Tex-Mex Lasagna

My boyfriend David came over last night, so I decided to make a homemade meal. One of my favorite things to cook is lasagna-- I love making different variations of it by adding different ingredients every time. Lasagna is also usually very unhealthy--with the mass amounts of cheese and white noodles (I just don't use as much cheese). I enjoy making healthy versions of lasagna that are delicious.

Last night I decided to steer away from the regular Italian-style lasagna and put a Tex-Mex spin on it. This version uses whole-wheat tortillas instead of noodles and lots of other yummy goodies.

Here is the recipe:

Serves 8; 1 1/2 cups per serving.

*1 pound cooked lean ground turkey/chicken/beef
*14.5 ounce canned tomatoes with green chiles
*1/2 cup salsa
*1 onion; sauteed
*1/4 teaspoon salt
*1 cup fat-free or part-skim ricotta cheese
*1 teaspoon chili powder
*1 teaspoon ground cumin
*Whole-wheat tortillas
*Shredded Monterey Jack or Mexican-style cheese
*15 ounce can navy beans; drained and rinsed
*1 cup kernel corn

Preheat oven to 375. Lightly spray a 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking pan with cooking spray. Cook ground meat and onion in a skillet until browned. Stir in tomatoes, salsa, and salt. Reduce heat to medium-low, until mixture is warmed through.

In a small bowl, wisk together ricotta cheese, chili powder, and cumin.

To assemble, begin by placing tortillas at the bottom of the baking pan. Pour half of the meat mixture on tortillas followed by another layer of tortillas. Then spread half of the ricotta mixture on tortillas. Sprinkle half of the beans and corn over the ricotta mixture. Sprinkle with cheese. Continue to layer with remaining ingredients. Top lasagna with a sprinkling of cheese. Cover the entire pan with aluminum foil. Bake for 30 minutes. Let cool for at least 5 minutes before cutting.

I like to top mine with some fresh cilantro. You can also serve with a dollop of sour cream. Enjoy!

Chocolate Fruit Skewers

Ok, I have been on an extremely LONG blog hiatus. But no worries, I'm back!

I noticed that a majority of my posts are about food. In the clever little blurb at the top of this blog, I mention that I discuss things other than food as well. Well, it turns out that I really really love food more than those other things, so you will probably be reading about food most of the time. But who is complaining?

Anywho, I am going to share with everyone the amazing little dessert I created for Paige's bachelorette party. (My BFF since 5th grade gets married on October 23.. WOO HOO!).

Since cupcakes and cookies were already going to make an appearance at this little shindig, I decided that I wanted to bring something that didn't require all-purpose flour or butter to mix things up a little.

I made chocolate fruit skewers! I got the idea from Giada de Laurentiis (one of my fave people) one day as I was on the elliptical. She made these using banana, pineapple, grapes, chocolate, and hazelnuts. I enjoy taking recipes and adding my own personal touch to them, so that is how my version of chocolate fruit skewers came about (and because Paige is allergic to nuts...had to cut those out).

I melted a bag of chocolate chips over the stovetop over a double boiler. I added a few splashes of skim milk so the consistency would be smooth. You can use heavy cream instead of skim milk--but I didn't have any heavy cream. I cut slices of bananas and strawberries and stuck them on a small, wood skewer followed by two purple grapes. I dipped one side of the fruit skewer into the melted chocolate and IMMEDIATELY dipped that into a bowl of regular granola, so the granola would stick to the chocolate. Place skewers onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (so the chocolate doesn't get everywhere).

Make however many your heart desires, then place baking sheet with skewers into the refrigerator until chocolate hardens (usually 30-60 minutes).

They are delicious! You can add any kind of fruit you like, use white or dark chocolate, or use chopped nuts in lieu of granola. They were a huge hit at the bachelorette party!