5/14 Comfort Food
A cold rain fell yesterday in buckets. It was a spring rain with a winter undertone. I wanted to make something hearty and soothing for dinner. This is what I came up with. I hope you love it as much as we did.
Creamy Chick’n & Artichoke Bake
by S. Duquet
Makes six servings
Ingredients
1 Box of firm tofu 12 oz (I used lite)
1/4 C original almond milk (soy milk would work fine)
2 Tbsp Vegan Cream Cheese (I used Tofutti)
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
3/4 tsp rubbed sage
1 Bag or (8oz) Frozen Chik’n of your choice (I love the Morningstar Farms un- breaded chick’n strips) Defrosted and cut into chunks, a little bit bigger than bite size.
1 C Frozen broccoli
1 C Frozen peas
1 Bag (12oz) Frozen artichoke hearts
5 Pieces of sliced jalapenos from a jar or 1/8 tsp finely diced fresh jalapeno (Just a few gives it a nice heat but if you want more…go for it!)
Make it happen:
~Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
~Defrost broccoli and peas in the microwave or you may leave them in the fridge overnight. Put into a large bowl and set aside
~Defrost artichokes and set aside
~Put tofu, cream cheese, milk and all spices and jalapeno in your food processor. Blend until very creamy, almost whipped.
~Add the defrosted artichoke hearts to your processor and continue to blend.
~Add creamy mixture to the bowl with the broccoli and peas. Mix thoroughly.
~Fold chick’n chunks into the creamy mixture and smooth into a 9 x 13 casserole dish.
~Cover casserole and bake for 30 minutes. Remove cover, sprinkle with Panko crumbs and bake for an additional seven to ten minutes or until bubbly.
Let stand for a few minutes then serve and enjoy!
You will not believe how creamy this is. You can really taste the artichokes and feel the hint of jalapeno. We have always made casseroles with cream of celery soup. It is vegetarian, but not vegan. I wanted to replicate the comforting yumminess of a chicken casserole without the soup, but I was not sure I could pull this one off. I just started dumping things in the food processor like a mad-vegan- scientist. Anyone you serve this to will think you are a rock-star chef.
Enjoy and have a delicious day!
Tags: 30 day challenge, almond milk, artichoke hearts, compassionate eating, cooking with herbs, creamy chicken artichoke bake, Morningstar Farms, tofu, tofutti cream cheese, trying vegan, trying vegetarian, vegan brunch, vegan chick;n artichoke bake, vegan comfort food, vegan cream cheese, vegan entree, vegan recipe
