50+ Lifestyles

Tortilla Pie

This pie is made in a spring pan or a deep round baking pan. It is
layered like lasagna. Below is my recipe, but many other items can be added or altered. This should be tailored to your likes.

• 4 flour 10 inch tortillas
• 1 pound hamburger
• 1 packet powdered taco or chili mix
• 1/2 cup black beans, divided
• 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
• 1/4 cup water
• 4 Tablespoons mild chopped jalapeño pepper, divided (I purchased a jar of
• peppers that had been seeded and deveined. It’s the seeds and veins that
• hold the heat)
• 3/4 cup cottage cheese
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 Tablespoon chopped parsley
• 1 Tablespoon chopped cilantro
• 1 can fiesta corn
• Lots of shredded cheese, maybe 2 cups total. I used some mozzarella, some sharp cheddar and some Mexican blend.
• 1 small jar salsa

Preheat oven to 350. Brown hamburger in skillet, add the packet of mix, stir in water. Add about 1/4 cup black beans, garlic and 1/2 of the jalapeño peppers. Stir, simmer over medium-low heat until meat is cooked through. Set aside. In a mixing bowl, combine cottage cheese, the Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley and cilantro. Set aside. In another bowl, stir corn, remaining black beans and jalapeños together.

Now to “build” your pie. Lightly grease the bottom of the baking pan. Place one tortilla on the bottom. Place in oven for about 5 minutes to brown tortilla. Remove from oven. Spread half of meat mixture on tortilla. Now spoon 1/2 of cottage cheese mixture on top. Place a layer of the grated cheeses. Pour about 1/4 to 1/3 of the jar of salsa over Cover with another tortilla. Spread corn mixture on this tortilla. Cover with shredded cheese. Now third tortilla. Repeat layers of meat, cottage cheese, grated cheeses and salsa. Cover with fourth tortilla. Place in oven and bake for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and cover top tortilla with lots of the shredded cheese. Return to oven and bake an additional five minutes.

Let set for five or ten minutes before cutting and serving.

Garnish with sour cream, black olives, remaining salsa, green onions and cilantro.

Other options: refried bean paste, Spanish rice, diced tomatoes. Substitute some left over turkey for the hamburger, or make a
meatless pie. The combinations are endless and can be tailored to what you have on hand.

People either love or hate cilantro. Omit it and use parsley, or cut the strength of the taste by mixing it with equal parts with parsley. Green onions or chives can be mixed with the cottage cheese rather than cilantro or parsley.

Multi-Bean Crockpot Soup with Chicken

• 1 large or two small onions, chopped
• 4 – 5 ribs of celery, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped or shredded (I use Salad Shooter and shred them)
• 1/2 green bell pepper
• 1 Tablespoon Butter
• 6 chicken drumsticks, (this produces about 4 cups chicken meat)
• 1 (32 ounce) container of chicken broth
• 2 cans navy beans, drained but not rinsed
• 1 can Northern white beans, drained but not rinsed
• 2 cans red beans, drained but not rinsed
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• Salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter in saucepan over med heat. Add onion, celery, carrots and green pepper. Sprinkle a little salt over mixture. Sauté until tender. Then place in crockpot. Place drumsticks on top and pour broth over. Cook on high for about three hours. Then remove drumsticks. Remove the meat from the bones and cut into bite size pieces. Return meat to crockpot. Add all of the beans. Stir, Cover and cook another two hours on medium.

Four cups of chicken is more than adequate for this soup. Two or three chicken legs would have been enough and still have a hearty bean soup. Instead of chicken, use your leftover turkey or ham. Leftover soup can be frozen or refrigerated, however the beans will continue to absorb the liquid, so you might want to add some more broth when you serve again.