Cashews are sexy. I mean I’m wholeheartedly convinced that they have magical powers. Who needs cheese in cheesecake and lasagna when you can use freaking cashews? Those vegans are onto something. Okay I have a story for you. So I had a nutrition professor in undergrad who pronounced vegan like “vay-gan.” But wait. It gets better. It was essentially a class on the science behind cooking, and on the first day he asked if anyone in the room was Jewish (the whole Kosher thing). I reluctantly raised my hand. Needless to say, I was the only one in the room with my hand in the air. Classic. Then he asked if anyone was vegetarian. CRAP. I put my hand back up in the air. Alone again. Yeah… don’t mind me, I’m just the weird vegetarian Jew. Glad to be here. Mazel mazel, good things. I should’ve made these enchiladas for my professor and shoved them in his vay-gan cheese-loving face with a note signed “warmly, the vegetarian Jew.” Coulda shoulda woulda.
Raw soaked cashews make the filling of these bad boys taste exactly like nacho cheese, minus all the unpronounceable chemicals and fake colors. Seeing as this recipe is made for lazy people like me (note the store-bought enchilada sauce), I totally give you permission to pour boiling water (I used my tea kettle) over the cashews and let them do their thang for oh, let’s say five to ten minutes. Drain ’em, toss ’em in the nutribullet and watch ’em turn into heaven before your very eyeballs. Of course you can soak them overnight like a responsible meal planner, but let’s not kid ourselves here. Of note: your tortillas will most likely fall apart in the stuffing and folding process, especially if they’re the kind from Whole Foods with only a couple of ingredients. Have no fear. Cover them with sauce and we won’t even tell anyone. Shhhh.
Oh and if your cashews don’t turn into creamy goodness right away, fear not. Add the salsa and BOOM. Done and done. We’re all semi-cashew virgins, anyway. Nach-YO cheese, if youknowhwhatimsayinnnnnn. Print
