Mexican chicken casserole

I've lost my source for this recipe... can't remember where I found it now.

Mexican Chicken Casserole
- 2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 can of black beans
- Salsa
- Cheese
- taco seasoning
- onion (optional)
- garlic (optional)
- pepper (optional)

Cut the chicken breasts into bite size pieces.  brown in a skillet until cooked through.  (Optional step: add some chopped garlic, onion, and/or pepper - like Serrano, jalapeño, etc)  Drain (reserve liquid, just in case) and rinse beans (type of beans is not critical).  Add beans, salsa, and taco seasoning (I used 1 TBSP homemade) and water/liquid (if needed) and simmer for 10 minutes.  Dump in 9x13 pan and bake (350 for 15 minutes maybe?).  Top with shredded cheese and return to oven until melted.  OR top with cheese in skillet and serve!

Can be served with chips, taco shells, or tortillas.

Enchilada Casserole

My version of Enchilada casserole:

-1 lb ground beef, browned
- Salsa
- Shredded Cheese
- 4 corn tortillas (the small size)

After browing the beef, stir in salsa and cheese until it looks good.  Tear 2 tortillas into quarters and lay on the bottom of a 8x8 dish.  Layer in 1/2 of beef mixture.  Tear the remaining 2 tortillas and lay on top of beef.  Add the remainder of the beef.  Top with more cheese.
Bake at 350 for 15-20ish minutes until bubbly and cheese is melted.

I adapted the recipe from Heavenly Homemakers and she says that it would freeze well and recommends thawing and baking as instructed or if frozen, to bake for 1 hour at 250 and then 30 minutes at 350 or until cheese is bubbly.

She suggested using 1 pound of beef for a 9x13 pan, but I think that makes an terribly thin casserole.  So if doing a larger pan, definitely double what I used above.

about 1/4 of the 8x8 pan is 15 carbs.

Another option for this recipe:
prepare beef, salsa and cheese as before, then wrap in flour tortillas to make burritos.

Cheese Crackers

Cheese Crackers

1 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ground pepper (optional) - I left this out.

4 TBSP cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces  (I used light stick margarine)

8 ounces grated cheddar cheese (I used part sharp cheddar and part mexican blend cheese)

3-4 TBSP water

In a food processor, Pulse the flour, salt and pepper, then add butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add grated cheese a little at a time until the mixture again resembles coarse meal.

Pulse in 3 to 4 tablespoons of water, one tablespoon at a time, until the dough forms into a ball. It will probably take a minute or so.

Remove, wrap in plastic, and chill for 20 minutes or up to 24 hours.

Roll the dough out to 1/8th-inch thickness directly onto a baking sheet. You don't want to roll them paper thin, neither do you want to roll them too thick. If they are too thin, they will not puff up as much. If they are too thick, they will not be as crispy.

Using a knife or pizza cutter, cut 1 inch squares.

Bake at 350° F for 15-20 minutes or until crackers are golden brown. Watch them after the 10 minute mark.

I found that I had a small set of animal cookie cutters that work great for this.  I store the crackers in a glass jar.

My original post here. 

Here is a picture of the cutters that I use.  Makes the crackers larger than Goldfish but a good size for little people.