Tortilla Pie

My friend Kathryn shared this recipe with me and it is a hit at our house. Think Mexican lasagna. The original recipe comes from Parents magazine. It calls for a package of fajita chicken but I usually just use two cups of shredded chicken. I've also used ground turkey and it would be an easy vegetarian meal if you just use the beans and corn. I love that the top tortilla gets crispy around the edges! I like serving this with sliced avocados or guacamole.

Mile-high Tortilla Pie (Parents Magazine)
1 can (19 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (11 ounces) whole-kernel corn with red and green peppers, drained
1 jar (16 ounces) chunky mild salsa
1 pack (10 oz) fajita-style cooked chicken (or, use cooked shredded chicken or ground turkey or beef, or omit to make this a vegetarian meal)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves (this adds something but it's great without it, too)
5 (10 inch) flour tortillas
2 cups (8 oz) shredded Monterey Jack cheese (I use a Mexican blend)
Sour cream, optional

Heat oven to 425. In a medium bowl, combine black beans, corn, salsa, chicken and cilantro. Coat the bottom of a baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Place 1 tortilla in coated pan. Top with 1 1/2 cups of the bean mixture and 1/4 of the cheese. Layer three more times, finishing with the last tortilla. (I sprinkle some cheese on top). Bake in oven 15 to 20 minutes, or until cheese melts and filling is hot. Serve with sour cream if desired.

Taco Seasoning

One evening, as I was almost done browning ground turkey for tacos, I realized I didn't have a packet of taco seasoning. I love those little packets. They make ground turkey taste great and really are easy. So, I hurried to the computer and checked allrecipes to find a recipe for taco seasoning. I won't be buying taco seasoning packets again. This combination is so much better (and cheaper and healthier). I may be making this in bulk and giving it out as a holiday gift, it really is that good and handy!

Taco Seasoning
1 T chili powder
1/4 t garlic
1/4 t onion
1/4 t red pepper
1/4 t dried oregano
1/2 t paprika
1 1/2 t cumin
1 t salt
1 t pepper

Combine all ingredients and add to one pound of browned and drained ground meat. Add 1/4-1/2 cup water, stir and simmer over low heat about 5 minutes.

Orecchiette with Mini Chicken Meatballs

Wow--I must have been studying up on my food photography during my blogging hiatus. I wish--I copied the picture from the food network website. I have been neglecting my blog lately but I do have many new recipes to share! For Christmas, my mom gave me an autographed copy of Giada's newest cookbook, New Italian Favorites. An awesome gift! Giada's Orecchiette with Mini Chicken Meatballs was the first dish I tried from the book and it was amazing. Keep in mind, it was in the "(Not) Just for Kids" section of the book so I'm sure everything else in the book is even more delicious! You can find the recipe in the book or here, on the Food Network site. I used ground turkey instead of chicken and mini shells because I could not find orecchiette. Other than that, I followed the recipe exactly. Making and cooing the meatballs is quite a bit time consuming but really, I thought it was totally worth it. It is delicious and different and I love that the chicken broth, tomatoes, pan drippings, Parmesan, and mozzarella end up making this amazing sauce. The recipe makes a ton but really, we could have eaten this for three days in a row and not gotten sick of it (We finished it in two). I loved it, Matt loved it, and Jack loved it. It's a winner!

Basil Burgers

A yummy twist on turkey burgers: Add chopped basil and Wochestershire sauce (to taste) to the meat before forming into patties. After grilling, top with mozzarella and sliced tomato. Spread hamburger buns with basil-garlic mayo. Yum!

Lasagna

I'm sorry I didn't take a picture of this lasagna because it always looks (and tastes) delicious. And, it's easy! I haven't been as on top of my blog lately because during all my recent spare time I've been reading The Host (thanks Carley!) by Stephenie Meyer, the author of the Twilight saga. The book is really good, not as good as Twilight, but it's an easy read and extremely gripping. I haven't been able to put it down the last few days. I finally finished it today so here I am on my blog! Here is an easy version of meat lasagna that I always love.

Easy Meat Lasagna

1 lb ground turkey (or beef)
1/4 cup diced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 28-oz can Marinara sauce (Trader Joe's canned Marinara is excellent)
1 tsp dried basil
1 box no-boil lasagna noodles (12 noodles)
1 lb small curd, low-fat cottage cheese
1 egg
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 cups mozarella cheese

Brown turkey, adding onion and garlic after a couple of minutes of cooking time. Drain grease. Add Marinara sauce and basil to turkey. Stir and let simmer about 5 minutes. Combine cottage cheese, egg, and parmesan cheese. Grease a 9x13 pan. Layer:

Sauce
4 Noodles
Cottage Cheese
Sauce
Mozarella Cheese
4 Noodles
Cottage Cheese
Sauce
Mozarella Cheese
4 Noodles
Cottage Cheese
Sauce
Mozarella Cheese

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Fry Bread Tacos

The food court at BYU had a place that served these. They were always so good. I was thinking about them the other day and decided I'd give them a try. I used this recipe for the fry bread and then just made my regular taco filling (ground turkey, can of black beans, packet of taco seasoning). I doubled the recipe for the fry bread. The dough was so sticky and I added about another cup of flour. But, since I added it a little at a time and was mixing it with my hands, I over-kneaded the dough and it became a little tough. Still, though, the fry bread was really good. I followed advice of other reviewers and put a hole in the middle. So next time I will add extra flour up front and let my mixer knead the dough. These make for a delicious taco. We ate the extras with honey and powdered sugar. Yum!

Click here for a better recipe for the fry bread.

Shepherd's Pie

I used this recipe from 30 Minute Meals to make Matt's Father's Day request of shepherd's pie. I used ground turkey, sour cream rather than cream cheese, and I added a little whole milk to the gravy. The dish was pretty easy and it turned out okay but it seemed to be missing something. It just wasn't as flavorful as I expected. It did look really good, however. Next time I try shepherd's pie, I think I'll try this recipe, from Paula Deen, or, if anyone knows of a great one, let me know and I'll give it a try.

Mexican Lasagna

My friend Kristi shared this recipe for "Mexican Lasagna" with me.

1lb ground beef

1 package Taco Seasoning

2-3 cans beans

No-boil lasagna noodles

20 oz jar salsa

2 1/2 cups water

Shredded Cheese

Brown and drain meat. Add taco seasoning and beans. Mix together salsa and water. In a 9x13 casserole assemble lasagna with a layer of meat, followed by noodles, meat, 1/2 of the salsa, noodles, meat, salsa, cheese. Bake one hour at 375.

Kristi gave me a sample of this dish and it was very good. I had a lot of corn tortillas leftover from making chicken chilaquiles so I changed the recipe a little to use those instead of lasagna noodles. Here is what you need for the tortilla version I made:

1 lb ground turkey (or beef)

1 package taco seasoning (plus water it calls for)

1 can black beans

1 can pinto beans

12 corn tortillas

1 20-oz jar salsa

2 tbsp sour cream

1 cup shredded cheese

Brown and drain turkey and add taco seasoning (and water) and beans. Add salsa and sour cream. In a 9x13 casserole assemble lasagna with these layers: meat, 6 tortillas, meat, half of the cheese, 6 tortillas, meat, remaining half of cheese. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes.

I really liked using the corn tortillas. The casserole was a little like an enchilada casserole. This was a tasty way to use ground turkey.

New note: My friend Sunny tried this out (thanks for using my blog, Sunny!) and said it was a little dry and suggested using some tomato sauce in addition to the salsa and adding a layer of refried beans. I think that would be a great idea!

Another note: I made this again using Sunny's recommendations and it was delicious! I added 1/2 cup of tomato sauce to the meat and salsa mixture, and omitted the beans. I used refried pinto beans instead and spread them on the tortillas before I layered them in. So, the layers were meat, tortillas, refried beans, meat, cheese, tortillas, etc. This was my favorite so far!

Taco Salads

This is a yummy take on a taco salad. My mom shared this method with me when she was here visiting. This makes 4 or 5 HUGE salads. I hadn't had Fritos in ages and they add a yummy crunch to the salad.

1 lb ground turkey (or beef)
1 can no-bean chili
1 can black beans
1 head romaine lettuce, chopped
1 small bunch cilantro, chopped
1 can corn
2 tomatoes, chopped
2 avocados, sliced
shredded cheese
1 bag Fritos
1 cup salsa
2 Tablespoons sour cream

In a large pan, cook ground turkey and drain. Add chili and black beans and heat through. Combine lettuce and cilantro. Heap lettuce on plates. Top with meat mixture. Add corn, tomatoes, avocados, and shredded cheese. Finally, add a small handful of Fritos on top of the salad. For dressing, mix salsa and sour cream. Add to salads.

Turkey Burgers

I love burgers. A Five Guys (or In-N-Out, when I'm out West) cheeseburger with grilled onions and fries is one of my favorite meals, but definitely a guilty pleasure. This is how I made turkey burgers the other night in an attempt to satisfy a burger craving.

1 lb ground turkey
1/4 c bread crumbs
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

Mix all ingredients and form into 4 patties. Pan fry in a little bit of vegetable oil, about 2 minutes per side. Place into baking dish and finish cooking in 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes. I placed a slice of sharp cheddar cheese on each burger for the last two minutes of cooking. I mixed some spring greens with a tangy ranch dressing, placed the greens on the hamburger bun, and placed the burger on top. I spread some extra ranch on the top bun. These were good, juicy burgers and I was quite pleased with my first attempt at turkey burgers. But, anyone up for Five Guys? :)

6-Hour Chili

Thanks to Erin for sending me this really easy chili recipe. Crock pot meals are great! The original recipe is below. I used a 28-oz can of tomatoes and added a can of beans. This was a great hearty weeknight meal. I used Trader Joe's cornbread mix, which is excellent!

6 Hour Chili

1 lb ground beef or turkey
3 garlic cloves minced
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1 (14.5oz) can of chopped tomatoes with juice
3-4 TBS chili powder
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup cornmeal
1 cup beef broth
Sour cream, chopped onion, grated cheddar cheese for garnish if desired

Brown meat in pan. Once browned, add meat to crock-pot. Add remaining igredients to crock-pot and stir to combine.Cover and cook for 6 hours on low setting. Serve with garnishes. Serves aprox. 3-4

Sloppy Joes

This cafeteria staple always seems satisfying and quick! My mom gave me this recipe and the only thing I've changed is using ground turkey and adding the zucchini. I served these with sweet potato fries, one of my favorite sides.

Turkey Sloppy Joes

1 lb. ground turkey or beef

1/2 onion, diced

1 zucchini, grated and drained

1 12-oz bottle chili sauce

1 cup ketchup

1 Tbsp sugar

1 Tbsp dry mustard

1 Tbsp prepared mustard

1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 Tbsp white vinegar

8 hamburger buns

Cook turkey, onion, and zucchini in a large skillet over medium-high heat 5 to 6 minutes, stirring until meat crumbles and is no longer pink. Drain and return to skillet (With turkey, there is hardly anything to drain). Stir in chili sauce and next 6 ingredients. Cook over medium-high heat, sitrring often, 8 to 10 minutes. Serve on buns.

Turkey Loaf

It's not pretty but it's tasty! This is the recipe I usually use to make meatloaf. I've just adapted it from a few different recipes and I've been using ground turkey lately.

1 to 1 1/2 lbs ground turkey (or beef)

1 egg

1 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup ketchup

chopped onion to taste

salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. I've found that mixing it together with my hands is the best way to incorporate all the ingredients. Place in greased 9x13 and form into loaf. Spread sauce over loaf. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes for turkey or one hour for beef.

Sauce (from a Paula Deen recipe):

1/3 cup ketchup

2 Tbsp brown sugar

1 Tbsp prepared mustard

I always double this sauce so we have a lot to put on the individuals slices of meatloaf. It's the best part of the dish!