spicy sweet potato enchiladas

When we were on our honeymoon this summer we ate at an amazing little Spanish-Indian fusion place in Sausalito called Avatar's. The owner prepared a special curried pumpkin enchilada for us and it was like nothing I've ever tasted. When we returned from California, I immediately started looking for recipies to imitate this dish. Although the recipe I decided on doesn't involve any curry, I had to try it.

I was really impressed with the results! We both love spicy food so we added Habanero peppers from the Farmer's Market with the onions and garlic and they gave it such a good kick, but still not too spicy.

Recently we discovered Yves Veggie Chorizo, which has a very similar flavor and texture to Soyrizo but is much much lower calorie and lower fat, so we used this instead. The whole recipe, including the prep, sauteing, and baking took almost 1 1/2 hours...so make sure you have plenty of time to make this one. Next time we are going to try soaking the sweet potato in warm water or baking them first...I'm not sure if this will give them the right consistency, but hopefully it will save us a little time. The potatoes seemed to take a really long time to soften. BUT, it was worth the wait. Half way through our meal my husband thought to put fresh cilantro on top..which we're going to do from the start next time. I'm so glad we have plenty of left overs!

Spicy Sweet Potato Enchiladas

1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium sized organic onion, diced
4 cloves organic garlic, minced
1-2 organic Serrano, Jalapeno, or Habenero peppers, diced*
1 organic sweet potato, cut in 1/2 inch cubes
1 can organic black beans, drained
1/2 of a 12oz jar of organic roasted red peppers, chopped*
1/2 package Veggie Chorizo
1 tablespoon organic cumin
1 package corn tortillas
1 24oz can spicy vegan red enchilada sauce
shredded vegan cheese (I like Follow your Heart Monterey Jack)

*If you're not crazy about spending the extra money on organic ingredients, peppers should be an exception. Conventional peppers contain some of the highest pesticide levels of any produce. If you have trouble finding organic roasted red peppers, you can easily roast fresh red peppers by cutting them in half, putting them under the broiler until the skins turn black, and carefully peeling the skin away.



Saute the olive oil, chopped onion, garlic, and hot peppers until the onion is translucent. Then add the sweet potatoes (which you may have already soaked in warm water or pre-baked).

After the sweet potatoes are soft, add the black beans, roasted red peppers, Veggie Chorizo, and cumin. Stir all ingredients thoroughly & let everything simmer on low until the beans are soft.

Pour enough red sauce into the pan to coat the bottom.

Fill & roll your corn tortillas. (It helps to microwave the corn tortillas for about 30 seconds or warm them in the toaster oven before you roll them so that they won't break.)

Fill the pan with the rolls, and top with the rest of your sauce. Sprinkle vegan "cheese" on the top. Bake for about 30 minutes.