Vegan Enchiladas with Cilantro Avocado Cream Sauce

I recently found a food blog called OhSheGlows.com, which features tons of beautiful, healthy vegan dishes (even DIY almond milk and oat milk -- that's when I was really impressed) that follow pretty much exactly the food guidelines I want to achieve (whole grains, fruit, vegetables, nothing artificial, no added sugars -- basically everything the Fuhrman book says).  I haven't made any of them yet, but the website is beautiful and a lot of the dishes sound really good, so I have high hopes of finding some tasty new meals on there.  As I'm trying to make at least one new vegan dish each week now, the Vegan Enchiladas with Cilantro Avocado Cream Sauce sounded like something good to try. 

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped (~2 cups)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup sweet potato, chopped (or zucchini)
• 1 bell pepper, chopped
• 2 handfuls spinach, chopped
• 1 can black beans (~2 cups), drained and rinsed (or about 1/2 cup dry beans, cooked)
• Enchilada sauce or Pasta sauce (about 2.5 cups)* see note (I plan to use red chile enchilada sauce, light on the chili powder for Simran's sake)
• 1 tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)
• 1.5 tsp ground cumin
• 1-2 tbsp fresh lime juice, to taste
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt, or to taste
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp chili powder, or to taste
• 4 whole grain tortilla wraps (I used Food for Life Ezekiel)
• Cilantro Avocado Cream Sauce, to pour on top (recipe below)
• Green onion & chopped cilantro, to garnish

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F and grab a baking dish large enough for 4 enchiladas. Pre-cook the chopped sweet potato, by simmering it in a small pot of water for about 5-10 minutes until just tender. Do not overcook. Drain and set aside.

2. In a large skillet or pot, add 1 tbsp oil and bring to medium to low heat. Add in the chopped onion and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often, until translucent. Add in garlic and reduce heat to low and cook for a couple more minutes. Now add the chopped pepper, pre-cooked sweet potato, drained black beans, and chopped spinach. Cook for about 5-7 more minutes on medium-low heat.

3. Now add in your enchilada or pasta sauce. Stir well, and add in your seasonings: nutritional yeast (optional), cumin, fresh lime juice, salt, garlic powder, chili powder- all to taste. Adjust seasonings if necessary. Stir well.

4. Scoop about 3/4-1 cup of the mixture onto the bottom of your casserole dish and spread out in a thin layer. Scoop about 1/2-3/4 cup of the mixture onto each tortilla and wrap, placing the fold down on the casserole dish. Repeat for the remaining 3 tortillas and leave a bit of filling left to spread over the top. Sprinkle with vegan cheese if preferred.

5. Bake tortillas at 350F for 18-20 minutes. Meanwhile, make your Cilantro cream sauce (see below). When enchiladas are cooked, remove from oven and pour the sauce over top. Garnish with chopped cilantro and green onion. Serve immediately. Makes 4 enchiladas.

Note: Depending on what kind of sauce you use, you will have to adjust the seasonings to taste. If you use pasta sauce, you will likely need more seasonings to achieve the taste desired.

Cilantro Avocado Cream Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 & 1/4 cup avocado flesh
• 2 tbsp water, or more as needed to thin out
• 2-3 tbsp lime juice, to taste
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar (optional)
• 1 cup packed fresh cilantro
• 1 tsp kosher salt, to taste
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 3/4 tsp ground cumin
• Black pepper, to taste
• Red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper, to taste

Directions

1. In a food processor, process the avocado flesh and water until creamy. Now add in the rest of the ingredients and process until smooth and well blended. Use immediately for best results.