I’m pretty sure that I could drink ranch dressing like a beverage, almost. Or, at least, eat it like a soup. haha! I apologize if that grosses you out, I just love ranch. You’ve probably heard me say that before. I love it so much that the officiant of our wedding worked that into our vows. Yea, that’s how much I’m obsessed with it.
This dressing is up there with my favorite! It’s a spicy variation of it, and it is amazing! My husband loves it too. Anything that he can dip in this, HE DOES.
It goes great with chicken nuggets, chicken strips, wings, or on top of a burger. Just pour it over everything and you’ll be just fine!
I also use it for my Southwest Chopped Salad! If you love the chipotle flavors, you’ll definitely want to check this salad out!
Add all ingredients to a food processor or use an immersion blender and combine until smooth.
Recipe Notes
*If you don't have Primal Kitchen Chipotle Lime mayonnaise, that's ok. Regular/homemade mayonnaise will work, you will just have to add a couple tablespoons of fresh lime juice and extra seasonings. I'd start with an extra 1/4 tsp of each: chipotle powder, garlic powder, and onion powder - then add more if you feel that you need it!
**You can sub cashew, almond, or coconut milk. Just start with 4 Tbsp and add more until desired consistency is reached.
***Unless you know that you really like the dill flavor, start with only 1/2 tsp - then add more to your liking.
This may have been the best thing I’ve ever made…and it couldn’t be more simple! Besides some spices, it has ONLY THREE INGREDIENTS! I’m obsessed with simple flavorful recipes and this is definitely that kind of recipe!! It has just the right amount of kick without being overpowering and is oh-so-rich and creamy – without having a bit of dairy or dairy replacement!
I’m always looking for new ways to give us our cheese fix…since we don’t eat dairy – or much of it, anyways. (My husband is lactose intolerate. You can read more in my “About Me” section of the blog!) This cheese sauce completely HITS THE SPOT!
This sauce is a clean, healthy option to swap your cheese out for, and extra nutritious if you make it with some good bone broth! There isn’t anything in here that I feel guilty about consuming! Just make sure that your cashews are raw and not roasted! If roasted is all you can find, it will still work. It will just have some added oils from the roasting process. Check the ingredients! Sometimes, raw is hard to find!
I’ve made this two nights in a row now, guys. I just can’t get enough. I already have a soup recipe in the works that uses this as well! I meant it when I said I was obsessed!
I made a southwestern-inspired hamburger helper with this and it was AMAZING! I simply mixed the sauce with a pound of ground beef and 8 oz of pasta! EASY! This sauce is delicious as a dip for tortilla chips or drizzled on top of a burger or potatoes too! I’m pretty sure I could on and on about ways to eat this! 😉 Instead, let’s just get to this recipe!
For this recipe, I use a high-powered blender. You can use an immersion blender or whatever blender you have! However, if yours is lacking in the power department, soak the cashews in water for 3-4 hours or overnight. It will make getting the sauce creamy, much easier!
Cut the stem off of each jalapeño, remove the seeds, and slice each one in half - the long ways. ( if you're one of those, keep the seeds and add them for extra heat!) I usually use 3 large jalapeños for this. Feel free to start with two if you're worried about the heat. You can always add more!
Lay each jalapeño half face down on a baking sheet and broil on high for about 5 minutes or until most of the skin has blistered. You can do this over a gas stove too. Just lay them directly on the rack above the flame! I just find that broiling is easier.
To your blender, add your cashews, broth, seasonings, and roasted jalapeños. Plus some seeds if you want extra heat! Start with 1/2 tsp of salt - you can always add more later! I usually go with 1 tsp, but some don't like things very salty!
Blender on high until completely smooth. This takes about about 1-3 minutes, depending on your blender.
The consistency you're left with is thick and luscious - perfect for dipping
If you'd like a drizzle consistency, add 1/2 cup more of broth. To use this as a pasta sauce, add 1 cup more of broth. Salt/pepper may need to be adjusted as well.
It’s hard for me to eat plain food. I LOVE seasonings. When it comes to rice, I never really enjoyed plain white rice. However, cauliflower rice has a nice mild flavor that makes rice SO much more enjoyable for me, personally. It just needs some butter and S&P too – sorry, not sorry! 😉
I decided to take this rice to the next level. With the help of a handful of seasonings, I was able to add tons of flavor, then I piled on some steak and toppings for burrito bowls! After making this rice, I probably could have left the steak out of the bowl and been just fine! This rice reminded me so much of taco meat! So, for vegans out there, you could totally swap this recipe in for some psuedo-ground meat on your next tacos!
In a large skillet or sauce pan, add ghee/butter/oil and melt over medium heat.
Add the riced cauliflower and remaining ingredients to the pan.
Cook for 10-12 minutes (stirring every few minutes) or until cauliflower is softened and done to liking. You can use frozen or fresh cauliflower rice. Cooking times may need to be adjusted for frozen.
I honestly have SO MANY COMFORT FOODS! Chicken Enchiladas are one of those foods! However, this dish used to be filled with a bunch of stuff that irritated my husband’s stomach, and just wasn’t good for anyone to eat a bunch of! Therefore, I knew I HAD to convert it to Paleo…for my poor husband’s sake – it’s one of his favorite meals. I really didn’t want to live without these enchiladas either. I love the creamy filling when it mixes with the green chile sauce. You could definitely sub a red enchilada sauce in this dish too! I just prefer the lighter flavor of the green sauce with these enchiladas. I typically prefer red sauces with beef. That’s just me! You do you. 🙂
You might want to double this recipe too! They freeze wonderfully, if there is any left, that is! My husband has to practice serious self-control around these things – especially since they’re made with my Paleo Tortillas/Crepes! He actually prefers these to any other tortilla. They have a bit of an eggy flavor, compared to other tortillas, and they hold up so well, in comparison! I don’t know about you, but some brands of tortillas, just completely fall apart and tear whenever you try to roll them up! NOT COOL. These tortillas do NOT do that – I PROMISE!
Print Recipe
Creamy Chicken Enchiladas (Gluten, Grain, and Dairy Free)
for the tortillas, I make them in an 8 inch non stick pan for enchiladas. Each batch makes 5-7, depending on how thick you make them.
** You can substitute almond, cashew, or coconut milk instead. If using coconut milk, try to use the creamier part of it - unless you can find "culinary coconut milk" (that's similar to Nutpods!). If using almond or cashew milk, reduce amount to 1/3 cup.
I’m always amazed at how evenly and quickly my Instant Pot cooks meals. It is one gadget that I seriously can’t say enough good things about! It’s been a year with my IP, I should just get used to it…
If you don’t have an IP, you could still cook this on your stove top. Just bake your spaghetti squash separately (it’ll probably take at least 30-40 min, depending on the size) or microwave it , for a quicker cook…then add it to your chicken taco sauce. Still easy, it will just take a bit more time and you’ll have to keep an eye on that pot. That’s probably my favorite part of the Instant Pot, I can set it and not pay any attention to it until the timer goes off and it’s basically ready! I can’t complain about that aspect a bit!
This “pasta” is made with spaghetti squash – so it’s totally guilt-free! If you’re a taco lover, this is a nice change from your typical tortillas, meat, and veggies. I use my jalapeño crema on top of this too! Love the bright, spiciness it adds!
Switch things up on your next Taco Tuesday …or Taco Thursday, Friday, or Saturday, and whip up this guilt-free “pasta”!
To your Instant Pot, add your onions, chicken, seasonings, coconut milk*, tomato sauce, and lime juice.
*(if you don't have coconut milk, use 1 1/2 cups of whatever milk you want!)
Wash and cut spaghetti squash in half - I do it the short ways, around the middle section - so you're left with two "cups."
Line the pot with a double layer of tinfoil. You can use your trivet, if it fits. For the spaghetti squash I used, the handles of the trivet wouldn't allow the lid to close. If you can fit it all in there with the trivet, by all means, use it. It'd work the same.
Place your halved squash on top of the tinfoil layer. Close the lid, seal the valve, press the "Manual" button*, then press the "+" button until the screen reads 8. The pot will switch to "On" while it preheats.
*Make sure it's on High Pressure (if it is on Low Pressure, just press the "pressure" button to get it to High)
Your pot will take about 15 minutes to come to pressure. If you want to speed this up, you could sauté the onions and chicken for a few minutes before adding the other ingredients. For me, this cuts the preheat time in half or more, also you could reduce the cooking time as well. However, then you have to stir and watch the pot more than before. So, do whatever YOU feel like doing. Experiment! When it comes to such a quick cooking time, if something isn't done enough to your liking, it's easy to add a couple extra minutes!
When the timer goes off, do a QR (quick release), and open the lid. Remove your squash and divider.
Make a slurry with the arrowroot powder and almond milk or water and add that to your sauce and stir. Your sauce should thicken in seconds. Personally, we like our pasta saucyyyy. If you want a thicken sauce, you can always make more slurry and add it. Once it's thickened, turn the pot off by pressing "Keep Warm/Cancel."
Remove the inside of your squash, shred, and squeeze excess water out of it. If you don't do this, you will have a VERY saucy pasta - not necessarily bad - but definitely on the "wet" side.
Add your squash to your pot and stir.
Serve it up!
