So Delicious Dairy-Free Cheese Shreds...Featuring Corn & Black Bean Chilaquiles #vegetarian #MeatlessMonday #cheesy #TexMex

Disclosure: So Delicious provided me with product samples to facilitate recipe development for this feature. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

After a few weeks of research and planning for a new nutritional path, The Weekend Gourmet is now officially a part-time vegetarian kitchen! To be honest? This is a completely new way of cooking and eating for us...but we're embracing these changes. My cardiologist has recommended that I incorporate more plant-based meals, so those changes will be reflected in the products and recipes I share here at The Weekend Gourmet going forward. It's really fun to discover new ways to enjoy dishes that are healthier...while still enjoying the Big Flavors that we love! Keeping the types of foods we eat familiar is working best for us so far. One of our favorite new ways to enjoy the flavor and texture of traditional dairy cheese in a plant-based way is to use So Delicious Dairy-Free Cheese Shreds.

Their line of coconut milk-based non-dairy cheese shreds are  vegan, gluten free, and contain 90 calories per serving. Although they're made with coconut milk, they don't have a coconut note in the flavor. The Cheddar Jack shreds fill in perfectly for traditional dairy cheese in my comforting vegetarian Corn & Black Bean Chilaquiles. Whether you serve this dish for Meatless Monday dinner...or a lazy weekend brunch...I promise you won't miss traditional cheese at all! The So Delicious Dairy-Free Cheese Shreds melt nicely and taste great.

Corn & Black Bean Chilaquiles 

adapted from Vegetarian Times

WW Freestyle Smart Points: 8 SP per serving

Ingredients (for 4 servings):

• 4 yellow corn tortillas
• Olive oil spray
• 2/3 cup So Delicious Dairy-Free Cheddar Jack Shreds
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
• 15-oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 3/4 cup cooked, crumbled soy chorizo sausage
• 1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
• 1 small Haas avocado, chopped
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup fat-free plain Greek yogurt
• 2 tbs. lime juice

For the sauce:

• 3 Roma tomatoes
• 1 green tomatillo
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/2 medium yellow onion
• 1 small canned chipotle chile in adobo, seeds removed
• 2-3 sprigs fresh cilantro
• Salt & pepper to taste

Directions:
Step 1: Make the sauce. Preheat oven to 375. Cut Roma tomatoes and tomatillo in half and place on baking sheet. Add the garlic cloves and onion to the baking sheet. Spray with olive oil spray and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast the veggies for approximately 15 minutes, until the tomatoes are browned and softened.

Place the roasted veggies, chile in adobo, and cilantro sprigs in a blender. Blend until it becomes a smooth tomato mixture. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set sauce aside until you're ready to assemble the dish.

Step 2: Cut the corn tortillas into strips. Spray with the olive oil spray and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for approximately 10 minutes, until the tortillas are crispy and golden brown.

Step 3: Assemble the dish. Spray an 8x8 baking dish with olive oil spray. Place a small amount of the tomato sauce in the bottom of the dish and top with the tortilla chips -- make sure you have an even layer of chips! Top with the corn, red onion, black beans, soy chorizo. Sprinkle the So Delicious Dairy-Free Cheddar Jack Shreds on top of the chilaquiles toppings.

Step 4: Pour the rest of the tomato sauce evenly over the top of the dish. Bake the chilaquiles for 15-20 minutes, until they are bubbly around the edges. While the chilaquiles bake, make the lime cream. Combine the Greek yogurt and lime juice with a whisk to form a creamy sauce with a drizzle consistency -- season with salt and pepper to taste.

Step 5: Let the finished chilaquiles cool for 5 minutes before serving. Drizzle the top of the chilaquiles with the lime cream and top with chopped avocado and green onion. To serve, spoon the chilaquiles in shallow bowls, and drizzle additional lime cream on top of each serving.

This dish is incredibly good...comforting and the perfect amount of spice! The So Delicious Dairy-Free Cheddar Jack Shreds melted perfectly in the filling -- there's definitely no sacrifice of flavor or texture using this cheese! The addition of beans and soy chorizo makes this dish filling and hearty. For us, this is an important consideration to ensure we stay satisfied and don't become overly hungry between meals.

Prefer your food extra spicy? Feel free to add an additional chipotle chile to the sauce...or top each serving with sliced jalapenos. Vegan? Simply leave off the Greek  yogurt drizzle...or substitute a plant-based alternative.

One final word about the So Delicious line of dairy-free cheese shreds made with coconut milk. In addition to Cheddar Jack, they also have Cheddar and Mozzarella shreds. I can't wait to try the Mozzarella variety when I make homemade pizza later this week! To find this delicios cheese alternative at a store near you, simply visit the So Delicious online Store Locator.

Disclosure: So Delicious provided me with product samples to facilitate recipe development for this feature. All opinions expressed are solely my own.