Monday, September 22, 2014

Mexican Lasagna

I've been trying to change the way my family eats.  This is by no means easy.  I have a rotation of meals that have been successful for a long time. Finding and trying new recipes isn't always the easiest thing when you work full time and have three young children.  My absence on the blog is mostly because I am trying to find worthwhile recipes that are healthy and easy.  Easy being the most important feature.

This dish was a hit with my family.  I've made it a few times.  I prefer it to be made with ground chicken because I can still taste it despite the seasonings; the turkey seemed to take on the flavor of the seasoning.  But, I have added almost any vegetable that I had in my house-I've used corn, zucchini, kale, onions. You name it, I've thrown it into the skillet.  The first few times I tried cooking this layered dish, I used regular tortillas since I had them on hand; but now, I am trying to increase our whole grains.

INGREDIENTS:
  • 1 pound of ground turkey or chicken
  • 2 T olive oil
  • 2 T chili powder
  • 2 T cumin
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 16 ounces salsa 
  • 1 can black beans, rinsed
  • 1 cup diced squash
  • 1 cup chopped eggplant
  • 10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed (or fresh)
  • 1 cup red pepper, diced
  • 6 whole wheat tortillas
  • 1 cup shredded cheese, divided
  • 1/2 cup Feta cheese, divided
DIRECTIONS:
  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Add olive oil to large skillet, Over medium-high heat, throw garlic, cumin, chili powder, and ground chicken or turkey.
  3. Add vegetables, beans, and salsa. Heat through (about 5-6 minutes).
  4. Spray 9 x 13 baking dish. Place first 2 tortillas. Top with meat mixture and 1/3 of cheeses.
  5. Repeat.  
  6. Bake for 30-35 minutes until cheese is bubbly. 

Difficulty: Medium-lots of chopping
Time: 20 minute prep , 35 minutes baking time
Source: adapted from Schall Fitness






Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Lemon-Shallot Vinaigrette

Looking on the positive side, with the number of doctor and therapist appointments there were this summer, I had the opportunity to peruse some good magazines and the time to make a grocery list for the new recipes I found in those magazines.  Waiting rooms are good for some things, I suppose.  I found this recipe in Southern Living, and I feel like I hit the jackpot in doing so.  It is so good, and with the companion recipes that were in the magazine, such as Tomato and Gorgonzola Pasta Salad, I can't get enough. I love easy, homemade dressings! (Look for the Pasta Salad recipe here!)

INGREDIENTS:
  • 1/2 cup lemon juice
  • 1 shallot, minced
  • 1 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, minced
  • 1 Tbsp honey
  • 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
  • salt and pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS:
  1. Stir together lemon juice and shallot; let stand 5 minutes.
  2. Whisk in remaining ingredients.  Refrigerate for up to one week in air tight container.
Difficulty: very easy
Time: 10 minutes
Source: Southern Living magazine, July 2014