Mexican-Style Beef Casserole

 

Once autumn arrives making a plentiful casserole such as this becomes a culinary habit and is definitely on my must repeat list. It's hearty, spicy and cheesy and provides spoonfuls of warmth with every mouthful. You can omit the corn if you do not have any on hand and or want to keep it simple with just meat and beans, regardless it's a delicious casserole that feeds any welcoming plate.           

Mexican Style Beef Casserole 

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Serves 6 to 8

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 pounds ground beef

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cans (14oz each) diced fire roasted tomatoes

1 can (15oz) black beans, drained

1/2 cup corn (canned or frozen) 

2 1/2 teaspoons chili powder

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika 

1/2 teaspoon salt 

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Corn tortillas

1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese

1 1/2 cups Tex-Mex cheese or Cheddar Jalapeño

Preheat oven to 375ºF (190ºC). 

Heat a frying pan with the olive oil on medium heat, then add the ground beef and cook for about 5 minutes to brown. Next add the diced onion and continue to cook for 10 minutes, then add the diced tomatoes, black beans, corn, chili powder, paprika, salt and black pepper and cook just until everything is heated through.

Oil a 9 x 13 glass baking dish or casserole dish, then arrange a single layer of corn tortillas on the bottom, tearing or cutting some of the tortillas to make them fit. Cover with half of the meat sauce mixture and half of the cheeses, and then place another single layer of tortillas down, again tearing or cutting some of the tortillas to make them fit, and top with the remaining meat and cheeses. 

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until cheese is melted, then let it cool for a few minutes before serving and sprinkle with freshly chopped cilantro.

Rice Blend with Corn

 

Simplicity always wins and what could be more simpler and more easier than this, rice and corn. Served with lemon wedges for a freshly squeezed dose of summer zest and flavour.  

Rice Blend with Corn

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approximately 4 servings

1 cup vegetable stock

1 cup water

1 cup rice blend 

pinch of salt

1 tablespoon butter or oil

1 can of corn kernels

fresh lemon wedges

parsley, optional

 

In a large saucepan bring the vegetable stock and water to a boil.

Add the rice and stir; then add the salt and butter, to taste.

Cover the saucepan, with tight fitting lid, and reduce heat to a low simmer for 20 minutes.

Remove from heat and add the corn. Cover and steam for 5 to 10 minutes. Fluff lightly with a fork and serve with lemon wedges and chopped parsley. 

Hope everyone had a nice weekend. Seems like there is a bit of catching up to do, so I will be taking a week or two off, during that time I may do a quick post or two, depends on how focused I will be. Stay safe everyone!    - JD 

Corn Fritters

Corn fritters or corn cakes, as I like to call them because I tend to use less oil and therefore they look more like a pancake than a fried fritter. A savoury addition to almost any meal; that may be dressed up in many ways by adding chopped green onions, cilantro, jalapeño peppers, bacon and different herbs and seasonings. I enjoy serving them with spicy salsa however adding a dab of sour cream would not go a miss or maple syrup for a touch of sweetness. These unadulterated and uncomplicated corn fritters are pure bliss.     

Corn Fritters

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1 can of corn kernels

1 cup of flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon mixed seasoning

1/2 cup milk

2 eggs, beaten

1 teaspoon oil

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, mixed seasoning and salt. Make a well in the and add the milk, beaten eggs and oil. Blend until the batter is smooth.

Add the can of corn kernels (or 1 cup fresh) and mix well.

Heat about 1/4 inch of oil in a fry pan and drop fritters by level tablespoonfuls into the hot oil. Fry until golden, turning once. Drain and serve. Serve with salsa and sour cream or maple syrup. 

Have a nice weekend everyone! - JD 

Mixed Bean Salad

Summer sides can be as simple as this. A bean salad is quick and easy to make yet generous in texture, flavour, and nutrition. Leafy salads have their place however an abundant change such as this is refreshing.  

Bean Salad

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1 - 14 ounce can of chickpeas, drained

1 - 14 oz can of kidney beans, drained

1 - 14 oz can of pinto beans, drained

1 - 14 oz can of lima beans, drained

1 - 14 oz can of black beans, drained, optional

1/2 cup green pepper, chopped

1/2 cup red onion, chopped or diced

half can of corn, drained 

You may use any combination of beans you like... I used a 540ml (19 fl oz) can of exotic bean mix which included: adzuki beans, urid beans, moong beans, and soya beans plus a can of chickpeas. 

Dressing:

1/2 cup oil

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 cup white sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon za'atar (thyme herb mix) seasoning 

In a large serving bowl combine all the drained beans, chopped green pepper, diced red onion, and corn. Toss together. Set aside.

In another bowl whisk together the oil red wine vinegar, white sugar, salt and pepper, and za'atar seasoning until the sugar has dissolved. Spread over the bean and vegetable mixture and gently toss again. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight. 

Notes: You may use honey or agave syrup to sweeten. Try adding other vegetables like, red, orange or yellow peppers. Try different oils, vinegars or seasoning.  

Food Photo of the Day ~ Nachos

The cold weather has struck again so a round of epic nachos were in order. Crispy bacon, refried beans, corn, black beans, freshly diced tomatoes, and of course, melted sharp cheddar cheese. Topped with chopped lettuce and sprinkled with a chili pepper and lime seasoning salt. These were happily served... and devoured with salsa, sour cream, and a homemade guacamole dip. Perfect for sharing!

Hope everyone had a great weekend! - JD    

Savoury Corn Pancakes

I make breakfast pancakes on occasion however rarely make savoury dinner pancakes. These corn pancakes are very easy way to change up dinner, have for lunch or brunch. They are light and filling and can be served with salsa, guacamole, blue cheese, maple syrup, or spiced apple syrup. Whether they are the main course or a side this speedy no fuss option is a delicious one. The photo may not do them justice... I think that is why I rarely post about pancakes. All the photos, I take, look the same regardless of being breakfast or dinner pancakes. 

Savoury Corn Pancakes

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1/2 cup flour

1 1/2 cups corn meal

1 tablespoon ground flax seed

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt 

1 teaspoon thyme

2 cups of milk

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 eggs

1 cup of corn whether it be canned, drained or frozen, thawed.

3 scallions (green onions) trimmed and sliced

In a large bowl mix all the dry ingredients flour, corn meal, flax seed, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and thyme together until combine. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and then add wet ingredients milk, vegetable oil, and eggs. Stirring well to incorporate both ingredient mixtures; making sure there are no dry pockets or patches anywhere. If you find the batter to runny for your liking then add a bit more flour a tablespoon at a time, until desired consistency is reached. You do not want the batter to be too thick and goopy. Now add the sliced scallions and corn; stir until both have been distributed throughout the batter.  

Heat a small amount of oil in a pan and pour about a 1/4 cup of batter per pancake, into the pan; cook until the batter starts to form bubbles on top and along the edges, flip and cook for about 1 to 2 minutes on the other side. 

Serve with a salad or steamed vegetables.

Notes: I used a small ladle to pour the batter so it could have measured about 1/3 cup of batter per pancake. 

Halloween is only 1 day away... Happy Halloween and have a great weekend everyone! 
-JD 

Super Easy Microwave Popcorn

We all know pre-packaged microwave popcorn is not healthy. It is laden with salt and other modified ingredients. This recipe has been floating around the internet for some time and I decided to put it to the test. There are slight variations to this recipe whether or not to use 1 teaspoon of oil or how much popcorn kernels to use however the common ingredient is 1 brown paper bag.    

Everyone loves fluffy popcorn. This recipe will give you that. Providing your kernels are fresh. This is a great way to make microwave popcorn.

You will need the following... 1 brown paper bag, 1/3 cup measuring cup and popcorn kernels. 

Put 1/3 cup popcorn kernels in the brown paper bag. You can add about 1 teaspoon of olive oil if you like and a pinch of salt. Things might get a bit messy if you choose to add oil so place a plate underneath to contain the grease. 

Fold the bag over 2-3 times. Place the bag folded side down or stand it up in the microwave. Either is way is fine and one does not have anymore advantage over the other. Set the microwave to 2 minutes* and press start. When the popping slows, remove the bag from the microwave, be careful because it is hot!. Carefully open, as a bit of steam will billow out, and pour the popcorn into a bowl. It is that simple! In 2 minutes you will have healthier microwave popcorn. 

*microwave ovens vary in size therefore the cooking time will vary.*

I removed the popped bag with only 24 seconds remaining. As you can see the popcorn started bursting out of the bag. I did not add oil because I prefer to melt just a bit of butter and drizzle it over the fluffy popcorn afterwards. 

Nice large fluffy popcorn. No unpopped kernels!  This is my kids favourite way to make and enjoy popcorn. I occasionally make it this way only because I have a stove top popcorn pot so I prefer to use that. Sometimes it is all about the method with me. 

Notes: Certain agencies may not recognize microwaving a brown paper bag... I suppose it could have something to do with the recycled fibre of the bag. If you are concerned there is another method to making popcorn which includes using a microwaveable bowl and covering it with a microwaveable plate. When removing the covered bowl from the microwave one has to be  cautious, both plate and bowl will be extremely hot! I have heard and seen various results using this method as it has been known to burn easily and more unpopped kernels remain. 

Hope everyone is having a good week, we are. - JD 

My Week in Food

As you know I made cornbread yesterday. I used a different recipe this time and it turned out fine. I replaced the flour with cornflour and still used the amount of cornmeal the recipe asked for. The texture was soft and smooth which in turn made it crumbly... too crumbly. Since the recipe called for a 1/2 cup sugar the cornbread was a bit on the sweet side. I like a bit of sweetness however not major sweetness when it comes to cornbread. 

This chili had a nice level of spiciness which gave an even heat. Which in turn helped my cold a bit. There are leftovers and as this chili ages... or sits it will get more spicier. I am planning on doing Chili Dogs for dinner on Friday with the leftovers. Hopefully by that time this cold will be gone and I will be able to enjoy the spiciness for pure spiciness sake!

When one has an overabundance of apples then an apple pie is definitely going in the oven. Making it in a flan pan completely turned this classic dessert into more of a substantial deep dish apple pie.  

This morning I made a simple spaghetti meat sauce and if any leftovers are to be had, it will be going on the pizza's I am making for dinner on Saturday night. 


As more comfort... food is being dished out from the kitchen I am feeling a bit better today although this cold is lingering. Hope your week has been good so far! - JW    

Cheesy Lime Corn Muffins

When making chili this week I was inspired to whip these up! Make whatever cornbread recipe you have and add about 1 cup of grated cheddar cheese to the dry ingredients. Mix together. Add the grated lime rind with the liquid ingredients. Mix all ingredients together just until moist. Then spoon into muffin tins or whatever form of baking tin you have and bake. The cornbread muffins were cheesy with the right hint of lime. Because I luv cheese I added a bit more than a cup. Adding different ingredients to cornbread has it's possibilities. What ingredients have you tried? - JW  

I did post a recipe for cornbread back in February. Either click on that month under the heading Blog Archive on the right hand side or click on the word recipes under the heading Lables. 

Corn Fritters

These are the corn fritters I made from the cookbook I reviewed yesterday. The recipe was easy and in no time they were hot and ready to eat. Cheesy with fresh chives. I served them with a... you guessed it, leafy green salad and raw veggies. They were dressed with salsa. Although the kidlets just had to try them with syrup! After all the sweet and savoury flavours it was agreed that the salsa was the best. - JW  

Cornbread

For some reason over the past week I have made three pans of cornbread. I can't really explain this one other than the fact that it is very tasty! I have used more of a finer cornmeal in the past. Almost like a corn flour you would say. But I have found a more coarser cornmeal which gives more of a crunchy texture. I group cornbread with scones, it's one of those ever present versatile pieces complimenting whatever dish it is paired with. Whether it be lunch, dinner or breakfast, cornbread adds comfort to any plate.

Here I mixed 1 cup of cornmeal with one cup of flour, white or whole wheat you decide. A pinch of salt. About 4 tablespoons baking powder. About 1 to 2 tablespoons of sugar... I prefer to use brown sugar. If you are watching your sugar intake then reduce the sugar or skip it altogether. Then add these next three ingredients to the dry ingredients you have just measured out. Sometimes I am a one bowl kind of girl. Using every possible or separate dish or bowl means only one thing, I have to wash them all. Who wants to spend a lot of time washing when there are other things to do! Make a well in the middle of the bowl. 

Add one egg, about a cup of milk and about 1/4 cup of soft butter or margarine. Mix until all is smooth and combined. No overbeating. Pour into a greased pan. I used a square 8 inch pan that was greased and lined with parchment paper. Bake in a preheated 425º oven for approximately 25 minutes, checking half way. As always it's best to serve warm! 

Have fun and add this to whatever dish you are making this weekend. Enjoy! - jw