Meatless Mole Enchiladas
By Dennis Linden
Sonia Sigur, now a three-time participant in this blog, outdid herself this time with an easy and irresistible enchilada recipe. Her filling consists solely of fresh ingredients -- Melissa's Peewee Dutch Yellow® Potatoes, Veggie Sweet Mini Peppers, riced cauliflower and tomato -- laced with jalapeño. This delectable combination is wrapped in a flour tortilla, then placed in a baking pan filled with her unique peanut butter-Hatch powder infused mole; more mole is poured over the top of each and covered with two cheese options (dairy-based or vegan) and baked.
"It's been ten months since I adopted a plant-based diet, and I love it!" Sonia exclaimed. "I don't miss eating meat, though on occasions I'll eat regular cheese. I guess, technically, I'm a Lacto-vegetarian! The curiosity about plant-based foods was perked while learning about it through Melissa's Plant-Based Program. I felt that I should educate myself before pitching it to our customers. However, what really amped me into giving it a go was watching the Netflix Series, "The Game Changer." I highly recommend watching it. For these enchiladas, I also made a second batch for my family that included a regular cheese to satisfy their taste buds. My cooking skills are very limited, so easy recipes are a must."
While Sonia's tasty filling easily replaced the shredded beef or poultry that I have come to expect in this ancient Mexican staple that dates back to those foodie Aztecs, the real star of this recipe is her very original mole. An internet search will produce hundreds of variations of this traditional sauce that all have a fundamental commonality – hours of preparation and cooking to meld together the flavors of up to 30 different ingredients. Sonia's version takes more time to measure out than cook, yet there is no shortage of flavor in the results, which certainly match a modern-day lifestyle -- with all due respect to the Aztecs. Even a novice cook should not be intimidated attempting this recipe; it's quick, easy to prepare and deliciously addicting. Besides, who can resist a chocolate-covered enchilada?
Sonia Sigur has been a member of Melissa's team for five years now. She is the Account Manager for one of the company's largest hybrid accounts, a unique company that operates both retail and wholesale operations throughout the Western states. This business profile has required Sonia to perfect the art of multi-tasking truly.
"As an Account Manager, I must wear many hats if I am to do this job right. I'm a seasoned merchandiser, sales representative and sometimes even an in-store product demonstrator. Whatever it takes to get the job done, I'm committed!" Sonia explained, adding. "I also provide support by evaluating the consumers' needs and offer product-based solutions to build strong relationships with my customer."
One of the fun aspects of my job sometimes goes beyond the recipes I write about, as I've been able to share a little bit of each team member's life journey -- especially when working on three recipes over time from the same person. For instance, at the time of her first submission, Sonia's then 13-year-old daughter, Madeline, made her own Halloween costume with glue and a sewing machine; today, she is driving herself to stores as a demo person for Melissa's! Married 18 years to Rich, who Sonia describes as her dream-come-true soulmate and the real cook in the family, Sonia's latest passion outside of the office is flipping tires at her CrossFit workouts. When asked what famous person she would invite to her table if she could, Sonia's answer was immediate:
"That's easy! The actor Sam Elliott -- my first and forever TV crush! I can't get enough of him or his voice. The menu would be based on some sort of a chuckwagon pantry recipe so that he would be forced to wear his cowboy hat, and, hopefully, at the end of the meal, he would tip it at me with that smile."
Thank you, Sonia Sigur, Account Manager and tire-flipping Renaissance woman who makes a mean mole!
Meatless Mole Enchiladas
Yield: 12
Ingredients
Mole Sauce:
1 tablespoon avocado oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups vegetable broth
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1½ tablespoons all-purpose floor
1 tablespoon peanut butter, natural
1 teaspoon Melissa's Hatch Pepper Powder
1 teaspoon ground oregano
1½ teaspoon chipotle powder
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
Filling:
1½ pounds Melissa's Peewee Dutch Yellow® Potatoes, diced
5 Melissa's Veggie Sweet Mini Peppers, diced
1-2 jalapeños, diced [according to taste]
2 Roma Tomatoes, diced
1 cup Cauliflower, riced
Enchiladas:
2 cups white cheddar cheese, grated [option: vegan cheese]
Salt and pepper, to taste
12 flour tortillas, medium-size
Preparation:
Mole: In a large skillet, add oil, minced garlic and chopped onions, and sauté until the onions become translucent, then add the vegetable broth, the rest of the mole ingredients, and whisk well. Simmer for 5 minutes to thicken, let cool, then run the sauce through a blender until smooth. Set aside. Tip: if the mole is too spicy, just add some yogurt to reach desired taste.
Season potatoes with salt, then oven roast at 425°F until tender.
Season vegetables with salt and pepper, sauté in olive oil until fully cooked, then combine in a bowl with the cooked potatoes for the filling.
Lay each tortilla on a cutting board, place a line of the filling across the center, pull the bottom half of the tortilla over the filling and roll tight. Be careful not to overfill; about one-third of a cup for each enchilada.
Cover the bottom of a baking pan with ¾ of the mole sauce. Place each enchilada in the baking pan, seam side down. Pour the rest of the sauce over and top it off with lots of cheese. Cover pan with foil and cook at 350°F for 20 minutes.
Sonia Sigur, now a three-time participant in this blog, outdid herself this time with an easy and irresistible enchilada recipe. Her filling consists solely of fresh ingredients -- Melissa's Peewee Dutch Yellow® Potatoes, Veggie Sweet Mini Peppers, riced cauliflower and tomato -- laced with jalapeño. This delectable combination is wrapped in a flour tortilla, then placed in a baking pan filled with her unique peanut butter-Hatch powder infused mole; more mole is poured over the top of each and covered with two cheese options (dairy-based or vegan) and baked.
"It's been ten months since I adopted a plant-based diet, and I love it!" Sonia exclaimed. "I don't miss eating meat, though on occasions I'll eat regular cheese. I guess, technically, I'm a Lacto-vegetarian! The curiosity about plant-based foods was perked while learning about it through Melissa's Plant-Based Program. I felt that I should educate myself before pitching it to our customers. However, what really amped me into giving it a go was watching the Netflix Series, "The Game Changer." I highly recommend watching it. For these enchiladas, I also made a second batch for my family that included a regular cheese to satisfy their taste buds. My cooking skills are very limited, so easy recipes are a must."
While Sonia's tasty filling easily replaced the shredded beef or poultry that I have come to expect in this ancient Mexican staple that dates back to those foodie Aztecs, the real star of this recipe is her very original mole. An internet search will produce hundreds of variations of this traditional sauce that all have a fundamental commonality – hours of preparation and cooking to meld together the flavors of up to 30 different ingredients. Sonia's version takes more time to measure out than cook, yet there is no shortage of flavor in the results, which certainly match a modern-day lifestyle -- with all due respect to the Aztecs. Even a novice cook should not be intimidated attempting this recipe; it's quick, easy to prepare and deliciously addicting. Besides, who can resist a chocolate-covered enchilada?
Sonia Sigur has been a member of Melissa's team for five years now. She is the Account Manager for one of the company's largest hybrid accounts, a unique company that operates both retail and wholesale operations throughout the Western states. This business profile has required Sonia to perfect the art of multi-tasking truly.
"As an Account Manager, I must wear many hats if I am to do this job right. I'm a seasoned merchandiser, sales representative and sometimes even an in-store product demonstrator. Whatever it takes to get the job done, I'm committed!" Sonia explained, adding. "I also provide support by evaluating the consumers' needs and offer product-based solutions to build strong relationships with my customer."
One of the fun aspects of my job sometimes goes beyond the recipes I write about, as I've been able to share a little bit of each team member's life journey -- especially when working on three recipes over time from the same person. For instance, at the time of her first submission, Sonia's then 13-year-old daughter, Madeline, made her own Halloween costume with glue and a sewing machine; today, she is driving herself to stores as a demo person for Melissa's! Married 18 years to Rich, who Sonia describes as her dream-come-true soulmate and the real cook in the family, Sonia's latest passion outside of the office is flipping tires at her CrossFit workouts. When asked what famous person she would invite to her table if she could, Sonia's answer was immediate:
"That's easy! The actor Sam Elliott -- my first and forever TV crush! I can't get enough of him or his voice. The menu would be based on some sort of a chuckwagon pantry recipe so that he would be forced to wear his cowboy hat, and, hopefully, at the end of the meal, he would tip it at me with that smile."
Thank you, Sonia Sigur, Account Manager and tire-flipping Renaissance woman who makes a mean mole!
Meatless Mole Enchiladas
Yield: 12
Ingredients
Mole Sauce:
1 tablespoon avocado oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups vegetable broth
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1½ tablespoons all-purpose floor
1 tablespoon peanut butter, natural
1 teaspoon Melissa's Hatch Pepper Powder
1 teaspoon ground oregano
1½ teaspoon chipotle powder
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
Filling:
1½ pounds Melissa's Peewee Dutch Yellow® Potatoes, diced
5 Melissa's Veggie Sweet Mini Peppers, diced
1-2 jalapeños, diced [according to taste]
2 Roma Tomatoes, diced
1 cup Cauliflower, riced
Enchiladas:
2 cups white cheddar cheese, grated [option: vegan cheese]
Salt and pepper, to taste
12 flour tortillas, medium-size
Preparation:
Mole: In a large skillet, add oil, minced garlic and chopped onions, and sauté until the onions become translucent, then add the vegetable broth, the rest of the mole ingredients, and whisk well. Simmer for 5 minutes to thicken, let cool, then run the sauce through a blender until smooth. Set aside. Tip: if the mole is too spicy, just add some yogurt to reach desired taste.
Season potatoes with salt, then oven roast at 425°F until tender.
Season vegetables with salt and pepper, sauté in olive oil until fully cooked, then combine in a bowl with the cooked potatoes for the filling.
Lay each tortilla on a cutting board, place a line of the filling across the center, pull the bottom half of the tortilla over the filling and roll tight. Be careful not to overfill; about one-third of a cup for each enchilada.
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