Vegan Sweet Potato & Black Bean Enchiladas

And other good stuff.  BWHAHAHA but there's SO much yummy goodness going on in this recipe that I promise you that your family will never even realize they are vegan.  Because as the husband has told me over and over again, VEGAN FOOD IS GROSS.

My mission as we transition to more vegan food is to turn his opinion around.  And that means I DON'T TELL HIM WHATS IN THE FOOD HE'S EATING, otherwise he would probably never eat it.  Although to be fair, he always tells me that he doesn't want to know because then he wouldn't eat it.  It's a fun little game we like to play.

In addition to learning to make delicious vegan food, I also want to make it EASY and ACCESSIBLE.  I don't know about you but years ago, way before I even thought about eating a vegan diet, I always thought vegan food was crazy weird.  I mean seriously- WHAT IS THIS STUFF?!?  But have no fear, I'm going to change all that for you mmkay!

Vegan Sweet Potato & Black Bean Enchiladas
*this is a double recipe & will make two 9 X 13 pans

2 medium sized sweet potatoes
1 can black beans
1 cup corn
1/2 red onion diced
6 cloves garlic diced
1 sweet bell pepper diced
1/2 to 1 jalapeno diced
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
salt & pepper to taste
1 28 oz can red enchilada sauce
corn tortillas

Toppings:
red cabbage
lettuce/spinach
cilantro
red onion
avocado
hot sauce
vegan sour cream
vegan cheese


Step 1:  Prep and cook your sweet potatoes.  I use the orange fleshy ones which are actually considered yams but if you know your sweet potatoes, you know there's lots of different varieties.

Peel the sweet potatoes, chop them up into nice small bite sized cubes.  Put them in boiling water with a little sea salt for approximately 10 minutes or until cooked.  Then drain out the water & set them aside to add to your filling when needed.

Step 2:  While your sweet potatoes are cooking away, saute your peppers, jalapeno, onions and garlic.  For this recipe, I prefer a sweet pepper rather than a green pepper.  I typically use a combination of red, yellow and orange because that's what I have in my fridge.  Use any color you like!  I also like to use a avocado oil or coconut oil when sauteing veggies but really, it doesn't matter too much here.

Step 3:  Add in your drained black beans, corn and cooked sweet potatoes to the pepper and onion mixture.  Add in spices, salt and pepper and adjust if needed.

The filling.

Step 4:  Time to roll up your enchiladas!  Start by putting a little of the enchilada sauce in the bottom of 2, glass 9 X 13 pans.

To warm your corn tortillas, simply put a small pan on your stove top burner and warm it up.  Then put your corn tortilla in the pan for just a few seconds until it is soft and steamy.  You could also microwave them in a wet paper towel but I prefer this method.

Now fill with as much filling as you can possibly manage in your corn tortilla.  Seriously, shove all the good stuff in there and roll it up!  Place "seam" side down in your pan.

Step 5:  Cover with remaining enchilada sauce then put some foil over the top and bake at 350 for about 20 minutes.  All your filling is already cooked so you're just warming it all and combining the flavors here, so don't overdo it in the oven.  Trust me on this one, no one wants a crunchy enchilada!

At this point, if you are NOT cooking your second pan and are instead freezing it, just label the dish right on the foil using a Sharpie and then pop it right in the freezer.  Don't forget to date it too!

*Psst....don't want to be a vegan?  Feel free to cover with some shredded cheese once it comes out of the oven.  It's good this way too!  And of course you can also TOTALLY use vegan cheese, this is actually a really great dish to try vegan cheese out on mmkay.

Now, depending on how skilled you are at shoving all the the filling inside your tortillas, this will make approximately 8-10 enchiladas per pan.  Since I'm a BIG fan of cooking once and eating twice, there is literally NO REASON why you shouldn't just make this double batch recipe and put the other pan in the freezer.  Because really, it takes hardly any time at all and it's totally worth it!

Now....here's the truly FABULOUS part.

When serving, top your enchiladas with anything your heart desires (raw cabbage, lettuce, avocados, cilantro, onion, etc) some vegan sour cream and spicy hot sauce.  Because hot sauce is THE BUSINESS- we like Cholula!

Dude.

This recipe is seriously so good.  The husband ate three of these babies just the other night and refused to believe me when I told him the ingredients.  But then again...it's not like he really wanted to know anyway....

When You Want to Go Veg- FIVE SIMPLE TIPS

Recently I have seen more and more folks reaching out to me with questions on food and healthy eating.  They want to eat less meat, they want to go vegetarian or full on vegan and are overwhelmed with where to start.  While I am NO expert and will NEVER claim to be, I have been travelling this path towards healthier, more plant based eating with a meat and potatoes lovin' husband and a picky child, for quite some time now and I've learned some very valuable things.

So how do you do this?  Where do you start?  Dearest Homeschooled Housewife, what advice and tips can you offer me?

Yay! I'm SO glad you've asked.  Here's the response that I've been giving to almost everyone who asks me these questions.

#1- Start small and go slow.  This is HARD and it's all about slow and steady to win this journey.  Don't feel bad if you have a day or two that didn't go as planned and seriously- don't put too much stress and pressure on this.  Focus on one night each week being completely meat free and slowly increase this over time.

#2- Eat more fruits and veggies.  Even if you ultimately decide not to give up meat- you simply need to be eating your fruits and vegetables.  Find ways to get them to your dining table and into your bodies!  Replace the junk food with sides of fruit and put the dark leafy greens in your smoothies.  Super easy! 

#3- If you want to go vegan, start by going vegetarian first.  Nothing kills good intentions quite like biting of more than you can chew.  And in case you didn't know this already- being Vegan takes WORK.  

#4- Stay away from fake foods.  So many people replace real meat with processed vegetarian or vegan foods instead of simply making it themselves.  Want to eat a burger?  Do not rush out a buy a Boca or other "meat replacement fake food" but choose to make yourself a black bean burger (these are AMAZEBALLS easy & so good!) or quinoa burger.  Better for you and cheaper too!

#5- Give up the the Protein Myth.  For the love of God, Americans eat far too much protein!  The truth is that if you eat a well balanced diet full of fruits, vegetables, legumes and grains- you are getting enough protein.  Take care to stay away from those nit picky sudden "Nutrition Experts" who want to question you about your protein and iron intake the moment you announce your move to meat free eating.

Well there you have it- my FIVE TIPS for getting started on a more humane diet.  And for those of you who are wondering, my family is completely vegetarian 5-6 days per week.  We allow for a cheat day or two every week because the truth is that we simply LOVE a real meat cheeseburger or a fabulous steak.  However we are VERY conscious of the meat we do choose to consume and I personally never buy factory farmed meat.  We go local!

In addition to our normal vegetarian diet, we are currently eating vegan dishes at least twice weekly.  I am slowly increasing this amount over time, but again- we LOVE our cheddar cheese and sour cream so this transition has been hard.  We are a normal family that has made this decision to eat a better quality, healthier, plant based diet.  We not only LOVE animals but we love ourselves enough to take the time and energy needed to ensure our bodies are healthy and whole from the inside out, just like you!

You can do this.  I promise you.

Psst...still here?  Check out my MASTER RECIPE LIST here for some easy and yummy vegan and vegetarian recipes.  Many of the vegetarian dishes can easily be converted to full on vegan by making a few simple changes.  Good stuff here y'all!  Enjoy!