Coming from Wicker Park in Chicago, the lack of food options was a shock when I came to a small town for college. There were no more fat black bean burgers, avocado tortas or bowls and bowls of noodles. There is also a lack of real grocery items. Anything remotely "ethnic" is absent from the shelves; it's presence is only warranted in some dull, American version. Luckily for me, I cooked just as much as I used to eat out.

For the past year, I have done without a meal plan and have cooked my entire sophomore year, and will until graduation. I hope to share all my awesome recipes I've developed along the way! Today's recipe is one for my creamy vegan enchiladas. As someone who likes to have dishes last longer, since I have class constantly, I have found stack enchiladas to be a great option for meal prep. They are fairly easy to make and you can always add your own twist. The enchiladas are hearty and full of vegetables, and the marinated tofu acts as a great cheese alternative!

Ingredients:

Enchiladas:

- Extra firm tofu (3)

- Corn Tortillas (large)

- Frozen corn (to save time, otherwise fresh corn)

- Black beans (3 cans)

- Boiled, chopped sweet potatoes (3)

- Sauteed spinach (fresh or frozen)

Toppings for enchilada filling for each layer:

- Sliced tomatoes

- Fresh spinach

- Chopped green shallots

- Sliced avocado

Sauce:

- Tomatillos (3)

- Sundried tomatoes

- Water

- Tomato paste

- Vegetable broth (16 oz.)

Seasonings:

- Olive oil (extra virgin-first cold pressed)

- Chopped onion (3)

- Minced garlic

- Pepper

- Turmeric 1 tsp (optional)

- Lemon juice

- lime (2)

- Fresh chopped cilantro

- Oregano

- Chopped sundried tomatoes (for tofu's bath)

Step 1: The Tofu

Day 1

Prepare your counter with clean paper towels, three books, knife for chopping, cutting board and a big bowl. Take the tofu out of the container, but watch out for the water it's packed in! Now take place the blocks of tofu onto the paper towels. Ensure that each block is covered fully by paper towels. Take a book and place on top of each block. Leave for one to two hours.

If you don't have a book, feel free to use your can of beans and cutting board!

Remove book and paper towels. You should notice that the block is smaller and firmer, as the paper towels have absorbed a lot of the water. Chop the tofu into small squares.

Mix 1 cup of olive oil with garlic, cilantro, lemon juice, chopped sun-dried tomatoes and pepper (and the optional turmeric) in a big bowl.

Put chopped tofu in mixture and mix around. Make sure every square is covered in the mixture. Remove 1 cup of this mixture, let soak in its own bowl. This smaller bowl of tofu will be used later in the recipe. Let both bowls soak overnight.

Refrigerate mixture.

Step 2: The Filling

Day 2

This is where the creamy part comes in! You are going to need your black beans, sweet potatoes, onions, seasonings, knife, strainer, bowl and large mixing spoon.

Take your cooked black beans, rinse off, drain. Boiled chopped sweet potatoes. When they are done boiling, drain:

Add cooked black beans, chopped boiled sweet potatoes, spinach, frozen corn, onions, oregano and cilantro to either a Magic Bullet or a food processor. Process the mixture until it is all mixed together. Remove mixture, place in bowl.

Take tofu mixture from fridge, add entire contents to black bean mixture. Mix all the contents together. If the tofu crumbles, that is fine!

Step 3: Creating the sauce

Chop and boil tomatillos in vegetable broth, minced garlic, chopped onion, 1/2 cup of water and tomato paste.

When sauce is beginning to boil, check its thickness, Stir if the sauce is too watery, and add 1 tsp of masa harina.

Step 4: Preparing the dish

First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees and prepare your baking pan. Rub with olive oil and red sauce, and put one layer of corn tortillas on the bottom of the pan. Gather chopped green shallots, sliced tomatoes, sliced avocados, lime juice and fresh spinach.

Take the already prepared baking pan and place bean mixture onto first layer of corn tortillas. The mixture should be thick, and do not pile too high. Rub evenly over tortillas.

Every time you add the filling mixture onto the tortillas, add chopped green shallots, remaining fresh spinach, sliced tomatoes, avocado and a spritz of lime to top it for each layer. Top layer with corn tortillas.

Add red sauce on top of newly layered tortillas. Add filling mixture on top of new tortilla layer, and top with vegetables as stated above (optional). Layer again with new tortillas, then red sauce.

Repeat until ingredients or pan are full.

Step 5: Bake the dish.

Remove leftover 1 cup of tofu mixture from fridge. Pour on top of stacked enchiladas. The tofu will crisp and add moisture to the dish.

Add dish to oven. Bake your enchilada dish.

After 10 to 15 minutes, or until tofu is browned, remove from oven. Let cool for 15 minutes. Top with remaining green shallot, cilantro and Herdez's guacamole salsa for added schnazziness. Enjoy!