Destination Anywhere

Marcia gave us an easy Mexican casserole for this week. I'm enjoying this for breakfast! Yummy! :D

I made several modifications, not only to lower the fat but also because I opened the fridge this morning to find that Dan had eaten most of the roast chicken for a midnight snack, leaving me with only one leg. I only used 1 cup of low-fat shredded cheddar, 4 tortillas, no butter, just 1 1/2 cups 1% milk, and instead of making a roux I made a cornstarch slurry to thicken the sauce. I also added a diced red pepper, diced zucchini, diced jalapeno, tomatoes with green chiles, and corn. I put the small amount of chicken I had in the second layer. I used a 9x12 pan, and the calories for the whole pan added up to about 1520, so divided by 6 that's 253 calories per serving.

Mexican Green Chile Casserole, Adapted from Cooks.com; further adapted by me

Between 1/2 cup to 1 cup cooked, shredded chicken
spray oil
1 lg. onion, chopped
1 red pepper, diced
1 zucchini, diced
1 jalapeno, diced

1 1/2 c. skim milk
1 Tbs. cornstarch
2 tsp. chili powder
1 (4 oz.) can chopped green chilies, drained
1 small can diced tomatoes with chilis, drained
1 cup frozen corn
Chopped cilantro to taste, @ 2 tblsp.

4 corn tortillas, torn into small pieces

1 c. grated lowfat Cheddar cheese

Make sauce by first sauteing onions, peppers and zucchini is oil-sprayed pan until almost tender. Stir the cornstarch into the milk, making sure it dissolves completely.When veggies are done, add the milk and cornstarch mixture. Cook stirring until smooth and slightly thickened. Add chopped green chilies (drained) to sauce. Add chili powder. Add tomatoes to sauce (both well drained) and corn. Let simmer a few more minutes to thicken. Add cilantro. Taste, and adjust seasonings for "hot" factor.

Place in bottom of greased 9x12 casserole a layer of 2 torn tortillas, then almost half the cheese, then sauce. Scatter the chicken on top, then the rest of the tortillas, then the cheese (reserve some for the very top) then the remaining sauce. Sprinkle with cheese on top. (add more if you wish) Bake in preheated 350 degree oven until bubbling, 20-25 minutes. Let sit 15 minutes before cutting into squares to serve.
May be prepared ahead and baked the next day or may be frozen thawed and baked at serving time.