Day 144: Vegetarian Enchiladas

Original source: Me

I've been looking for ways to cut a lot of meat and dairy out of my diet, and one of my family's favorite meals is meaty enchiladas smothered in cheese. I wanted to make them taste as close to my original recipe as possible, but without all the animal product. This was the result, and I can tell you, it's fantastic. You will notice in the picture above, that the left side of the enchiladas are cheesy. The right side is not. That was the side I ate, but I was assured by the family that the cheesy side was great too!

What you'll need:
(serves 6)
6 big tortillas
2 cans of enchilada sauce
2 cans vegetarian refried beans
2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can of corn (optional but recommended)
Cheese of your choice if desired
Nutritional yeast if desired (a nice replacement for cheesy flavor)
Optional toppings: tomatoes, onions, black olives, sour cream (I used a dairy free sour cream), parsley, cilantro, guacamole... basically anything you usually love with these flavors.

What to do:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Coat the bottom of a baking dish with about half a can of enchilada sauce.

Assemble enchiladas:

1. Place on tortilla on a plate/cutting board/clean counter.
2. spread about 1/4 cup of refried beans in center of tortilla
3. top with about 1/4 cup of black beans
4. add a bit of cheese here if you choose, or sprinkle on some nutritional yeast if you just want a cheesy flavor but not all the fat from dairy.
5. roll tortilla into a burrito that's open at both ends and place, seam side against the casserole dish. (each subsequent tortilla will be placed seam side against the previous enchilada)
6. Continue until dish is full of enchiladas (about 6)

Next:

Cover the enchiladas with enchilada sauce, making sure all of the tortillas are covered well. (don't forget the corners!) This usually takes the rest of the opened can I used for the bottom of the dish, and then a bit of the second can also. I keep the other can open for My Guy who likes extra sauce when we pull them out of the oven and some of the sauce has dried up.

Top with cheese if desired. Sprinkle with remaining black beans and corn (if using) and any other toppings you chose. Bake for about 15-20 minutes until cheese is bubbly or (if not using cheese) the sauce darkens and partially dries up. (Baking time should be less for these WITHOUT cheese). You do not want your tortillas to dry out and become brittle, so if needed, add a little more sauce if you're not using cheese.

Serve with sour cream, guacamole, salsa or whatever you please. Enjoy!

I know this isn't a pretty picture, but it was damned good!