chef ben | vegan enchiladas

recently, ben took a little break from his #bensbread creations for our sunday supper and whipped up some vegan enchiladas! he has made these a few times and they are killer every single time.

like me, ben doesn't really use recipes. and if he does, they are just a springboard. a dash of this, some of that, and oh yeah we had some so i added it too doesn't make for a good recipe post. and i have been meaning to get these yummy guys written up for some time.

SO THIS TIME ben took some mental notes and i managed to ask him to write them down for me in a real recipe-esque form. huzzah!

and so, here are ben's killer vegan enchiladas.

* and p.s. feel free to mix it up with the fillings. we have done variations with different bean mixes or added quinoa or corn or other peppers...or seitan or jackfruit! where are my jackfruit fans? it's amazing stuff. this concoction just seems to be our go-to. you can also have fun with the enchilada sauce and go green or creamy chipotle or whatever.

*p.p.s. we have enjoyed vegetarian variations of this dish using real cheese and they are equally yummy. but for some reason, the flavor and creaminess of the daiya stuff just works so, why not walk on the vegan side? live dangerously. or, i suppose, live kindly and compassionately. or whatever mantra hardcore vegans have.

ingredients

enchilada sauce:

3 tablespoons oil

1 tablespoon corn meal

1/4 cup chili powder

2 cups vegetable stock

10 ounces tomato paste

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt

beans:

1-2 tablespoons evoo

2 cans black beans

1 onion

3 cloves garlic

1 poblano

1-2 jalepenos

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon coriander

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/8 teaspoon cayenne

celtic salt + pepper

juice of 1-2 limes

other:

1 package of sprouted corn tortillas (we used ezekiel brand)

1 block of daiya jack style cheese

directions

for the sauce: in a medium saucepan heat oil, add corn meal, smoothing and stirring with a wooden spoon. cook for 1 minute. add chili powder and cook for 30 seconds. add stock, tomato paste, oregano, and cumin. stir to combine. bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and cook for 15 minutes. the sauce will thicken and smooth out.

for the beans: dice onions, cook over medium heat with evoo until soft and golden. add minced peppers and garlic, then add spices. cook until soft and starting to brown. add drained beans. cook 15-20 min, then use potato masher or the back of a spoon to smash half of the beans. stir together and then add lime juice, and extra salt or pepper if needed.

assembly/cooking: shred the cheese and set aside. oil a baking dish with a little evoo and preheat oven to 350. fill each tortilla with a scoop of the beans and a small handful of shredded cheese (reserve 1/4 of the cheese for the top) and roll. nestle the rolled and filled tortillas into rows to fill the pan. before baking, coat the enchiladas with the sauce and finish with the remaining cheese. bake until the cheese is melted and the enchiladas begin to bubble, about 10-15 minutes. enjoy your tasty vegan feast-fiesta!