Cranberry Sunflower Seed Crunch

Sunflower Cranberry Crunch

2 cups sunflower seeds
¼ cup sesame seeds
2-3 tbsp coconut milk
2-3 tbsp cocoa powder
1 cup dried cranberries
¼ cup brown rice syrup

Pulse seeds and coconut milk in blender until a smooth paste forms. You may have to stop it and stir it a little, as it has a tendency to form a big glob on one side. Add a little more coconut milk to make it blend better, but not too much so that it gets goopy. Spoon it into a bowl.

Pulse the cocoa powder, syrup and dried cranberries in blender until it looks mixed together and the cranberries look cut up.

Combine the seed mixture and the cranberry mixture. Roll into a ball and then flatten on a cutting board. Use a cookie cutter or biscuit mold to cut them into circles (or other shapes). Transfer these to a silpat baking sheet.

Cook for about 15 minutes at 325, then turn them over and cook for another 15-20 minutes. Both sides should be light brown.

*info from http://www.whfoods.com/

GF Chicken Tortilla Casserole

Chicken Tortilla Casserole

Instructions

1 lb. chicken (cut into small pieces) or ground chicken thigh
1 red pepper (chopped)
1 orange or green pepper (chopped)
1 can black beans, rinsed
1 small onion (chopped)
1/4 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp coriander
1/4-1/2 bag corn tortilla chips or corn tortillas
olive oil
2 tbsp tomato paste
1-2 tbsp almond milk
vegetable broth
1 tomato (cut into small pieces)

sour cream (optional)
cheddar cheese (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350.

Brown the chicken in a little olive oil. Stir in the tomato paste and gradually add in about 1/4 cup of vegetable broth. Stir in the cumin, peppers and onions. Cook on low heat while preparing the black beans.

Plop the black beans into a saucepan and smoosh to the sides with a spoon so that the mixture gets mushy. Add a little olive oil, a few teaspoons of chicken or veggie broth and the cilantro. Lower the heat and let it thicken, adding more chicken broth if necessary.

Make sure both mixtures are moist so that the casserole isn't too dry.

Crush the tortilla chips and add a layer to the bottom of a round casserole dish. Add a layer of the chicken, a layer of crushed tortilla chips, a layer of black beans. Keep adding layers until you run out of black beans and chicken.


Here's the part where you can add the cheese if you like. I didn't, but when I did before it added a nice crust to the top. If you add the cheese, don't cover the dish when you put it in the oven.

Cover and bake for 45 minutes. Sprinkle the tomatoes on top before serving.
---------------------------------------

Original recipe:

Viva La Chicken Tortilla Casserole

(from Hilarie Wasserman via Charlotte Spellens)
Ingredients:

one pound grated cheddar cheese
4 packages boneless chicken breasts

1 package of Lipton dry onion soup

1 can of green chili salsa

1 can of cream of chicken soup
1 can of cream of mushroom soup(OK to use 2 cans of the same flavor)

2 cups of evaporated canned milk

1 cup sour cream

1 onion grated

1 green pepper chopped
1/4 cup of chicken stock or chicken bouillon

1 dozen corn tortillas



Method:

1.  Wash the chicken breast.  Season with 1 package of Lipton dry onion soup.

2.  Arrange the chicken on a baking sheet. Cover the whole baking sheet with foil.  Bake for 1 hour. 

3.  Microwave Method instead of oven method.
Bake the chicken breast in the microwave oven for approximately 10 minutes on full power.  Be sure to cover the chicken breast. Check the chicken breast about halfway through to be sure they aren’t drying out or cooking unevenly. The cooking time may differ depending on the wattage of your microwave.

4.  When the chicken breasts are cooked completely, slice them into strips.

5.  Mix the following-Use a blender if you have one:
  green chili salsa, 1 can cream of chicken soup, 1 can of cream of mushroom soup, 2 cups of evaporated milk, 1 cup of sour cream.


Putting the casserole together:

1.  Use a 9 by 13 baking dish. Spray with cooking spray.

2.  Cover the bottom of the dish with the 1/4 cup of chicken broth or water.

3.  Tear each corn tortillas into three or four pieces. Arrange the tortillas to cover the bottom of the pan.

4.  Cover the tortillas with a layer of the sliced chicken.

5.  Cover with a layer of the cream soup mixture.

6.  Sprinkle the grated cheddar cheese over the soup mix.
  Repeat steps 3, 4, 5, and 6 until the casserole dish is filled with all the mixtures.

7.  Cover the top of the casserole with more grated cheese.
 Let sit for 24 hours so the flavors mix.

8.  Cover the entire casserole top with foil.
9.  Bake at 300˚ for 1 and one half hour.
Serves 12