High Protein Plant-Based Cheesy Enchiladas

This is a meal I love to make extra of and bring for lunch the next day.  It is so tasty and satisfying and keeps me full for hours.  I also love that it’s simple to prepare and loaded with fiber and protein.  If you can eat 3 enchiladas in one sitting like I can, I have roughly estimated that this is 85% of your daily fiber needs and 35g of protein!  I often forget that I’m eating plant based with this meal.  It’s like it’s so good it should be bad…only it’s not!

Recipe tips and tricks:

Beans:  I usually use black beans for this recipe, but almost any legume will work great.   Sometimes when I’m meal prepping, I cook a large pot of dried bean medley and use some of these for enchiladas instead of canned black beans.  Once you blend them up with the taco spice it always turns out great.  The texture and flavor will be so similar, there will only be colour differences depending on the legume you use.  One can of black beans is roughly 1.5 cups of cooked beans and/or legumes.

Blender:  I high speed blender will yield best results for blending the beans, but if you don’t have one, no sweat.  You may just need to add more water to get a smooth blend.  If this is the case, simmer the combined tempeh black bean mix on the stove a little longer until it reaches the desired thickness.

Tempeh:  Litelife original tempeh is my usual go to, however there are lot’s of other great brands out there as well.  I tend to buy tempeh 5 at a time and always have them in my fridge for a quick, healthy meal like these enchiladas, tacos or sandwiches.

Taco Seasoning: The taco seasoning I use is a store bought mix that contains salt, so if your mix is salt free you may want to season your enchilada filling with a bit more salt.  If you prefer to make your own spice blend, or don’t have a mix lying around this is a great recipe from blogger Holly of “spend with pennies”
https://www.spendwithpennies.com/taco-seasoning-recipe/

Tortillas:  I like to use a corn and wheat flour blend tortilla for this recipe.  I find this style of tortilla to crisp up well in the oven while being easy to handle and stay in tact through the cooking and rolling process.  If you follow a gluten free diet, you can use an entirely corn flour tortilla instead.  With corn tortillas I recommend warming them up slightly on a griddle or in the microwave before using.  Otherwise they tend to split quite easily.  It can also be helpful to lightly spray corn tortillas with oil so that they crisp up nicely.

Rolling:  I worked in a Mexican restaurant for 5 years and burrito and enchilada rolling were a big part of the job-maybe I can do it in my sleep by now!  Here are my tricks for rolling:

1. Apply the filling in a row down the center, leaving about an inch on each side.
2. Fold both sides in so that the edges are starting to touch the filling.
3. Keep your middle finger on each tucked side and fold the bottom half of the tortilla to meet the top half.
4. Shimmy the top folded tortilla down, to tightly secure the filling in the middle with your fingers.  The most common mistake I see is missing this “tightening” step which results in an enchilada or burrito falling apart or not staying securely rolled.
5. Finally, roll the tortilla.  Bake the enchilada with the “seam” facing down so it stays securely rolled as it is cooking.

Cheese:  I love crumbling Prairie Melt on top of these enchiladas before popping them in the oven.  It melts so nicely and takes this recipe to the next level.  A great tip is to broil the enchiladas on high for the last 3-5 minutes of baking.  This really gets Prairie Melt bubbling and browning.  Just make sure to keep an eye on the enchiladas while they are broiling because they can begin to burn in an instant.

Sauce:  Good Stock Foods tomato bisque soup is the perfect sauce for these enchiladas and it’s ready-made which makes the recipe that much quicker to assemble.  It’s rich and creamy and compliments the filling well.  A mild verde salsa, cashew cream sauce or traditional Mexican adobo or mole sauce can go nicely as well.

Cheesy Tempeh and Black Bean Enchiladas

Makes 6 Enchiladas (serves 2-3)

• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 block tempeh 
• 2 x 400 ml cans black beans
• 1 cup water 
• 1.5 tbsp taco seasoning 
• 6 x 6” tortillas
• 1/2 cup Prairie Melt 
• 1/2 container of Good Stock Foods tomato bisque

1. Dice tempeh and fry on medium heat with oil in a medium sized non stick pan until crispy.
2. Drain black beans and blend with water and taco seasoning until smooth. 
3. Add the blended mixture to the tempeh in the pan and cook over low heat until mixture thickens.
4. Scoop 1/3 cup of the bean tempeh mixture in the center of each tortilla.  Roll the tortilla by tucking in the sides and rolling over. 
5. Place all 6 enchiladas on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Crumble Prairie Melt cheese over top and bake in the oven for 15 minutes.  After 15 minutes, switch the oven to high broil for 3 minutes to finish bubbling and browning the cheese.
6. While the enchiladas are baking, warm up the soup in a saucepan.
7. Top the enchiladas with the soup and enjoy!