Mexican Lasagna

My family loves Mexican food - well, the American version of Mexican food.  We like tacos, enchiladas, fajitas, tostadas.  So I decided to come up with another way to enjoy one of our favorite genres of food.  

Give this simple dish a try.  You won't be disappointed.

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef

1/2 large onion - chopped

1 can black beans - rinsed and drained

1 can tomato soup

1 tsp salt 

1 tsp garlic powder

1 1/2 tsp chili powder

1 1/2 tsp cumin

3/4 tsp coriander

3 cups grated cheese

4 flour tortillas - 8" wide

Brown your beef  and onions in a sauce pan.  I always put onions is my meat - even if it's just dried onions.  Onions make it taste so much better.  Once your meat is no longer pink, drain the fat (if you have any).

Add the beans, tomato soup, salt, garlic, chili, cumin and coriander.  Stir to combine and allow it to cook on the stove for about 5 minutes to help combine all the flavors.

Place a tortilla in the bottom of a non-stick springform pan.  This is the type of pan used to make a cheesecake.  If you don't have one - go get one.  Believe me, you'll love it.

Now you're going to layer everything.  Start with the meat.  Put about 1/4 of it on top of the tortilla.  Then sprinkle about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of cheese.

Then add another tortilla, more meat, and more cheese.

You can use more or less cheese, depending on your preferences.  We like cheese in this house - so we may have used more than the recipe asks for.  : )

Do two more layers (tortilla, 1/4 of the meat, 3/4 cup cheese) and then it should look like this:

Place the pan in the oven and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  The cheese will be melted and lightly browned and perfect!

This will be super hot.  So let it sit for a few minutes and then place it on a serving platter or plate.  Once you've set it on the plate, take the side off your springform pan.

What a beautiful and fun way to present your food.

You can see all the different layers of yumminess.

Cut it into wedges and serve with sour cream, guacamole, or chopped tomatoes.  Of course these toppings are all optional, but they sure do look good - and they taste even better!

Happy eating!

Frijoles Negros

I love having Black Beans whenever we have mexican food. After a few test runs, I've finally found some that my family loves!

Ingredients:

1/2 to 1 Tb. olive oil

1/3 cup finely chopped onions

1/3 cup finely chopped green pepper

2 cloves finely chopped garlic

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1/2 tsp. cumin

finely chopped jalapeño (optional)

1 can black beans (undrained)

In a small pan heat the olive oil. Sauté the onions and green peppers (jalapeño too if you want the heat) until soft - about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for another 30 seconds.

Add the undrained beans, salt, pepper, and cumin. Simmer the beans for 15 minutes to incorporate all the flavors.

Serve with your favorite meal - or just eat them on their own.

Enjoy!

Ultimate Burritos

I was hesitant to post this recipe. Not because it isn't good (it is!) but because the pictures really stink! I was using an old camera and as I've said before, my lighting really stinks in my kitchen.

But, I decided that everyone would be understanding and this recipe really needs to be shared.

Have you ever had a great big roast on a Sunday evening and then wondered what you were going to do with the leftovers? Eating microwaved roast can only last for so long before you can't stand it any more.

This is your solution. I used the leftover roast (shredded, of course) to make these burritos. They were awesome!

Ingredients:

3 cups shredded beef

1 1/2 cup (or 1 can) refried beans

1 1/2 to 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 1/2 cups Salsa Verde

tortillas

Mix the first four ingredients all together in a bowl.

Spoon some of the mixture onto a tortilla and roll unto a log. I like to fold in both of the sides as well, so that none of the goodness escapes from the middle.

Place the burritos on a cookie sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes (or at 250 degrees for an hour - depending on your schedule).

To Serve, place on a plate and top with enchilada sauce or salsa, or just plain sour cream and guacamole. It's up to you! You could even eat them just plain as you jump in the car and run somewhere....believe me, we've done that before.

The great thing about this recipe is that you can mix and match to work for you. If you don't have a lot of shredded beef, just half the recipe. But always make sure you have double meat to beans - that's the only secret (oh and lots of cheese, but that's not a secret).

Enjoy!

Chicken Enchiladas

My mother-in-law makes these. I don't think I'd ever had chicken enchiladas until I got married....at least not ones I'd made.

These are really easy and you can use up that leftover chicken (or turkey - I like to make them the day after Thanksgiving).

Ingredients

3 cups cooked chicken (cubed or shredded)

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 cup sour cream

1 small can diced chilies

4 cups shredded cheddar cheese

flour tortillas

Place cooked chicken in a bowl.

In a small saucepan combine the cream of chicken soup, sour cream, and diced chilies. Heat on stove until sauce starts to boil. If it is too thick, add a little milk. You want the sauce to be slightly runny.

Add 1 cup of the sauce to the cooked chicken. Stir to combine. Then place some sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Add just enough to coat the bottom - we don't want the enchiladas to burn or stick.

Now we'll assemble all the pieces...have the chicken in one bowl, the cheese in another, and the tortillas in a stack. Place some chicken on the tortilla, then add cheese, then roll it up.

Once you have a nice little log, place it in your pan. Continue this process until you are all out of chicken, cheese, or tortillas. You can vary the amounts of each ingredient depending on how many tortillas you have. You can have a lot of skinny enchiladas, or a few thick ones - it's up to you.

Once you have a pan full of enchiladas (and I like to fill my pan all the way up - even on the sides) then you pour the remaining sauce over the top of the enchiladas. Spread it out to evenly coat the top.

Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top - you can even shred a little extra if you want.

Place in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Fajitas

1 1/2 lbs flank steak, cut into 4-6 pieces (I used chicken breasts and it was great - about 3 or 4)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, sliced
1 jalepeno pepper, seeded & chopped
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp salt
10 oz. can Rotel
Flour tortillas
Toppings: Cheddar cheese, sour cream, salsa, guacamole

Place steak (or chicken) in crockpot; top with onion and next 8 ingredients.
Cover and cook on HIGH 4-5 hours or on LOW 7 hours. Remove meat, shred with 2 forks. Serve with tortillas and desired toppings. Makes 4-6 healthy size servings.