Mexican Lasagna

I had a couple of requests for this recipe, so here it is!

Ingredients
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 pounds ground chicken breast, available in the packaged meats case
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained
1 cup medium heat taco sauce or 1 (14-oz) can stewed or fire roasted tomatoes
1 cup frozen corn kernels
Salt
8 (8 inch) spinach flour tortillas, available on dairy aisle of market
2 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar or shredded pepper jack
2 scallions, finely chopped
Directions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Preheat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil - twice around the pan. Add chicken and season with chili powder, cumin, and red onion. Brown the meat, 5 minutes. Add taco sauce or stewed or fire roasted tomatoes. Add black beans and corn. Heat the mixture through, 2 to 3 minutes then season with salt, to your taste.

Coat a shallow baking dish with remaining extra-virgin olive oil, about 1 tablespoon oil. Cut the tortillas in half or quarters to make them easy to layer with. Build lasagna in layers of meat and beans, then tortillas, then cheese. Repeat: meat, tortilla, cheese again. Bake lasagna 12 to 15 minutes until cheese is brown and bubbly. Top with the scallions and serve.


Thanks to the Foxes and the Smith's for making this for our family after Zachary was born!

Monte Cristo Casserole

Monte Cristo Casserole

Ingredients:

• 1 cup nonfat milk
• 6 eggs, or 1 1/2 cups egg substitute
• 25 ounces cinnamon swirl bread, or french baguette
  
• 8 ounces deli ham, diced in 1'' cubes
  
• 8 ounces deli turkey, diced in 1'' cubes
  
• 4 ounces swiss cheese, shredded
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
• 1 container frozen sliced strawberries, thawed

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and grease a 9×13 pan. Pour milk in microwaveable container and heat until hot. Whisk eggs in small bowl, add enough hot milk to temper the eggs, then wisk remainder of heated milk until well blended. Cut bread into 3/4 inch cubes, place in large bowl. Pour egg mixture over bread cubes and toss gently. combine ham, turkey, cheese and parsley in another bowl. In the pan, layer half of the french toast cubes, then half of the meat/cheese mixture. Repeat. Let stand for 10 minutes (or overnight). Bake 30-35 minutes, until golden brown and set in center. Cool 10 minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve casserole with sliced strawberries spooned over top.

My notes: This dish is one that I often make to take to a family who has just had a baby, had surgery, or otherwise needs a meal. It lends itself well to a breakfast dish, but is filling enough to be dinner. When having it for dinner, serve with a nice green salad.

Source: Pampered Chef

Kate's Chicken Broccoli Casserole

Kate's Chicken Broccoli Casserole

Ingredients:

• 6 skinless, boneless chicken breasts-baked and cut into bite size pieces
• 2 heads fresh broccoli, steamed and cut into bite size chunks
• 3 cans cream of mushroom soup
• 1 cup mayonaise
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients except cheddar cheese. Spoon mixture into a baking dish. Top mixture with shredded cheese. Bake for 20 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

My Notes: Kate is the grown up kid that I was the nanny for for many, many years. This was one of her favorite dishes as a kid, and we often ate this for dinner. You know, when we weren't eating pepperoni omelets.

Source: V. Woska