Southwestern Vege-Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Didn't dice the avocado. got in a hurry. Topped with a little sour cream.

I'm from Texas so I have to have lots and lots of Tex-Mex recipes - especially enchiladas. I have recipes for enchiladas with flour tortillas and corn tortillas. This is one of the corn tortilla types. I used several types of vegetarian chicken including Morningstar Farms chicken strips, Fri-Chik cut up into strips, Morningstar Farms Vege-Chicken Nuggets, and other vegetarian chicken substitutes. The rest of the enchilada recipe is what makes the dish good anyway.  Here we go....

Ingredients:

• 2-3 cups vege-chicken cut up
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 to 1 tsp chili powder to taste
• 1/4 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tbsp Canola oil
• 1/2 onion chopped
• Red or green bell pepper chopped
• About 10 oz spinach, fresh or frozen chopped
• 1 1/2 cup salsa mild to hot depending on your taste
• Corn tortillas (6 inch)
• 1 cup shredded cheese (Monterey Jack is good but so it cheddar, mozarella and once I grated up some leftover Brie), 
• 1/4 lb cubed Velveeta.
• 1/4 cup evaporated milk
• 1/2 cup diced tomatoes 
• 1 Avocado peeled and diced
• Chopped black olives
• Cilantro for garnish
• Cooking spray

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray
2. In a medium bowl, combine chicke, garlic, cumin and chili powder. Add to lightly oiled skillet and cook over medium high heat for 4 to six minutes until vege-chicken starts to brown. Remove and set aside.
3. Add oil to the  skillet. Add onion and pepper; cook over medium heat stirring occasionally about 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in the spinach. Add cubed Velveeta, diced tomatoes, milk  and salsa. Stir until melted. Add chicken srips to sauce
4. Coat a 2 quart casserole dish with cooking spray.
5. Fold sauce and chicken mixture by spoonfuls into corn tortillas and roll. Place tortilla rolls side by side in the casserole until you fill up the casserole. Spread the rest of the sauce and chicken mixture over and around the enchiladas. 
6. Cover with shredded cheese and bake 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.
7. Peel and dice avocado. Garnish the top of the casserole with avocado, black olives and cilantro. 
8. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving. 

Serving Suggestion:

Serve with sweet corn and maybe a salad with a nice Ranch dressing and some tortilla chips, iced decaf tea or caffeine free Dr. P. 

Tom King.