YUM - Tortilla Lasagna

One word comes to mind when I think about cooking something vegan and dairy-free...GROSSFEST!  Just kidding...kind of.

However, in my quest to live forever I have decided to change the way I eat.  I was raised vegetarian but fell of the wagon 11 years ago, around my junior year of high school when I got a car and promptly drove it to the nearest Burger King.  CHICKEN NUGGETS! WOOOOO!  (This was before the existence of those day-ruining calorie charts, too) 12 PIECE!  Diving into the world of fast food was easy peasy.  Nothing like getting healthy, which seems to involve months of memory erasing and intense taste bud training.

Even with my love for the occasional Oreo, my eating habits have progressively gotten better through the years.  I have my moments (holiday binging, what what) but in all everything was going along swimmingly until this weekend when I had the pleasure of stumbling upon the American Cancer Society's website.  This website was saying the craziest things. Things that most people never talks about.  What do you mean, cold cuts aren't healthy?!  Cooked meat can develop toxins on their surface?!  How is it that certain meats can lead to neurological disorders such as my biggest fear: Alzheimers?!  Clearly, I needed to change.

I had to wonder.  Am I as healthy as I could be?

There were some unwavering hard facts I had to face right from the start.

1. I will not give up wine on airplanes.

2. I will not give up certain Italian foods (manicotti, penne vodka or a super good homemade baked ziti).

AND

3. I don't know how to cook.

Two out of the three could not be cured, but the last one SO could. I mean, how hard can cooking be?

FIRST ATTEMPT...Tortilla Lasagna - torn out of Vegetarian Times magazine.

Needed:
daiya pepperjack
2 garlic cloves
1 small onion
6 tortillas (ours were big, so we cut them in half)
2 small zucchini's
Frozen corn
1 can of black beans
Pomi strained tomatos
Chili powder


First, toast your tortillas on two cookie sheets at 350 degrees for 5 minutes.

Next, grab a mixing bowl and add 2 cups Pomi strained tomatoes to your 2 cups of black beans, 2 cups of corn, and 2 diced zucchinis. Mix.

Meanwhile put some olive oil and your diced onion on the burner for 5 minutes.  Once the onions are soft, add the garlic and 2 tbs chile powder for 30 seconds. 

After 30 seconds is up, add the tomato concoction to the pan with onions & garlic, cover and let it simmer for 10 minutes.

Now it's time to CASSEROLE!
Oil casserole dish
Add a thin layer of Pomi first
Place your first tortilla on top.
Scoop 1/4 cup tomato mixture
Cover with thin layer of cheese
= repeat 4 times
Finish with a layer of Pomi strained tomatoes and cheese.  

Cook for 35 minutes at 350 degrees.

Times up! Looks good enough to eat!!!!

...so that's what we did.  There's not much else to say...except...

I CAN COOK!!!!!!


xoxo
L