I love enchiladas! My friend Joey makes fantastic ones and I have also made Isa’s Nirvana Enchilada Casserole but on a weeknight I don’t like waiting for them to bake. So here is my easy weeknight version and we LOVE them!
I make a simple and flavorful sauce, fill corn tortillas with Barry’s tempeh, and top them with my cashew cream sauce and cilantro and pumpkin seeds (as per Isa’s recipe.)
Here is how to get it done on a weeknight. Make the sauce and the filling at the same time. While they are on the stove, whip up the cashew cream sauce. Then when it is time for dinner, heat up the tortillas, fill them and serve them.
That’s fine for my family – we eat 6 – but if I were to make this for a group or had more time, I would probably bake it and serve it as a casserole. Oh, and this sauce recipe makes more than you will need for 6 so freeze it in a clearly marked container. I say this because I freeze a lot of homemade tomato sauce and we once poured enchilada sauce over our meatless meatballs.
Remember, organize your mise en place – the onions, jalapeños and garlic are in both the sauce and the filling – so that your kitchen is organized and everything comes together at the same time.
1/2 onion, diced
1/2 jalapeño, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon oregano
28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup water
Coconut palm nectar or Agave, to taste
Salt, to taste
Add the onions into a pot (big enough for 28oz of tomatoes) with a few tablespoons of water. Cook until softened. Add the jalapeño and garlic. Stir around. After a few minutes, add the chili powder, cumin, oregano and a pinch of salt. Stir to coat the vegetables. Add the tomatoes and water and mix well. Simmer on medium heat for 15 minutes to let the flavors combine. Add the sweetener to taste. Take off the stove and let cool. Then, pour into a blender and blend until completely smooth. Pour back into the pot and set aside
Filling *
8oz. tempeh, crumbled
1/2 onion, diced
1/2 jalapeño, diced
1 clove of garlic, minced
The juice of 1 lime
Add the onions and tempeh to a sauté pan with a little water and cook until browning and softening. Add the jalapeños and garlic and a little water. Cook until there is no more water. Squeeze in the lime juice and mix well. Add a little sauce, about 1/4 cup to bring the whole thing together. Take off the heat until ready to assemble.
* Double these measurements for a casserole. And if you are going to make a casserole you don’t have to heat up the filling and sauce while assembling.
My Favorite Cashew Cream
1 cup cashews **
3/4 cup water
1 clove of garlic
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
1/2 teaspoon onion granules
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
The juice of 1/2 lemon
Salt, a pinch
** If you don’t have a Vitamix or other high speed blender, soak the cashews for 4 hours and then drain them. Place the cashews and the rest of the ingredients into the Vitamix or blender and lit it rip until it looks gorgeous and creamy. If too thick, add a few tablespoons of water. Taste and adjust seasonings.
Corn Tortillas (6)
Fresh chopped cilantro
Pumpkin seeds
Now it is time to serve dinner. Reheat the sauce and the tempeh. Place a small amount of tempeh mixture at one end of a tortilla. Roll it up. Make all of the tortillas. To serve, place sauce on each plate and place the filled tortillas on top. Top with a little more sauce and a drizzle of the cashew cream. Sprinkle with cilantro and pumpkin seeds. Enjoy!
I’m a sucker for any type of enchiladas, tacos or burrito – and these look delicious!
Thanks! They are. 🙂