Vegan and Delicious. Can Those Two Words Go Together?

Last night’s dinner was delish. And vegan. A recipe from Food and Wine for vegan enchiladas and quinoa and lentil salad. The recipes are posted below. I am not a huge vegetable fan, and it was all veggies and grains. And it was good.

Vegan Enchiladas

Crema

1. 1 cup raw cashews (4 ounces)
2. 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
3. 1 teaspoon white vinegar
4. 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
5. 1/2 teaspoon salt

Sauce

1. 2 pounds fresh tomatillos, husked and quartered
2. 1 medium white onion, coarsely chopped
3. 2 garlic cloves, chopped
4. 1 jalapeño, seeded and coarsely chopped
5. 2 cups vegetable stock
6. 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
7. Salt and freshly ground pepper

Enchiladas

1. 2 cups butternut squash, diced ( 1/2-inch)
2. 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3. Salt and freshly ground pepper
4. 1 medium onion, finely chopped
5. 2 shallots, minced
6. 2 cups thinly sliced shiitake caps
7. 2 cups frozen corn kernels
8. 2 cups finely chopped Tuscan kale
9. 1 cup canola oil
10. 12 corn tortillas
11. Sliced avocado and red onion, cilantro leaves and toasted pumpkin seeds, for serving

1. MAKE THE CREMA In a medium heatproof bowl, cover the cashews with hot water and let stand for 2 hours. Drain and transfer the cashews to a food processor. Add the lime juice, vinegar, paprika, salt and 1/4 cup of water and puree until smooth and creamy.
2. MEANWHILE, MAKE THE SAUCE In a large saucepan, combine the tomatillos, onion, garlic, jalapeño and stock and bring to a simmer. Cook over moderate heat until the vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a food processor, add the cilantro and puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
3. MAKE THE ENCHILADAS Preheat the oven to 400°. In a small baking pan, toss the squash pieces with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 15 minutes, until tender. Remove the squash from the oven and lower the temperature to 375°.
4. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the onion and shallots and cook over moderate heat until softened, 5 minutes. Add the shiitake and cook until lightly browned, about 6 minutes. Add the corn and kale and cook until the kale is wilted, 5 minutes. Add the squash and season with salt and pepper.
5. In a large nonstick skillet, heat the canola oil. Dip 1 tortilla into the hot oil and cook just until pliable, turning once, about 10 seconds. Drain the tortilla on paper towels and repeat with the remaining tortillas.
6. Spoon 1 cup of the tomatillo sauce into a 9-by-13-inch glass or ceramic baking dish. Arrange all of the tortillas on a work surface and divide the filling between them. Roll up the enchiladas and arrange them in the baking dish, seam sides down. Spoon 2 cups of the sauce on top. Cover the dish with foil and bake for about 25 minutes, until the enchiladas are heated through. Spoon the crema on top and serve with avocado, red onion, cilantro and pumpkin seeds.

Make AheadThe enchiladas can be kept at room temperature for up to 4 hours. The cashew crema can be refrigerated overnight. Serve at room temperature.

Red Quinoa and Lentil Pilaf

Ingredients

1. 1 cup French green lentils, rinsed
2. 1 bay leaf
3. 1 thyme sprig
4. 1 garlic clove
5. 1/4 onion
6. 2 tablespoons coconut oil
7. 1 shallot, minced
8. 1 celery rib, minced
9. 1 carrot, minced
10. 1/2 cup red quinoa, rinsed
11. 1 cup vegetable stock
12. Salt
13. Freshly ground pepper
14. 1 pound cauliflower, coarsely grated
15. 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
16. 1/3 cup coarsely chopped Marcona almonds

1. Put the lentils in a medium saucepan and cover with cold water. Add the bay leaf, thyme sprig, garlic and onion and bring to a boil. Simmer over moderately low heat until the lentils are tender, about 18 minutes. Drain and discard the bay leaf, thyme, garlic and onion. Wipe out the pot.
2. Add 1 tablespoon of the coconut oil to the saucepan. Add the shallot, celery and carrot and cook over low heat until softened, about 8 minutes. Add the quinoa and cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes. Add the stock, season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Cover and cook over low heat until the grains are tender and plump and the liquid is absorbed, about 18 minutes. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes.
3. In a large nonstick skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of coconut oil. Add the cauliflower and cook over moderately high heat until lightly browned in spots, about 5 minutes. In a large bowl, toss the lentils with the quinoa, cauliflower, parsley and almonds. Season with salt and pepper and serve hot or at room temperature.

Helped get everything prepped and ready for the meal, and while the enchiladas were in the oven, I took the bake time and ran. Another 9-minute mile. Was really pushing myself because this cold was wreaking havoc on me yesterday.

This morning I decided instead of trying to kill myself on the treadmill, I would bring it down a notch and just speed walk. Works just as well. Along with about 70 sit-ups and about  20 push ups and some weight lifting, it was still a good workout. And I will  run tonight.

After various errands this morning, I am finally settling in to work on one of my midterms for class – the topic being childhood obesity in the homeless population. It’s actually a very interesting niche to look at in regards to the obesity epidemic. So with that…I am off.