Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo Enchiladas? You got that right!

Hey and these are great for folks who are allergic to wheat, dairy, eggs, soy and sugar, too!  This is a fun blending of French and Mexican food traditions in a casserole dish.




Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo Enchiladas


Cook one 3 1/2 pound chicken, remove the bones and skin (save them for making broth / stock) and break it into bite-sized pieces OR use about 4 cups pre-cooked chicken


Reserve 4 cups cooking broth and set it aside (or use commercial stock if possible -- I've never found one that doesn't have something I'm allergic to in it!)


In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooked chicken with one 16 ounce package broccoli cuts and pieces, set this aside


In a medium sized sauce pan, bring the  the 4 cups of reserved broth to a slow boil.  Meanwhile combine 2 cups goat milk (or unflavored rice milk) with 1/2 cup cornstarch.  Mix it well until it is smooth.  Add it to the bubbling stock in the sauce pan and stir it until it is thickened over medium heat.  Add 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, stir them well and remove the sauce from the heat.  Stir in 1/3 cup Romano cheese (made from sheep milk -- check the labels!)  


Add 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon Adobo (lemon) seasoning to the chicken/broccoli mixture.  Stir in approximately 1/2 of the sauce.


In a rectangular baking dish, spread enough of the reserved sauce to just cover the bottom of the pan.


Prep* 14 tortillas.


*To prep the torillas, either fill a pie pan or some other dish with about 1" of broth and allow the tortillas to soak for a couple of minutes, OR fry them for about 20 to 30 seconds in some cooking oil over medium-high heat until they are soft and pliable.


Place the tortillas one at a time on a work surface (I used a dinner plate), and fill them with about 1/2 cup of the broccoli and chicken mixture.  Roll them up and place them seam down into the rectangular baking dish.  Repeat until all are filled.  


I do have an 11"x24"x2" that this would have worked in, but instead I used one 9"x13"x2" and one 9" square baking dishes.  I did this because some of my family can have regular cheese and some can't.


Once all of the enchiladas are filled, spread them with the remaining sauce.  Sprinkle the top with about 1/2 cup Romano (sheep milk) cheese, and bake the casserole for about 25 minutes at 350F.  They are done when the filling is hot and the cheese and sauce are bubbling.




*****

On a personal note, if you've been reading my blog for long, you'll know that I've been off broccoli for about a year now.  This is my first experiment at reintroducing it into my diet.  I don't yet know if this recipe will be successful for me or not.

Some people might think I'm crazy eating things that I "know" I'm allergic to -- however, I'm doing it on the advice of my physician, Dr. Christina Cooke.  She said that as my gut heals, I'll gradually be able to add in most of the foods that are off my list.  My worst allergies, eggs, peanuts, sunflowers and almonds will probably be off my diet for the rest of my life.  However, only time will tell.

Right now we're just experimenting with adding things in.  I'll let you know how it goes!

Blessings,

Sharron