Black Bean & Sweet Potato Vegan Enchiladas with Cashew Cream Sauce
These easy, healthy vegan enchiladas feature a black bean and sweet potato filling wrapped in soft corn tortillas and smothered in a creamy cashew cream sauce for the ultimate vegan-friendly casserole dish. Topped with chopped fresh tomatoes, avocado slices and pickled red onions, this vegan enchilada recipe will add a spicy new addition to your vegan recipe collection!
Ingredients
For the Pickled Red Onions
- 1 small red onion sliced very thin
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp maple syrup or other sweetener
- 1 tsp salt
- pickling spices optional; I like Spice Jungle's spice collection
For the Cashew Cream Sauce
- 1 cup cashews soaked in 2 cups very hot water for ~1 hour
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/2 tsp salt
For the Enchiladas
- 1 medium sweet potato washed and baked at 350 for 40-50 minutes
- 1 cup Lotus Foods' Organic Red Rice cooked in accordance with package directions
- 1 14 oz can black beans drained and rinsed
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 yellow onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp cumin
- 1/2 tbsp chili powder
- 1 handful baby spinach chopped
- 6-8 medium corn tortillas warmed before filling to avoid cracking
- 1 14 oz can red enchilada sauce I like Hatch Organic
- 1 avocado sliced for garnishment
- 8-10 grape tomatoes chopped
- 1 bunch cilantro washed and torn
- 1 lime washed and cut into wedges
- toasted pumpkin seeds you can find my recipe for toasted pumpkin seeds here
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- In a small bowl, cover the cashews with hot water. Set aside.
- Thinly slice the red onion. Tightly pack the onions in an 8 oz mason jar. If you are using pickling spices, put those in the bottom of the jar.
- In a small sauce pan, bring the apple cider vinegar, maple syrup and salt to a boil until the salt has dissolved. Pour the vinegar solution over the onions and allow to cool on the counter. Once cooled, put the lid on the jar and place in the refrigerator.
- Wash and bake the sweet potato.
- Make the Lotus Foods’ Organic Red Rice in accordance with the package directions.
- In a small sauce pan, heat the extra virgin olive oil until shimmering. Add the onion and sauté on medium-low heat until golden. About 8-10 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté 1-2 minutes more.
- Add the black beans to the onions and garlic. Add the cumin, chili powder and water.
- Simmer until the water has evaporated and the beans are soft.
- Combine the beans and the rice. Add the spinach and sweet potato. Mix to combine.
- Spread a thin layer of enchilada sauce on the bottom of a shallow baking pan.
- Add 2-3 spoonfuls of the rice and bean mixture into the center of each corn tortilla. Wrap each tortilla and, with the overlapped edges facing down. Continue until the baking pan is full.
- Add more enchilada sauce to the top and drizzle with the cashew cheese sauce.
- Bake at 350 degrees for ~15 minutes.
- Serve with chopped grape tomatoes, sliced avocado, fresh cilantro, lime wedges and pickled red onions. I also like to add toasted pumpkin seeds.
Notes
- I used to really worry about how long I was soaking cashews to make cashew cream sauce. I don't any more. Just soak them in hot water as a first step in your recipe and they'll be ready when you are!
- You will likely have leftover cashew cream sauce. You can freeze it, or store it in a jar in the refrigerator if you plan on using it within ~5 days. Some ideas: Basil Pesto Stuffed Shells or Nacho "Cheese" Dipping Sauce for Homemade Soft Pretzels. When reheating, I don't recommend microwaving. It makes the sauce crusty. Either put the sauce back into your Vitamix (this is what I recommend) or heat it up on the stovetop with frequently whisking.
- If you decide to use pickling spices in your pickled red onions, be sure to put those in the bottom of the jar. If you sprinkle them in over the onions, you might catch a bite of clove or anise and...well...they're not meant to be eaten quite like that.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!