recipe: Enchilada Casserole

[recipe]

This recipe was a serious winner in our house.  Pretty sure Mike was extremely skeptical (primarily due to the fact that anytime I venture into the category of ground turkey he immediately doesn't like it...I would agree with him 87% of the time, as ground turkey pretty much lacks all flavor.)  Today, my friends, ground turkey triumphed.  This recipe is definitely a keeper not only because it tastes good, but it's also relatively quick to make, and it makes a lot.  The recipe says 4 servings, however we still have over half of a 9 inch pie plate of leftovers, so I'm pretty sure that it will feed us for 2 dinners and probably 2 lunches for myself.  I'm also a big fan of this recipe because you could have everything on hand and can prolong the trip to the grocery store just one more day.  (Or is that just me?!)

I did several tweaks to this recipe, which were primarily just to make it spicier and make sure that the turkey didn't come out tasting bland.  We like things extra spicy in our house.  I served this with Spanish rice and a mixed green salad with pomegranate flavored craisins (these deserve an entire post of their own, I love them!) and walnuts.  No wine tonight, we kinda got wined out from the weekend, so we didn't open a bottle for this meal. 

P.S. my notes are in italics

Enchilada Casserole ~ Cooking Light, January 2012

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground sirloin (ground turkey)
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup fat-free, lower-sodium beef broth (chicken broth)
• 1 tablespoon 40%-less-sodium taco seasoning mix (such as Old El Paso) (I used half of the packet in the tomato sauce and the other half on the turkey while it was cooking.)
• 1 (8-ounce) can no-salt-added tomato sauce
• 4 (8-inch) whole-wheat flour tortillas
• 1/3 cup (1 1/2 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese with jalapeño peppers
• Additionally, I seasoned the turkey with (about a teaspoon) cayenne pepper, chili powder, salt and pepper.

Preparation

1. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef and onion to pan; cook 6 minutes, stirring to crumble.
2. Preheat oven to 400°.
3. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute. Sprinkle with flour; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add broth, taco seasoning, and tomato sauce to pan. Bring to a boil; cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 1 1/2 cups tomato mixture to beef mixture; reserve 1/2 cup tomato mixture.
4. Place 1 tortilla in a 9-inch pie plate. Top with 1 cup beef mixture. Repeat layers, ending with tortilla. Spread reserved tomato mixture over tortilla. Top with cheese. Bake at 400° for 10 minutes or until cheese melts. Cool slightly. Cut into 4 wedges.

Vanessa Pruett, Cooking Light
JANUARY 2012

joining the ranks

well after 70 days of taking a lot of naps, reading books and being bored out of my gourd, I'm back on someone's payroll! yahoo! I was offered a job yesterday and started working today, (because when you've had 70 days to ponder what it's like without a job) it's ok to start working right away! or so i thought yesterday when i so eagerly said yes without hesitation. Day one in the office was good, the basics, following someone around and taking mad crazy notes, but it'll all become second nature soon, I'm sure.

I knew there was a reason why last Saturday, Mike decided that today was the day to get the scooter back up and running! The job is actually easier to get to by scooter since it's only 5 miles away, however i also think it'll be fun to ride my bike a mile to the train, jump on the train for a few stops and then ride a mile to the office. I say that it sounds fun now - I'll let you know when i actually test that one out. but hey, the way i look at it, biking = fun, riding a train = fun, getting a workout to and from work and being a little stinky in the hot summer months = hmm...i'll have to think about that one.

So last night after having the interview and doing a few errands on the scooter, I nearly ran over a turkey crossing the road. This turkey was man-eating size and have you ever watched a turkey scurry across the street? it's really quite funny, plus a bit funny when you realize a turkey is running across the street...the how did the chicken cross the road joke just kept running through my head. good thing i'm such a good driver and aware of my surroundings!

by the way, i'm also well aware of my attempt to keep on some sort of Wednesday Wine routine, however for the last 2 weeks, Mike and his computer have been traveling. So next week, I do believe, we'll be back on track. (not that you really care but i do).