Reversing the Curse Enchiladas

Not until a friend of mine informed me last year that I probably couldn’t judge the taste of non-dairy milk compared to regular milk did I really think about that issue.  The longer you stay off dairy, the less appetizing it really is.  Did these need cheeze?  Not really.  I had Daiya pepperjack in the freezer, though, so I used it.  I’m glad it freezes well since it’s $6 a bag at Whole Foods or Wegmans; needless to say, I don’t buy it often.

The dining hall of the residential college I was in at my alma interfector served sweet potato-black bean enchiladas every so often; it was one of the few vegetarian entrees I enjoyed.  Granted, their version was wrapped in a flour tortilla and it was usually dried out and either too spicy or not spicy enough; such are the problems of cooking in quantity.  My mother and I began making “reversing the curse” dishes in 2010 when I kept going home every weekend from school.  The idea is to make dishes I had at school and make them vegan, healthy, and better and to consume them under positive psychological circumstances.  I am celebrating not having to go back to school this month, for the first time in nineteen years.

Reversing the Curse Sweet Potato Black Bean Enchiladas

Modified from http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/2333

2 tablespoons sunflower oil

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon chili powder

4 sweet potatoes, washed, peeled (or not), and cubed (about 2 cups)

2 onions, quartered

5 5- to 7-inch peppers, mix of hot and sweet, de-seeded and de-ribbed, sliced into 1-inch pieces (I used a mix of sweet and hot Hungarian Wax peppers)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.  Line a baking sheet with foil.  In a large bowl, use your hands to mix the oil, spices, and vegetable pieces (wear gloves if you’re using jalepenos).  Spread on the baking sheet and roast for 30 minutes, stir, and then roast for another 30 minutes.  Remove from the oven and let cool until you can pick out about a half a cup of pepper pieces.

1/2 cup roasted pepper pieces (from above)

1 tablespoon tapioca starch

1 clove garlic (I used roasted garlic)

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon chilli powder

1 cup water

In a blender or food processor, combine all ingredients.  Transfer to a pot and heat over high heat until bubbly and thick.  Remove from heat. 

Heh heh heh, liquid fire.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and have ready two 8*8-inch square baking dishes or one 9*13-inch baking dish.

10 6-inch corn tortillas (watch for animal enzymes or fats)

1 teaspoon oil for heating (optional)

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

16 ounces fresh spinach (or use thawed and drained frozen)

1/2 cup Daiya pepperjack (optional)

In a large bowl, combine the black beans, roasted vegetables, and spinach.  

Optional: heat the oil in a skillet and soften the tortillas, one at a time, until pliable.  (I didn’t soften mine because I wanted them to have a little texture after baking and I like crispy edges).  Spread about 1/4 of the sauce in the bottom of the pan (s). 

Give up trying to stay clean and use your hands to rub a bit of sauce onto a tortilla.  Place the tortilla sauce-side-up in the pan.  Fill the tortilla with 1/10 of the filling mixture.   Roll it over in the dish, seam-side-down.  Repeat with the rest of the filling and sauce.  Pour any remaining sauce over top of the enchiladas.  Top with cheeze.  Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the sauce is bubbling. 

Eat ’em up!  You’ll either burn your face off, depending on the type of peppers, or find that the sweet potatoes pleasantly balance the roasted hot peppers and spicy sauce.

Served mine with kale.  Curse reversed.

Q