Quick Chicken Enchilada Casserole (dairy, corn, soy and gluten free)

This is my semi-homemade moment. I love preparing meals from scratch. However, these days I need a meal to be quick and easy to prepare. No time amidst potty-training, answering 4,000 four-year-old type questions, and saying yes to "up peeeese" (aka, pick me up please or I might make you wish you had :).

It's also a reality that a quick and easy gluten/ soy/ dairy free meal is hard to come by in my supermarket freezer section! So I have been experimenting with recipes like this one to satisfy our needs. This meal turned out so well that the husband gave me the look (you know, the kind of look where he closes his eyes in satisfaction) during dinner so that I knew he was loving it!

The "cheese" of this recipe is adapted from our favorite dairy-free sour cream recipe from Kelly @ The Spunky Coconut. We eat this stuff, and her dill sour cream all the time at our house. Our younger two always ask for more "ikeam", which is what they call the sour cream :) Hey, if they think that this healthy stuff is ice cream, I'm not gonna correct that!

Tip: you can measure out the cashews and soak them out on your counter while you go to work or go about your day. Then everything is ready to blend up when you want to cook your meal. This casserole does take 30-35 minutes in the oven, but what I love is that the prep-time is about 10-15 minutes. I can play with my kids while the oven does some work :)

Quick Chicken Enchilada Casserole, dairy/soy/corn/and gluten-free

Serves 8-10 (made more than 2 meals for our fam of 5) or 1 8"x 12" casserole dishIngredients
Have ready:

• 1/2 package of brown rice tortillas (we use Food for Life brand which can be found at most major supermarket chains, frozen)
• 1 can of healthy re-fried beans, like Amy's brand
  

For the Chicken Mixture

• lb of prepared/ cooked roasted chicken, white and dark meat is fine (I get a whole prepared rotisserie chicken from Whole Foods or make my own chicken broth and use the chicken meat for this)
• 1 medium onion, diced (about 3/4 a cup diced)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 can organic tomatoes
• 3 Tbsp organic tomato paste
• 1-2 Tbsp of a trusted brand of healthy taco seasoning (we try to avoid gmo and soy ing.- you can simply check the back- make sure it is only spices listed!)
• 1 small (4.5 oz.) can green chilies
• salt to taste

For the Dairy-free Cheesey Mixture (adapted from this sour cream recipe @ The Spunky Coconut

• 2 cups chashews, soaked at least 2 hrs and then strained and rinsed of their soaking water
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 2 cans green chilies (9 oz total)

Method

• Preheat your oven to 375 degres F and prepare a large cassrole dish
• In a large skillet, sautee the oil and onion for about 5 minutes, then stir in the garlic and sautee for another 3 minutes.
  
• Then stir in the chicken, 1 can of chilies, can of tomatoes, tomato paste and 1 tbsp of taco seasoning (you can add more after you taste if your family likes things spicier). Set aside for assembly.
• Make your "cheese" mixture by combining all ingredients and pureeing in a food processor or high powdered blender. A Vitamix or Blend-Tec will produce a creamier "cheese". Set aside for assembly.
• To assemble: Lay down 1 brown rice tortilla in the bottom of casserole dish. I had to tear mine to fit the full layer. Top that with a thin layer (1/3 of can) of the re-fried beans. Then add the chicken mixture. And finally add 1/3 of the cheese mixture. Repeat this process 3 more times finishing with the cheese mixture on top.
• Cover and bake for 15 minutes. Then uncover and bake for 20 more minutes until the "cheese" on top begins to crack and brown. Serve immediately with your favorite salsa and enjoy!

This recipe has been linked up to the following (check out these tasty links for more healthier inspiration):