A quick tale of success

Hey all--I know I promised this awhile back but I've been busy! (And getting busier, this'll be the last one again until about mid-June but there's been plenty of recipes to try out!)

Okay, so success. Major success:

Tortilla Lasagna

·         6 8-inch fat-free flour tortillas

·         1 Tbs. olive oil

·         1 small onion, chopped (1 cup)

·         2 Tbs. chili powder

·         2 tsp. ancho chile powder

·         2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)

·         2 cups strained tomatoes, such as Pomì, divided

·         1 1/2 cups cooked black beans, or 1 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained

·         1 medium chayote, peeled and diced, or 2 medium zucchini, diced (1 1/2 cups)

·         1/2 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels

·         1 1/2 cups grated Monterey Jack or pepper Jack cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Toast tortillas on 2 baking sheets in oven 5 minutes, or until light brown, turning once.

2. Heat oil in saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, and sauté 5 minutes, or until soft. Stir in chili powder, ancho chile powder, and garlic, and cook 30 seconds. Add 11/2 cups strained tomatoes, beans, chayote, corn, and 1/2 cup water, and season with salt and pepper, if desired. Cover, and cook 10 minutes, or until chayote is tender.

3. Coat 2-inch-deep x 8-inch round baking dish with cooking spray. Spread 1/4 cup strained tomatoes in bottom of pan. Set 1 toasted tortilla in pan; top with 3/4 cup bean mixture and 1/4 cup cheese. Repeat layering 4 more times. Top with last tortilla, and spread remaining 1/4 cup strained tomatoes over top. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheese. Bake 30 to 45 minutes, or until casserole is bubbly and cheese has melted. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting into 8 wedges.

Okay, so I don't have much to say on that because Amanda actually made it for a Monday Night Dinner (an event worth capitalizing!) but it was delicious. I wanted to make it myself, but I didn't have all the spices. Being the creative genius (ha!) that I am, I looked in the cabinet and totally improvised. 

I toasted the tortillas I had, took some diced petite tomatoes, refried black beans, and salsa and made the different layers. I probably should have added some corn or something else because the tomatoes totally overwhelmed it--too many between the petite diced and the salsa. Plus I'm not the biggest fan of tomatoes so I really felt overwhelmed. I layered plenty of cheese with the bean/tomato mixture and then just repeated for the number of tortillas I had--I think three, maybe four. Lots of cheese on top. 

Voila! (I grabbed my iPhone and took a picture because i knew it was going to be delicious. obviously, I was in a great mood this day...)

So it isn't all a disaster in the kitchen, though sometimes they do turn out that way. It's been kinda fun to find new recipes and try them out and work with them, but I will fully admit to complete frustration some days. Like this got a little too tomato-y for me, but next time, I'll try something else.

While I'm "gone," feel free to send me any recipes you've tried out or let me know if you've tried these. I'm sure I'll have lots of stories to tell y'all when I get back. :)