Black Bean Quesadilla Casserole

This is Rachel Rays recipe from her magazine. It caught my eye first because I love quesadillas, and secondly because it was under the budget section. This meal turned out to be $9.38 total, which comes out to be $2.35 per person! I have been trying to find ways to cut back on the prices of my meals, and this was one sure way of doing it. It is a meatless entree, so that cuts your costs right there, but full of protein and yummy for vegetarians and meat lovers both to enjoy! It turned out fantastic. For sure a keeper. Next time though I would use fresh cilantro instead of the fresh flat leaf parsley. Im not a big fan of the taste of parsley anyway and I think the cilantro would make it a little more mexican style. Also, I added a clove of fresh garlic to the onions when I was cooking them. I just simply love garlic is why, and it ended up paying off! Great flavor! ENJOY!

Quesadilla Casserole:

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3/4 cup chopped onion
1 29-ounce can black beans, drained, 1/2 cup liquid reserved
1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels, thawed
1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley (I used a 1/4 cup, "parsleys not my fave taste")
5 10-inch flour tortillas
8 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
1 cup store-bought green enchilada sauce

Pre-heat the oven to 400˚F.

In a skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes. Add half of the beans and mash into a chunky paste.

Stir in the reserved liquid.
Grease a heavy, ovenproof skillet. In a bowl, combine the corn, parsley and remaining black beans.

Place a tortilla in the skillet and spread with 1/3 cup of the mashed black bean mixture. Top with 2/3 cup corn-bean mixture and 1/2 cup cheese. Press to compress the layers. Repeat with the remaining tortillas, mashed black beans, corn-bean mixture and cheese.




Bake until the cheese is melted and the casserole is heated through, about 30 minutes. Transfer to the broiler and cook for 1 minute(I ended up not doing the broiling at the end, because it was golden brown on top and looked perfect). Serve with the enchilada sauce on top.


"Thats Whats Delectable for Dinner Tonight!"

Cheeseburger Chowder

Love, Love, Love this recipe!!!!! Pulled this from Taste of Home cookbook. Cooked this last night for dinner and it is a winner! This is perfect for cool evenings like we have had the last couple of nights. Very warm and filling recipe. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did!!!!

1/2 pound ground beef
1 can cheddar cheese soup undiluted
1-3/4 cups milk
1 cup frozen shredded hash brown potatoes
1 can (4 oz) chopped green chilies
1 TBS taco seasoning
1 TBS dried minced onion
1/2 tsp chili powder
(coarsely crushed corn chips, shredded Monterey Jack cheese and chopped green onions, optional)

In a largesaucepan, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in the soup, milk, potatoes, chilies, taco seasoning, onion and chili powder until blended. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered for 5 minutes or until heated through. Garnish with corn chips and green onions if desired. Yummy yummy!!!!

"And thats whats delectable for dinner tonight, ENJOY!"

Cashew Chicken

Okay I finally decided to try it again, this time my fresh broccoli was good.
The recipe is very easy and simple, but the dish wasnt extremely flavorful. I would jazz it up next time. Lacked a little seasoning, still not sure what, but here is the recipe for those who would like to try and add a little spice to it. Enjoy!

1 pound boneless chicken breasts cut into 1-inch cubes
1 medium onion
2 cups broccoli cuts
1 3/4 cups boiling water
1 cup uncooked long grain rice
1 jar sliced mushrooms, drained
1 TBS chicken bouillon granules
1/2 to 1 tsp ground ginger
Pepper to taste
3/4 cup salted cashews, divided

Preheat oven to 375'

In a large bowl, combine the first 9 ingredients. Transfer to a greased shallow 1 and 1/2 qt. baking dish.

Cover and bake at 375' for 45-55 minutes or until rice is tender and chicken is no longer pink. Stir in 1/2 cup cashews.
Sprinkle with remaining cashews.

Enjoy!

Chicken Nachos for Entertaining

With football season, I love to make this for guests at our house. It is so yummy and makes sooo much! There are everyday pantry items in this that you would have on hand. You can add or take away as much as you like!!!!


1 bag of tortilla chips (I prefer the traditional triangular ones for this)
2 (12.5) oz cans of cooked chicken, drained
1 can of refried beans
1 can green chilies
2 small cans sliced olives drained
1 medium size tomato chopped and diced
handful of fresh green onions chopped
shredded cheddar cheese, enough to sprinkle and cover!!! :)
2-3 tsps taco seasoning.


In a medium sauce pan, add the 2 cans of cooked, drained chicken over medium heat until warm. With a spatula try to pull apart the chunks of the chicken to make smaller "same size" bites for the nachos. Once warm add the taco seasoning and enough water to soak it into the chicken. Once fully coated with the seasoning, set aside.
On a pizza pan (or cookie sheet) layer your nachos starting with the chips on the bottom. Next add the refried beans, seasoned chicken, green chilies, olives, green onions, tomatos, and of course top with the cheese covering the entire pan!!! :)

Place nachos into the oven at 400' for about 10 minutes. Watch them closely, it wont take long at this temp. I check mine every 2-3 minutes to see if the cheese has completely melted. Once the cheese has melted, pull them out and enjoy!!!!!

TexMex Corn Chip Chili

This is one of my favorite dishes to make during the fall!!!!! It is so hearty and yummy! Got this out of my Rachel Ray magazine a couple years back from a contest on the best chili's people submitted. I have changed it a bit and this is my version of it. I have begun to make it a little less spicy over the years with Kaylin eating it with us, so know that you can cut back on the chili powder and rotel. Enjoy!


2 TBS Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 sweet onion finely chopped, (about 1 cup)
1-2 cloves of garlic finely chopped. (I always use 2, but I love garlic)
1 TBS chili powder, "I have cut this back to a tsp and a half when Kaylin is eating it with us, to make it not so hot.
1 tsp ground cumin
One 15-ounce can black beans
One 15-ounce can pinto beans
One 10-ounce can tomatoes with green chiles
Salt and Pepper
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
12 ounces monteray jack cheese (I use block cheese and cut into pieces)
One bag corn chips, such as Fritos

In a Dutch Oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the beef and cook for 7 minutes. Add the onion, garlic, chili powder and cumin and cook over medium-low heat for 5 minutes. Add the beans, with their liquid, and the tomatoes; bring to a simmer.

Cook stirring occasionally, until thick, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Finely chop cilantro

Stir in the cilantro,

then top with the cheese,


cover and let stand until cheese melts, 5 to 10 minutes. Place a handful of corn chips in each bowl. Top with chili and serve.
ENJOY!


"Thats whats Delectable for Dinner Tonight!"