Latino Lasagna AKA Taco Casserole

This dish is one of my favorite ways to use up leftovers. This is a variation on Lizabetti's Light and Healthy Enchiladas and it is made from leftovers from Lizabetti's Healthy Tacos. While the dish is similar in concept to the enchiladas, but the different shape gives it a whole different taste and texture.  We used to make this dish in college, but then we just called it "Taco Casserole". It is a very satisfying and filling dish and still very healthy.

This meal makes a great weekday dinner and and is a perfect work lunch the next day. I got several lunches out of the one meal, I guess you call that second order leftovers. It also heats up very well in the microwave without losing flavor.

I like to serve it with guacamole, sour cream, and fresh salad greens. For a little extra zing, also serve some of the warm sauce on the side . I also highly recommend that you go with corn tortillas for a more authentic Mexican taste. 

Like all leftover recipes, the ingredient quantities are just a guideline, you should use what you have.


Ingredients:

• 8 oz Taco meat from the Healthy Taco Recipe
• Spicy black bean dip, I like Trader Joe's, but you can use leftover refried beans as well.
• 8 oz shredded sharp cheddar
• 2 cups Left over (or fresh) Chunky Salsa
• 1 14 oz can of diced tomatoes.
• 1 Pinch cayenne
• 1 Pinch chili powder
• 1 Package high fiber tortillas or corn tortillas. You can also use the left over taco shells from the tacos.
• 1 Cup cooked rice. Usually I have some left over in the fridge.

Directions:

Sauce:

1. Place the Salsa and diced tomatoes in a pan
2. Simmer on low until tomatoes are soft, about 15 minutes.
3. If desired, add cayenne and chili powder.

Construction:

I like to use a heavy Creusete baking pan, you can also use glass, ceramic, or metal.

1. Pre-Heat oven to 375 ^oF(191 ^oC).
2. Place a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of the pan. This will prevent sticking
3. Cover the bottom with tortilla shells. Cut them to shape to ensure that you cover the entire bottom.
4. Place a layer of the bean dip.
5. Place a layer of rice, followed by a layer of meat.
6. Add a layer of cheese and top with another layer of tortilla's.
7. Add another layer of sauce and top with the rest of the cheese.
8. Bake for 45 minutes at 375 ^oF(191 ^oC).

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Copyright © 2007-2010 Lizabetti.com, All Rights Reserved

Spicy and Heart Healthy Fish Taco

This is a quick and nutritious meal that can be prepared in a jiffy. The fish can be ready in less than 15 minutes. The condiments take a little more time. I think that it is worth the time to make the salsa and guacamole to go with this dish.

This dish also gives you a great way to rotate fish into your diet. Because it is a spicy dish, you can use a fairly low cost fish. We use Pollock because it is a tasty white fish that happens to be very economical right now.

For a healthy meat version of this dish try my Heart Healthy Meat Taco .

Ingredients:

• 4-6 oz of white firm fish such as haddock, cod or pollock
• taco seasoning either store bought or home mix
• cayenne pepper (optional)
• 1-2 tbsp of finely minced garlic
• salt/pepper
• olive oil
• 1/4 cup of finely ground cornmeal
• finely chopped lettuce
• grated cheddar cheese
• soft taco shells
• Lizabetti's Spicy Chunky Salsa
• Lizabetti's Zesty Guacamole
  

Directions:

1. Rinse the fish in cold water. Pat the fish dry with paper towels. It is really important to pat the fish dry or it will stick to the pan when you are cooking.
2. Cut the fish into serving portions of about the size of your palm
3. Salt and pepper the fish.
4. Coat the fish with the minced garlic.
5. Sprinkle the fish with the taco seasoning. Be generous with the seasoning.
6. For an extra kick, sprinkle cayenne pepper on the fish.
7. Drizzle olive oil on the fish. This will help the seasoning to adhere to the fish. Set the fish aside.
8. Prepare the salsa and guacamole.
9. Just before you are ready to cook the fish, lightly coat the pieces with cornmeal. Use a small strainer which will help to evenly distribute the cornmeal. The cornmeal will give the fish a nice crunch.
10. Using a nonstick frying pan, coat the bottom with olive oil and heat on medium.
11. Saute the first side of the fish for about 2 minutes. When the sides begin to turn opaque, its time to flip the fish.
12. Cook the second another 2 minutes or so.
13. To heat the tortilla, place them in a warm skillet for a few minutes. Warm one side, then flip and warm the other side.
14. Serve with all your favorite taco toppings, salsa, guacamole, shredded lettuce and cheese.
15. Just before serving squeeze some lime juice onto the fish.

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Copyright © 2007, 2008 Lizabetti.com, All Rights Reserved

Zesty Guacamole

Guacamole is an amazingly easy side dish to make yet it adds a hearty authentic texture to Mexican food. Avocados have a buttery flavor that makes for a great chip dip, or as a condiment on tacos or enchiladas.

Unlike bean dip, which can be bought in a store with high quality, guacamole really needs to be freshly made. Never fear though, as long as you can find a ripe avocado, this dish only takes 5 minutes to make.

Ingredients:

• 1 Ripe Avocado
• 1 Plum Tomato, diced.
  
• 1/4 Medium Spanish Onion, chopped.
• 1/2 Tsp Paprika
• 1/4 Tsp Cayenne Pepper (Adjust to Taste).
• 1 Large Lime, or 2 Key Limes.

Directions:

1. If the Avocado is not fully ripe, dice it into small cubes.
   
2. Add the spices and squeeze the lime onto the Avocado
3. Mash thoroughly with a fork.
   
4. Mix in the onions and tomatos. You can skip this step if you are using this dish as a condiment for Tacos since you will be adding other stuff to it.
5. Serve with tortilla chips and Salsa.
   

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Copyright © 2007, 2008 Lizabetti.com, All Rights Reserved

Light and Healthy Enchiladas

What do you do with leftover taco meat and fresh salsa? You can easily turn them into scrumptious enchiladas. This is another ones of the quick meals that you can whip up in no time at all when you still want a nice home cook meal without all the time and effort. For the meat portion of the recipe, you can just use my healthy taco recipe which should give you enough for tacos one night, and enchiladas the next night. I also re-used the Chunky Salsa that I made with the tacos.

While this dish follows the Mexican theme like tacos, the taste and texture are totally different from tacos. So, while it could be considered a leftover, it is not your average leftover. It is a whole different meal. Add a salad and you have a quick and easy weekday dinner.

Ingredients:

• 6 oz Taco meat from the Healthy Taco Recipe
  
• Spicy black bean dip, I like Trader Joe's
  
• 4 oz shredded sharp cheddar
  
• 2 cups Left over (or fresh) Chunky Salsa
  
• 1 14 oz can of diced tomatoes.
  
• 1 Pinch cayenne
  
• 1 Pinch chili powder
  
• 1 Package high fiber tortillas.
  
• 

Directions:

Enchilada Sauce:

1. Place the Salsa and diced tomatoes in a pan
   
2. Simmer on low until tomatoes are soft, about 15 minutes.
   
3. If desired, add cayenne and chili powder.

Enchiladas:

1. Pre-heat over to 375^o F
   
2. Cover the bottom of a baking with a layer of the enchilada sauce.
   
3. Lay a tortilla on the plate, spread with bean dip.
   
4. Layer with meat and cheddar cheese.
   
5. Roll tightly, and place in the baking dish, seam side down.
   
6. Repeat until you have used up all the ingredients.
   
7. Once you have all the enchiladas in the baking dish, pour the rest of the sauce on them.
   
8. Cover with cheese.
   
9. Bake until the cheese is bubbly. About 20-25 minutes.
   
10. Let stand at least 10 minutes.
    
11. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and guacamole

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Copyright © 2007, 2008 Lizabetti.com, All Rights Reserved

Chunky Spicy Salsa

Chunky Spicy Salsa

Salsa is a mandatory ingredient for the total enjoyment of Mexican food. There are lots of good salsas out there, but I like to make it fresh, especially in the summer when the ingredients are all fresh. This salsa is easy to make and much better than anything you can buy. You can use a food processor if you want, but I think that the food processor abuses the ingredients too much. I also enjoy the chunky texture that hand chopping affords.

I use this salsa with my healthy tacos recipe and also for my quick and easy enchilada recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 Large juicy tomato, diced
• 1 Tbsp chopped green olive
• 1 Tbsp dry cured Moroccan or French black olives, chopped
• 2 Tbsp coarsely chopped cilantro
• 1 small chopped red onion
• 2 scallions, chopped
• 1 pinch of cayenne pepper, increase for more zing
• 1 Juicy lime
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 shake of salt
• 1 turn of fresh ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Mix the ingredients.
2. Squeeze the lime into the mixture.
3. Stir thoroughly.
4. Let stand for about 15 minutes, stir again and server.

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Copyright © 2007, 2008 Lizabetti.com, All Rights Reserved

Healthy Delicious Tacos

OH WHERE ARE THE VEGGIES MEAT TACO?

I put together this easy version of tacos to get more veggies into my children. The carrots and celery mix I use can stand up to the flavoring of the taco mix and yet you will have to look really hard to find them. I think it adds a riches to the taste of the meat and makes it really healthy treat. Once you prepare the meat it can be used in any Mexican dish. You can use any kind of ground meat from beef to turkey and even chicken. There are times when we have leftover grilled meat and I will grind that up and use it as the basis for this recipe. In this case, the smokiness of the grilled meat adds another whole dimension to this easy dish. Since I use the store bought taco mix, instead of using water to prepare the dish, I like to use stock.

Build the taco with Chunky Salsa, guacamole, bean dip, sharp cheddar cheese, and lettuce. The fun of the taco is that each person adds their favorites, but I want it all !

The left overs from this meal can be used to make Light and Healthy Enchiladas. If you are looking for delicious ways to add fish to your diet try my Spicy Fish Tacos.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb of ground lean beef or turkey or chicken (lean pork works too)
• 2 peeled carrots
• 3 stalks of washed/cleaned celery stalk
• 1 small onion finely chopped (if you want the onion to disappear-as in serving to kids) or coarsely chopped
• 1 package of store bought taco mix
• 1 tsp of cayenne (optional, if you like your food spicy)
• 1 cup of stock
• 2 tbsp of olive or canola oil

Preparation:

1. Using the metal blade of the food processor, finely chop the carrots and celery. I like the veggies finely chopped and not completely pureed.
2. In a nonstick skillet add the oil and heat on medium until it shimmer.
3. Add the meat and saute. The meat may release some water which should be poured out so that the meat has a chance to brown.
4. Add the onion and saute until it is transparent and fragrant.
   
5. Add the celery/carrot mixture including any liquid that may have been release during the chopping process.
6. Cook until the veggies start to wilt and become soft, a few minutes.
7. Add the taco mix and thoroughly mix all the ingredients.
8. Add 1/2 cup of stock and stir in. Add additional stock if needed to keep the mixture moist, not soggy.
9. Cook for about 20 minutes and stir occasionally.
10. Build your taco and serve.

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Copyright © 2007, 2008 Lizabetti.com, All Rights Reserved