Taco Bake

6 flour tortillas
1 lb ground turkey (beef or chicken can be substituted)
1 small onion
1 16oz black beans
1 pck taco seasoning
8 oz sour cream
1 c. salsa
2 cups shredded cheese of choice (cheddar or co-jack work well)

Brown meat and small onion until meat is no longer pink; drain. Add taco seasoning packets and water according to package. Spray a 9x9 baking dish with non-stick spray. Layer tortillas with beans, meat, sour cream, salsa and cheese. Repeat layers with cheese being last layer on top. Cover and bake @ 350 until cheese is melted and heated through (about 20-30 min) Uncover and bake additional 10-15 min.

Chorizo & Rice

1 lb. chorizo
onion
3 cups brown rice (instant or regular)
Chicken broth (2 1/2 cups if using instant rice, 6 cups if using regular rice)
1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed & drained
1 can diced tomatoes
1 whole bunch cilantro

Fry chorizo and onions in stock pot. (I use dried onion--about 3 Tb). Add garbanzo beans & diced tomatoes and stir. *If using instant rice, add 2 1/2 cups chicken stock, stir and boil. Then add instant rice, stir & cover until rice is tender. If using regular rice, add rice, 6 cups chicken stock and cook covered, stiring now and then, until rice is tender. This will take over an hour. Snip cilantro 1/2 inch from end, stems & all. Stir & enjoy! Excellent alone or on a tortilla with cheese.

*This freezes well. You may leave cilantro out & add after reheating if desired.

**In case you don't already know, chorizo is a mexican sausage. You can get it in different degrees of hotness and by many different labels. I prefer Johnsonville brand chorizo--original or mild. This dish can be spicy or not, depending on preference.

Lisa's Chicken Enchiladas

1 can (16 ounces) refried beans
10 flour tortillas (6-8 inches)
1 can (10 ¾ ounces) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
3-4 cups cubed or shredded cooked chicken
3 cups (divided) shredded cheddar cheese
1 can (15 ounces) enchilada sauce
¼ cup sliced green onions
¼ cup sliced black olives

Spread about 2 tablespoons of beans on each tortilla. Combine soup and sour cream; stir in chicken. Spoon 1/3 to ½ cup chicken mixture down the center of each tortilla. Top with 1 tablespoon cheese. Roll up and place seam side down in a greased 13 x 9 x 2 baking pan. Pour enchilada sauce over top. Sprinkle with onions, olives and remaining cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until heated through. Just before serving, sprinkle lettuce around enchiladas, if desired. Yield 4-6 servings.

Special directions for freezing:
I have successfully frozen these after they’ve been baked. The way I like best is to roll up the enchiladas and store them in a gallon size zip top bag and freeze them. Then I can remove just as many as I need for dinner and open a fresh can of enchilada sauce to pour over top. If only using half for dinner, I have even frozen the other half of the enchilada sauce to save for the remaining enchiladas. The texture of the frozen sauce changes slightly, but the taste is unaffected.

Black Bean Burritos

The Freezer Chicks provide us with yet another recipe. It's been adapted slightly.

13 pounds of canned black beans, drained and rinsed
olive oil
7 medium onions, finely chopped
2 T plus 1 t garlic, pressed or minced
7 pounds canned diced tomatoes, undrained
7 jalapeno peppers, seeded and diced
2 T plus 1 t chili powder
2 T plus 1 t ground cumin
2 T plus 1 t dried oregano
3 lemons, sliced and seeded
48 ounces mild salsa or picante sauce
6 cups shredded Monterey Jack or Co-Jack cheese
36 10-inch flour tortillas (we had extra filling so you may want to have extras on hand in case it happens to you, too!)

Work in batches as necessary. In a large stockpot over med heat, heat oil. Saute onions, garlic and jalapeno peppers until tender. Stir in drained beans, tomatoes, chili powder, cumin, oregano, and lemon slices and bring to a boil at high heat. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 30 minutes. Remove cover and simmer until slightly thickened (approx 20 mins). Remove lemon slices. Working in batches as necessary, puree half of bean mixture in a blender or food processor until smooth. Add unblended bean mixture to blended and stir thoroughly. Cool.

Package salsa in snack bags (1 cup per meal or 1/4 cup per serving). Package cheese in snack bags (1 cup per meal or 1/4 cup per serving).

Assemble burritos by placing 1/2 cup bean mixture onto each tortilla, folding ends in, and rolling. Place 6 burritos (or 1 1/2 per serving) in each tin. Cover with a sheet of plastic wrap, pressing down to cling to food. Place a package of salsa and a package of cheese in each tin. Cover. Freeze.

Recipe from Cooking Among Friends: Meal Planning & Preparation Delightfully Simplified by Mary Tennant & Becki Visser.

FREEZER CHICKS INSTRUCTIONS: Defrost in refrigerator. Preheat over to 350 degrees. Remove cover, salsa, cheese and plastic wrap. Spread salsa over burritos. Cover loosely with foil to prevent drying. Bake until bubbly around the edges and hot in the center (approx 30 mins). Remove foil and sprinkle with cheese during the last 5 mins of baking. Let stand at room temperature 15 mins before serving.

Black Bean Lasagna

Here's a black bean lasagna recipe we tried once, but I don't know where the recipe came from. If I remember correctly, it was a bit time consuming and tedious to put together, but fairly tasty.

• 9 lasagna noodles
• 2- 15 oz cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• Nonstick cooking spray
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped green sweet pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2- 15 oz can low-sodium tomato sauce or tomato sauce with seasonings
• 1/4 cup snipped fresh cilantro
• 1- 12 oz container low-fat cottage cheese
• 1- 8 oz package reduced-fat cream cheese Neufchatel
• 1/4 cup light dairy sour cream
• Tomato slices (optional)
• Fresh cilantro (optional)
  
  

1. Cook noodles according to package directions; drain. Mash one can of beans; set aside. (I used the no cook noodles.)
2. Lightly coat a large skillet with cooking spray: add onion, green pepper, and garlic. Cook and stir over medium heat until tender but not brown. Add mashed beans; unmashed beans, tomato sauce, and snipped cilantro; heat through.
3. In a large bowl combine cottage cheese, cream cheese, and sour cream; set aside. Spray a 3-quart rectangular baking dish with nonstick coating. Arrange 3 of the noodles in the dish. Top with one-third of the bean mixture. Spread with one-third of the cheese mixture. Repeat layers twice; ending with the bean mixture. Reserved the remaining cheese mixture. If freezing, dollop with reserved cheese mixture and garnish with tomato slices and cilantro, if desired.
4. Thaw. Bake, covered, in a 350 degree oven for 40-45 minutes or until heated through. Let stand for 10 minutes. Makes 8 servings.