Casserole Factory

Baby watch 2010 is on! Today is officially one week till baby Leila’s due date and my poor friend Jen is more than ready for her to get here. Not that I would know, but from what I hear, the last few weeks of pregnancy is just miserably uncomfortable.  I know Jen has been having trouble with too much activity, so I wanted to make her some dinners so it would be one less thing for her to do during the day.

I downed a Red Bull, fired up the burners, and started up my own casserole factory this afternoon.  I started making 2 casseroles; Mexican Lasagna and Chicken with Rice casserole, but it smelled so good I ended up making four. One of each for me, and one of each for Jen (no onions)

This Chicken and Rice Casserole I found in a recent issue of Cooking Light magazine.  This was its debut in my kitchen and it turned out pretty well.

I also made Mexican Lasagna, a recipe I have made a bajillion times. I tried to locate the source of this recipe but I have no idea where I got it from. Another great vegetarian option!

Mexican Lasagna

1 T. olive oil

1 bell pepper chopped

1 onion chopped (onions omitted from Jen’s casserole)

2 cloves garlic minced

1 14oz can black beans, drained

1 14oz can pinto beans, drained

1 15oz can corn, drained

1 28oz can diced tomatoes

1 T. chili powder

1/2 t. ground cumin

hot sauce to taste

1 c. lowfat jack cheese (I used pre-shredded Mexican cheese blend this time)

tortillas

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large saucepan, saute oil, bell pepper, onion and garlic over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add beans, corn, tomatoes, and seasoning. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

Layer a 9X13 inch casserole baking dish with bean mixture, cheese and tortillas (lasagna style) Repeat. Bake until bubbly, about 30-40 minutes. Cool 10 minutes before serving

Ok, I’ll be honest, I have money riding on Leila being born on her due date, September 21st. I figured it couldn’t hurt to do my part in making that happen.