Mexican Lasagna

   This is a fun layered recipe.  I use flour tortillas in this dish to divide the layers, but you could use corn tortillas or even crushed tortilla chips.  The colors in this dish are bright and cheerful!  It tastes like tacos that you eat with a fork, but with very little prep time.

Ingredients:

2 lbs ground beef                                 5.82
2 pkg taco seasoning                            1.08 
2 16 oz medium chunky salsa                6.96
1 can black beans drained                      .66
1 1/2 C frozen corn                                .75
1/2 C chopped cilantro                           .40
12  8 inch flour tortillas                          2.25
12 oz sharp cheddar cheese, shredded  3.75

Directions:

Brown the ground beef in a large pan, then drain off any fat.  Return the ground beef back to the large pan over medium heat.  Add in the drained beans, salsa, and corn.  Sprinkle in the packages of taco seasoning and stir well.  Cook for about 5 minutes to let the sauce thicken with the liquid from the salsa.  Turn off heat.  Stir in the chopped cilantro. 

Colorful huh?  Yum!  Then take the 12 flour tortillas and slice them in half.

Now take out 3 8x8 inch pans and start your layers.  (this goes much faster than traditional lasagna!)  Put 1/2 cup of the taco meat in the bottom of each pan to prevent sticking.

Then place two halves of a tortilla in the pan with the curved edges facing in!

Now take two more halves and cover the other edges.

Now you have a great base to add 1 cup of the meat mixture.  Then sprinkle with 2 Tbsp of the shredded sharp cheddar cheese.

Add one more layer of tortillas and one more cup of meat mixture.  Top with 2-4 Tbsp of sharp cheddar cheese.  Once all three pans are layered then top with foil.  Label two pans and place them in the freezer for a later date.

Then bake the third pan at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  The frozen pans will need to be thawed in the fridge for two days, then bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.  This is how mine looked fresh from the oven.

Then we slice it up into squares and serve with a dollop of sour cream.

Yum!  This was colorful and fun.  We really enjoyed this for dinner.  I made three 8x8" pans of Mexican Lasagna for $7.22 each. 

Enjoy!
Christie aka Keeza

Chicken Cordon Bleu Bake

   Thank you for your patience.  There has been a lot of change at my house...but here is a new recipe!  I've never tried this before but it's a combination of lots of my favorite foods.  That can't possibly be bad.  Everything is precooked and then assembled.  That makes this a great meal to bring to a friend.  It will be easy to heat and serve without fear of serving undercooked chicken.

Ingredients:

2 Lg chicken breasts                                6.77
2 boxes long grain and wild rice                2.14
2-3 thick slices of smoked deli ham          5.14
20 oz frozen broccoli florets                     1.98
2 small cans
or 2/3 large can cream of chicken soup     1.79
8 oz light sour cream                                1.00
juice from one lemon                                  .50
8oz Monterrey jack cheese                      1.88

Directions:

Poach the chicken on low heat in water on the stove.  This will take about an hour, so you can do a few chores around the house while this cooks.   Prepare the rice according to the box directions.  Dice the ham into small squares and set aside.  Open the broccoli and cut off any extra stalks.  In a small mixing bowl stir together the cream of chicken soup and sour cream.  Add pepper to taste and squeeze in half the lemon.  Give the sauce a taste.  If you like a little more zing squeeze in the other half of the lemon.  Lastly grate the Monterrey jack cheese and set aside.  Now you are ready to assemble. 

            Put one third of the long grain and wild rice into each of 3 8x8" pans. 

                                    Next add 1/3 of the broccoli to each pan.

                              Now add 1/3 of the chopped cooked chicken to each pan.

     

The next layer will be the ham.  Sprinkle the ham evenly into three pans.

                                 Spoon the sauce evenly over the pans.

                                                 Lastly sprinkle the pans with the cheese. 

   Cover all three pans with foil.  Label two pans and freezer for later.  They should say Chicken Cordon Bleu Bake 350 degrees for 40 minutes.  Put the third pan in the oven just to heat through and melt the cheese.   Bake 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes. 

I was able to make three pans for $7.07 each.  Here are a few ideas for substitutions.  If you do not have the time to poach the chicken and cook the rice, then buy a large rotisserie chicken and precooked microwavable rice.  If you are not a cream of chicken soup fan then you can omit it completely and just squeeze the lemon on the chicken and cover with cheese.  I prefer broccoli for this dish, but feel free to add any veggies that your family enjoys.  Asparagus or peas would be great in this.  If you do not want your veggies mixed in then you can serve this with a large salad on the side.  Also I don't enjoy Swiss cheese, but shredded Swiss would be more traditional with the Cordon Bleu flavors instead of Monterrey jack.

Now for the verdict....It was fabulous!  My husband gave this one two thumbs up!  We think you should try this soon. 

Enjoy!
Christie aka Keeza

Broccoli Ginger Beef

      This is an awesome way to make Chinese take out.  You can make it as salty or sweet or as spicy as you like! 

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs sirloin steak                    5.67
1 head broccoli                                1.48
1 can sliced water chestnuts         1.24
2 bunches green onions                 1.00
4 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce          .25
2 C beef broth                                    .50
   (I use beef base and water)
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 Tbsp corn starch
4 Tbsp honey                                  .75
3 tsp dried ginger                           .20
Salt and Pepper

Directions:

Preheat a large pan with the 2 Tbsp vegetable oil over medium high heat.   Slice the sirloin against the grain into 1/4 inch thick slices.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Brown the beef in the oil and remove.  Place slices on a paper towel lined plate to drain.  

Slice the broccoli into bite size pieces and steam for 2-3 minutes in the microwave to take a little edge off, but still crunchy.   Slice the green onions and drain the can of water chestnuts. 

Add the beef broth, soy sauce, honey and dried ginger to the pan you browned the beef in.  Mix the cornstarch with 1/2 cup of cold water and add to the pan.  Stir and warm until bubbly.  Taste the sauce and see how you like it.  You can add more honey for sweetness or more soy sauce if you like it salty. 

Now that the sauce is ready add in the onions, water chestnuts, steamed broccoli and beef.  Stir well and let the veggies get warm.  Do not over cook or the onions and broccoli will get too soft.  

Serve over rice.   After dinner put the other half of the Broccoli Ginger Beef mixture into a storage container with a tight lid and freeze.

Then when ready for the second portion thaw in the fridge for 1-2 days and warm on the stove until just warm.  Serve over rice.

I was able to make two dinners for $5.55 each, not including the price of the rice.

Enjoy!
Christie aka Keeza