slow cooker enchilada pie: meatless monday ideas

Do you ever struggle with providing nutritious, wholesome foods that your family will love?  I know, I sound like a commercial, but only because it's so true...it's tough to make a meal that offers a good portion of your vitamin and mineral requirements for the day but still gets rave reviews from even the pickiest eater in the house.  And doesn't take hours to prepare.

Enter Enchie Pie....

My little guy traditionally doesn't love broccoli (I wonder if it has anything to do with the fact that I couldn't stand it during my first trimester pregnant with him) and my husband doesn't like sweet potatoes.  So naturally, I'm determined to find a dish that will make them both change their minds...and I really think I have.

Toddlers should get at least 1 cup of vegetables daily and older children up to age 6 twice as much.  As anyone with a toddler or preschool aged child probably knows, this can be really difficult some days!  I can't stress enough how important it is to expose them early and often to a variety of healthy foods, especially vegetables.

The step by step guide to Enchie Pie:

Spread 1 tbsp olive oil in the bottom of an oven safe dish

Cover the bottom of the dish with 4-5 corn tortillas

Top with:

1 cup raw chopped broccoli

3/4 cup black beans

3/4 cup or more chopped kale or spinach (any green will work)

1 cup diced steamed sweet potato (steam the sweet potato first until soft enough to pierce with a fork)

Pour 2 cups of a mixture of tomato soup (I used Trader Organic Tomato and Roasted Red Pepper) and spicy salsa over the enchiladas to cover them completely

(Homemade or store bought soup and or salsa works.  Chose the spice level that suits your family)

Put in the oven at 350 for about 20 minutes or until it bubbles a bit

Top with 1/2 cup cheese (or leave the cheese off, it's still delish)

Put back in the oven until the cheese melts

Pull it out, let it cool for a few minutes and top with diced red onion, avocado and a squeeze of fresh lime for flavor and increased iron absorption.

It comes out a little messy, but tastes great.  The beans and veggies make for perfectly seasoned finger food for the little ones.

Nutrition Information Per Serving (recipe makes 4 servings)

340 calories

15 g fat

43 g carbohydrate

9 g fiber

11 g protein

In addition to being super high in fiber, it has the added benefits of being a good source of Vitamins A, C and B vitamins plus Iron, Magnesium, Calcium, Zinc and Potassium as well as numerous other phytonutrients and antioxidants found only in plants.

Enjoy!