For this meal, I basically went to Trader Joe’s and was inspired by their vegan offerings, out of which this enchiladas recipe was born! They have an awesome vegan enchilada sauce and a vegan cheese blend that was perfect for this purpose. I also used their beef-less ground beef, some fresh veggies, black beans, and corn tortillas (see below).

I must confess that my husband requested full-dairy cheese for his half of the enchilada tray, so the above picture and the right side of the below picture feature real cheese — you can tell because it looks different when melted. However, I thoroughly enjoyed my soy cheese and definitely didn’t sacrifice on flavor or creamy / meltiness.

The filling of the tortillas was nice and hearty, with lots of protein and a touch of heat from a few spoonfuls of medium salsa. Each enchilada is like eating a wonderful surprise rolled up and smothered in melted ‘cheese’. What could be bad about that?

Ingredients
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1 cup beef-less ground beef
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 Tbsp medium salsa
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish
1 heaping cup vegan shredded cheese (Mexican style if you can find it!)
1/2 jar enchilada sauce (I used Trader Joe’s brand)
8 corn tortillas

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat olive oil in a deep skillet over medium heat. Add onion and pepper, and saute until softened, about 3 minutes. Add beef-less ground and saute for 2 minutes. Add the beans, salsa, and water and bring to a gentle boil. Turn the heat to low to simmer. Remove the bean mixture from the heat. Add 1/4 cup cilantro and about a third of the cheese.

To assemble, spread a thin layer of enchilada sauce in the bottom of a 8″ square baking dish. Place tortillas in the preheating oven for 1 minute to soften. Scoop about 1/4 cup bean mixture into each tortilla and roll them up tightly. Place the rolled tortillas in the baking dish seam-side down. Using a pastry brush, brush the ends of each tortilla with enchilada sauce. Then, drizzle sauce in a thin even layer over the enchiladas. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top, cover with foil, and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for 2-3 minutes until the cheese is slightly brown. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve.

Makes 8 enchiladas