Wednesday, April 23, 2014

"Cheesy" Chicken-Broccoli Casserole (Dairy-Free)

I've been spending some time on Pinterest lately, trying to find some new recipes to cook up while I have a little free time. I know that I have food allergies to all things containing gluten and to dairy, but I am usually a little too liberal with allowing some dairy back into my diet now and again. I just got back from Paleo F(x) and decided I needed to cut dairy out completely for at least 60 days and see how I feel. But it is very difficult to find a good casserole recipe without any cheese in it!

I saw somewhere about using pureed squash to try and mimic cheese in a dish, so I decided to give it an experiment. I used a whole can of coconut milk and a bunch of roasted butternut squash and it turned out awesome! Definitely gives a creamy, cheesy feel without the dairy. Hope you enjoy as much as we did!

Ingredients
1) 1.5 pounds of cooked chicken, shredded (this was 2 pounds raw weight)
2) 2 pounds of cubed butternut squash
3) 2 onions, diced
4) 1 pound of broccoli (about 3 cups), fresh or thawed
5) 1 can (15oz) of coconut milk

**Servings: 4-6

Instructions
1) Gather your ingredients.
2) Preheat your oven to 400 degrees, and preheat a large skillet on medium. Using a silicon mat or aluminum foil, line a cookie tray and spread your squash evenly on top.
3) Chop up your onions if you haven't done so. As soon as the oven is preheated, add your squash and set a timer for 30 minutes.
4) Add your onions at the same time to your large skillet. You can add some cooking oil at this time if your pan is not non-stick. You will saute the onions for the same 30 minutes you cook the squash, until they are super soft and carmelized. Stir the onions every few minutes so they do not burn.
5) While the onions are cooking, chop up your broccoli florets into bite-sized pieces.
6) Once your onions have cooked for 25 minutes, stir in your broccoli bites.
7) Cook for the remaining 5 minutes until your timer goes off and your squash in ready.
8) Once the squash has roasted for 30 minutes, take it out of the oven.
9) Add the entire can of coconut milk to a food processor or blender, and add half your squash mixture. Puree until smooth, and then add the rest of your squash and puree again.
10) Add your pureed mixture to your onions and broccoli, and stir to incorporate.
11) Stir in your cooked, shredded chicken and mix until well incorporated.
12) Cook for an additional 3-5 minutes until everything is warmed through. Now eat up and wow your friends and family with this delicious, and dairy-free meal!

1 comment:

  1. 3 Researches SHOW How Coconut Oil Kills Waist Fat.

    The meaning of this is that you actually get rid of fat by consuming coconut fat (also coconut milk, coconut cream and coconut oil).

    These 3 researches from big medical journals are sure to turn the traditional nutrition world upside down!

    ReplyDelete