Sunday January 16th- Mexican Lasagna

This week was a total turn around for me. I decided on Mexican Lasagna. This is a quick and easy recipe. I definitely will be making this again. Prep was easy as I had several ingredients already in my fridge or pantry.

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 pounds ground chicken breast, available in the packaged meats case  (I used ground beef that I already had on hand)
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/2 red onion, chopped (I had a regular onion that I already had on hand)
• 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained
• 1 cup medium heat taco sauce or 1 (14-oz) can stewed or fire roasted tomatoes  (I used medium Pace Chunky Salsa)
• 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 (Omitted due to lazienss) :-)

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. (No need if you have a non stick pan) Add chicken (beef) and season with chili powder, cumin, and red onion. Brown the meat, 5 minutes. Add taco sauce or stewed or fire roasted tomatoes (or salsa). 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. (Don't skip this step as it makes clean up much easier) 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.(Omitted)

Making the Masterpiece:
Everything in the recipe is as it says. Sooooo Easy. Very yummy. When I made the meat mixture (meat, beans, and corn) I thought it was going to be dry, but surprisingly it wasn't. The lasagna part was easy to make and construct to the point that I thought I was doing it wrong. LOL.

I took just 15 minutes in the oven to heat through. I basicaly waited for the cheese on top to melt and bubble. I took a metal spatual (It is sturdy and easier than plastic to serve) and plated it up. As a side dish we simply had left over salad from Sister's bday get together the prior night. Dinner is DONE!

Kids may like this meal if you are careful not to add too hot of salsa. It has a small (but great) bite to it. I simply made cheese crisps instead with the left over tortillas for the kids and they were just as happy.

This week when prepping my mindset to cook, I made sure to read the recipe throughly and shopped the day before to make sure I wasn't stressing myself out incase I couldn't find something or ran out of time. Anyone who wants to challenge themselves to cook something new must do it with the right mind frame and clear their head first. Defineitly don't rush yourrself.

When I searched for the recipe I found the video from  when Rachael Ray made it on her show and that helped because I knew what it was supposed to look like. I posted the video on my facebook so check it out if you haven't already done so.

Thanks again to all my readers for their support. I would be lost without you. Keep sending your ideas and recipes that you have used. I am always open to suggestions. Also... Please share my blog with everyone you know. Everyone could use a little more FLAVOR in their lives.

Happy Cooking
Rach