Chicken, Chorizo Enfrijoladas (Sugar-Free, High Protein)

The lesser-known sibling of the enchilada is most definitely one of the tastier variations, especially for those that aren't a lover of even mildly spicy foods. Even lesser known are the encremadas - but that's a different story. No, our hero today is the simple black bean - full of protein and barely any of the fat you might get with typical Mexican dishes. The dish, while made up of quite a few components here, is  actually quite simple and so very addictive - I even enjoyed the vegan cheese from Galaxy. Something about this dish just speaks to me, and my family enjoyed it so much that they've been asking for leftovers for lunch and dinner consistently. These are best fresh and fresh made tortillas from your local market make these even more tasty. Chicken seitan mixed with spicy chorizo wrapped in a soft yellow corn tortilla and topped with a lightly murky black bean sauce then baked to a crisp perfection with vegan cheese before being served simply with a thick and acidic salsa or your preferred toppings.

The baked sauce in the casserole after the tortillas are plated is something that could seriously be made a meal on its own. Its like the best type of refried beans that you could ever eat and you'll just want more of it. I honestly almost ran out of tortillas and totally ran out of black beans while making this, I may have even hoarded some of the leftovers for myself. This is a dish that absolutely needs to be crafted and shared on a regular basis, like many Mexican dishes this is one that will help everyone gather around the dinner and have an amazing meal. Its quick to make and you can take a shortcut with pre-cooked, canned beans but it still won't hold as much water as freshly cooked and heated beans from the crockpot. That's not to say that it isn't alright to do this, but take some time out of your morning to just place the beans on "low" on the crockpot and cook until dinner time.

(Enfrijolada Ingredients)

• Soyrizo
• Chicken seitan(recipe follows)
• Corn tortillas(as many you have to fill dish)
• Enfrijolada Sauce(recipe follows)

(Enfrijolada Sauce Ingredients)

• 1 Pound of Dried Black Beans
• Salt, Pepper, Oregano (to taste)
• 1 Red Chili (optional)

(Enfrijolada Sauce Directions)

• Wash your beans and place into your slow cooker with the water for about 8 hours until fully soft.
• Let cool until room temperature then add in your other seasonings until you enjoy the taste.
• Set aside

(Chicken Seitan Ingredients)

• 1 cup of Vital Wheat Gluten
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/2 tbl Chili Powder
• 2 tsp Garlic Powder and Pepper
• 1 tsp Vegetable Oil
• 1/2 cup Vegetable Broth

(Chicken Seitan Directions)

• Mix your dry together, then the oil and knead in the broth. Knead about 35 times then boil for 25 minutes
• slice into pieces and cook in a non-stick skillet with extra seasonings and chorizo.

(Assembly Directions)

• Heat your tortillas if they are more than a day old.
• Fill with chicken seitan and soyrizo, roll like a taquito.
• Nestle into a casserole dish that has been pooled with the bean sauce. Top with more bean sauce.
• Top with some vegan cheese mounted on top to make the sauce even more delectable.
• Bake at 400 degrees until cheese is browned.

Serve with some nice tomato salsa, white onions and a smile - everyone will enjoy! Be sure to scoop out the leftover bean sauce and cheese from the baked casserole dish because it is pure heaven! 

Vegan Nachos Deluxe for Cinco De Mayo (Carne Asada Chiccarones, Dandelion Guacamole, Cheesy Chickpea Nacho Cheese, Refried Beans - Low-Fat, Low-Sodium)

These nachos are so amazingly good - the seitan that I used is slow-cooked for about an hour in a fiery Seitan Asada broth then allowed to marinate in it for about 10 hours before finally being chopped up, lightly fried then lightly covered in the broth. Pair it with some freshly chopped dandelion greens straight from my mini-garden, chunky guacamole and lacto-fermented chickpeas with salsa, this is a sure winner. Underneath are even slower cooked refried beans, caramelized onions and some blue-corn chips.

My randomly chopped up and lightly fried seitan - so good.

(Seitan Asada Ingredients)

• 1 cup of Vital Wheat Gluten (Bob's Red Mill)
• 1/2 tsp of Salt
• A sprinkle of Mrs. Dash Seasoning and Cumin
• 3 tbl of Stewed Chickpea Broth
• Garlic Powder and Cumin to taste

(Cooking Broth Ingredients)

• 6-8 cups of Water
• 3 tbl of Mrs. Dash Fiesta Seasoning
• 1 Large Sliced Onion
• A handful of Dry Red Chillies
• 1 tsp of White Vinegar
• 1 tsp of Raw Sugar
• Salt to Taste

(Seitan Asada Directions)

• Boil your broth ingredients.
• Mix seitan ingredients, then knead for about 50 times.
• Boil seitan in the broth for about an hour.Place a pot top on and cook until it floats to the top. Turn off the heat with the top on and let it marinate for a few hours.
• Then, cut into pieces (the smaller the crispier) and fry lightly for about ten minutes, flipping ever so often.
• Afterwards put about 1/4 to 1/2 a cup of the broth over it and cook on low until everything has cooked through.
• Coat in your preferred amount of garlic powder and cumin, then set aside.

The above mentioned components with my Fry Bread (ignore the picture if you love me).

(Guacamole Recipe-just combine everything)

• 1/6 cup of Tender Dandelion Greens (Chiffonade)
• 3 large Minced Garlic Cloves
• 1/4 large Chopped Red Onion
• Juice of 1/2 Lime
• 2 Large Diced Avocadoes
• 1 Large Diced Tomato

(Refried Beans Ingredients)

• About 1-2 cups of Beans
• 1 cup of Sliced White Onion
• 1 Large Sliced Onion
• 1 tsp of Cumin
• Enough Water to cover the beans

(Refried Beans Directions)

• I didn't add salt to mine, but cook your beans until they are creamy (about 8 to 12 hours)and then mash into the crockpot that you've cooked them in.
• Let them cook a bit more in their own liquid and get started on your nacho cheese.

(Chickpea Nacho Cheese Ingredients)

• About 2 cups of Stewed Chickpeas with Broth (put it in fridge to congeal)
• 2 Vegan Probiotic Capsules (or a bit of Nutritional Yeast)
• 1 Large Sliced Onion
• 3 tsp of Garlic Powder
• 1/2 jar of Favorite Salsa

(Nacho Cheese Directions)

• Mix your chickpeas and broth with the powder in the capsules and then let ferment for about 2 hours in the window light.
• Add your garlic powder and salsa, then blend until smooth and creamy, let that sit for about another hour.
• Make any last adjustments, then serve with the enjoy!