Chicken, Cauliflower, Broccoli & Cashew Cream Casserole

This casserole was an adaptation of a casserole we made at the Vegan Cooking for Everyone in Cooks Academy. The cashew cream sauce is an alternative to a white wine cream sauce. It is dairy free and gluten free. 

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Casserole filling Ingredients:

• ​1/2 a head of cauliflower
• 1/2 a head of broccoli 
• 3 chicken fillets
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Salt & Pepper

 Roast the Broccoli and Cauliflower in the oven with olive oil at 200°C/400°F for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, slice the chicken fillets into small pieces and cook in the oven for 10 minutes. 
 
White Wine Cashew Sauce:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 4 leeks (white part) diced
• 10 cloves of garlic (1/4 cup)
• 1 cup of white wine
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley
• 1/4 cup fresh basil
• 2 tsp sea salt
• 3 1/4 cups of cashew cream:
  • 100g unsalted, unbaked cashews
  • 300ml water

Soak the cashews for at least 8 hours, and drain them. Add 400ml of fresh water on top of the cashews and use a hand blender to puree until the sauce is creamy. 
In a sauce pan, heat the olive oil and leeks stirring for about 5-7 minutes. Then add the minced garlic, white wine and let the sauce reduce for 5 minutes. Add the cashew cream. At this point you have to stir the sauce constantly because it will start to stick to the bottom of the pan. Cook until the sauce has thickened and remove it from the oven to cool. Add the basil, parsley and salt. 

Casserole Topping:

• 3/4 cups quinoa flakes
• 1/4 cup jumbo oats
• 2/3 cup toasted and chopped walnuts
• 3 tbsp poppyseed
• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
• 1/3 cup chopped chives
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup olive oil

Mix these ingredients except for the walnuts together in a large bowl. Heat the walnuts over medium heat in 1 tsp of olive oil for 5-7 minutes, until browned. If you have time, you can soak walnuts in water before (or even overnight) to get rid of the bitterness that they often get when roasting. 

Assemble the chicken, broccoli and cauliflower in the bottom of a casserole dish. Pour the sauce over them evenly, and sprinkle the topping evenly across the dish. 

Put the casserole in the oven and cook at 180°C/350°F for 25 minutes (until the sauce is bubbling and the topping is browned).