with ½ of cheese and top again with 3-4 tortillas. Add the rest of the “beef” mixture and cover with the rest of the enchilada sauce. Top with remaining cheese.

Place in top half of your oven for about 20 minutes or until cheese is bubbly. Place in lower half of your oven for 10 more minutes or until the cheese on top is crusty and crunchy.

Once again, something I love about this dish is that it is easily customizable. Throw in some corn, pinto beans, black beans, leftover potatoes and rice, etc. The sky is the limit. I topped mine with sour cream but it would be bitching with some avocado, cilantro, lime, blah blah. You know what goes good with Mexican food, don't ya?

I promise to write about the EPIC birthday layer cake I made (Vanilla and Chocolate with a Raspberry Filling topped with Vanilla Buttercream frosting anyone?) Until next time, take care!

Vegetable Barley Soup 5/5 Spoons

Who freakin' doesn't love soup? I mean, seriously? You can literally make anything into a soup. I had a recipe for Veggie Barley soup but just decided to wing it on my own because I've made enough soups in my life now to know what to do. The results were FANTASTIC. It was jam packed with wholesomeness and a lot of love.

(Soup is ugly but it tastes so good. Check out my photos, not bad huh? I got a new phone.)

Here is my recipe:

2-3 T. olive oil (I don't really measure this stuff)
1 onion, chopped
2 large garlic cloves, diced
2 carrots, diced small
4-5 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, about 2-3 cups worth
1 c. shredded kale
5 c. water
1 14 ounce can diced tomatoes (I run mine through the food processor to have a little chunk and a little sauce)
2 vegetable bouillon cubes
1 t. paprika
1 c. pearled barley (do not use quick barley, it will cook too fast for all the other veggies to catch up)
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook all veggies over medium high heat with olive oil for about 10-15 minutes. You don't want to brown the veggies but get the onions translucent and tender. Add everything else and crank it up until it boils. Once it is boiling, turn down to medium and let cook for about 30-40 minutes or until barley is cooked yet firm and a knife inserted into the potato comes out easily. Serve with French bread and enjoy!

The kale was the best ingredient in the whole dish. Although the potatoes were creamy and the carrots were sweet, the kale really stood out in this dish. I like any healthy vitamin packed green that can stand up to hot soup. And a big chunk of bread with Earth Balance is a dream come true. I'll definitely make this again and hope this inspires you to really soup it up this fall!

I have been missing in action once again but I promise to be back again soon with a dessert recipe. Take care and stay tuned!