Honey Lime Enchilada Casserole

I've recently been on a kick of attempting to re-make some of our old favorite meals.  At the beginning of going "heart healthy" and eating more plant based meals, we thought we'd eat meat only once a week.  Truth be told, I haven't purchased meat in almost 2 years and the only time I eat it is if we're at a friends house and it's in something.

This enchilada recipe was one we said we'd make over and over again even though we'd gone plant-based, but it never happened.  A few weeks ago, I got an itch for that Honey-Lime enchilada sauce and couldn't get it out of my mind.  I just had to figure out how to make the meal plant-based!

So here is what I came up with.  It ended up being a little too spicy for our little guys, but if it weren't for that I think I could easily eat this dish once a week.  Until they're older, I'll be making this for friends when they come over!  I was going to go the traditional route and roll the "stuffing", but it was too wet, so I made it into a casserole.  It worked out perfectly.  You can't taste the tofu at all, and you'll be scraping the plate for one more drop of the sauce.  Believe me, I took a spatula to the baking dish after putting leftovers away, and let me tell ya, I don't think I've seen a cleaner dish enter my sink!

Top these babies with whatever you wish.  I had olives on hand, but avocados or finely chopped lettuce would have been nice.  I served some slightly seasoned brown rice with these along with roasted green beans and a salad.  We were stuffed.

A time note: these are best if the tofu/bean mixture has all day (or even all night!) to sit in the sauce.  It takes all of 5 minutes to prep that part, so I strongly suggest thinking ahead.

Another note: you can combine 3 cups cooked brown rice with the tofu mixture before layering to help soak up all the goodness and have a less "wet" dish.

Don't forget -- Cinco de Mayo is just under a week away!

Honey Lime Enchilada Casserole [almost vegan]
serves 6 hungry men or 8 "regular" servings

• 1 block firm tofu, drained
• 2 cans white beans (cannellini, great northern...) rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/3 cup lime juice
• 1 (heavy) TBLS chili powder
• 3/4 tsp garlic powder
• 3 10oz cans green enchilada sauce 
• corn tortillas
• enchilada toppings of your choice: salsa, lettuce, cheese, olives, guac or avocados 

-- Crumble the tofu into a large bowl until it's small chunks.  Add the beans.

-- In a small bowl, combine the honey, lime juice, chili and garlic powders with 2 cups enchilada sauce.  Stir until honey is dissolved.  Pour sauce over tofu/bean mixture and mix. The best thing to do at this point is let this mixture sit in the fridge until you're ready for it (up to a day!)

-- When you're ready, preheat your oven to 350.  While that's heating up, layer the casserole like this:  Start with the rest of the sauce from the opened can (a scant 1/2 cup) and spread it into a lightly greased 9x13 baking dish.  Next, lay down a layer of corn tortillas (you may have to cut them in half so the flat parts are against the side of the dish).  Next, pour in half the tofu/bean mixture followed by another layer of corn tortillas and the rest of the tofu/bean mixture.  End with a final layer of corn tortillas and an entire can of enchilada sauce (1 1/4 cups).

-- Bake, uncovered, for 30-40 minutes (just enough time to make rice!) until the top begins to brown ever so slightly.  Let sit for 5 minutes before cutting.