Vegan Enchiladas

If I were to list my favorite foods, Mexican would likely not make it. This is an unfortunate dilemma for my marriage, however, as it tops my husband's list of favorite foods. If it were up to him we would eat burritos every day or at least every week. When he says, "What do you feel like having? We could have Mexican," I usually respond with "I don't really feel like Mexican."

"But you never want Mexican."

"Because it's not one of my favorite cuisines."

"You suck."

"You suck."

"That's it. I want a divorce."

"Whatever you want, dear. I'm here to make you happy."

"Fine."

"Fine."

Okay, well, maybe not exactly like that, but it does come close sometimes.

The thing is, is that I do like Mexican - sometimes. There are *some* decent dishes. But most of the ones I really like have cheese, and I decided two or three years ago that cheese would no longer be a part of my diet. And let me tell you, my favorite Mexican dish, a quesadilla, happens to not be that good vegan. (I'm willing to be contradicted, however.)

One dish I do like, even vegan, is enchiladas. In a way, enchiladas are like baked burritos, but I don't know - it's just not exactly the same as a burrito. And today I made enchiladas the lazy way, because I was lazy and my enchiladas always fall apart.

Vegan Enchiladas
Adapted from Paul McCartney's Vegan Enchiladas recipe

Sauce

• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 1 cup water
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp. oregano
• 2 Tbsp. cornstarch dissolved in 4 tablespoons water

Filling

• 1/2 or 1 whole can of Vege-Burger
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. chili powder
• 1/4 tsp. cumin
• 1/4 tsp. garlic powder or 1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 1 regular-sized can (not large) crushed or sliced tomatoes
• 1 8-oz. pkg. frozen spinach, thawed
• 14 +/- corn tortillas

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place all the sauce ingredients, except for the cornstarch, in a small pot and cook over low heat, covered, for 20 minutes. Stir in the cornstarch and cook until the sauce thickens.

In the meantime, prepare the filling. Mix the Vege-Burger, onion, chili powder, cumin, garlic, pepper, and can of tomatoes.

In a large baking dish, cover the bottom with several tortillas (I used 4).

Spread half of your spinach over the tortillas.

Spread half of your filling mixture on top of the spinach.

Add another layer of corn tortillas, spinach, and filling, then top with a final layer of tortillas. Spread the sauce on the very top.

Put the dish into your preheated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes.

This recipe originally called for tofu instead of Vege-Burger, but we already had a can open from a few days ago that I wanted to use.

In case you don't know what Vege-Burger is, it is basically TVP (textured vegetable protein) that's already ready for you to use. TVP is usually dry when you purchase it, and you have to reconstitute it with water, as well as add seasonings. The Vege-Burger is not terribly flavorful, but it does add a meaty texture. A lot of people use it for sloppy joes or pasta sauce. It really is a versatile product.

Note that the can says "Vegan"; I believe that they also make a non-vegan kind, so you have to make sure it says "vegan" on it.

Here's a picture of it in the can:

Anyway, these enchiladas turned out pretty well. It's definitely more like a casserole since I didn't make them into individual enchiladas, but it tastes pretty much the same. One thing I will say that is lacking is cheese or some sort of creaminess. Tofutti Sour Cream or Vegenaise could both come in handy. Otherwise, tasty. Maybe my marriage will last another week. :)