Sweet Potato and Kale Enchiladas

These enchiladas were the star of my birthday dinner extravaganza. They're not exactly traditional by any means, but they sure are tasty!

I totally adapted this from Veganomicon, the holy bible of vegan cooking. Using sweet potatoes instead of regular potatoes makes this dish jump off the page, and if you use Okinawan sweet potatoes (which are pretty much the coolest tubers ever) the combo of purple of the yam and the green of the kale looks amazing. If you can't find Okinawan sweet potatoes (and you likely won't be able to unless you live in Asia, Hawaii, or the west coast) regular ol' orange yams will suffice.

My cat kindly took off the top of this enchilada so you could see the filling

Enchiladas:

Sauce:

4 anaheim peppers

3 red cherry peppers (mild heat) OR 2 Serrano peppers (medium heat)

1 Tbs olive or macadamia nut oil

1 sweet onion, finely chopped

2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp chipotle chili powder

1 1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp nutmeg

2 tsp garlic powder

1 28oz can fire roasted tomatoes (diced)

1 tsp sugar

1 1/2-2 tsp salt

Roast the peppers over an open flame (or use a kitchen torch), stem, seed and chop coarsely. In a medium sauce pan, heat the oil, and saute the onion for 5-8 minutes, until they are translucent and soft and just begin to brown. Add the remaining ingredients, except the salt, and cook for 10-15 minutes, until gently simmering. Remove from heat and cool for about 20 minutes. Stir in salt and using an immersion mixer or blender, puree until smooth. Add more salt to taste, if needed.

Filling:

1 pound Okinawan sweet potatoes or Orange yams

1/2 pound kale, stemmed and chopped (pieces should be about 1" square)

3 table spoons olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup vegetable broth

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 1/2 tsp salt (plus more, is needed, to taste)

1 tsp fresh cracked black pepper

12-14 corn tortillas

Peel and dice the yams and boil for about 20 minutes, until tender, but not falling apart. Drain and place to the side. In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium-low heat. Add the oil and saute the garlic for a few minutes until tender and starting to brown (but be careful not to burn). Incorporate the kale and salt, toss until coated with oil and garlic, turn the heat up to medium, cover, and cook until kale has wilted, about 4-6 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients and cook for another 3-4 minutes, until liquid is absorbed. Add another squeeze of lime juice and a little salt to taste if needed.

Heat your oven to 375 F. Fill and roll your enchiladas, place in a casserole dish, and top with about 1 cup of sauce (these pics are decent in showing how to roll enchiladas. It's not great, but it will do for the time being, and next time I make enchiladas, I will record how I roll enchiladas). Cover with aluminum foil bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 15 minutes. Serve. You may notice pumpkin seeds garnishing the enchiladas–do yourself a favor and just leave them off. The crunchy texture is bizarre.

Serves 6