Southwestern Breakfast Bake

Southwestern Breakfast Bake (slightly adapted from Better Homes & Gardens, Servings 6-8, Total Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes)

Ingredients

·         1 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained

·         ¾ cup canned enchilada sauce

·         2 4.5 oz. cans diced green chile peppers, drained

·         ¼ cup thinly sliced green onions

·         2 cloves garlic, minced

·         1 cup shredded taco cheese

·         3 egg whites

·         3 egg yolks

·         2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

·         ¼ teaspoon salt

·         ½ cup skim milk

·         1 tsp. dried cilantro

Directions

1.       Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

2.       Spray a 2-quart square baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. In the prepared dish, combine black beans, enchilada sauce, green chile peppers, green onions, and garlic. Sprinkle with cheese.

3.       In a medium mixing bowl beat egg whites with an electric mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form (tips curl); set aside.

4.       In a large bowl combine egg yolks, flour, and salt. Using a wire whisk, beat mixture until combined (mixture will be stiff). Gradually whisk in milk until smooth. Fold the beaten egg whites and cilantro into egg yolk mixture. Carefully pour the egg mixture over the bean mixture in baking dish.

5.       Bake in oven for 45 minutes or until egg mixture appears set when gently shaken. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.

Both my husband and I liked this dish, and he even ate some of the leftovers!  I used green chile enchilada sauce, which was a bit spicy, but tasty.  If I had used regular or mild enchilada sauce, I may have added a dash of hot sauce (as recommended in the original recipe).  I cut back on the green onions (using ¼ as opposed to ½ cup) because my husband claims that he doesn’t like them – although, I will say, he didn’t seem to notice that they were in this dish (the blend in with the green chiles).  Sneaky, sneaky!

I served the egg dish in soft taco shells and I don’t think that it needed anything extra (i.e. salsa or sour cream).  The black beans were firm and provided a good texture difference against the soft and chewy eggs.  The 1 cup of cheese was also plenty – it made the whole mixture creamy and everything bound together quite nicely.

I will definitely make this dish again, but I plan to make a few changes.  8 oz. of green chiles is a lot and the dish might work just a tad better with 4 oz. green chiles plus a can of diced tomatoes and green chiles (or just one can of diced chiles and one can of plain diced tomatoes).  The regular enchilada sauce would definitely add some color, but I think that some variation of veggies would also be nice.  I think that adding corn would also be a nice addition.  Enjoy!

Mexican Lasagna – Lite

Mexican Lasagna – Lite (adapted from AllRecipes, 6 servings, Total Time: 1 hour)

Ingredients

·         1 package Morningstar Farms MealStarters burger crumbles

·         1 envelope taco seasoning mix

·         ¾ cup water

·         1-2 cups crushed tortilla chips (can also use corn tortilla shells)

·         1 (4 oz.) can chopped green chiles, drained

·         2 (10 oz.) cans enchilada sauce, divided

·         1 (8 oz.) carton nonfat sour cream, divided

·         1 (16 oz.) can vegetarian refried beans, divided

·         1 (8 oz.) package shredded Mexican cheese blend, divided

Directions

1.      Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

2.      Put frozen crumbles into a skillet over medium heat, breaking up into as it cooks.  Continue until no longer frozen, about 5 minutes.

3.      Stir in taco seasoning mix and water, bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Simmer mixture until thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in chopped green chilies and refried beans, remove from heat.

4.      Spread a scant 2/3 cup enchilada sauce evenly over the bottom of an 8x10-inch baking dish; top sauce with ½ of the crushed chips. Spread chips with half the sour cream, half the crumble/bean mixture, and 1/3 the cheese blend. Top with another 2/3 cup enchilada sauce and the remaining tortilla chips. Firmly press down on tortillas to compact the layers beneath.

5.      Spread remaining sour cream, crumble/bean mixture, 1/3 the cheese blend and 2/3 cup enchilada sauce onto chips. Top with remaining enchilada sauce and cheese blend.

6.      Bake casserole uncovered in the preheated oven until the cheese topping is melted and bubbling and casserole is hot, about 20 minutes.

I was following the intiial recips (except using tortilla chips instead of shells) until I tried to spread the sour cream on top of the tortilla chips, then everything went to heck.  It is quite a difficult task to do without them moving around (so, use the shells if you like things a little easier).  I made a combination of the shells, enchilada sauce, and chips as the first layer, followed by the crumble/bean mixture.  The next layer ended up pretty much the same.  However, it doesn’t really matter how you make it – it tastes wonderful.  I used PepperJack cheese instead of a Mexican blend and it added a nice kick to the meal – I also used medium-style enchilada sauce.  It was spicy (not too much for my husband) and very creamy (I don’t think that even the tortilla shells would have held their crunch against this meal!).  The taste is absolutely declicious (my mouth is watering right now as I remember it) and a great Mexican bite.  I definitely recommend this one!