Black Bean Chilaquile (Mexican-style casserole)

For some reason I am relatively comfortable in the kitchen if I am baking, but as soon as I have to cook it is suddenly terrifying. I never know how to cut anything or know when things are done cooking. The entire adventure is usually stressful and upsetting.

But not with this black bean chilaquile casserole. It is full of color and flavor while still being easy low key and easy to make (I didn’t have to go running for help once).

Ingredients:

1 cup chopped onion

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 cup chopped tomato (canned or fresh)

1 1/2 cups fresh corn or frozen

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

14 ounce can of black beans

2 cups rinsed stemmed and chopped swiss chard or 2 cups spinach (I really like the swiss chard)

2 cups crushed baked tortilla chips (any kind of tortilla chip works, the recipe calls for baked because its supposed to be a low calorie dish)

8 ounces grated sharp cheddar cheese

2 cups prepared mexican-style salsa

Serves 4-6

Recipe from Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites, or at Food.com (the calorie counter on food.com is way off according to the cookbook. If you use the ingredients called for in the cookbook and you make 4-6 servings out of the 8×8 pan (my family makes it into 6-8 servings) it should be 245 calories per serving.)

1. Preheat oven to 350°F

2. Crush tortilla chips and put half of them in the bottom of the 8×8 pan

3. Sauté (on medium heat) the onion in olive oil for 5-8 minutes, until translucent

4. Add in swiss chard or spinach, cook until they begin to turn a darker green and have shrunk down (about 3-5 minutes depending).

5. Add in tomatoes, corn, lime juice, black beans, salt and pepper. Continue to sauté for 5-10 minutes (until all of your ingredients are heated through)

6. Put the sauté vegetables onto the tortilla chip layer

7. Cover the veggies with half of the salsa. Add about 2/3 of the cheese.8. Put the rest of the tortilla chips on. Cover with the rest of the salsa and cheese.