Vegan Enchiladas

Everyone loves the cheesy deliciousness of enchiladas! Frankly, I don’t think anyone would disagree with the previous statement; however, in a recent attempt to eat healthier, my siblings and I had been foregoing one of our previous favorite meals, and opting for healthier options. We decided that just because we couldn’t eat the stereotypical version of enchiladas, we could delve into the rather daunting world of vegan cooking, and attempt a vegan version of this Mexican dish. Now, you may question our sanity…how in the world could they still taste good and be good for you? Well, my faithful followers, and ye of so little faith, I assure you this alternative enchilada dish was delicious!

We made everything from scratch, so don’t be overwhelmed, you may just want to purchase a couple of these items if you are not worried about being as super healthy.

Part 1:

Corn/Flour Tortillas

1 cup corn meal

1 cup whole wheat flour

3/4 t salt

1 1/2 T. coconut oil

2/3 cup warm water

Mix corn meal, flour and salt; then add the coconut oil. After these are combined, add the water until the dough holds together, and then knead for two minutes.

 

Let the dough sit for 20 minutes and then, dividing into 6 pieces, roll out each ball and cook on medium/high heat in a small amount of coconut oil.

 

Part 2:

Enchilada Sauce

2 T coconut oil

2 T whole wheat flour

4T chili powder

1 t garlic powder

1 t onion powder

1/2 t salt

1/4 t cumin

1/4 t oregano

2 cups vegetable broth

Heat the oil in sauce pan and then add in the flour. Cook for one minute, stirring constantly. Add all the remaining ingredients except the broth. Stir together. Slowly add the broth while stirring, and then simmer for about 15 minutes.

Team work is essential at this point!

Part 3:

Taco Rice

1 cup brown rice

1 1/2 cups water

2 T chili powder

1 t garlic powder

1 t onion powder

1/2 t red pepper flakes

1/2 t oregano

1 t paprika

3 t cumin

1  t salt

2 t pepper

Combine all ingredients in a rice cooker and cook until finished…well that was easy!

Part 4:

Vegan sour cream spread

1 cup raw cashews

2 t apple cider vinegar

1 t lemon juice

1/8 t salt

Almond milk

Pour boiling water over cashews and soak for 30 minutes. Drain and add vinegar, lemon juice and salt. Place in a food processor and add almond milk, blending until creamy consistency.

Now that we have all of the components prepared, we get to the best part…making the actual enchiladas!

Part 5:

Vegan Enchiladas

2 cups enchilada sauce

6 corn/flour tortillas

4 cans of tri-colored beans

2 cans of corn

3 tomatoes

1 colored bell pepper

4 cups spinach

2 cups taco rice

Vegan Sour Cream Spread

1 avocado

First prepare all of your various veggies…slicing the avocado, peppers, and tomatoes into small pieces, opening and straining the beans and corn.

Spread about a quarter cup of enchilada sauce on the bottom of a casserole dish. Place two of the tortillas in the dish, spread one fourth of the sauce, then add one third of the spinach, rice, beans, corn, tomatoes, pepper, and vegan sour cream spread.

 

Repeat the layers two more times and top with the remaining one fourth of enchilada sauce. Bake covered at 375 degrees for 30 minutes, and then uncovered for 15 minutes.

 

After the dish is completely cooked, take the sliced avocado and added it to the top. You can cook the avocado, but I’m not a big fan of the flavor that avocado gets when baked.

 

Now all that is left to do is serve!

This recipe turned out amazingly well; it was incredibly creamy and rich, and we didn’t even notice the lack of cheese, and best of all it’s HEALTHY!