Roasted Vegetable Stacked Enchiladas

 My sweet 2 month old daughter loves to “help me cook”. In other words, she is content to sit in her bouncy chair in the kitchen and stare at me while I cook. She has just started making spit bubbles. I love to look over at her while I’m cooking and see her smiling face, spit bubbles and all. Its fun to have a little friend who I can talk to while I cook. However, it’s not always that easy. A lot of the time I am running back and forth between her and the stove. Give her the binky, run back and stir the sauce, run back and hand her the toy she dropped, run back and add the seasonings, etc. And sometimes she just wants more attention than I am giving her so she will start to fuss, so I will go to her and she will immediately stop her crying act and smile. And sometimes I just have to drop everything and feed her. Caring for a sweet little spirit is so rewarding, but I have learned to appreciate recipes that are either fast or that can be divided into stages. I love this recipe for the later reason. You can prepare all the veggies the day before, roast the veggies the next morning and assemble the enchiladas, and bake the whole thing in the evening. I love recipes I can work on for a short amount of time, leave and come back to later. I haven’t tried it yet, but I bet you could easily freeze this meal after assembling it.
Another great thing about this recipe is that it is full of veggies and variety, full of protein, and you don’t miss the meat at all. It is filling and satisfying without loading it full of saturated fat. It does have a couple sprinkles of cheese though. In all my attempts to eat mostly plant based whole foods, I just can’t quite ditch the cheese (or the ice cream). And I don’t think that’s ever going to change. This recipe makes a lot. We have been eating it all week for lunch. You really could customize this recipe how ever you want, throwing in what ever veggies you have on hand. My next goal is to make it with homemade tortillas. Enjoy!
PRINTABLE RECIPE
Directions:

• 1 poblano chili, cut into inch long strips
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into inch long strips
• 1/2 head of cauliflower, cut into small florets
• 1 sweet potato, peeled and diced into dice sized cubes
• 1/2 of a medium onion, sliced into small strips
• 1 can (15.25 oz.) of corn (fresh or frozen corn works, too)
• 1 can (15 oz.) black or red beans, drained and rinsed
• 3 TBSP. olive oil (or any kind of oil)
• 1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 3-4 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
• a sprinkle of chipotle seasoning, to taste (optional)
• 1 TBSP. lime juice
• salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
• 1/2 C. fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
• 2 C. salsa (any kind, homemade or store bought)
• 8-10 corn tortillas, ripped in half
• 1 to 2 cups of shredded cheese (I used a Mexican blend)
• sour cream and avocados for garnish

Directions:
1. Chop up all your veggies and put them all together in a big bowl. Using salad tongs or your hands, toss in the olive oil, cumin, garlic, and lime juice. Preheat oven to 450 F.
2. Lay all the veggies out evenly on a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat, parchment paper, or lightly greased tin foil. Spread them out evenly. Sprinkle generously with salt and cracked pepper. Lightly sprinkle on some chipotle seasoning if you choose to use it (it’s a little spicy).
3. Roast the vegetables for 40 minutes, or until they are tender and starting to brown. Use tongs to turn the veggies every 10 minutes. While it is cooking, mix together the cilantro and salsa. Rinse and drain the beans.
4. Reduce heat to 350 F. and assemble the stacked enchiladas. First, lay down a thin layer of salsa in a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Tear the tortilla’s in half and place one layer on top of the salsa. Add a layer of vegetables, followed by a layer of beans, another layer of salsa, and a layer of cheese. Repeat until all the veggies are gone. Sprinkle with cheese.
5. Cover with tin foil and bake the stacked enchiladas for 30 minutes. Remove the foil for the last 10 minutes. Let it sit for a couple minutes before cutting. Serve with sour cream and avocados.
Recipe adapted from Perry’s Plate