Vegan Enchilada Pie

I found the original recipe for this enchilada pie in a Seventeen Magazine many, many, many (I am not kidding) years ago and have been enjoying it ever since. It is so yummy that the thought of adding meat to it never occurred to me.

I modified it to make it vegan by replacing the dairy cheese with Daiya which tastes and melts like dairy cheese!

This recipe can be modified in so many ways to your liking. Meat it up with ground beef or down the fat by not frying the tortillas.

Ingredients:

One package of 12 corn tortillas

2 cans of beans, drained and rinsed

1 can of corn, drained

1 28 oz can of diced tomatoes

1/2 a diced onion

1-2 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 fresh hot pepper (chili, habanero), chopped without the seeds

Spices as desired, such as cumin

1 package of Daiya pepperjack shreds

Corn oil

To make your filling: saute your onion, garlic and hot pepper in a couple of tablespoons of corn oil. Add desired spices and cook until onions are soft. Add diced tomatoes, beans, and corn and cook until heated through. Bam! Done!

Cover the bottom of a small frying pan with corn oil and heat on medium heat. Using tongs carefully fry the tortillas one at a time for a few seconds on each side. The oil should be hot enough that it will sizzle and the tortilla will puff up, but not burn. Drain on paper towels, placing additional towels in between the tortillas and put aside. Lower the fat content in this dish by slightly moistening the tortillas with water, wrapping them in foil and placing them in a warm oven instead of frying.

Assemble your pie in a baking dish that measures approximately 12" x 12" by placing a small amount of sauce on the bottom of the dish. Take each tortilla and dunk each side in the filling. Place four tortillas on the bottom, slightly overlapping edges. Spoon the filling on top of tortillas and sprinkle with a couple handfuls of Daiya. Repeat for the next layer. Place your last four tortillas on top and spoon a small amount of the filling on top and the rest of the Daiya. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes until the edges of the tortillas turn golden brown and crispy.