Once de Abril!

Now you may have heard of "Taco Tuesday", otherwise known as my favorite day of the week, I changed it up with another "mexican" meal. Now I put that in quotes since tacos or this recipe in as authentic mexican as taco bell. Maybe I made taco tuesday up, but if you've heard of "meatless mondays", a slogan to try to decrease your intake of meat for at least one meal a week, it's the same deal. Except eating tacos. Which in my case are always meatless, but you get the point.

This is actually one of my favorite recipes to make and experiment with since it's easy to make and of course is delicious! It's called mexican lasagna, which I've adapted from one of my favorite food blogs again, Oh She Glows. You can use this for a meatless monday or taco tuesday recipe, or have it both nights!

Mexican Lasagna
serves 4
4 Whole Wheat Tortillas, cut in half
2 cups canned black beans, drained, rinsed and divided
1/2 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup frozen corn, thawed
2 T lime juice
2 tsp taco seasoning
1.5 cups enchilada sauce ( or my version of tomato sauce w/ 2 tsp taco seasoning)
1 cup shredded cheese (I used reduced fat cheddar and mozzarella)

Start out by preheating your oven to 400 degrees. If you haven't already, cut your tortillas in half, and set aside. If you want to, you can even make your own homemade whole wheat tortillas with my recipe here

Next, add the garlic, to a food processor and pulse until minced. Next, add half the beans, 1 tsp taco seasoning, and 1 T lime juice. Process until slightly pureed.

Appetizing I know, but I swear it's delicious!

If you are opting to make your own enchilada sauce, heat the sauce in a small saucepan over low heat, and add the seasoning.

In a medium bowl, combine the rest of the beans, chopped onion, corn, 1 T lime juice, and 1 tsp taco seasoning. Instead of corn, I have also used salsa which is delicious as well, but higher in sodium. If you are watching your sodium intake, the corn would be a lower-sodium option.

Now begins lasagna production! Start by pouring about a third of the sauce to a square baking dish. Top with a layer of tortillas. I tore some of the tortillas to fit the pan.

Now top with half of the pureed bean mix, and half of the bean and corn mixture, and top with about a third of the cheese.

Repeat the process by adding another third of the sauce, tortillas, the rest of both bean mixtures, and another third of the cheese.

For the last layer, add the tortillas first, then top with the rest of the sauce and cheese. Bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes or until cheese is fully melted to gooey perfection. I opted for a cup of cheese to reduce the amount of fat in this dish, which happens to equal out to the 1/4 cup serving for each! I also am not a big melted cheese fan, but if you can add about another 1/2 cup to the recipe, but don't go overboard!

Layered up and ready for baking!

Break out the sombreros and mariachi band!...and a side salad for some extra veg!

What's your favorite mexican dish?