Veggie Bean Corn Tortilla Casserole

I am always surprised and encouraged by what I can come up with just looking into the refrigerator. Tonight I made something by connecting some great dots in the form of what I had on-hand. The red enchilada sauce in the 'frig has been there for awhile and this was just the time to use it, considering I had black beans, cheese and corn tortillas. The bonus is that I had some fresh veggies to add huge flavor and made it super healthy. I hope you try and enjoy!

8 (6)-inch white corn tortilla, I used La Mariposa from Denver cut in half
1 jar, you'll need 8 oz. of Red Enchilada sauce, I used Fronterra
1/2 medium yellow onion diced
1 large clove garlic minced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 carrot sliced thin about 1/2 cup
1/2 cup yellow squash
1/2 cup green zucchini
1/2 tsp cumin
salt and pepper
1 cup canned black beans rinsed well
1 cup shredded Monterrey jack cheese

Preheat oven 350 degrees.
Heat olive oil over medium heat, saute garlic and onion until transparent about 5 minutes, add carrot, yellow squash, zucchini. Season with salt, pepper and cumin. Saute about 5-7 minutes, until flavors mesh. In the meantime, cut tortillas in half. Poor about 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce in bottom of 8 x 8 casserole dish. Take each tortilla half and soak on both sides in sauce then lay on bottom of dish to create a layer of tortillas (about 4 half moons per layer) with a bit of the sauce still on the bottom. When saute is finished scoop about 1/2 the veggies onto the tortillas sprinkle 1/2 cup of black beans over veggies, then layer gently 1/3 of the shredded cheese. Continue the same process with the next layer, soak tortillas in sauce, layer veggies, black beans then cheese. Finally, layer last 4 half-moon tortillas and the remaining 1/3 cup cheese, any remaining enchilada sauce over the entire dish and cover with Aluminium foil. Bake for 30 minutes, remove foil and bake for another 5 minutes. Serve immediately. Optional, serve with salsa, sour cream, or both.

This is an excellent way to get more veggies into your diet and not additional fat.
Substitute shredded chicken for black beans. And green chili for red.

Serves 4.

Carmelized Onion, Red Pepper, Mushroom Frittata

Happy Easter 2009 - Easter Frittata

1 Tbsp. Olive Olive
1/2 medium onion sliced very thin
1/4 cup sliced red pepper
2 large white mushrooms sliced thin
5 Eggs Beaten
1 tbsp fresh thyme
salt and pepper
3 Tbsp. shredded cheese (I used Colby Longhorn)

Pre-heat over 350 degrees.
In an overproof skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and carmelize for about 10 minutes. Add the thyme, red pepper and mushrooms. Cook for about 5 - 7 more minutes. Lower heat just a bit and add the beaten eggs. Let cook and set for about 6 minutes with the cover on. Remove cover and sprinkle shredded cheese over frittata. Put in over for 3 minutes or until cooked through. Remove from oven, losen the frittata with a spatula around the sides. Cut into 4 pie slices and serve with toast.