Cauliflower Enchiladas with Spicy Cream Sauce

Soooooo who knew that cauliflower would make an incredible enchilada filling? Not me, that's for darn sure. but when Joanne of Eats Well With Others likes it, there is no doubt about its supreme deliciousness. That woman does not mess around!

But when you think about it, what's not to love - roasted cauliflower, cream sauce, and a little heat and spice. Sounds like a perfect match to me.

The original recipe uses butter, queso fresco, and yogurt to make a super creamy sauce; veganizing it with cashews and nutritional yeast was my take on it, and even my omnivore, cream loving roommate thought it was pretty spectacular.

A note on the proportions: the recipe below reflects a doubling of what I originally made since my cauliflower was really small and there could have easily been more sauce. In addition, the original recipe involved roasting poblano chilies and peeling them, and adding them to the cream sauce, which sounds delicious but I only had a single jalapeno so that's what I made. As always, freestyle as you like and with what you've got in your pantry. That's the best way to suit your own tastes! 

Cauliflower Enchiladas with Jalapeno Cream Sauce (inspired by Eats Well With Others)
(serves 4-6)

1 large head cauliflower, broken into bite size pieces
2 cups cashews, soaked for at least 2 hours in water to cover them
2- 2 1/2 cups water
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
2 jalapenos, minced (do not deseed)
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon oregano (Mexican if possible)
1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
Salt
pepper
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
12 corn tortillas
4-5 stems cilantro, minced

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss cauliflower with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and place in 1 layer in a baking pan and roast for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside. Turn oven down to 350 degrees.

Drain cashews and add 1 cup of fresh water and nutritional yeast and puree in a blender until smooth. Add more water to create a runny sauce and add soy sauce and reblend. Add salt and pepper to taste and set aside. Saute jalapeno and garlic in 2 tablespoons of oil until soft. Add sauteed vegetables to cauliflower. Stir in all but 2 tablespoons of cream sauce with cauliflower mixtures and stir to combine well.

Pour the extra 2 tablespoons of cream sauce on the bottom of a large (9-11) baking pan and prepare to roll enchiladas. Warm each tortilla one by one just before filling in the toaster oven until just soft. Then place 1-3 florets in each tortilla, and carefully roll up and place in the baking pan. Repeat until all filling is gone. Pour remaining sauce over enchiladas and bake for 30 minutes until piping hot. Serve with minced cilantro on top.

Hugs!

Recipes currently inspiring me:

Sweet Potato, Quinoa and Black Bean Cakes at Stacey Snacks
Jamaican Carrot Soup with Pear Relish at Flavors of the Sun
Swiss Chard and Artichoke Grilled Cheese at Eats Well With Others