Swiss Chard Enchiladas, Oil-Free

Written by on in Recipes

I received some absolutely GORGEOUS swiss chard in my CSA share this week. So it was meant to be that Gaz Oakley of Avant-Garde Vegan’s latest recipe was a Chard Enchilada.

I adore Gaz’s videos and recipes. As a professionally trained chef, everything he does is beautiful. But he often uses ingredients I personally don’t consume including vegan butter, oil, and salt. So in this week’s video I decided to make his recipe oil-free and mostly salt-free. Watch the video to see how they turned out and check out my version of his recipe below.

SOS-Free version of Gaz Oakley’s Chard Enchiladas

glass dish with chard enchiladas covered in enchilada sauce

Enchilada Sauce Ingredients

  • 1 red onion, chopped
  • 5 cloves garlic, minced
  • ½ teaspoon ground coriander
  • ½ teaspoon ground cumin
  • 2 tablespoons smoked paprika
  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano
  • 2 teaspoons dried thyme
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 3 cups vegetable broth
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • ½ teaspoon chipotle powder
  • black pepper to taste
  • 1 can tomato paste (6 ounces)
  • 4 tablespoons chickpea flour

Filling Ingredients

  • Swiss chard stalks, chopped
  • 1 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
  • 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
  • ½ red onion, sliced
  • 1 cup white button mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 ½ cups black beans
  • 1 ½ cups cooked brown rice
  • large handful fresh parsley, chopped

5 large swiss chard leaves, cut in half along the stem

Optional: Vegan cheesy sauce (I recommend this whole-food “cheese” sauce by Food Revolution Network)

Directions

  1. For the sauce, add the chopped onions and garlic to a dry medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Sauté for about 3 to 5 minutes, adding water or broth as needed if anything sticks.
  2. Add in the spices and tomato paste and cook another couple minutes.
  3. Add the flour and cook for a minute or two, then add broth, scraping up any bits on the bottom of the pot.
  4. Allow the sauce to simmer and thicken for about 20 minutes. Stir occasionally.
  5. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and prepare the filling.
  6. In a large skillet on medium heat, add the sliced onions and sauté for a couple minutes.
  7. Add the sliced peppers, mushrooms, and chard stems and continue to sauté for about 5 minutes.
  8. Add the black beans, rice, parsley, and a half a cup to a cup of the enchilada sauce. Mix everything well.
  9. Cover the bottom of a 9 by 13 inch casserole dish with a layer of the sauce.
  10. Add about a half cup of filling (and a drizzle of vegan cheesy sauce, if using) to the larger end of each chard leaf, roll to close, and then arrange in the casserole dish. Pour any remaining enchilada sauce over top of the enchiladas.
  11. Bake, uncovered for about 30 minutes and serve.