Vegan Enchiladas

I was so excited about these enchiladas! I wanted to create a recipe that had greens, beans and the creaminess of cashew cream. These also have a good amount of spiciness to them, so if you've got kids who aren't so fond of that sort of thing, you might want to tone down some of the spices. Since I had some leftover, I drizzled some Creamy Cashew Cilantro Lime Dressing over the top, which added to the degree of "YUM". Serve with a large salad so you don't eat the whole pan at once!

Vegan Enchiladas

 The Sauce
 Adapted from the Happy Herbivore Cookbook

2 Tbs white whole wheat flour, or other flour
1 tsp cocoa powder
2 Tbs chili powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper, optional for heat
1 tsp oregano
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp garlic powder
2 cups vegetable broth
1 cup water
16 oz tomato sauce
salt to taste 

The Enchiladas

6-8 cups kale or spinach
2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 Tbs chili powder
1/2 tsp salt, optional
corn tortillas, about 20

Cashew Cream

1 cup cashews
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 cup water
few dashes freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

1. Make the sauce. Whisk together the flour, cocoa and spices in a medium saucepan without turning on the heat. Add 1/4 cup of the vegetable broth and stir into a paste. Slowly whisk in the remaining vegetable broth and water. Bring to a boil over medium heat and add the tomato sauce. Allow to cook for a few minute until it thickens a little. Remove from heat and set aside. Taste for salt.

2. Make the cashew cream. Add the cup of cashews, lemon juice, water and pepper to a blender. Blend for a few minute until smooth. Set aside.

3. Steam your greens. Add to a large pot with a little water and steam chopped greens until wilted and softened. Squeeze out any water and bring the greens to a cutting board. Chop cooked greens into very small pieces. Add the greens to a large bowl. Add the black beans, chili powder, salt and Cashew Cream to the bowl with the greens. Mix very well.

4. Assemble enchiladas. To fill the enchiladas, it works best to create an assembly line. Have your corn tortillas, 9 by 13 casserole dish, filling, and a pie pan or bowl filled the sauce ready to go. Spread a little enchilada sauce on the bottom of your casserole dish. Drop a tortilla into the sauce, and then flip so it is coated in sauce. Now, place the tortilla in the casserole dish, fill with a few spoonfuls of the filling, and roll up. Continue with the rest of the tortillas, packing them tightly next to each other in the casserole dish. I had enough for a 9 by 13 dish and a smaller casserole dish. Pour about 1 cup or so (depending on how saucy you like it) over the rolled enchiladas. Baked uncovered for 20 minutes. Serve topped with Creamy Cashew Cilantro Lime Dressing, vegan sour cream, nutritional yeast, or cilantro.