"Chicken" & Bean Casserole

An easy family favourite dinner option Mum used to bake was Chicken & Bean Casserole.  
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Quite often when I look for recipe inspiration I take meals from my childhood and see how I can recreate them healthier and plant-based. Mum's Chicken & Bean Casserole is full of hearty favours infused with garlic, leak, thyme and parsley, which I have used too. However, to make the dish creamy I've substituted the cream/ sour cream for oat milk and the chicken with mini soy nuggets.

This is the first time I've used soy nuggets and featured textured soy protein on my blog. I have to say I'm a fan as they really do add a mock Chicken texture to your dish and a good source of protein. Keeping in mind through, they're still a processed ingredient, that I'm not against, but we should limit our consumption.

My version of this family classic is warming and fit to feed a hungry crowd. 
​
Enjoy!
​Love Alex, Ballerina Bites. xx 

Ingredients
1 leak
2 large carrots
2 celery sticks
4 garlic cloves, crushed
250g green beans
a handful of parsley, finely chopped (storks too) 
1/2 tbsp dried thyme
lots of black pepper

2 cups mini soy nuggets (also know as TVP)
2 cups boiling water
3/4 vegetable stock cube 

1 cup oat milk
1 tbsp corn flour

2 tbsp nutritional yeast

​Method
Pre-heat oven to 180°C Fan. 
In a large saucepan add a dash of water and bring to medium heat. 
Chop leak into thin slices and wash thoroughly, they tend to hold a lot of soil.
Chop carrots and celery into a small dice. 
Add leak, carrot, celery, garlic and sauté until slightly softened. 
(The vegetables don't need to be cooked at this stage as they'll become tender in the oven.) 

In a large bowl add soy nuggets, boiling water and stock cube. Allow the chunks to rehydrate. 

Top, tail and halve your green beans and add to the saucepan along with chopped parsley, thyme, black pepper, oat milk and rehydrated soy nuggets.

Add flour to a small bowl with a dash of oat milk or water. Stir until a smooth runny batter is reached and pour into the saucepan. 

Give everything a good stir before transferring to a large oven safe casserole dish.
Cover with foil and bake for 20mins. 

Once 20min is up, remove foil and sprinkle over nutritional yeast. Bake for a further 20min until a nice crust is formed and golden brown. 

Serve with white/ sweet potatoes, brown rice or quinoa.
Finally garnish with fresh parsley or sprouts and an extra sprinkle of nutritional yeast.

​Serves 4.