Mexican Lasagna

I'm short on time today, so it's fitting to post this quick and easy recipe that you can make when you're short on time, too.

Back when we were meat-eaters, this was one of our favorite dinners. There wasn't a single time we made it for company (and we made it for company a lot) that they didn't ask for the recipe (and sometimes they'd call me to get the recipe again every time they made it...yes I'm looking at you, Rory).  It was one of the few meals we really missed when we stopped buying and cooking meat. And then, one day it hit me: I can just make it without the meat. And so it goes. And now our tummies are abundantly happy. 

Ingredients:

Corn tortillas (you need 9-12)

Taco seasoning

Two cans refried beans

1 can black beans

1/2 can corn (or do I like do and eyeball with a few handfuls of frozen corn)

Salsa dobs (any salsa works, but when I want it to be REALLY tasty, I get a mango salsa or a peach pineapple - something like that)

Sour cream dobs

Grated colby jack cheese (I usually use cheddar because that's what I have on hand)

Directions:

In a 9x13 pan, layer tortillas (you can cut them in half and go 3 by 3, or if you are really short on time just lay them down whole - 2 rows of 3), refried beans, taco seasoning, black beans, corn, salsa dobs, sour cream dobs, cheese. REPEAT. Bake 15-20 minutes at 400 degrees to warm through. Let stand 5 minutes.

*I've never tried freezing this, but I assume it would freeze well.

*This is a great option for taking dinner to a neighbor who just had a baby or something. You can prepare it ahead of time and just leave a note for them to pop it in the oven for 20 minutes whenever they are ready to eat it. That is exactly what I did today.

***(If you really want to try it with the meat, cook a pound of ground turkey or ground beef on the stove and add the taco seasoning then. You would layer it right after the refried beans. Now that I omit the meat, I just sprinkle the taco seasoning between the refried bean and black bean layers.)

Spinach Enchiladas

Once upon a time, in 2011, it was Mother's Day, and I was pregnant with my first (and thus far, only) child.

Yes, go right ahead. "You glowed!" "So radiant!" I'll take it. I have not glowed or radiated since, and I suspect I won't glow or radiate through any subsequent pregnancy, because I will have a little person (or persons) I have get to take care of, whilst pregnant. 

That first pregnancy is where it's at.

So what I'm trying to say is, my sweet husband, Ryan, cooked for me that Mother's Day, and it was delicious, so without further ado:

Spinach Enchiladas

(This is the first thing that pops up when you google "spinach enchiladas." They'd go to the ends of the earth for you, they say...and then they only get as far as the top of the search results list.)

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/spinach-enchiladas/

Ingredients:

1 tbs butter

1/2 cup sliced green onions 

(If you don't have enough green onions, it doesn't matter.)

2 cloves garlic, minced 

(Does anyone ever really stick to the recommended garlic amount? Can you really have too much garlic?)

Spinach 

(Recipe calls for 10oz frozen, thawed, drained and squeezed dry, but we have only ever used fresh spinach, and it's delicious. As I've said before, you weren't going to get through that Costco bag in time anyway. And we always add more than we think we'll need. Just chop up a bunch of fresh spinach, and then you don't have to squeeze it dry or anything.)

1 cup ricotta cheese

1/2 cup sour cream

2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese

 (Or whatever you have. I think we used cheddar last time. A friend once told me: cheese is cheese. I have found that in most recipes, you can just use whatever cheese you have on hand.)

10 (6-inch) corn tortillas

1 19oz can enchilada sauce 

(If your can is smaller, like the classic 15oz variety, that's fine, you don't need a whole 19oz.)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 F (190 C).

2. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and onion; cook for a few minutes until fragrant, but not brown. Stir in spinach, and cook for about 5 more minutes. Remove from the heat, and mix in ricotta cheese, sour cream, and 1 cup of Monterey Jack cheese (or whatever cheese you use). 

3. In a skillet over medium heat, warm tortillas one at a time until flexible, about 15 seconds. Spoon about 1/4 cup of the spinach mixture onto the center of each tortilla. Roll up, and place seam side down in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Pour enchilada sauce over the top, and sprinkle with remaining cup of Monterey Jack.

4. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, until sauce is bubbling and cheese is lightly browned at the edges.

If you want a yummy side dish to go with it, we always have Near East Mediterranean Curry Couscous when we have this dish.

Yes, you might think that "Mediterranean curry" and "enchilada" don't belong on the same table spread. Totally different ethnic flavors. But it works. Or maybe I just think it does, because that's what hubby made for me that Mother's Day, and sometimes food becomes sentimental. Regardless of the why, we only ever eat these enchiladas with a side of this particular couscous. And it works. And we love it. And I've never actually cooked these enchiladas. It's sort of a tradition now that when we have them, Ryan makes them. Which makes them taste that much more delicious. 

I posted this recipe because we just had it this week. It literally just struck me this very moment that Mother's Day is this weekend. So maybe pass this recipe along to your hubby with a wink and a nudge.