(Almost) Vegan Enchiladas: Zucchini, Olive, Corn & Black Beans

I've loved Amy's frozen enchiladas for a while- the kind with corn and black beans and ooey gooey veggies and sauce!  So I decided to give it a try.  These were very good- the hubby went back for seconds which is always a good sign.

Except for being difficult to get out of the pan in one piece, these would be good for a dinner party or when you have out of town guests-- since you can prep it ahead, and pull it out of the fridge and bake once they arrive.

Some recipes grate the zucchini and forgo the saute step. But I wanted to remove the extra moisture and get the taste of the filling just right before assembling.  I think it was worth the extra step.

If your family doesn't like olives, you can add them at the end to individual servings instead of to the whole batch. Just make sure to mark them with olives on top so you can identify them post-baking.

Filling:
Saute with olive oil and 1/2 tea salt until softening:
2-3 C diced zucchini
1 small yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can black olives, chopped
optional: 2 stalks celery, sliced thinly

Now add, stir and cook until warmed through:
3/4 to 1 C frozen sweet organic corn
1/2 C or more cooked black beans (see this post on making your own beans instead of buying canned!)
1/2 tea oregano
1/2 tea ground cumin
scant 1/4 tea ground black pepper

Taste and add more seasoning or salt if needed. Turn off heat.


Assembly:
Spoon 1/4 C or less of red enchilada sauce into a pyrex pan.  Working with one whole wheat tortilla at a time, spoon the veggie mixture into the tortilla, sprinkle optional sliced green onions/scallions, roll it up, and place on top of the sauce in the pan.

Fill up the pan with tortilla-veggie bundles. 

Now spoon a thin layer of enchilada sauce over the top.  In total, I used 1/2 C or less of enchilada sauce to make 4 enchiladas.

Sprinkle cheese (dairy cheese or vegan cheese) and optional olive slices over the top.

Bake at 350 F for 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and some parts of the sauce on the tortilla are drying out.

Serve as is, or get fancy with avocado slices, cilantro sprigs, or sour cream (dairy or vegan).