Health + Mexico + Breakfast = Delicioso

So I have called Meredith 100 times in the past 24 hours trying to process this recipe with her but she refuses to pick up her phone. So, even though it is not 100% perfect, I'm going to post it so that I can at least process it with all my imaginary readers :)

When I cook I have three goals: find something that is delicious, healthy, and cheap. (If it makes good leftovers that we can eat for several days, that is a big added bonus.) This dish accomplishes all of those things! I've found that the key to this is to use what you already have in your fridge and pantry. Here are the ingredients I had left over from last week's endeavors:


Corn tortillas, thai chilis, cheddar cheese, and leftover saffron rice.

I opted not to use the rice. However, I did decide that I could use the rest of the ingredients to make a delightful Mexican Breakfast Casserole. Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:
• 1 sweet potato, diced
• 1 can organic black beans
• 1 package of frozen corn
• 3-4 thai chilis, seeded and minced (a couple of jalapeños would work also)
• 1 large shallot, finely diced
• 10 eggs
• 9-10 corn tortillas
• 1 package (the smaller option) of lean, ground turkey
• 4 large garlic cloves, minced
• A splash of milk
• Shredded cheese to taste
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt
• Fresh ground pepper
• Chili powder
*** 1 can crushed tomatoes---- possible addition next time

Directions:

1. Sauté the sweet potato in some olive oil over medium-low heat. Season with salt, pepper, and chili powder


(My mom advised me against adding this ingredient but I refused... and good thing! It's a great addition. Also, did you know that the sweet potato is a "superfood"? It is full of vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, and potassium)

1b. At the same time, sauté the shallot until translucent over medium-low heat. Season it with salt. Once it starts to soften add the garlic and minced chilis.




2. When the sweet potatoes are almost done (taste to test! As they start to soften…) add the corn and heat it through. Once the corn is warm and the sweet potatoes are soft, turn off the heat.

2b. Add the meat to the onion mixture and cook it through. Break it up with your spatula and season with salt, pepper, and chili powder.


(I had a picture of the meat for this step but decided it was gross. Chilis are prettier to look at.)

3. Brush 6 corn tortillas with olive oil and layer them on the bottom of a 9 X 13 pan.




4. Drain and rinse the beans. Get all that yuck sodium off of them.

5. Layer the vegetables and meat on top of the tortillas.



6. Beat the eggs with the milk, cheese, and a little taste of olive oil (or butter if you hate your heart). Season them with salt, pepper, and chili powder



7. Pour the egg mixture over the vegetables.

8. Brush 3-4 more tortillas with olive oil. Cut them into strips and lay them on top of the casserole in a grid pattern to make it look like a pretty pie.

9. Bake at 325 for 45 minutes or until it is golden brown on top and all bubbly and delicious looking



NOTES:

Don't forget to season at every step! This is so so important in order to build layers of flavor.

The casserole was a smidge dry. Serve it with some high-quality salsa and it fixes that little problem right up. The taste is DIVINITY. Next time I think I will add a can of organic crushed tomatoes in order to help keep it moist. Thoughts?

Also, I have a severe prejudice against frozen and canned foods. I legitimately think that I am too good for them and they totally gross me out. But, as you can see from this recipe, I am getting over it. I am learning that if you buy the good stuff, fruits and veggies are canned/frozen at the peak of perfection and thus retain their nutrients and taste. Also, they're a bargain.

This costs me $11 to make! And we'll be eating it all week. You just can't beat that.