Today I was thinking about how to keep the dinner hour exciting and ripe for family conversations and sharing. Then I looked at what I was planning on making for dinner, meatloaf, again. I had an immediate realization that the reason why my family dinner table was quiet and disconnected was because the menu was boring. Like many other family cooks, I had fallen into a dinner pattern that contained only a few choice recipes. While they were tasty recipes in their own right, having them too often made them boring.
In order to liven up dinner I started an immediate search for an interesting and savory dinner that I could make with basically the same ingredients I had taken out for the meatloaf. I came across this recipe for a Mexican Lasagna that is delicious, easy to make and mild enough for even small children to handle. However, if you have family members that don’t like spicy dishes simply replace the green chiles and juice with sweet peppers for a unique twist on this dish. If your family is on a no gluten diet then simply replace the flour tortillas with corn tortillas.
Bon apetite!
Mexican Lasagna
1 lb of ground beef
1 pkg of flour tortillas
15 oz can of stewed tomatoes
1 small can of tomato sauce
2 TB of chile powder (more if you like)
1 small can of green chiles with the juice
1 lb shredded cheddar cheese
½ lb of sliced Monterey Jack
Brown ground beef and drain. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, chiles and chili powder and simmer for 10 minutes.
Layer in a 9 X 13 baking dish:
Repeat
Top with grated cheddar jack(or just cheddar) cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
Lou McKeone-Mallo
First Chicago Real Estate, Inc.
www.firstchicagorealestate.com
If you are interested in keeping your family menus exciting and interesting then you can incorporate low fat Jewish recipes as well as parve Jewish recipes into the rotation. Find these recipes as well as many others at Jewish Recipes. Go there today!