sunday morning, and last night's enchiladas

This morning is coffee, chocolate chip cookies from scratch, knitting, and drawing some drafts for my Montessori math album. Actually it's 11 a.m. so yeah .. I slept in ... too much Iron Chef America the night before. I couldn't resist. ... I have a crush on Iron Chef Michael Symon! :-) And I was knitting ....

Today I wanted to talk to you a little about my very frugal, very GOOD homemade vegan enchiladas. I make this up from time to time, and it lasts forever ... it makes 12 enchiladas stuffed full (so they're more like burritos), and a whole other square glass pan full of just the filling.

For the sauce, go to Bread and Honey's blog. It's hers. Basically it involves (and i double her recipe always) 4-6 chilies (i use fresh, just chop the whole thing up and throw in the food processor), veggie stock, garlic, chili powder, cumin, salt, apple cider vinegar, tomato sauce, and corn starch. Go now. I have a link to it on my sidebar. So you process it all and it winds up in a large Mason jar and then some.



For the cheese sauce, this is what I found somewhere online (sorry I'm terrible at link-sourcing):

In a saucepan, combine the following: (this recipe is a doubled version of the original ... trust me, you'll want to double)

2 cups flour (i use white spelt)
2 cups nutritional yeast
4 tsp salt (this is also 1 tbsp and 1 tsp)
4 tsp garlic powder



Mix well, then add 8 cups of water. Mix well again.

Heat on medium until bubbling and thick.

Remove from heat, and add the following:

4 tsp spicy mustard
16 tbsp vegan butter (or suitable substitute ... look yeah it's fattening, it's CHEESE but it's vegan cheese so there's no artery-clogging cholesterol or trans fat...)

Pour half the cheese sauce into another bowl.

To the bowl on the stove that's still full of half the cheese sauce, you add:

one can each of the following beans, drained and rinsed to get the additional salt off (i use organic of course): pinto, kidney, black

3 tbsp dried or 1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro

2 medium onions, chopped

1 can green chilies

1 can organic diced tomatoes (no salt added), OR 1/2 cup salsa, OR 1 tomato, chopped, depending what you have on hand

Mix all that stuff together. Voila, your filling is ready!


You'll need two 9x13 glass baking dishes (or similar equipment) .... spread a layer of enchilada sauce along the bottom of each one. Then, take your first tortilla (I used Ezekiel sprouted grain ones ... they freeze well you just need to thaw them for a half hour or so before using) and plop it down in that sauce. spoon some filling in, roll up. repeat 11 more times.

Top with the leftover sauce and cheese mixtures. Bake in the oven, bottom rack, for about 40 minutes or until bubbling.

I usually take the leftovers (there's a lot) and fill up a smaller baking dish, top it with the sauce and cheese, as well ... it makes a nice "enchilada soup."

I'm assuming the leftovers freeze well. I shall try that this week.

ENJOY!! Top with fresh guacamole, if so desired!! Great dish for a family or a party. Easy and cheap.

Hope you're all enjoying the weekend, and that it's peaceful and relaxing. I've found that you just have to learn how to say "no" to commitments of all kinds, "no" to the shops and restaurants calling your name. You learn how to spread errands out over the week. And somehow, you can manage to have a weekend that feels long, as it should. I need them, how about you?

i did go out on friday night: vegan mexican food, followed by an art opening at my yoga studio, followed by becoming a member of the University of Louisville art museum, which is walking distance from my apartment in nice weather. Becoming a member meant free entrance to the event -- the speed after dark, complete with grapes and cheese, cocktails (cash bar), a dj, and various bands, one of which dressed up like the old presidents who wore wigs and played in the "tapestry room" ... trippy music in a very gothic-style chamber. nice. Now that I'm a member, I can visit the museum for free anytime. Sweet. It comes out to be less than $1/week to be able to do so. This I can afford. All this followed by a beer at my neighborhood hipster bar. Not bad.

Here is a photo of some very realistic-looking candles in the tapestry room gallery ...


Peace and light,

Karen