mexi lasagna

so a few weeks ago i made my friend jen and dk mexican lasagna. its the first time i made it and inspired by the dona thomas cookbook, i made one. mind you, i just made up this recipe off a casserole from the cookbook and went way off in my own tangent, so its a great cookbook if you want to expand you mexican recipes in a cool way. i really love it and graham turned me onto it some time ago.

you can make this with your leftover veggies and add in what you like. i try to use all organic and fresh ingredients and avoid any processed foods but you can make any substitutions you like. as well i have even made this with some fresh rice.

here it is...

kelly's mexi lasagna

• 20 organic corn tortillas (depending on pan size)
• 1 large red onion (sliced into thin strips) mandolin works best
• 1 organic green pepper- diced
• 2 organic red peppers- diced
• 1 jalapeno- sliced thin
• one squash (any type)- sliced thin or diced
• 1/2 clove of garlic- diced
• 2 tbsps of canola oil
• 2 pablano chiles (roasted and then peeled)
• 4 ears of corn
• 1 bunch of organic kale or chard- sliced into thin strips
• 1 cup of organic monterey jack
• 1/2 cup of queso
• 5 cups of sauce or salsa (see below for my sauce recipe)
• mexican crema
• cilantro- chopped fine
• 1/4 cup of green onions

sauce:
you can use salsa or enchilada sauce jarred or canned, but since i am eating as organic and fresh as possible, i make mine. i make my own salsa and use it sometimes but this is the sauce i try to make.

• 2 cups of organic tomatoes- diced
• 1/2 clove of garlic- diced or in a press
• 1 red pepper (roasted and peeled)- diced
• 1/2 a red onion- cut however
• 1/2 a jalepeno (if you like it spicy)- sliced
• handful of cilantro- diced
• dash of olive oil
• few dashes of tapatio
• 1 lime squeezed into the sauce
• black pepper & salt to taste

i roasted the red pepper along with my pablanos from the recipe above in the oven for a while, till slightly smoked. if you are lazy, you can just roast them over a grill or your gas burner for a while with metal tongs. then once slightly blackened and smoky, i place them in a brown paper bag for 20 minutes to sit. i then peeled off some of the skin, leaving some for smokiness). diced them and set aside the pablanos for the main course.

in a saucepan i added all of the sauce ingredients except the salt, pepper, green onion and cilantro. i slow cooked the sauce over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes. once ready, i add the rest of the ingredients, squeeze a lime into it, let sit for 2-3 minutes over heat, then tossed it all in a blender or an immersion blender till smooth. i tend to cook my sauces for less time bc i try to keep the nutrients, closer to raw and since it will bake anyway. set sauce aside and onto main course

next i grill up some fresh corn on the con, let it cool and cut all the corn off the cob. you can use frozen corn if its easier. if you dont have a grill or the time,i boil the ears, then char them over my gas on the stovetop a bit, then cut off the cob. whatever floats your boat.

next, in a pan, i add 2 tbsps of canola oil and garlic and toss the kale strips in, tossing so they get nicely coated, i cook on medium heat for a few minutes until all the pieces look wet, then set aside in a bowl. now, i add in more canola oil and add onions, cooking till translucent. next i add in peppers, onions, corn, jalepeno and squash into the pan, over medium heat and toss every now and then, letting them cook for about 8 minutes or so. just so they all get partially cooked and can soak in all the yummy onion juice. set them aside in the pan to cool.

i then toasted all of the tortillas on my gas stove with metal tongs (or in the oven or over a grill) till warm with some char marks but still soft. very quick process on the stove, 30 seconds or so on each side, constantly moving. cut all tortillas in half

mix together the kale and all the veggies into on large bowl for the lasagna.

last part is making the lasagna, lightly ladle some sauce into the bottom of a 9x13 pan, then place your tortillas
with flat sides out, layering them similar to making a lasagna. round edges should all meetup with light overlap in the middle. start adding layers. from the bottom it should go: light sauce, tortillas, light sauce, veggies (mixed up- peppers, onions, corn, squash, kale etc), tortillas, light sauce, cheese, tortillas, light sauce, veggies, tortillas. once youve made your layers, then add yet another layer of light sauce and some cheese sprinkled across the top and bake at 350 for 20 minutes. you'll want to save some sauce, green onions, a little cilantro and crema for on top when its cooked.

when its done, cut pieces, squeeze fresh lime on top and serve with a dash of fresh crema, cilantro, green onions on top and it is amazing! you can also put a bowl of extra sauce on the side. totally easy and you can make it bigger by just doubling ingredients or making extra for leftovers. its really fun and goes a long way.

here is the dona thomas recipe as well. i reccommend the hell out of this book!
http://tastytype.blogspot.com/2008/12/corn-tortilla-casserole-with-chard.html

** also if you a cook like me who is lazy and like to pre-prep things, i also got extra and made a corn and regular salsa while i was dicing up all these ingredients. here are those recipes:
http://nothingbutacthang.blogspot.com/2011/06/new-eating-slimer-in-glass.html

we also are doing a salsa class at workshop in august. woohoo.
enjoy.