Enchis & labels

Good morning all! 

I'm blogging before the sun is up, for a change. I started a slightly different work schedule this week - I'll be working from 10 to 5 or 6, depending on how busy we are around that time. I'd like to be able to better supervise/help the night crew, and staying later in the day is the best way to do it. Bonus - getting morning workouts in will be easier, and once I start classes, I'll have time to study in the morning, when I'm the most productive and alert. I've never worked full time and gone to school before, but I imagine trying to study after a long day at work isn't very effective.

I've got an enchilada recipe to share! Partly so you guys can make it if you'd like, and partly so I don't forget what went into it.

-1 whole zucchini
-1 can chipotle peppers in adobo (can be omitted - they were pretty spicy)
-1/2 lb mushrooms
-2 cloves of garlic
-Olive oil for sauteeing
-4 stalks kale, shredded
-1 package of corn tortillas (I think it was about 12)
-2 8 oz cans of enchilada sauce (I used the Frontera brand, and it was exactly two baggies)
-Shredded cheese (I used the Trader Joe's equivalent of fancy blend)
-1 C shredded pre-cooked chicken (also optional)

-Slice zucchini, mushrooms and kale and saute in garlicky olive oil over medium heat until soft. To shred the kale, strip the leaves off the "bone", roll into a tight ball and slice very finely with a heavy chef's knife.

-When veggies are soft, add chipotle peppers and heat until warm. Add shredded chicken. Turn off heat.

-Empty one pouch/can of enchi sauce into a 9x13 pan. Dip each corn tortilla into sauce, covering both sides, and fill each tortilla with veggie mix. Place each tortilla into the pan, nestled side by side.

-When all the tortillas are filled, pour the remaining enchi sauce over the top and cover with as much or as little shredded cheese as you'd like.

-Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or so - check on them after 15. Cheese should be bubbly and browning.

The only pic I have is of the leftover meal I ate the next day:

Next to more garlicky kale. Had to use that stuff up. 

My husband went crazy for them - I think his exact words were: "How does a girl who grew up in the suburbs in Massachusetts know how to make enchiladas like this?" <-- high praise from someone who grew up in New Mexico. I would have preferred them without the chicken, but my husband was happy to eat the pieces I picked out. 

Incidentally, I love that you can add kale to anything and suddenly it sounds healthy. Bacon-wrapped hot dogs on a bed of steamed kale? Healthy!!

Since we're on the subject of eating chicken, I thought I'd share a thought I've had, especially in the light of some recent resolutions. I work at a restaurant that serves all vegetarian food, and we've recently had an influx of resolutioners who want to become vegetarians in the new year.

I love the vegetarian diet, but I wish that instead of resolving to become a vegetarian (or vegan), people would simply resolve to eat less meat. Sometimes I think that when people label themselves, they set themselves up to fail. I can't tell you how many times I've heard things along the lines of: "I tried being vegan, but I could never give up putting milk in my coffee", or "I was a vegetarian for two years, but then I ate some chicken".

This person thought of herself as a vegetarian, and when she ate the piece of chicken, she broke that label. In her mind, she was no longer a vegetarian, and she could go back to eating meat all the time. If she had resolved to eat less meat, she wouldn't have been destroying any label by eating some chicken. She could have avoided the "fallen off the wagon" thing. I've lived by the "eat less meat" model for five years or so, and I think it's been quite successful. I almost never eat meat, but I've never felt like it was off limits.

I think if you eat a mostly vegan diet but have milk in your coffee, you're doing great. If you eat chicken once every two years, you're also doing great. No need to get extreme about it, you know?

Anyway, I'm off to work. I'm trying to get into a blogging routine, so you should hear from me again on Thursday.

xo