Cheesy Tortilla Pie

Cheesy Tortilla Pie (slightly adapted from Kraft Recipes, Total Time: 30 minutes, Servings: 6)

Ingredients

·         1 pkg. Morningstar Farm MealStarters Burger Crumbles

·         1 tsp. garlic powder

·         1 tsp. ground cumin

·         ½ tsp. ground red pepper (cayenne)

·         1 can (16 oz.) refried beans (vegetarian or fat-free)

·         1 burrito-size flour tortilla (11 inch)

·         ½ cup Mexican shredded cheese

Directions

1.      Preheat oven to 400°F. Heat Burger Crumbles in large skillet. Stir in garlic powder, cumin and red pepper. Add beans; cook an additional 5 min., stirring occasionally.

2.      Place tortilla in 9-inch pie pan sprayed with cooking spray, with edge of tortilla coming up side of pan. Fill with the Crumble mixture.

3.      Bake 10 min. or until heated through; top with cheese.

4.      Continue baking 2 min. or until cheese begin to melt.

My husband and I both loved this delicious and low-calorie meal.  It may not seem like it, but it was a complete meal (along with a salad to get in some veggies).  The tortilla crisped nicely and added a little bit of crunch to the crumble/bean mixture (although the bottom was soggy).  I topped it with salsa, my husband used sour cream.  If you  have leftovers, you definitely need to use something liquidy like salsa, guacamole, or sour cream – else it’s too dry.  Great right out of the oven or reheated!  A definite keeper.

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!

Chicken Enchilada Pasta

Chicken Enchilada Pasta (slightly adapted from Better Homes & Gardens, Total Time: 1 hour, Servings: 8-10)

Ingredients

·         1 12 oz. package dried jumbo shell macaroni

·         2 tsp. olive oil

·         1 large green and 1 large red sweet peppers, chopped

·         1 cup chopped red onion

·         1 fresh jalapeno chile pepper, seeded and chopped

·         2 Tbsp. vegetable oil

·         2 pkg. Trader Joe’s chickenless Chicken Strips, chopped

·         1 16 oz. can refried beans

·         1 package taco seasoning mix

·         2 10 oz. cans enchilada sauce

·         8 oz. shredded Mexican-style four-cheese blend

·         1 cup sliced green onions

Directions

1.      Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Rinse; drain and set aside.

2.      In skillet, heat oil over medium heat.  Cook sweet peppers, onion, jalapeno, and ¼  tsp. salt for 5 minutes or until tender.

3.      Stir in chicken, beans, taco seasoning mix, and ½ cup enchilada sauce. Cook and stir 5 minutes.

4.      Stir in ½ cup each of the cheese and green onions.

5.      Spread 1 cup of the remaining enchilada sauce in 3-quart rectangular baking dish.

6.      Divide filling among shells.  Arrange shells atop sauce. Drizzle with remaining enchilada sauce.

7.      Bake, covered, for 30 minutes.

8.      Uncover; sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 5 minutes more or until cheese is melted. Sprinkle with remaining green onions.

I absolutely love this dish!  My husband thoroughly enjoyed the filling, but not the pasta (apparently, he’s not a fan of shells – never knew that before and I’ll never understand how people can write off one type of pasta, but that’s not for this blog).  They were pretty spicy, but the pasta helped tame that slightly.  The original recipe calls for 3 peppers, but I think that is too many considering the amount of filling that you have.  If you don’t have the Trader Joe’s chickenless Chicken Strips, you could make it without or use some other soy product (i.e. Morning Star Farms Burger Crumbles).  It adds some texture to the dish and some needed protein.  Overall, everything tasted delish and I wouldn’t change a thing to the above recipe.

Mexican Pizza

Fantastic!  This dish has a great taste, good consistency, and it looks nice to boot.  


Mexican Pizza (1 deep dish pizza, 6 servings, 45 minutes total time)
(adapted from Allrecipes.com)


Ingredients
1 package Morningstar Farms Burger Crumbles
1 medium onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 T chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
1 (16 oz.) can refried beans
2 10-inch flour tortillas
1/4 cup salsa
1 cup Taco shredded cheese
1 green onion chopped
1 plum tomato diced
1/8 cup finely chopped jalapeno pepper


Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat 1 pie plate with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Place Burger Crumbles, onion, and garlic in a skillet over medium heat. Cook until Crumbles are heated through. Season with chili powder, cumin, paprika, salt, and pepper.
3. Lay one tortilla in pie plate and cover with a layer of refried beans. Spread half of the Crumble mixture over the beans and then cover with the second tortilla. Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven.
4. Remove the plate from the oven and let cool slightly. Spread the salsa over the top of the tortilla. Cover pizza with half of the cheese. Place tomatoes, green onions, and jalapenos on top of cheese.
5. Return the pizza to the oven, and bake for 5 to 10 more minutes, until the cheese is melted. Remove from the oven, and let cool slightly before slicing into 6 pieces.

It is very filling!  The flavors come together very nicely and there is a good mixture of protein carbohydrates.  You can cut back on the cheese to lessen the fat.  As is, depending on the salsa you use, it's not spicy - I might kick it up a notch next time I make it, but my fiancé liked it the way it was.  The only "negative" I have to say is that it is a little difficult to eat with just a fork - you need a knife to get through the top layer without messing it up.