Monday, April 15, 2013

Vegetarian Enchiladas

In our quest for new vegetarian main dishes, my creativity is being pushed into high gear. Very frequently I turn to Alissa Segersten's two cookbooks, The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook and Nourishing Meals. Every recipe I've tried has been delicious. A plus for me is that the recipes are gluten-free, dairy-free, and some are also egg-free. (If you have a chance to peruse her cookbooks through the library, I'd strongly suggest you do. There are plenty of non-vegetarian recipes in there as well.)

Last night I tried my hand at making vegetarian enchiladas from Nourishing Meals. I did make several changes to the recipe, but the essence of it doesn't belong to me. I love enchiladas and these were delicious! The made-from-scratch enchilada sauce is incredibly tasty and not too labor intensive. While topping them with cheese would be amazing, we just went the route of guacamole (my husband is sensitive to dairy, so we in general avoid it).

Vegetarian Enchiladas

VEGETARIAN ENCHILADAS
(adapted from Nourishing Meals by Alissa Segersten)
Print This Recipe

Sauce:
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 jalapeno, chopped
1 small bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 Tbsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 c. water
2 c. tomato sauce or diced tomatoes
1/4 c. arrowroot powder or cornstarch

Enchiladas:
12 to 16 corn tortillas (I used only 12)
2 c. cooked mashed sweet potatoes (feel free to spice these with your favorite Mexican spices)
3 c. cooked black beans
2 c. baby spinach leaves

Guacamole for topping

Preheat oven to 400° F. Grease 9 x 13 glass baking dish.

To make the enchilada sauce, heat a 3-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the oil, onion, jalapeno, and bell pepper; saute for 7 minutes, or until softened. Add the garlic, spices, and salt; saute a few minutes more. Then add the water and tomato sauce or diced tomatoes. Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes. Pour sauce into a blender, add arrowroot power or cornstarch; blend until smooth.

To make the enchiladas, first be sure to heat up each tortilla so they are pliable for filling and rolling. Lightly grease a hot skillet; heat each tortilla for about 10 seconds on each side. You can fill one enchilada while the next tortilla is heating. Add a few small spoonfuls of mashed sweet potato, then beans, and finally a small handful of spinach leaves. Roll tightly and place the filled tortilla seam-side down in the greased baking dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas, pushing the filled enchiladas closely together. Once the pan is filled, top with the sauce. Cover and bake for 30-35 minutes. Garnish with guacamole.

18 comments:

  1. I love the Whole Life Cookbook but hadn't heard of Nourishing Meals. I will definitely see if my library has it. I'm so glad you posted this!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yum. I want these. I haven't had enchiladas in over a year. But I can't have BEANS, in addition to gluten, dairy, etc., etc., which makes it difficult. Do you have any ideas for what I could substitute for beans? Meat, I suppose. But what else? Or would that suffice? Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  3. The Cooks Next DoorApril 15, 2013 at 1:45 PM

    Lana, I didn't realize you were sensitive to all kinds of beans; I thought it was just one or two kinds you could not eat.
    Anyway, for substitutions: Meat would work, of course. However, if you're interested in keeping these enchiladas vegetarian, then I'd suggest a Mexican spiced saute of chopped mushrooms, bell peppers, and onions. The protein content wouldn't be as high, but I think they would still be filling enough and the flavor would be great. Hope that helps.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Every weekend i used to visit this site, because i want enjoyment,
    for the reason that this this website conations actually nice funny data too.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I'm glad I randomly stopped by and found 2 posts!

    ReplyDelete
  6. During the initial stages of Phen375's market life, many people try different buy raspberry ketones programs that work for men.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Wonderful goods from you, man. I have understand your stuff previous to and you're just extremely wonderful. I actually like what you've acquired here, really like what you're stating and the way in which you say it. You make it entertaining and you still take care of to keep it wise. I can't
    wait to read much more from you. This is actually a great web site.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thanks for the auspicious writeup. It in truth was once a entertainment account
    it. Look complex to more brought agreeable from you! By the way,
    how could we communicate?

    ReplyDelete
  9. Woah! I'm really enjoying the template/theme of this website. It's simple, yet effective.
    A lot of times it's difficult to get that "perfect balance" between user friendliness and appearance. I must say you have done a fantastic job with this. Also, the blog loads extremely fast for me on Opera. Outstanding Blog!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Good response in return of this query with firm arguments and explaining the whole thing regarding
    that.

    ReplyDelete
  11. It's going to be ending of mine day, but before ending I am reading this fantastic paragraph to increase my knowledge.

    ReplyDelete
  12. […] Vegetarian Enchiladas (thecooksnextdoor.com) […]

    ReplyDelete
  13. Heya i am for the first time here. I found this board and I find It really useful & it helped me out much.

    I hope to give something back and help others like you aided me.

    ReplyDelete
  14. First of all I want to say fantastic blog!

    I had a quick question which I'd like to ask if you don't mind.
    I was curious to find out how you center yourself and clear your mind before writing.

    I have had a hard time clearing my mind in getting my thoughts
    out there. I truly do take pleasure in writing however it just seems
    like the first 10 to 15 minutes tend to be wasted just trying to figure out how to begin.
    Any recommendations or tips? Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  15. I'm curious to find out what blog system you're working with?
    I'm having some minor security problems with my latest blog and I'd like to find something more risk-free.
    Do you have any recommendations?

    ReplyDelete
  16. You're so interesting! I do not believe I have read through a single thing like this before.
    So nice to find another person with some genuine thoughts on this
    topic. Really.. thank you for starting this up.
    This web site is one thing that's needed on the internet, someone with
    a bit of originality!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Thank you, I have recently been looking for info about this subject ffor ages
    and yours is the greatest I have discovered tilkl now.
    However, what in regards to the bottom line? Are you
    positive in regards to the supply?

    ReplyDelete