White Corn Enchiladas with Zucchini, Black Beans, Sweet Potato, and Herbed Cashew Cheese
No ratings yet

White Corn Enchiladas with Zucchini, Black Beans, Sweet Potato, and Herbed Cashew Cheese

So the lesson I seem to have learned while making these White Corn Enchiladas with Zucchini, Black Beans, Sweet Potato, and Herbed Cashew Cheese is that there really isn’t a very flattering way to photograph enchiladas once they’re baked. I tried a few angles, and I tried lifting them from the baking dish as gingerly as I possibly could, but no matter what, they ended up looking, um…rustic. Oh well. They taste delicious, they’re healthy and easy to prepare, and if they’re not the prettiest, then I think I can live with it.

The inspiration for these enchiladas is Sara’s zucchini enchilada dish with black beans and goat cheese. When I discovered this recipe I thought it sounded delicious and summery–which was appropriate, since DC was gorgeous and balmy over the weekend. Obviously, I modified the recipe to omit the goat cheese (and include herbed cashew cheese instead), and I added some sweet potato for extra heartiness (and because I had a bunch of spuds lying around). It all worked out perfectly; these enchiladas will now join my sweet potato and black bean enchiladas and my wintery quinoa, mushroom, and kale enchiladas as favorites.

White Corn Enchiladas with Zucchini, Black Beans, Sweet Potato, and Herbed Cashew Cheese

Some stuff to keep in mind:

  • If you don’t want to make cashew cheese, it’s totally fine. You could substitute Daiya cheese, any storebought nut cheese (like Nary Dairy), tofu cream cheese, or nothing at all. The enchiladas will still taste delicious.
  • You can vary the vegetables you use in this recipe according to what’s in season.
  • I give an option for homemade enchilada sauce, but using store-bought will save you an additional step
  • You can prepare the enchilada sauce, vegetable filling, and the cashew cheese in advance, making this easy to assemble at the last minute.

I think that covers it. On to the recipe.

White Corn Enchiladas with Zucchini, Black Beans, Sweet Potato, and Herbed Cashew Cheese

White Corn Enchiladas with Zucchini, Black Beans, Sweet Potato, and Herbed Cashew Cheese

No ratings yet

White Corn Enchiladas with Zucchini, Black Beans, Sweet Potato, and Herbed Cashew Cheese (gluten free, soy free)

Author - Gena Hamshaw
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Yields: 6 servings

Ingredients

Enchilada sauce:

  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1 cup onion diced
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/2 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon fresh oregano or 1/2 tsp dried
  • 1 14 oz can diced tomatoes I like the Fire Roasted diced tomatoes from Muir Glen
  • 1 teaspoon maple syrup
  • 1/3 cup water or as needed
  • sea salt to taste

Cashew cheese:

  • 1 heaping cup cashews soaked for several hours and drained of soak water
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • Black pepper to taste
  • 1/4 cup minced chives

Enchiladas!

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 small white or yellow onion diced
  • 2 cups zucchini cut into 1/2-inch cubes
  • 3 cups cooked sweet potato bake or steam the potato beforehand, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
  • 1 1/2 cups cooked black beans or 1 can black beens, drained and rinsed
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon ground chili powder
  • 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
  • Dash crushed red pepper
  • 1 1/2 cups enchilada sauce see above, or substitute store-bought
  • 3/4 cup herbed cashew cheese see above or Daiya cheese
  • 10 white or yellow corn tortillas I used Trader Joe's white corn tortillas, and I also love the Food for Life sprouted corn tortillas

Instructions

  • To make the enchilada sauce: Heat olive oil in a medium skillet or pot. Saute onion for three minutes. Add garlic and continue cooking for another 3-4 minutes, or until onions are translucent. Add the chili powder, cumin, oregano, tomatoes, and maple syrup. Add sea salt to taste. Transfer sauce to a blender or food processor, and blend till it's smooth. Add water to adjust the consistency as you wish. Set sauce aside till you're ready to use.
  • To make the cashew cheese: Place all ingredients in a food processor or high speed blender. Process or blend the cashews until they've taken on the texture of a spreadable cheese, stopping occasionally to scrape the machine down. Transfer the cheese to a container and mix in the chives.
  • To prepare the enchiladas: Preheat your oven to 350F. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or saute pan. Add the onion and zucchini and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 8-10 minutes, or until the onion is soft and clear and the zucchini is tender. Stir in the sweet potato, black beans, cumin, chili powder, lime juice, and crushed red pepper. Taste the mixture and add salt and pepper to taste.
  • Pour 1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce into the bottom of a 7x13 or 9x13 casserole dish. Spread the sauce over the bottom of the dish. Fill each tortilla with about 1/3 cup of the vegetable mixture. Dot some of the cashew cheese (or Daiya) on top of the vegetables (about a heaping tablespoon per tortilla). Roll the tortilla up and place it, seam down, in the casserole dish. Continue till all of the tortillas have been used and the dish is packed (you can use an extra tortilla or two if there's room).
  • Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the top of the tortillas. If you like, you can dot more cashew cheese on top, or you can sprinkle Daiya over the dish. Bake the enchiladas for 25-30 minutes, or until the tortillas are just getting crispy and the sauce is dark. Serve.

Notes

Leftover enchiladas will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days, and can be frozen for up to 3 weeks.

These enchiladas are incredibly flavorful and filling.

White Corn Enchiladas with Zucchini, Black Beans, Sweet Potato, and Herbed Cashew Cheese

I hope you’ll dig ’em. Later this week, you can see some of the stuff I’ve done with my leftover herbed cashew cheese, which I’m a little bit obsessed with. Happy Monday!

xo

This post may contain affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something I may earn a commission. Visit my privacy policy to learn more.

Categories: Recipes, Enchiladas & Tacos
Method: Oven
Ingredients: Black Beans
Dietary Preferences: Gluten Free, Soy Free, Vegan
Recipe Features: Meal Prep

Leave a Comment

Star ratings help other readers to find my recipes online. If you loved this recipe, would you please consider giving it a star rating with your comment?

Thank you for your feedback. I'm grateful for your presence in this space!

G

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




    29 Comments
  1. Gena, your recipes are fun to make because they always taste good, are satisfying and filling! These enchiladas were delicious and oh so flavorful. As my husband was eating them tonight he said, “I like these!” I told him the recipe came from you and he said “thank you, Gena!!!!!” Big smile! 🙂

  2. Yum!! I just had tempeh fajitas for dinner this evening and now I’m wondering if I have any corn tortillas left in the freezer to make these soon!
    Listening to your podcast now!

  3. Yum! Glad to see you using onion and garlic in your recipes nowadays- that’s what I’m talking about!

  4. These look so perfect, Gena! I have a Vitamix en route(!), and I can’t wait to make my first batch of cashew cheese in a high speed blender.

  5. Are you going to share what is going on with your medical school? Its just weird you haven’t mentioned anything.

  6. If the topic interests you at all, I would love love love to read your thoughts on juicing, both from a culinary and a research-backed perspective (I love when you write about medicine/research!). Folks like Robert Lustig have been voicing concerns about juicing and even smoothies, citing the lack of fiber as problematic.

    I sometimes prepare/buy juice but did experience an “a-ha” moment when I was trying to creatively recycle carrot pulp and realized, you know, there’s an easier way to use this fiber and that would be to just eat the carrot instead of juicing it…

    I’m never sure what to think and haven’t read a single perspective that combines an understanding of the science with an understanding of the lifestyle, so if it’s something you’d wish to tackle, I think it would definitely fill a void!

    • Hi Franny,

      I’ll be happy to weigh in on that soon — it’s a good topic, and I agree that the information out there tends to be a little biased in either the pro or the con direction.

      G 🙂

  7. Thanks, Gena,

    I started focussing on raw vegan foods about a year ago, and I found myself eatting more cooked food (still vegan) during the colder months… As it has been warming up, I am returning to more living foods… As a 40+ plus year vegetarian, but much newer raw vegan, I am incredibly curious about what others on this path are doing and thinking… so thanks for your input…

  8. I haven’t seen many raw recipes recently and wonder if you have a post that explains why your blog is named choosing raw and what your current interest in raw food is…

    thanks so much,

    Patti

    • Hey Patti!

      This post sums it up best, I think: https://www.thefullhelping.com/why-raw-revisiting-the-question/

      But yes, I know the raw recipes have been scant lately! This is just a combination of factors — testing recipes for Food52, being on the go and needing easy leftovers, cooking for others. My whole post-bacc made it tougher than it had been to eat raw food, since I often wasn’t home, and raw foods are really best when they can be enjoyed right away.

      Anyway, it’s not something I stress over, but I do miss raw recipe experimentation, so hopefully with summer coming my readers will be seeing more. I’ve got at least one on the docket in the coming week. And my instagram feed shows more of my daily eats, including a bunch of raw breakfasts and lunches: http://instagram.com/choosingraw#

      Cheers,

      G