Mexican Tuna Casserole

Tuna casserole evokes warm homey memories in many folks. I love to eat it but also adore experimenting with it. This time I decided to replace the cream soup and try to add some Mexican flavors. The results were met with overwhelming support from my husband and son. I love putting a crunchy topping in the ramekins and serving them individually.
You'll notice that in the recipe I use a half can of multiple ingredients. If you want to you can easily double the recipe, or you can double everything but the noodles and cheese and set aside half of the bean mixture to use for dip (it was delicious)!

Mexican Tuna Casserole
Serves 6

2 cups dry egg noodles
1/2 15 oz can black beans
1/2 15 oz can black olives
1/2 cup salsa
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 cans tuna
handful of tortilla chips

1. Preheat oven to 350. Boil water in a large saucepan on the stove. Add 2 cups of dry egg noodles and set for 8 minutes.

2. In the food processor blend a drained can of black beans, salsa, and olives.

3. Once noodles are done cooking drain them. Mix in two cans of drained tuna. Add black bean mixture to noodles and stir. Add 1/2 of the cheese. 

Divide the mixture between 6 ramekins that have been sprayed with cooking spray. Crumble a few tortilla chips on the top of each one and then top with shredded cheese. (Note: If you want to be able to flip the casseroles out onto plates to serve you can put the tortilla chips and cheese on the bottom. )

Bake for 10 minutes at 350. 

Enjoy!

Bacon Cheddar Orzo & Cheese (with hidden brussels sprouts)

Bacon Cheddar Orzo & Cheese with hidden Brussels Sprouts

I have a confession to make- I love brussels sprouts. I think they're yummy. Strangely enough my kids also like them. The toddler stood on a stool while I washed them and ate the outside leaves I handed her. Shredded into this take on mac and cheese though I can serve them to their friends and they are none the wiser that there is a vegetable hidden in there. I make an adult casserole version and the kids servings get baked in muffin tins. They are easy to freeze this way and pull out for a quick toddler dinner on a busy day.

Bacon Cheddar Orzo & Cheese with Hidden Brussels Sprouts ($5.06/recipe- .84/serving)
(serves 6)

1/2 lb cooked orzo or other leftover pasta (1 lb box is 1.07) .54 (I used the other half of the box from our Orzo with Chicken, Artichokes, and Sun Dried Tomatoes the night before.)
2 TBS sunflower oil (you could use olive oil or vegetable oil)
1 TBS maple syrup
3/4 lb brussels sprouts, shredded (2.99/lb) 2.33
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 TBS butter (.75/stick, .09/TBS) .18
1 cup nonfat milk .25 (I use powdered milk to make nonfat milk for cooking and baking- it is significantly cheaper and we buy gallons of milk for drinking.)
2 TBS flour
8 oz shredded smokey bacon cheddar Cabot cheese (I bought an end piece at Cheese Traders near Burlington for 3.49/lb- .22/oz) 1.76

1. Preheat oven to 375. Remove any outer bruised leaves from the brussels sprouts and chop off the bottoms. I like how they look like tiny cabbages.

Shred the brussels sprouts in a food processor.

Saute them in a saucepan with the sunflower oil (or oil of your choice). I find it's easiest to put 1 TBS on the bottom, add the sprouts, and drizzle the remaining tablespoon on top. I use the tongs to move them around. After they've cooked for a minute they start to turn a brighter shade of green. I add a tablespoon of maple syrup. I think that it enhances the flavor of the brussels sprouts and brings out the bacon in the cheese. Also, I live in VT and put maple in everything. You could omit the maple syrup but I highly recommend trying it!

Turn off the heat on the brussels sprouts. Put a stockpot on the stove. I use a stockpot because it's big enough to mix all the ingredients in. Melt 2 TBS of butter over low heat and add 2 TBS flour. Stir the flour into the butter to create a roux. When it starts to brown a little bit add 1 cup of nonfat milk. Let it cook for about 3 minutes stirring occasionally.

While the milk is heating on the stove, I weighed out my cheese and shredded it in the food processor. This Cabot cheese is delicious. I think everyone in the family had a few slices while I was cooking. If you don't have access to Cabot try to find another bacon cheddar to use. If you only have plain cheddar I highly recommend cooking up a couple of slices of bacon to chop into the pasta because it makes all the difference!

Add the shredded cheese (save a little bit to sprinkle on top) into the hot milk and stir while it melts. This only takes a minute. The sauce should look smooth and shiny. 

Add in your leftover cooked orzo. 

Stir in your sauteed brussels sprouts. 

For the kids I spray muffin tins with non stick spray and dose their servings into there. 

The grownups get theirs baked in a casserole dish sprayed with non stick cooking spray and sprinkled with the reserved shredded cheese. 

Bake for 20 minutes. Enjoy! 

The kid's version- a cupcake of mac & cheese goodness.

Orzo with Chicken, Artichokes and Sun Dried Tomatoes

I conducted a little bit of an experiment. Growing up we had an Italian restaurant we'd go to for special occasions. They had a pasta special that had chicken, artichokes, and sundried tomatoes. The sauce was lemony and tangy. It was one of my favorite dishes and I never branched out always ordering the same thing. In the throes of pregnancy cravings I thought about this and bought a jar of artichokes on my last shopping trip. I turned to the internet for a little guidance "googling" my ingredients. Unfortunately, most of the results involved heavy cream and loads of butters, mayo, and other not so good stuff. I remember this dish being light so I decided to play it by ear. I'm thrilled with the results. It truly is a restaurant quality dish for $1.45 a serving. I had bought some orzo at the market on my last trip because it is a deceptively filling pasta. It looks little and unassuming. The box even says that the 1lb of cooked pasta in it will feed 6-8. So not true! The box stretched over two meals with plenty of leftovers. It easily made 6 servings per meal. 

Orzo with Chicken, Artichokes & Sun Dried Tomatoes ($8.69 for the recipe- $1.45/serving)

(serves 6)

1/2 of a 1 lb box of orzo (I cooked the entire box so that I could use the leftovers in my Bacon Cheddar Brussel Sprout Bake the next night. I strongly recommend it.) box is 1.07- 1/2 box is .54

2 large chicken breasts (I froze these out of a family pack 2/bag- they were roughly 1 lb combined. $9.83 for a pack of 7 makes them $1.40 ea) 2.80

1 16oz jar marinated artichoke hearts- I used Cento, they have a tasty marinade & good prices $2.69

3.5 oz or so of sun dried tomatoes (mine were homemade from CSA cherry tomatoes last summer- Alessi has some bottled ones that are available in the ethnic aisle for $4/7oz) $2

1 lemon .33 (on sale this week)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/3 cup white wine (You could use chicken broth if you didn't want to use wine.)

2 TBS half & half (1 TBS=.5oz, 64 oz = $3.75, .06/oz) .06

3 TBS butter, split (2.99 for 4 stick pack, .75/stick, 8 TBS/stick = .09/TBS) .27

2 TBS olive oil

1. In a stockpot start water boiling for the orzo.

2. In a pan over medium heat, place 2 TBS olive oil, 1 TBS butter and chicken breasts. 

When the chicken has turned opaque on one side (about 5 minutes on medium heat), flip it and add 1/3 cup of white wine and the minced garlic. The chicken breasts I used were really thick so it takes at least 5-7 minutes per side. At this point your orzo water should be boiling. Add a tsp of salt to it and add the orzo to it. Be sure to give it a stir occasionally or it will stick to the bottom. Set your timer for 8 minutes.

Squeeze the juice from half a lemon into the pan and add the sun dried tomatoes. Cook for an additional 5 minutes.  I wash the lemon first and toss the entire squeezed half in so that a little more flavor will cook out. When the timer goes off on your orzo shut the burner off. Leave the orzo in the pan with the cover on. It will continue to cook a tiny bit in the hot water and will stay warm. 

Pull the chicken out and chop it into cubes. I split the breasts horizontally first then chopped it into cubes.  At this point it will be very moist and juicy and the juices should run clear. Toss it back into the pan. 

I drained the marinade from the Cento artichokes into my pan to add a little more flavor. 

 Then it's time to chop the artichokes up into little pieces.

Add them into the pan with the chicken and sun dried tomatoes. Make sure to mix them all up so that the flavors "marry". You want to add in 2 TBS of butter, 2 TBS half and half (or cream) and the juice from the other half of the lemon at this point. If you had placed the lemon carcass in the pan before pull it out. This creates the sauce for your pasta.

You can go ahead and strain your orzo now. If you cooked the whole box like me so that you could use the extra for another meal set half of it aside. 

Add the orzo to the chicken, artichokes, sun dried tomatoes, and sauce. Mix it all together. 

Serve immediately. This is a tangy lemon-y dish. Add some grated parmesan to cut the acidity if you so desire. Enjoy!