Black Bean Enchiladas

My absolute favorite food is TexMex. I love everything from burritos too tacos. But being Vegan complicated that love affair slightly. I have been making my favorite at home dish for the past few years, but I wanted to spice up Black Bean Enchiladas (a little).

Ingredients:

CASHEW CREAM

• 2 cups raw cashews, soaked in boiling water overnight
• 1 large garlic clove
• 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 2 tsps lemon juice
• 2 tsps tapioca starch
• 1/4 tsp ground sea salt
• 1/2 cup hot water

BLACK BEANS

• 15 oz black beans,drained and rinsed
• Water to cover
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp of ground sea salt
• Black pepper to taste

MUSHROOM MIXTURE

• 2 tsp avocado oil
• 24 oz mushroom caps (I used Portobello), stems removed and finely chopped
• 1 small red onion – peeled and finely chopped
• 1 small orange or yellow bell pepper seeds removed and finely chopped
• 1 poblano chili pepper seeds removed and finely diced
• 1 cup cilantro leaves coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp ground sea salt
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• Black pepper to taste

Additional ingredients

• 5 cups of coarsely chopped fresh spinach
• 6 TO 8 flour tortillas

TOPPINGS

• Chopped cilantro leaves
• Chopped tomato
• Sliced avocado

Instructions:

Make the Cashew Cream

1. Soak the cashews in the water overnight or for at least four hours. They should be nice and plump and soft to the touch.
2. Drain and rinse the cashews and put in a high powered blender. Add the nutritional yeast, garlic clove lemon juice, tapioca starch, sea salt, and water and blend for approximately two minutes or until smooth, thick, and creamy. Scrape the sides down to ensure that you don’t have pieces of nut in the sauce.

BLACK BEANS

1. Cover the beans in water (cover just to the top of the beans) and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to simmer and stir in the chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, and black pepper. Simmer until the water is almost evaporated, stirring frequently. Add the salt and stir well. Set aside.

MUSHROOM MIXTURE

1. Heat one teaspoon of the oil in an iron skillet on medium heat. When the oil is hot add the mushrooms and cook until the water is released and they are nicely browned. Push them to the side and add the second teaspoon of oil to the pan and add the onions and bell pepper. Cook until they are soft and lightly browned. Add the poblano pepper and stir to combine. Deglaze the pan with the water and scrape the bottom of the pan with a spatula to remove the pieces of vegetable that are stuck to the pan. Add the spices and stir to coat well. Turn the heat down to a low simmer and cook for ten minutes. Stir frequently.

Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C)

1. Lightly grease a 13×9 inch pan and spread three tablespoons of the enchilada sauce in the pan.
2. Fill the center of the tortilla with the beans, mushrooms filling and spinach and 3 tablespoons of cashew cream. Fold and lay flat in the pan. Continue with the rest of the tortillas. When the pan is full, evenly pour the enchilada sauce over the enchiladas (leave a little extra in the pan for later). Pour most of the cashew cream over the cneter of enchiladas (leave a little extra for later).
3. Bake for 20 minutes or until the sauce and cheese have turned a golden brown. Pour the remaining sauce and cream over the top and bake for two to three more minutes.
4. Garnish with cilantro, tomato, and avocado.

Enjoy!

Keep the black bean enchiladas covered in the refrigerator for up to three days or freeze for up to a month. *Prep time doesn’t include the soaking of the cashews.

Check out more vegan recipes here & tag me on social (@jeanajuice). 💖

Featured image by jwlez on Unsplash