The Anti-Chicken Fingers Movement ~ Beef & Bean Taco Casserole

Wow.  This one was a winner, both for dinner, and lunch leftovers.  This will definitely be made again in the Epp household!

• Ingredients
• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1 can 10 oz black or regular lowfat refried beans
• 1 pkg taco seasoning
• 2 1/2 cups broken tortilla chips (I use whole grain or whole wheat)
• 1/2 medium green bell pepper chopped (I used yellow because it's what I had handy)
• 4 medium green onions, chopped
• 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
• 1 cup shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese

Instructions:

Heat oven to 350.  Cook ground beef, until thoroughly cooked through.  Add refried beans, salsa and taco seasoning.  Reduce heat to medium, heat to boiling, stirring occasionally.

In ungreased 2 qt casserole dish, place 2 cups of the tortilla chips. Top evenly with beef mixture.  Sprinkle with bell pepper, onions and 1 cup of tomato, and the cheese.

Bake uncovered 20-30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.  Top with remaining tomato and tortilla chips.  

I served with diced avocado.  Happy Eating Friends! ~ Trina

The Anti-Chicken Fingers Movement ~ Grilled Steak Fajitas with Flank Steak

This is a new recipe I tried with flank steak.  I have discovered, I love flank steak!  It's delicious cooked on the grill, nice and tender.  The key is heating the grill on high, getting it over 400 degrees, then before putting the steak on, reducing the heat to low to cook slowly.  You don't want to overcook fajita meat, so it will be red.  This will be my new go-to for fajita cooking.  Delicious, healthy and light.

Ingredients:


For the Steak

• 2 lbs flank steak, trimmed of fat
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 tbsp cumin (or to taste)
• 2 scallions, sliced (optional)
• salt + fresh pepper to taste

 For the Onions and Peppers 

• 3 medium onions, sliced into long strips
• 3 bell peppers (I used multi-colors), sliced into strips
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• salt + fresh pepper to taste

• 12 7" wheat tortillas, or healthy white ones packed with fiber such as La Tortilla Factory Low Carb High Fiber

Don't forget avocados, light sour cream, or anything else you like to serve with fajitas normally!

I season the steak a few hours ahead. Pierce steak with a fork all over to tenderize. Season steak with cumin, garlic, scallions, salt and pepper. Allow steak to sit at room tempurature at least 10 minutes before grilling. 


In a large grill-safe pan combine onions, peppers, olive oil, salt and pepper. Toss well to coat. Place on the BBQ and cook on medium-low heat, tossing occasionally until onions are caramelized, about 20 minutes. This could also be cooked inside on the stove as well.


When the onions and peppers are done, set aside to keep warm on the top rack of your grill; raise the flame of the grill to high flame. Discard scallion and sear steak 4-6 minutes without moving, turn the steak over and cook a few more minutes until rare or medium rare (well done will be too tough). Remove from grill and let it rest a few minutes before cutting.  

Cut meat into small cubes and combine with the cooked onions and peppers and serve with tortillas, cheese, guacamole and sour cream.


Happy Healthy Eating Friends! ~Trina

The Anti-Chicken Fingers Movement ~ Cheesy Enchilada Casserole

Okay, I got this VERY delish & not necessarily healthy recipe off of Pinterest on behalf of http://www.justgetoffyourbuttandbake.com.   Now...let me tell you what.  I always vow to cook healthy, and usually only try to offer those type of recipes when I post mine for the week.  However...this looked so good I just couldn't pass it up.  And...at the end of the meal there wasn't a single plate with a scrap left.  I'm just sayin!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound lean ground beef ( I substituted turkey burger, with all the seasonings you couldn't even tell)

• 1 large onion, chopped 

• 2 1/2 cups salsa

• 1 can (15 ounces) black beans rinsed and drained

• 1/4 cup reduced-fat Italian salad dressing (I didn't even use this)

• 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium taco seasoning ( I used regular & not reduced sodium)

• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

• 6 flour or corn tortillas (8 inches)

• 1 small can of drained corn, or about 1 1/4 cups of frozen corn (I used canned)

• 3/4 cup sour cream  (I used light sour cream)

• 2 cups (4 ounces) shredded Mexican cheese blend or your favorite cheese

• 1 cup shredded lettuce ( I didn't use this)

• 1 medium tomato, chopped

• 1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro ( A MUST!)

• 
  

  DIRECTIONS

  • In a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain.
  • Stir in the salsa, beans, corn, dressing, sour cream, taco seasoning and cumin.
  • Spoon a generous layer of meat mixture on bottom of 2 quart baking dish. Sprinkle with grated cheese.
  • Place a flour or corn tortilla on top of meat mixture. Layer with half of the meat mixture, and cheese. Repeat as many layers as you like.
  • The last & final layer should be a healthy dose of grated cheese.
  • Cover with foil that has been sprayed with pam or other and bake at 400° for 25 minutes, or until hot & bubbly.
  •  Let stand for 5 minutes before topping with tomato and cilantro. Yield: 8 servings.

  Happy eating friends! ~ Trina