Chipotle Black Bean Enchiladas with Cilantro Cream Sauce

Sunday nights usually mean something big that I can take some extra time to make and then reap the benefits for lunches later in the week. Enchiladas are a popular choice for us; we adore Latin flavors like cumin, coriander, and cilantro. Enter: Chipotle (red) sauce) and cilantro (green) sauce enchiladas. There are no cheese substitutes here and I promise, you won't even notice or miss them! These enchiladas are anything but boring, and have tons of flavor.

Sustainability Spotlight: With meal prep, planning means less food waste, and less number of times you are consuming energy to make your meals; 1 and done vs. 3 meals. Also, I use a lot of pantry ingredients including optimizing the health and less "processed" foods by having you make the enchilada sauce yourself. It tastes so much better and only takes you 7 minutes including mixing the spices. The planet is worth your 7 minutes. Don't fret over the number of ingredients / categories. The flavor layers and the fact you get to cook once and eat at least twice will have you reaching for this recipe over and over again!

Ingredients:

• Chipotle Enchilada Sauce:

  • 1 tbsp smoked paprika

  • 1/2 tbsp chipotle chili powder (or regular chili powder if you cannot find chipotle)

  • 1 tsp coriander

  • 1 tsp cumin

  • 1 tsp garlic powder

  • 1 tsp onion powder

  • 1/4 tsp salt

  • 2 tbsp vegan butter (I use Melt sticks)

  • 2 tbsp all purpose flour

  • 1 can (4 oz) tomato paste

  • 1/4 cup chipotle sauce (I use Cholula brand)

  • 1 lime (juiced)

  • 2 cups vegetable broth

• Enchiladas

  • 12 oz oyster mushrooms (coarsely chopped for texture) - I love oyster mushrooms for their chew & texture, but honestly - whatever mushrooms you can find would be fine

  • 1 tbsp avocado oil

  • 1/2 red onion (diced)

  • 5-6 garlic cloves (minced)

  • 1 bell pepper (chopped) - any color

  • 1/2 of a zucchini (chopped)

  • 1 handful baby kale (chopped) - or spinach; whatever you have this week on hand

  • 1 can black beans (rinsed & drained)

  • 1 lime (juiced)

  • 1 tsp chipotle chili powder

  • 1/2 tsp cumin

  • 1/2 tsp smoked paprika

  • 1/4 tsp coriander

  • salt & pepper (to taste)

  • 1 handful cilantro (chopped)

  • ~(6) 10-in flour tortilla shells (wheat if you can find them)

• Cilantro Cream Sauce

  • 1 big handful cilantro (stems included is fine!)

  • 1/2 ripe avocado

  • 2 limes (juiced)

  • 1/2 tsp salt

  • 1 tsp garlic powder

  • 2-3 green onions (chopped)

  • 1 cup filtered water

Directions:

1. Make enchilada sauce:

   1. Mix all seasonings (paprika through salt) in a small bowl - the heating process goes fast, you want all this measured out and mixed prior to starting!

   2. Add vegan butter to the bottom of a medium saucepan and heat over Medium-High

   3. Once butter starts to melt and bubble slightly, add flour and stir with a whisk (~1-2 min) until a paste forms, add seasoning mix and stir for another 30 seconds till fragrant

   4. Add vegetable broth, tomato paste and chipotle sauce stirring with a whisk; turn down heat to Medium-Low. Your sauce should thicken quite quickly (only about 1 minute or so) - once it thickens, stir in lime juice and remove from heat. Set aside.

2. Make enchiladas:

   1. Heat large cast iron pan over Medium-High heat; add avocado oil and once it shimmers, add onion. Saute onion with a pinch of salt for ~1-2 minutes, add garlic and stir.

   2. Add mushrooms, zucchini, & bell pepper, and saute for ~3-4 minutes. Add pinch of salt, stir then add black beans and chopped kale. Saute another 1-2 minutes until kale just starts to wilt.

   3. Add remaining seasonings & ingredients; saute 30 seconds until fragrant and remove from heat.

   4. Stir in 1/3 cup enchilada sauce

   5. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F; lightly coat a 9 x 11 glass pan (preferably with lid for storage after) with cooking spray; set aside.

   6. Spread 1/4 cup enchilada sauce in bottom of glass pan using a spatula)

   7. Start to fill your enchiladas; take a flour tortilla shell cupped in your hand and add two scoops of filling (or until your hand is filled); now fold ends and roll on a flat surface (truthfully, I don't "Roll" for the most part- I make 4 packets & 1 roll). I find them easier to serve that way; fold ends and folds sides to make your square packet.) Place rolls (or packets) seam side down in pan.

   8. Pour remaining enchilada sauce over your enchiladas and slide them in the oven. Bake for ~15 minutes or until sauce looks a tad "dry" and deepens in color.

3. Make Cilantro Cream Sauce:

   1. Add all sauce ingredients into a personal blender and blitz until smooth and creamy.

   2. Set aside until enchiladas are done.

Once enchiladas are done, spread cream sauce evenly over the top and let cool for ~5 minutes before serving.

Serve these babies with fresh fruit (I did pineapple) and you will have a filling and very satisfying meal!

I plan to enjoy these enchiladas for lunch this week as well as for dinner. I hope you enjoyed them too!

With love & hope for a better future for all of us -Jamie