Mexican Lasagna

Today, is the final entry devoted to using whole grains. I hope you have found eating whole grains doesn’t have to be scary or lack taste, just because it is a healthy food. Between the freezer anytime burrito, tortilla pizzas and this week, this week is my favorite. We are making Mexican Lasagna, using sprouted whole grain tortillas instead of lasagna pasta. I L.O.V.E Mexican food and probably eat it in some form once a week. The challenge to me, is finding different ways to essentially use the same ingredients in a new or different format. I hope you enjoy!

Mexican Lasagna
Serves approximately 6

Ingredients:
Sprouted whole grain tortillas, 7 (this might vary based on the size of tortilla and size of your pan)
Refried beans, ½ can (1 c)
Lime, 1
Sour cream, ⅓ c
Cooked ground meat, ½ lb seasoned with your favorite taco seasoning
Red onion, ½ c chopped and cooked
Salsa, ⅔ c
Cheddar cheese, ¾ c

Additional optional toppings:
More sour cream
More salsa
Chopped romaine lettuce
Chopped tomatoes
Chopped avocado
Cilantro

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a baking pan. I used a two quart, 8 x 8.

Cut tortillas into three strips and get remaining ingredients ready for assembly. 

The directions are as simple as this: layer ingredients! I started with one layer of tortillas, doing your best to cover the entire base of the pan. 

Then mix the juice of one lime with the refried beans and spread on the top of the tortilla. 

Next, is another layer of tortilla with a thin spread of sour cream on top. Add the cooked meat and red onion. 

You guessed it - another layer of tortilla. Then add the salsa and cheese and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

After it is cooked, add whatever additional cold toppings you would like. 

Cut into pieces and serve immediately.  

I wasn’t sure how this would do reheated due to the mixture of cold and warm ingredients, but it did okay. Didn’t look all that pretty, but still tasted delicious.

Better Bonus Tip: Use the leftover refried beans for a Mexican Nacho Pizza.

Hope you enjoy! Are there other fun creative things you do with tortillas? I would love to hear.

~Ashley

Quick and Easy Tortilla Pizzas

This week is devoted to another quick fix meal, anytime - breakfast, lunch or dinner. (I am really enjoying quick meals these days - can you tell?) We are utilizing the sprouted whole grain tortillas again, but feel free to use what you have. Literally, all you have to do is top your tortilla with whatever various toppings you have in your fridge and bake at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes. This would also be great for kids because they can help you make the pizzas. Also, might be fun for a party - set out various toppings and make a pizza bar.

Here are some inspirational ideas we have tried lately. Pardon, the not great pictures. As I said this is a quick fix meal for us, so typically is during the week after work which means no natural light for my pictures :).

Mexican Nacho Pizza
Inspired by one of our favorite Mexican restaurants and their Super Nachos. They typically add meat, but I chose not to this time. My favorite!

• Refried beans
• Red onion
• Pickled jalapeno
• Cheddar cheese
• Cilantro, add after out of the oven

Traditional Pizza
Great for kids or picky adults

• Pasta sauce
• Ground meat
• Cheddar cheese

Vegetarian Pizza
For the more adventurous

• Sweet potato hummus
• Black beans
• Green onions
• Capers
• Cheddar cheese

Shrimp Pizza
Inspired by my Shrimp and Feta Pizza

• Shrimp, chopped into pieces
• Red bell pepper
• Shallot, or other mild onion
• Garlic
• Feta cheese
• Pine nuts
• Oil drizzle

Better Bonus Tips: Don’t stress and try to perfect these. Be creative. Use pita bread if you have that instead of tortillas or prefer a thicker crust (might have to cook a bit longer). Try with meatballs, chicken, sausage, eggs or other various proteins. Substitute your favorite veggies. The goal for me is to have a layer of something as the base and then make it easy and top with whatever I have around. As I am typing this I am thinking smashed avocado would be good as a base. Also, you could use a white cream sauce instead of red tomato pasta sauce. Have fun with it!

Let me know what combinations you try!

~Ashley

Freezer Anytime Burritos

Freezer cooking is really popular right now. I see links on Pinterest all the time for various freezer meals. I freeze a lot, but it usually leftovers or cooked ground meat for tacos or pasta. I have never made a meal with the sole intention of freezing it - until now! A couple weeks ago, I decided to make some freezer burritos. I was going to call them breakfast burritos, but really they can be eaten anytime. Of course eggs for breakfast make sense, but they would be just perfect for a quick lunch or easy dinner.

Why did I do this? Well, I fail at cooking occasionally. Just because I like to cook, doesn’t mean I always like to cook. There are definitely nights when I don’t feel like cooking or days where we simply don’t have anything to eat around the house and we end up out somewhere. This is my hopeful fix for that. Feel free to modify the burritos however you would like. No real recipe today, just an idea.

What I used.

Sprouted whole grain tortillas

Eggs
Kale
Onion
Black beans
Red bell pepper
Shredded cheddar
Bacon

What I did to prep.
I scrambled up some eggs. I used an entire dozen.

Cooked some kale. I add coarsely chopped kale to boiling water, covered and cooked for 5 minutes. Then I finely chopped the kale more.

Sauteed some chopped onion.

Sauteed some chopped bell pepper.

Defrosted some black beans. Feel free to use canned, just drain and rinse.

Cooked bacon. I like to bake it at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes. I place them on wire trays to elevate them off of a baking dish, so they don’t sit in the grease. The time will vary based on your oven and the thickness of the bacon.

Assembly Line.
Lay out your tortillas. Add your toppings. Mix it up. Make different combinations, using the same ingredients. We even did a couple everything ones. Top with cheese. I did this on each of them.

Wrap them up. 
Fold the bottom up, then each side in. If you find the tortilla isn't folding up nicely, microwave them a bit to warm them up. Flip them over and place on a piece of parchment paper. Wrap them individually in parchment paper - fold the bottom up and the top down. Then fold in each side and flip over. Tie a string around them to hold them together. Don’t forget to write on the paper what is inside. 

Storing.
Place them in a freezer safe glass container. Feel free to use different products or just put them directly into the freezer, but you will want to use a thicker barrier like freezer paper if you don’t put them in a larger container. 

Heating Up.
Just pull them out and microwave for 90 seconds to 2 minutes. Cover with a moist paper towel to prevent drying out.

Serving.
Grab and go. My husband loves hot sauce with his eggs. Feel free to add your favorite sauce or eat them as is.

Other options.
Use whatever ingredients you want. I tried to make mine healthier, but you could use different veggies or even sausage, ham, potato, different cheeses, etc.

What is your favorite meal to freeze?

~Ashley