Dairy Free Enchiladas, Two Ways

I know I said I’m on an MSPI diet.

This, right here?  Not MSPI friendly.

But so good.

Before the dairy-free days, I made some pretty wicked enchiladas.  They were legendary.  And then….I had to stop cooking with cheese. No cheese. None.

The hubs was a little worried.  He does love the enchiladas so.

Never fear.

First, you'll need some tofu. Take the brick-o-curd out of the packaging, dump the funky water into the sink, and wrap that sucker up in a couple of tea towels. Place it on a plate, and stick something heavy on top.

I used a (slightly dirty) cast iron skillet (sorrynotsorry).

Let it hang out like that for a couple of hours.  You can put it in the fridge.  Or not.
I'm an overachiever, so I took it out of the towel, wrapped it in a clean towel, and let it dry even longer in the fridge.
Then, use your fingers to crumble it into the bowl of your food processor.  Add a little salt, pepper and cayenne pepper for fun.  Blend it up until the tofu looks like ricotta cheese.

Now, pour in some enchilada sauce (I make my own.  I'll share the recipe.  The canned stuff has an absurd amount of sodium and, usually, some MSG.  Seriously, just make up a bunch of this stuff and put it in your freezer.  Or, if you're so inclined, can it.  Ours never lasts that long).  Blend the tofu and sauce up until it's a nice and pretty red color.

Yeah, like that.
Now you need a 9"x13" baking dish.  Brush some olive oil  in the bottom and up the sides to keep your enchiladas from sticking.  Then set out 8 tortillas.  I started with just two to show you what I'm doing here, but I normally line all 8 up, folded into little boats, and fill-em-roll-em assembly-line style.
Spread some of the tofu mixture into each tortilla.  This will become delightfully gooey and creamy, just like cheese (but without the, you know, cheese).  Once you've put all of the tofu into the tortillas, rinse the food processor bowl because you're going to need that later.

Now add your filling.

I keep these two fillings in my freezer.  Make up a big batch on a rainy day, fill some freezer bags, and you're all set for several nights of easy dinners.
The vegan:
sweet potato
black beans
chopped green chiles
shredded carrot
shredded zucchini
bell pepper
onion
garlic

The not-so-vegan:
roasted chicken thighs
diced tomatoes
jalapeno
black beans
corn
shredded carrot
bell pepper
onion
garlic

At this point, I fill 4 of the tortillas with the vegan mixture, and 4 with the not-so-vegan.  Then, roll the tortillas up and place them in the baking dish with the seam side down.

Douse those puppies in more enchilada sauce.  We like 'em saucy.
If you look closely at the left side of the photo, you can see where I stuck a black bean on top to mark which side is vegan.

Now, throw those in your oven for a good hour.  I cover mine with foil to keep them super saucy.  You'll know they are ready to eat when you open your oven door and hear sizzling, but an instant-read probe thermometer is always a good bet.  Let the enchiladas rest for ten minutes before serving, or else you'll make a mess of your beautiful little preciouses.

Remember that food processor?  Throw an avocado or two in there (pitted and scooped out of the peel, of course).
Add some garlic powder, sea salt, and a ton of lime juice.  By all means, throw in a handful of cilantro too, stems and all, if you have it.  Pulse until it is no longer clumpy.  Then turn the processor on and let it run for about 15 seconds.  This will give you a nice fluffy, airy guacamole.  Although, chunky is good, too.

Serve the enchiladas with the guac and some tortilla chips.  

Dairy Free Enchiladas, Two Ways:

8 whole wheat tortillas

1-14 oz package extra firm tofu, pressed to remove excess moisture

3-6 cups enchilada sauce, depending on how wet you like your enchiladas

1/2 t cayenne pepper

1 t kosher salt, divided

1/4 t black pepper

Vegan enchilada filling (recipe below)

Not-So-Vegan enchilada filling (recipe below)

flesh of 2 avocado, pitted

juice of 1 lime

1 t garlic powder

Preheat oven to 375*.

Lightly oil a 9"x13" baking dish.  Lay 8 tortillas in the baking dish and set aside.

In the food processor bowl, combine tofu, cayenne pepper, 1/2 t kosher salt, and black pepper.  Add 1/2 c enchilada sauce and pulse to combine.

Spread about 1/8 c of the tofu mixture into each tortilla.

Add 1/2 c vegan enchilada filling to 4 of the tortillas.  Roll up and place in baking dish with seam side down.

Add 1/2 c not-so-vegan filling to 4 of the tortillas.  Roll up and place in baking dish with seam side down.

Cover with remaining enchilada sauce, or as much as desired.

Bake 50-60 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Allow enchiladas to rest 10 minutes before serving.

To make guacamole, combine avocado flesh, remaining 1/2 t kosher salt, lime juice and garlic powder in food processor.  Pulse until smooth.  Process on full speed until fluffy.

Serve with enchiladas and tortilla chips.

Vegan enchilada filling:

1 T olive oil

1 c peeled and finely chopped sweet potatoes (I run mine through the food processor)

1 1/2 c or 1-14.5 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can chopped green chiles
1/2 c finely shredded carrot
1/2 c finely shredded zucchini
1/2 c finely chopped bell pepper
1/2 of one small yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
1 c enchilada sauce, commercial or home made

Heat olive oil in a pan over medium-low heat.  Add remaining ingredients and sweat until tender.  Stir in enchilada sauce.

Not-So-Vegan Enchilada Filling:

2 T olive oil, plus additional oil for oiling pans
1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 T ground cumin
1 t chili powder
1 t garlic powder
1/2 t kosher salt
1/4 t ground black pepper
1-14.5 oz can diced tomatoes, drained or 1 1/2 c diced tomatoes
1 1/2 c or 1-14.5 os can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 c corn
1 jalapeno, minced
1/2 c finely shredded carrot
1/2 c finely chopped bell pepper
1/2 of one small yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 c enchilada sauce, commercial or homemade

Preheat oven to 400*
grease a 9"x13" baking dish and lay the chicken thighs in the dish in a single layer.  Gently rub the olive oil into each chicken thigh.
In a small bowl, combine cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper and massage into the chicken thighs.
Bake 30 minutes or until an instant-read probe thermometer reads 165*.
Cool chicken slightly, then shred.  Place shredded chicken in a large bowl.  Add tomatoes, black beans and corn.  Set aside.
Lightly oil a sautee pan with additional olive oil and set over medium-low heat.  Sweat jalapeno, carrot, bell pepper, onion and garlic until tender.  Add to chicken mixture.
Stir in enchilada sauce.

Homemade Enchilada Sauce:

This is actually an adaptation of an Emeril Lagasse recipe.  I did not create this, I just tweaked it a tiny bit.

6 T olive oil

2 T AP flour

scant 1/4 c chipotle chili powder

12 oz tomato paste

1 c lager

5 c chicken stock (homemade is great, and guaranteed to be soy and MSG-free)

2 T dried oregano

Heat olive oil in a pan over low heat.  Whisk in flour and cook 30 seconds, whisking continuously.  Keep whisking, and sprinkle in chili powder.  Continue to cook, whisking constantly, for 15 seconds.  Stir in tomato paste and lager.  Continue to cook, stirring, for 30 seconds.  Stir in chicken stock and oregano.  Bring to a rolling boil then reduce heat to low.  Simmer gently for 15 minutes to allow sauce to thicken.  For best results, store in the fridge overnight before using to allow the dried spices to rehydrate.  I like to make a big batch and stick some in my freezer.

I really utilize my freezer, can you tell?