Cheesy (No Cheese) Chicken Nacho’s

Nacho’s are a food that I have never really eaten. It’s not a meal that would jump at me and scream eat me. When I could eat gluten and dairy I would not have thought to have chosen this for my dinner. In recent weeks however I have been experimenting with cashew nut cream cheese. I had an idea about cooking more meals with this type of cheese.

So I sat down at my kitchen table and wrote down a list of meals I would like to make with my cream cheese. Nachos suddenly sprung to mind and I got to work on the recipe immediately. I have to be honest, I was a little apprehensive about serving this one to my son. He was not a fan of corn chips but my panic was not necessary.

When I served the meal there was the usual unsure look but as soon as he tried it he thought it was yummy. My husband was also a big fan of this dish as he said what he always says when he’s enjoyed a meal, ‘You can make this one again.’ So there was a big thumbs up from everyone and we will definitely be eating Nacho’s from now on.

Serves 4

Equipment

• Nutribullet or blender
• Sharp knife
• Chopping board
• Large pan
• Plastic brush
• Wooden spoon
• Teaspoon
• Tablespoon
• Baking tray

Ingredients

• Cashew nuts x 100g
• Milk of your choice x enough to cover the cashew nuts
• Nutritional yeast x 4 tbsp (optional)
• Uncooked or cooked chicken x 200g
• Onion x 1
• Red pepper x 2
• Coriander x 1 handful
• Spinach x 4 handfuls
• Tomatoes x 2 400g tins
• Tomato puree or tommy k x 2 tbsp
• Smoked paprika x 1 tsp
• Mild or Hot chilli x 1 tsp
• Ground cinnamon x 1 tsp
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Oil for the pan
• Corn Chips x 200g

Method

• Pour the milk over the cashew nuts and put in the fridge for six hours or preferably overnight.
• Put the cashew nuts, milk and nutritional yeast (optional) into the blender or nutribullet cup.
• Blend these ingredients together and set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 180°C or gas mark 4.
• Peel and chop the onion and set aside.
• Cut the top from the red pepper and remove the core.
• Now slice the pepper and set aside.
• If using uncooked or cooked chicken cut it into 1 inch pieces.
• Put the large frying pan on a high heat and add oil to the base.
• Spread the oil across the base of the pan with the plastic brush.
• When the pan is hot add the onion.
• Fry the onion until it becomes translucent.
• Next add in the red pepper and fry until it becomes soft.
• If using uncooked chicken add it to the pan and cook until it becomes golden brown.
• Sprinkle over the spices and fry for a further minute or so.
• Pour over the tomatoes and bring to the boil.
• Turn the heat down and leave to simmer.
• Add in the tomato puree and stir it in.
• If using cooked chicken add it in now.
• Chop the coriander and add this to the pan.
• Then add the spinach and the cashew nut cream cheese.
• Stir all these ingredients in until the spinach has completely wilted.
• Now pour the nachos into your baking tray.
• Remove the sauce from the hob and pour it over the nachos.
• Stir these around and spread the mixture evenly across the base of the baking tray.
• Put in the oven for 15 – 20 mins or until any nachos poking out on the top start to go golden brown.
• Remove, serve and enjoy.

Cheesy (No Cheese) Chicken Nachos were delicious and as I mentioned earlier my husband, son and I really enjoy this dinner. It’s one we will be having again soon, no doubt. While I was writing the method I thought that you could also make this into a vegan dish by adding black beans or tofu. Sadly I don’t think this meal is freezable but it’s not that much hassle to cook. So one for family and friends everywhere. However you decide to make this meal, as always, enjoy.

Have you never thought about cooking a certain meal and then found yourself making it? If so, how did it go? Let me know in the comments below and please don’t forget to like and follow me. Thank you. xxx