Black Bean Chicken Casserole

This is a favorite of my guys, in fact, I did not get a photo before they dished their plates!  It is a recipe that I found in a cookbook, What's For Dinner?, by Maryana Vollstedt when the boys were little.  This cookbook has a lot of great ideas and great recipes.

It is a great cookbook for anyone who is beginning to cook with all real ingredients because almost all the recipes use foods as given to us by God, so few modifications are needed.  She does use sugar in her recipes, so I substitute honey or maple syrup in those recipes (I typically use 1/2 the quantity up to 1/2 cup).  I also typically increase the vegetable quantity for all recipes, and use cooked dry beans and homemade tomato products instead of canned.  

Ingredients:

1 Tbl olive oil

1 large yellow onion, chopped

1/2 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped

2 jalapeno peppers, diced fine

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups homemade diced tomatoes (or one small can diced tomatoes)

1/2 cup salsa (I like Muir Glen's Chipotle)

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp sea salt 

pepper to taste

1/2 tsp oregano

3 cups cooked black beans (or 2 small cans)

2 to 3 cups cooked, shredded chicken meat

8 organic corn tortillas

~ 4 cups shredded* white cheese, such as Monterey Jack or Colby

In a large heavy skillet or your glass soup pot, heat the olive oil.  Add the onion, peppers and garlic.  Saute for a couple minutes, then add the remaining ingredients except the corn tortillas and the cheese.

Preheat oven to 350 °F.  Oil a large heavy baking dish with some olive oil and spread 1/3 of the tomato bean mixture over the bottom.  Cover with 4 corn tortillas (break up to fit across entire top surface).  Sprinkle on 1/3 of the cheese.  Add another layer of the tomato mixture, then 4 more corn tortillas and another 1/3 of the cheese.  Spread last of the tomato mixture over surface.  Cover dish and bake in oven at 350 °F for 40 minutes (reserving the last 1/3 of the cheese).  Uncover and sprinkle on the remaining cheese.  Place back in oven and bake an additional 10 minutes.  Allow to cool briefly and enjoy. 

* Shred your own cheese because pre-shredded cheese you buy at the store contains anti-caking chemicals.