Poblano “Crema” Enchiladas

Healthy, veggie-packed green enchiladas make a delicious spring or summer weekend dinner. Vegan & gluten-free with tomatillo sauce & poblano cashew crema.

Nothing like a five o’clock Friday post the day before Cinco de Mayo… I’m sure everyone’s off on a patio with a margarita in hand by now, but I just had to get this one last recipe out before I go pour my first happy hour drink.

We made this last night (hence the late post). I’ve posted cashew cream before, but I have to say that this roasted poblano version really takes the cake. If you make only one component here, make that. It’s a wonderful creamy sauce on these vegan enchiladas, but it would be delicious dolloped onto many things (ie. the salad I ate for lunch today), or by itself as a dip.

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Poblano "Crema" Enchiladas

 

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Author: Jeanine Donofrio

Serves: 2 with extra crema

Ingredients

For the roasted tomatillo salsa and enchilada sauce:

• 4-5 medium to large tomatillos
• 1 jalapeño
• ½ onion, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• ½ cup water
• A few sprigs cilantro, chopped
• Splash extra-virgin olive oil for the pan
• Sea salt

For the cashew poblano crema (this makes extra):

• 1 poblano pepper
• 1½ cups raw unsalted cashews
• ¾ cup water
• 1 small garlic clove
• ¼ cup minced onion
• 3-4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste

For the mushroom and spinach sauté:

• ½ cup chopped onion (or whatever you have left from above)
• 1½ cups sliced mushrooms
• ½ garlic clove, minced
• 2-3 large handfuls spinach
• Splash extra-virgin olive oil for the pan
• Sea salt and fresh black pepper

To assemble:

• Corn tortillas
• Splashes of olive oil
• Cilantro and chopped onion or scallion, for garnish
• Lime slices, for squeezing

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to high broil. Spread the poblano, tomatillos, and jalapeño on a baking sheet and broil. After 5 minutes, check for blistered skin and rotate the vegetables. Roast until blistered on all sides, checking and rotating every 5 minutes. I broiled my tomatillos and jalapeño for 15 minutes and my poblano for 20. When the poblano is fully blistered, place it in a bowl covered in a towel or plastic wrap for 15 minutes to cool.
2. Meanwhile, make the tomatillo salsa: Remove the stems of the roasted tomatillos and jalapeño and place in a food processor. In a medium skillet, heat a drizzle of olive oil and sauté the onion until golden brown. Stir in the garlic and cook a minute longer. Add the onion mixture to the food processor and use a few short pulses to combine the roasted vegetables and the onion mixture.
3. Turn the salsa into enchilada sauce: Wipe out the skillet you used for the onion and add the salsa to the pan. Cook over medium heat, stirring continuously while it starts to bubble and reduce. Add the ½ cup water and a pinch of salt to the pan and let the sauce reduce a bit more. Taste for seasonings. Stir in the cilantro and set aside.
4. Make the mushroom sauté: Wipe out the same pan that you’ve been using. Heat a splash of olive oil over medium heat and add the onion and a pinch of salt and cook until translucent. Add the mushrooms and cook for 8-10 more minutes, stirring occasionally, until they brown and cook down. Stir in the garlic. Turn off the heat and add the spinach, stirring until it wilts down from the heat of the mushrooms. Set aside.
5. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
6. In a shallow dish that’s larger than your tortillas, pour in a bit of the tomatillo sauce and a splash of olive oil. Dip each tortilla into the sauce, flip it over to coat, and set aside until you’ve dipped each one.
7. Splash a little olive oil and a few scoops of the sauce into the bottom of a casserole dish. Take each tortilla, fill it with the mushroom and spinach sauté, and roll it up. Place the tortillas snuggly next to each other in the dish. Pour more (not all) of the tomatillo sauce over the top. You’ll want to reserve a bit of sauce to put on top after they come out of the oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes.
8. Meanwhile, make the cashew crema: Slide off the skin and remove the seeds and stem from the roasted poblano. Blend the poblano, the cashews, ¾ cup water, garlic, onion, lemon juice, and salt in a high-speed blender. Taste and adjust seasonings to your liking. Set aside.
9. Remove the enchiladas from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes or so. Liberally, spoon the poblano crema on top. Spoon a little more of the tomatillo sauce on top of that and garnish with the cilantro and onion slices. Squeeze a bit of lime over the whole thing and serve.

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