Portobello and Poblano Enchiladas with Smoky Poblano Queso | Vegan

These vegan portobello and poblano enchiladas with smoky poblano queso were created with summer in mind, but they're delicious any time of year. A mixture of smoky poblano peppers and meaty portobello mushrooms are tucked into tortillas and topped with homemade poblano queso and avocado cream. 

Happy Friday!  I'm writing this post from the comforts of a lovely boutique hotel room in Philadelphia where Dan and I have ventured off to for a wedding this weekend. Dan  is  softly  snoring breathing as I clack away at my keyboard and sip a piping hot cup of coffee. That statement has maybe 1 drop of relevance to this post but I tend to get writer's block when I'm out of my element, so you might have to bear with a few off-the-cuff ramblings.

These Portobello and Poblano Enchiladas were created with Cinco de Mayo in mind, and they are so festive and delicious. The key to ramping up the flavor in this recipe is to char the poblano peppers over an open flame; it creates this amazing smoky flavor that weaves its way throughout the enchiladas and the queso.

Did someone say queso? Yes. I did. This vegan queso is created by blending cashews, yellow squash, nutritional yeast, arrowroot powder, and a variety of other seasonings and then whisking the mixture over the stove to thicken it. The result is a super creamy, slightly smoky, and highly addictive vegan queso that can be enjoyed alone with chips and drizzled over the enchiladas. One recipe, two purposes.

The enchiladas are savory, warm, and filling with just a touch of sassy spice. The drizzlings of queso, avocado cream, and a variety of toppings  take this simple dish from good to awesome, so I encourage you to get creative and maybe even a little crazy with your enchilada flare.

I hope you all have a wonderful and safe weekend! Check back on Monday for a colorful spring recipe and the announcement of a tiny but fun collaboration project Dan and I have been working on together!

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5 from 1 vote

Portobello and Poblano Enchiladas with Smoky Poblano Queso

These vegan portobello and poblano enchiladas with smoky poblano queso were created with summer in mind, but they're delicious any time of year. A mixture of smoky poblano peppers and meaty portobello mushrooms are tucked into tortillas and topped with homemade poblano queso and avocado cream. 

Course Entrée

Cuisine plant-based, Vegan

Prep Time 40 minutes

Cook Time 18 minutes

Total Time 58 minutes

Servings 4

Ingredients

• 3 poblano peppers
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil or olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 ½ cups diced yellow onion
• 10 ounces baby bella mushrooms, diced
• sea salt
• 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 tablespoon filtered water
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• Dash cayenne pepper
• 4 10- inch tortillas (I used sprouted grain tortillas)
• ½ cup raw cashews, soaked in water for at least 30 minutes to soften
• 1 cup filtered water
• 1 heaping cup peeled and diced yellow squash (i.e., summer squash)
• ¼ cup nutritional yeast flakes
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 ½ tablespoons arrowroot powder/starch/flour (all the same)
• ¾ teaspoon sea salt
• pinch of cayenne
• 1 avocado
• 1 lime
• optional garnishes: green onions, cherry tomatoes, cilantro

Instructions

• Char the whole poblano peppers over an open flame. I just set each over its own burner and turned them over with tongs every 3-4 minutes. Once the skin is completely blackened, move the peppers to a large bowl and cover them with a damp paper towel. Let them sit for 10 minutes to steam. Once they've steamed, carefully remove the charred skin, de-stem, and de-seed. Then, finely dice one of the peppers and set aside in a bowl and largely dice the other two peppers and set aside in another bowl.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Add coconut oil to a large skillet over medium heat. Add in the garlic and yellow onion. Cook for 4-5 minutes. Add in the mushrooms and a pinch of salt, to taste. Cook for 8-10 minutes or until the mushrooms are tender and most of the water has evaporated. Stir in the largely-diced peppers and cook for one more minute. Remove the veggie mixture from the heat and set aside.
• Add the black beans, tablespoon of water, cumin, paprika, ¼ teaspoon sea salt, and cayenne pepper to a bowl and mash into a chunky paste with the back of a fork.
• Prepare each enchilada by spreading the black bean mixture evenly over the tortilla, scoop ½ a cup of the mushroom and poblano mixture over the bottom third of the tortilla and carefully roll the tortilla. Place the enchilada, seam down, into a baking pan. Repeat with each tortilla. Use any remaining mushroom mixture to surround the tortillas to keep them moist while they bake. Bake for 16-18 minutes. I loosely draped a piece of foil over the enchiladas so that they wouldn't dry out while baking.
• As the enchiladas bake, prepare your smoky poblano queso by adding the soaked cashews, 1 cup water, chopped and peeled yellow squash, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, arrowroot powder, ¾ teaspoon sea salt, and a pinch of cayenne to a high-speed blender. Blend on high for 2-3 minutes or until the mixture is perfectly smooth. Add the liquid to a sauce pan and heat over medium-low, whisking continuously until thickened. This process will take about 8-10 minutes so be patient. When desired thickness is reached, turn off heat and stir in the finely-diced poblano pepper.
• Prepare the avocado sauce by adding the flesh of one avocado, juice of one lime, and a pinch of sea salt to a food processor. Process for 3-4 minutes or until completely smooth. If you want to pipe the mixture over your enchiladas, carefully spoon it into the corner of a Ziploc bag and cut off a tiny portion of the corner of the bag.
• Remove the enchiladas from oven, let cool for a few minutes to set. Plate each enchilada, drizzle with queso and avocado sauce, and top with desired garnishes(tomatoes, green onion, cilantro, etc).
• Serve and enjoy.