Foodie Friday ~ Taco Tortilla Bake

Well, it's been awhile since we did our Foodie Friday segment. We were thinking...restaurant review? Nutrition tips?

Nah!

It's been awhile since we shared a great recipe so that's what we're doing today.

We have a couple family members here who have special nutritional needs right now (myself included) so we really have to watch labels, how we cook food and what we ingredients we use. In our house right now high protein, higher calorie and 'good' fat meals that are low in sodium are what we need to aim for. (It doesn't sound fun but, really, all you have to do is tweak your regular recipes and, like I said, read those labels).

Today, I'm sharing a wonderful recipe that I was surprised my kids liked so much. You can add other ingredients to it, like extra veggies, or use meat or even make it vegetarian with tofu! There are no rules here.

Enjoy and let me know if you give this one a shot.

Happy eating!

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Tortilla-Black Bean Bake

This meal is low in fat (if you use reduced-fat cheese) and high in fiber. Try out different beans, tortillas and cheeses to get your kids to gobble them up. This makes enough for a great mean and tons of leftovers and it freezes really well.

2 large onions

1 ½ cups red, green, orange or yellow peppers (or combination), chopped

1 can chopped tomatoes

1 can sliced black olives, rinsed

¾ jar picante sauce

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 minced garlic cloves

2 16-cans rinsed and drained beans (black red or white kidney, lentil or combination)

10 7-inch tortillas

1 cups shredded cheese (regular or low-fat), such as Monterey Jack, cheddar, mozzarella or combination

            Preheat oven to 350.

            In a large skillet, combine onions, peppers, tomatoes, olives, picante sauce, cumin and garlic. Bring to boil then reduce heat, simmering for 10 minutes. Add beans.

            Grease a 2-quart rectangular baking dish. Start by spreading 1/3 of the mixture onto the bottom, add some of the cheese, then top with three tortillas, overlapping if needed. Add another 1/3 of the mixture, cheese and tortillas. Add rest of mixture and cheese, with a layer of tortillas on top.

            Cover with foil and bake for 35 to 40 minutes.

            When done baking, sprinkle some cheese over the top and let stand for 10 minutes until cool. If desired, add sour cream or Greek plain yogurt and salsa as toppings.