Recipe: Layered Rainbow Enchilada Bake

Looking to eat the rainbow all in one dish while sticking to your favorite comfort foods? Look no further than this layered rainbow enchilada bake. This dish incorporates an assortment of colorful bell peppers that are high in vitamin C, lycopene, and beta-carotene. Cauliflower rice offers a great source of tannins which help with reducing blood pressure and boosting the immune system. Purple onion and cilantro round out the dish and complete the rainbow. The chicken can be substituted for black beans and there are many great dairy-free cheese alternatives out there to make this a vegetarian or even vegan dish while still achieving Plate Method proportions.

Layered Rainbow Enchilada Bake

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp avocado oil, divided
• 8 flour tortillas, fajita-sized
• 2 large chicken breasts
• 1 whole red bell pepper
• 1 whole orange bell pepper
• 1 whole yellow bell pepper
• 1/2 purple onion
• 1 1/2 C frozen cauliflower rice
• 4 oz can green chiles
• 12 oz jar red enchilada sauce, or homemade sauce
• 1 C shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• Optional for serving:
  • Sliced avocado
  • Cilantro
  • Sour cream
  • Black beans
  • Salsa
  • Jalapenos
  • Scallions

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces. Thinly slice peppers. Chop onion. Set ingredients aside.
2.  Add 1 Tbsp avocado oil to the skillet on the stovetop over medium heat. Add chicken and cover with the lid. Stir often, cook 4 minutes.
3. Add cauliflower rice, peppers, onion, and green chiles to the chicken. Stir often. Cook for 5-10 minutes, or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. Once cooked, turn the stove to low.
4. Add another 1 Tbsp of avocado oil to an oven-safe baking dish or cast-iron skillet. Halve tortillas and layer 8 halves across the bottom of the pan.
5. Add half a chicken and a veggie mixture to the baking dish atop the tortillas. Pour 6 oz of enchilada sauce over top.
6. Layer remaining tortilla halves on top of the sauce.
7. Repeat step 5, then cover the dish with cheese and place in the oven. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the cheese melts and the tortillas soften.
8. Remove from oven to cool for 5 minutes.
9. Top with sliced avocado, cilantro, sour cream, black beans, salsa, jalapenos, scallions, or other toppings to serve.

Tip: For a quicker vegetable prep, buy the Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods 365 frozen tri-color bell pepper strips. For a quicker protein, try shredding rotisserie chicken or buying pre-shredded rotisserie chicken. Using plain Greek yogurt as sour cream might sound odd, but don’t knock it until you’ve tried it — it actually tastes very similar, with more protein!

Swaps:

• For the chicken: black beans
• For the red enchilada sauce: green enchilada sauce or salsa
• For the flour tortillas: Siete grain-free cassava flour tortillas or corn tortillas
• For the Monterey Jack cheese: Another cheese or a dairy-free alternative (Trader Joe’s mozzarella-style “shreds” or Daiya Mexican 4 cheeze flavor blend)
• For the sour cream: Greek yogurt