Black Bean and Quinoa Enchiladas (and how eating unprocessed helped me lose 100 pounds)

5 from 2 votes

Kirsten Helle's Before and After
Several years ago I made a decision that changed my life forever. I was going to stop dieting. Stop counting calories and stop waiting until I hit 120 pounds to be happy with myself. I was going to do something every single day to be healthy that day and no longer worry about my weight. I was going to stop eating processed diet meals and packaged diet food. I felt sick all of the time, my weight was continually increasing despite constantly being on a diet and I had lab work telling me this diet food wasnโ€™t helping โ€“ I was pre-diabetic, had high blood pressure and high cholesterol. I had been overweight since about eight years old and obese since high school. I was finished with this lifestyle, once and for all.

I will never forget the day I made the decision to never again go on a diet and instead begin living for a healthy future, regardless of my current weight. I was almost 26 years old and had a beautiful 2-year-old daughter. I was in the process of taking business courses and nutrition courses online so I could launch my personal chef business โ€“ my dream job. I was on the couch one day as my daughter played. She was so gorgeous, happy and seemed to have limitless energy. It hit me as I sat there with no energy and so unhappy with my body that if I continued on this path I would not be around for her for very long. I would be lucky to reach the age of 70 or 80 and at this rate, my quality of life would be poor. Most of all, if I continued to model the life that led me to the state I was in (processed foods daily, poor nutrition, not much exercise) she was more than likely going to end up overweight herself and destined to a life dealing with the diet-related disease that myself and most of my family had.

From that very moment on I decided I was going to be healthy every day, no matter what my weight was. I threw out all of the processed diet food. I already loved to cook so I started โ€œhealthifyingโ€ the foods we loved. I had been studying nutrition so I could have some knowledge to design meals for my personal chef clients, and I started implementing what I learned into my own life. No calorie counting, but watching portion sizes, eating just what my body needed. Every day I made healthy choices to help me have a healthy future. I started taking walks because I knew it was good for my heart, not because I was trying to get to a specific size.

Within about one year I lost 40 pounds. I had my son about this time and after he was born I lost another 60 pounds. This was over 5 years ago.ย  I feel amazing and living this way honestly helped me begin learning to love myself, something I had never felt. I feel proud of what I serve my family. I feel so happy when I help a personal chef client enjoy real-food meals that allow them to reach weight loss goals effortlessly, or just get their family to enjoy a healthy meal together.

I have a mission to help people learn how to feed their bodies right – not to lose weight, but to have a healthy future. I want to help families create a healthy living legacy to pass on to future generations. Getting back to basics and enjoying the beauty and amazing flavors of real food, what a gift that is! I think it is about finding what works for each individual, taking baby steps if necessary. Being educated and constantly striving to do better, this is the way to a long, healthy, vibrant life. With the busy lives many of us live, having healthy meals nightly seems like the impossible. I hope to help those in that situation and as a personal chef I find it such a gift to be able to help an individual or family enjoy healthy meals again. I also created my healthy menu plan, Menus by Mesa de Vida to help people nationwide, not just in my own backyard. I aim to help busy people who want to provide delicious meals for their family,ย  to become healthy kitchen rock stars and bring more life to their family table.

This is why I was so excited to come across the October Unprocessed challenge in 2011. What an amazing concept! For some families this is a place to gain education and begin living a life that doesnโ€™t include Hamburger โ€œSchmelperโ€ nightly. For others who already live a pretty healthy life, it may inspire them to make just one more change for the better and hopefully inspire someone else to do the same. This may even be life changing to someone out there, it may actually save their life, like going โ€œunprocessedโ€ more than likely saved mine.

I want to share a recipe that is a personal chef client favorite, as well as my familyโ€™s. Food has to be delicious AND nutritious for me to pass it on, as well as pretty easy. I like to pack as many vegetables into recipes as I can to not only add nutrition, but to make a smaller portion of something like an enchilada dish more filling. I personally keep high quality frozen organic vegetable around to bump up the veggies in recipes easily.ย  I highly recommend doing this yourself, if you can. I try to eat mainly what is local and in season, but also realize that this isnโ€™t possible for everyone. Again, it is a process of small changes, for some of us this means buying a bag of high quality frozen organic veggies at the market, versus relying on canned GMO corn like we used to. Do your best. Instead of rolling these enchiladas I make it casserole style โ€“ easy! I will share my homemade Ranchero sauce recipe, or to make it even easier you can simply use pureed tomatoes or a pure tomato sauce. I hope you enjoy!

enchilada-recipe_mini

5 from 2 votes

Black Bean and Quinoa Enchiladas

By: Kristen Helle
This mouth watering recipe makes for an incredible substitute over their counterpart.
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 35 minutes
Total: 45 minutes
Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients 

  • 2 tsp healthy oil/fat of your choice
  • 1 onion, chopped fine
  • 1 red bell pepper, chopped fine
  • 1 jalapeno, chopped fine
  • 1 carrot, shredded or chopped fine
  • 1 cup kale, shredded fine (or use tender baby kale, Or, have a fresh zucchini? use that instead!)
  • 2 tsp dried ground chili powder, my favorite is Ancho Chili powder
  • 1 tsp dried cumin
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 2 pinches Kosher/sea salt
  • 1 1/2 cups cooked black beans, some of us may grab a can of organic canned beans
  • 1 cup cooked quinoa, I like to plan ahead and cook a big batch at the beginning of the week to keep on hand.
  • 1 cup fresh or frozen organic corn
  • 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 lime, juiced
  • 4-8 corn tortillas โ€“ I use 4 in my family so we can have a larger portion of all of the vegetable/bean/quinoa goodness., check the ingredients to make sure they fit in with the #Unprocessed rules, or make your own.
  • About 2 cups pureed tomatoes, some of us will use organic canned, others may choose to process their own. Also try this recipe for my Ranchero Sauce if you wish!
  • 1 cup shredded organic cheddar cheese, optional
  • 1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees, lightly oil a baking dish, approximately 9โ€ x 13โ€. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat, add oil, swirl to coat. Add the onion, bell pepper, jalapeno, carrot, kale and seasonings. Cook, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are tender, about 8 minutes.
  • Stir in the black beans, quinoa, corn and garlic. Lightly smash the black beans with the back of the fork or a potato smasher. Continue cooking the entire mixture, stirring occasionally, for about 5 more minutes until the ingredients get lightly golden brown. Squeeze the fresh lime juice over the mixture and stir, turn off the heat.
  • In the bottom of the baking dish, spread a little of the pureed tomatoes or Ranchero sauce. Tear the tortillas to fit the pan. Layer the tortillas, bean mixture and sauce 2-3 times depending on the size of your pan. Top with the cheese if using.
  • Bake for about 20 minutes. Wait about 10 minutes to cool before serving. Garnish with fresh cilantro and most of allโ€ฆEnjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 305kcal, Carbohydrates: 56g, Protein: 12g, Fat: 5g, Sodium: 60mg, Potassium: 756mg, Fiber: 12g, Sugar: 6g, Vitamin A: 5960IU, Vitamin C: 73.9mg, Calcium: 108mg, Iron: 3.8mg
Like this recipe? Rate and comment below!

About the Author

Chef Kirsten Helleย is a mom to two crazy kids whoย lost over 100 pounds when she set out to create a healthy new family legacy. ย She turned her passion for healthy cooking and exploring culturally rich recipes into a career as a personal chef for professional athletes and high-profile clients.

You can learnย more about Chef Kirsten on her website and you can connect with herย on Facebook, Instagram,ย andย Twitter.

A photo of Andrew Wilder leaning into the frame and smiling, hovering over mixing bowls in the kitchen.

Welcome to Eating Rules!

Hi! My name is Andrew Wilder, and I think healthy eating doesnโ€™t have to suck. With just three simple eating rules, we'll kickstart your journey into the delicious and vibrant world of unprocessed food.

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40 Comments
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October 16, 2012 4:53 am

I’m doing a different no processed food (and restricted diet) challenge for 2 months. I’m really enjoying it more than I thought I would. It is fun learning all these new recipes.

Chef Kirsten
Reply to  Heather
October 17, 2012 2:45 pm

Good job! I hope it is going well!

October 15, 2012 8:19 am

This recipe sounds delicious!

My story is kind of the opposite….I ate a TON of processed foods while I was trying to lose 100 pounds. I did this because I was counting my calories and needed to learn what a portion size really was. Eating pre-measured meals (Lean Cuisines, etc) helped me so much. I learned what a portion was, I counted my calories accurately and I also learned that when the food was gone, the meal was over. Something I’d NEVER practiced at 250 pounds.

AFTER I lost 110 pounds, that’s when I cut out processed foods. I just wasn’t feeling good when I ate them. It’s been several years now and I feel a million times better eating real, whole foods!

Chef Kirsten
Reply to  Lisa
October 17, 2012 2:45 pm

Hi Lisa, I totally agree, learning what portions our bodies need is so important, and everyone has to find their own way to learn that. I’m really glad to hear that you did switch your body over to what it’s supposed to have in the end. ๐Ÿ™‚

Paula
October 14, 2012 8:08 am

Thanks for sharing the story. I think I need to “give up” dieting and start living. Just knowing that you can eat and not get fat inspires me. I need so much help right now. This is the life line I was searching for.

Chef Kirsten
Reply to  Paula
October 17, 2012 2:44 pm

Hi Paula! Thank you for the comment, I agree with giving up dieting. You can eat right, with proper portions and stop stressing. Just start living and enjoying real food, enough to properly sustain your body and enjoy every bite. ๐Ÿ™‚ This is how our bodies are meant to be fed. Focusing on a healthy future, not a certain size or number on the scale really helps…the natural weight management is a bonus side effect! Would love to hear how you are doing in the future or help if there is any way I can. ๐Ÿ™‚ All my best!

October 13, 2012 11:54 am

Thank you for the inspiration. I was settling for an unhealthy lifestyle and assuming that everything coming along with “getting old” was inevitable. Fortunately, at age 50, I am discovering the great benefits of eating “unprocessed” healthy foods and exercise. Maybe I can stick around for another several decades.

Chef Kirsten
Reply to  Maggie
October 17, 2012 2:40 pm

You bet you can! Great job taking your health into your own hands and feeding your body how it is meant to be fed! Best of luck to you, I would love to hear your updates and progress!

Miriam
October 13, 2012 11:15 am

Hi!
Thanks for sharing your amazing story! It’s inspiring for someone like me who’s been dieting since the 2nd grade! After a trip to Paris I decided to eat unprocessed and start being happy with my body now! Eating right is so empowering! il like your take on things! I love to hear personal stories, it’s so encouraging – thanks again!
Do

Chef Kirsten
Reply to  Miriam
October 17, 2012 2:39 pm

Thank you for the kind words. ๐Ÿ™‚ And GOOD FOR YOU on your decision, that is a decision NOBODY will regret!

Shana
October 13, 2012 9:54 am

Thanks so much for the sauce suggestion! I’ve been seeking substitutions for quite a long time and this sounds delicious! I can’t wait to try the recipe.

Ceri Y
Reply to  Shana
October 16, 2012 12:50 pm

I recently made a chili with pumpkin puree instead of tomatoes and it was a great substitute to tomatoes…maybe that’d work nicely.

Chef Kirsten
Reply to  Ceri Y
October 17, 2012 2:38 pm

That is a great idea!

Shana
October 13, 2012 9:41 am

Any suggestions for making this recipe without tomatoes? I love the tomatoes but am on an anti-inflammatory diet where I can’t eat them. There are so many Mexican and Indian recipes I would like to make at home but I’m not sure what to substitute for the tomato base.

Chef Kirsten
Reply to  Shana
October 13, 2012 9:46 am

Hi Shana..great question, I actually have had personal chef clients avoiding tomatoes for the same reason, or because of allergies as well. I think it would be delicious without, it just may be a bit dry. Or, to make a sweet, tangy sauce that emulates tomato sauce I have done this for a few clients and they loved it: Saute an onion and garlic in olive oil then add 4-6 sliced carrots and 1 small sliced beet (and salt, pepper, seasonings of your choice.) Saute another minute or two then add 1 cup of vegetable broth. Simmer until very tender then blend with an immersion blender. Add a bit of fresh lemon juice to balance the flavors before using. I hope this helps!

Shana
Reply to  Chef Kirsten
October 29, 2012 10:40 am

I tried the recipe with the beet sauce you suggested and it is delicious! I was a little worried when I was putting everything together that the dish would end up too dry but that was absolutely not the case. I’m so excited to have a tomato-less sauce option and am looking forward to substituting pumpkin as well.
Thanks Chef Kirsten and October Unprocessed!

Chef Kirsten
October 13, 2012 9:33 am

Thank you so much for your kind words! I really hope to encourage others by sharing this story, as well as help (along with the other amazing bloggers sharing their recipes and stories) people live a healthy, long, vibrant life…deliciously! Cheers to Eating Rule and this wonderful challenge! Andrew is doing such a great thing for so many people, I have HUGE respect for what he is doing. ๐Ÿ™‚

Cheryl
October 13, 2012 8:52 am

Thank you, Kirsten! Your story is encouraging and I would love to try your Ranchero Sauce and make these enchiladas. Sounds yummy!

Chef Kirsten
Reply to  Cheryl
October 13, 2012 9:35 am

Thank you Cheryl! I hope you enjoy!

October 13, 2012 8:39 am

Such an inspiring story! Thank you so much for sharing and this recipe looks amazing!

Chef Kirsten
Reply to  Jackie
October 13, 2012 9:35 am

Thank you Jackie! I would encourage ANYONE to use your homemade tortillas to make this recipe! http://www.eatingrules.com/2012/10/how-to-make-tortillas/

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