Vegan Enchiladas with Cilantro Avocado Sauce...(File in Rotation)

I feel like I should turn my blog into a recipe blog since that's the primary focus of late. I cant believe how excited I am about cooking! Thank the Lord once again for sending this my way!It's 1:03 in the morning and i just finished making the below. Which was GOOD! Even J thought it was good but as I suspected he thought the sweetness was unnecessary (I added a pack of equal because the recipe calls for pasta sauce and i love sweet pasta). This recipe will definitely be in the rotation pile. I feel like I need a recipe box...hmmm ..may have to look at one of my fav place "personalization mall" next month. i know the above isnt the prettiest picture ..I'll have to work on the presentation on my next batch...(it is after 1 in the morning)

The recipe came from the infamous fabulous Angela.

http://ohsheglows.com/2011/05/04/vegan-enchiladas-with-cilantro-avocado-cream-sauce-2/

Sweet Potato, Black Bean, Spinach, and Pepper Vegan Enchiladas


Adapted from Time Crunch Vegan Enchiladas.


Yield: 4 Enchiladas
Ingredients:

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 onion, chopped (~2 cups) (I used red onions because that was in my house)

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup sweet potato, chopped (or zucchini) (sweet potato)

1 bell pepper, chopped

2 handfuls spinach, chopped

1 can black beans (~2 cups), drained and rinsed

Enchilada sauce or Pasta sauce (about 2.5 cups)* see note (I used Pasta Sauce-Chunky Ragu Pasta Sauce)

1 tbsp nutritional yeast (optional) (This really is optional..I paid close to $6.00 for this and you couldnt even taste it)

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) (I used Low Carb Trader Joe's Whole Wheat Tortilla Wraps)

Cilantro Avocado Cream Sauce, to pour on top (recipe below)

Green onion & chopped cilantro, to garnish (I made this optional)

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. I used a pasta sauce so I likely needed more seasonings to achieve the taste I desired.

Cilantro Avocado Cream Sauce


Inspired by Kathy’s Cashew Cream Sauce.


Yield: ~1.25-1.5 cups


Ingredients:

1 & 1/4 cup avocado flesh (I'm not there yet to use avocado flesh so I used avocado)

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.

Yummy! Fruit Pizza

I made this for my hubby birthday and all I can say is OMG! This is one of the most delicious desserts I have ever made. My hubby thought it was too sweet but i thought it was just right. Just thinking about it makes me smile:)

Angela from oh she glows has done it again! I love avocado but I've never had it outside of chopped up in a dish or in guac. This avocado lime whip is amazing!!! The only tweak I did with the recipe is I bought a multi grain crust..I can't remember the name but i will be making this again and will update the blog with the name. Making a crust from scratch scares me a bit ..not sure I'm that experienced in cooking yet.

Delicious. I devoured this in a day and a half! Here's a pic after I ate one slice. What a refreshing summer dessert! I think next time I'll use equal to cut down on the sugar and will experiment with different crusts just so I see which ones I like the best. I am so tempted to make this again.

The recipe is below:

http://ohsheglows.com/recipage/?recipe_id=6001759
  Ingredients (8-12 slices)



Cinnamon-sugar pizza crust

•1 cup + 3/4 cup white bread flour, divided

•3/4 tsp kosher salt

•2 tbsp sugar

•1.5 tsp cinnamon

•2 & 1/4 tsp pizza yeast (no proofing required)

•3 tbsp oil

•2/3 cup very warm water

•more flour for kneading dough

Avocado-Lime Whip

•4 avocados

•Fresh lime juice from half a lime (approx 1 tsp)

•1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste or 1 tsp vanilla extract (vanilla)-I used 1 tsp of Trader Joe's vanilla

•1/4 cup agave nectar

•2-3 tbsp coconut oil, melted

•1-2 tbsp coconut milk

•12 tbsp icing sugar (confectioner’s)-I used 6 tbsp

Fruit

•Fruit salsa: Chop up a mixture of strawberries, mandarin oranges, mango, kiwi, and raspberries. Add in blueberries too. You will want about 2-3 cups of the salsa.

•Fruit layer: Mandarin, strawberries (sliced), blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, kiwi (sliced), mango (sliced), and whatever else your little heart desires! Peach would be good too.

Instructions



For crust

•1. Preheat oven to 500F. In a large mixing bowl, mix together 1 cup flour, plus the salt, sugar, cinnamon, yeast. Stir well. Now quickly add 2/3 cup very warm water along with 3 tbsp oil. Stir well. It will be very sticky but not to worry.

•2. Now add in 3/4 cup- 1 cup more flour, gradually, as you stir. Once the flour is in, grab the dough and place on floured surface.

•3. Knead the dough for 5 minutes, adding flour as it gets tacky. After 5 mins the dough should be smooth and not tacky. Form into a ball and place in a large oiled bowl. Cover the ball with a bit of oil so it doesnt dry out. Now cover the bowl and let it rise for 1.5 hours. You can punch out the air halfway through.

•4. After rising time, punch air out and spread into an oiled pizza pan or you can place it directly onto a preheated pizza stone. Sprinkle with lots of sugar and bake at 500F for 14-15 mins. until golden. Cooking time may vary so watch carefully.

For avocado whip

•In a food processor, add in the avocado, lime juice, and agave. Process until smooth. Now add in the vanilla, melted coconut oil, and coconut milk. As the last step, add in the icing sugar very gradually until the consistency you want is achieved. Cool in fridge for about 30 minutes before using. Spread over the base of cooled & cooked pizza crust.

For Fruit

•After you have spread on the avocado-lime whip, it is time to layer on the fruit. I started with an outer layer of fruit salsa, followed by a layer of sliced fruit. After those two layers, I did a very small layer of sprinkled coconut, followed by a layer of raspberries, and then finally fruit salsa. I left the inner circle open as I was going to put a large strawberry there, but then we ate it and that was that!