Sweet Potato and Black Bean Enchiladas

I’ve always loved Mexican-style food, so this is a favorite of mine. As I have mentioned, we eat a lot of soups and stews in the winter. Enchiladas are a nice, savory break from that. I made this on a week night and got home late from work, so I was in such a hurry to make it that I forgot to take many pictures. It is based on this recipe from Fatfree Vegan blog. Despite the fact that I was running late that evening, I decided to be ambitious and saute some onion and corn with cumin, chili powder and a dash of cinnamon and include that in the stuffing, too.

One thing I love about this recipe is the instruction for making the enchilada sauce. Many store-bought sauces are highly processed and often not vegan. For this one, I combine hot water w/veg boullion powder, cornstarch, and green salsa. Works just as well as store-bought sauce, in my opinion!

The sweet potatoes, which I steam instead of boil, add the soft, creamy texture that you usually get from cheese. Occasionally I’ll add Daiya non-dairy (and soy-free) cheese on top, but not on a regular basis. That’s because it is a processed food (as are other dairy-based cheeses too) and I try to minimize those from my diet. Once I got used to not eating cheese at all, I don’t feel the need to regularly replace it with dairy cheese substitutes. I will, of course, make or buy and eat non-dairy cheeses and cheese sauces as a special treat.

Prep time took about 25 minutes (because I was ambitious with the onion and had to wait for the sweet potatoes to soften), and 20 minutes in the oven. Makes 3-4 servings.