Vegetarian Spinach And Lentil Enchiladas Recipes

SPINACH ENCHILADAS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and onion; cook for a few minutes until fragrant, but not brown. Stir in spinach, and cook for about 5 more minutes. Remove from the heat, and mix in ricotta cheese, sour cream, and 1 cup of Monterey Jack cheese.
• In a skillet over medium heat, warm tortillas one at a time until flexible, about 15 seconds. Spoon about 1/4 cup of the spinach mixture onto the center of each tortilla. Roll up, and place seam side down in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Pour enchilada sauce over the top, and sprinkle with the remaining cup of Monterey Jack.
• Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, until sauce is bubbling and cheese is lightly browned at the edges.

VEGETARIAN SPINACH AND LENTIL ENCHILADAS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
• In a large bowl, mix together the cooked lentils, spinach, lime juice, salt, cheese, chipotle powder, cayenne and cumin. Taste and season with salt/pepper if needed. Add 1/4 cup of the sauce into the mix and stir well.
• Dip a tortilla into the sauce, then add the filling (about 1/3 cup) to the tortillas and roll up. Place seam-side down in a baking pan, then continue with the rest of the tortillas. Top with the remaining sauce and cheese, if desired.
• Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 10 minutes. Top with avocado and cilantro, if desired.

VEGETARIAN ENCHILADAS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• For the sauce: Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, and cook, stirring frequently, until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, chile powder, cumin and cayenne, and continue to cook, stirring, until the spices are toasted, about 1 minute. Add 2 cups water, the tomato puree and 1/2 teaspoon salt, and bring to a simmer. Continue cooking until the sauce reduces and thickens slightly (it should be looser and thinner than marinara sauce), 15 to 20 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly.
• For the filling: Squeeze all the excess moisture out of the spinach. Put it into a large bowl with the pinto beans, and squeeze with your hands to combine and smash up the beans a little. Add half of both the Cheddar and the pepper Jack, half of both the sour cream and the scallions and 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, and stir to combine.
• Spread about 1/2 cup of the tomato sauce in the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Lay the tortillas out on a work surface, and spread 1 side of each with about 1 teaspoon of tomato sauce. Put about 1/4 cup of the filling across the middle of each tortilla. Roll each up, then shingle them in 2 even rows in the baking dish. Pour the remaining sauce over the top of the rolled tortillas, and sprinkle with the remaining cheeses. Cover the baking dish loosely with foil, and bake until the cheeses are melted and the filling is hot, about 30 minutes. Uncover, and continue baking to heat completely through, about 10 minutes more.
• For the topping: Whisk together the remaining sour cream, the lime juice and a pinch of salt in a small bowl. Drizzle the mixture over the baked enchiladas, and sprinkle with the remaining scallions.

VEGAN ENCHILADAS

Steps:

• Rinse lentils thoroughly to remove any dirt and place them in a medium-sized pot. Add broth and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer with a lid on for about 20 minutes (or until tender). Then remove the pot from the heat but keep covered for a further 10 minutes.
• While the lentils cook, prepare your enchilada sauce first and then start making the enchilada filling. To make the enchilada sauce, heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add all spices and cook for about 2 minutes. Stir in the flour, and cook for another minute, stirring frequently. Add the tomato sauce and bring to a boil. Let simmer until the sauce is thick, approximately 5 minutes.
• To make the enchilada filling: In a skillet heat oil over medium heat. Add onion + garlic and sauté for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add chopped bell peppers, tomato, grated carrot, and 1-2 hot chili peppers and sauté for 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
• Add all dry ingredients (spices, salt + pepper, the oats, the sunflower seeds, and the ground chia seeds) into a food processor and blend for about 20-30 seconds.
• Add the cooked veggies and the tomato paste, and blend again.
• Finally, add the cooked lentils and blend until everything is combined. The mixture should stick together and the texture should look like in the pics below. If the mixture isn't thick enough or doesn't stick together, then add more ground oats.
• Preheat oven to 390 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Spread 2 heaped tablespoons (100 g) of enchilada filling over a tortilla.
• Roll up the tortilla and place it into a greased baking dish.
• Repeat this step with the other tortillas.
• Then pour the enchilada sauce on top of the tortillas. I made two layers of 4 tortillas each (7 x 11 in baking dish) but you can make just one layer with 8 tortillas. The filling is enough for 12 tortillas, so you could also make more than 8 (depending on the size of your baking dish).
• Bake uncovered for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, pour my easy vegan cheese sauce on top (or use your favorite vegan cheese to taste), and put the enchiladas back into the oven for 10-15 minutes. Serve hot, garnished with fresh cilantro or greens of choice (optional). You can also pour a little vegan sour cream on top if desired.

HEARTY LENTIL SOUP WITH SPINACH - VEGETARIAN VERSION

Steps:

• Heat olive oil at medium-high heat.
• Add onions, carrots and celery; cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables begin to soften (4-8 minutes).
• Add garlic and cook until fragrant (30 seconds).
• Stir in tomatoes, bay leaf and thyme; cook until fragrant (30 seconds).
• Stir in lentils, salt and pepper to taste.
• Cover, reduce heat to medium-low and cook until vegetables are softened and lentils have darkened *7-10 minutes).
• Uncover, add vegetable broth and water.
• Bring to a boil, cover partially, and reduce heat to low.
• Simmer until lentils are tender but not mushy (30-35 minutes).
• Discard bay leaf.
• Puree 3 cups soup in blender until smooth, then return puree to pot.
• Stir in spinach until wilted.
• Serve! (or place in plastic containers for work!).