Layered Taco Casserole and Mexican Rice

Layered Taco Casserole

I've never been crazy about chili powder so Tacos and Chili have not been among my favorite dishes. This may sound strange but I like my own recipe for Chili, because I don't use tons of chili powder, as most recipes call for.

I have a family living in my home temporarily and I do all the cooking. They love Mexican food so I'm always looking for new recipes. I came across this recipe for Taco Bake and decided to give it a try because it is quick and easy. I usually tweak recipes I find, so they are different from the original. But the fact it calls for corn tortilla chips instead of flour tortillas caught my eye. I have a wheat intolerance and avoid flour.
By the way, this recipe is great and tastes even better  left over.

Ingredients

• 1 lbs. ground beef
• 1 can Rotel tomatoes, mild
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 pkg. taco seasoning (I used 3/4 of the pkt)
• 2 cups cheddar cheese
• Corn tortilla chips
• Chopped fresh tomato, diced green onions and sour cream for garnish. 
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Preheat oven to 350.

Fry ground beef in pan til done. Drain fat and add taco seasining, Rotel, sour cream and water. Simmer for about 5 minutes. In a greased,  13" by 9" baking dish, layr ingredients in this order.

Corn tortillas

Ground beef mixture

Cheese

 Corn tortillas

Ground beef misture

 Cheese

Bake for 20 minutes. Place fresh chooped tomatoes and green onios on top. Serve with Mexican Rice (recipe below)

Mexican Rice - A great side dish with any Mexican meal!

Mexican Rice

1/2 cups chopped onion

1 clove chopped garlic

1-2 Tb oil

1 cup uncooked Basmati (or a little more), rinsed and drained

1-8oz can tomato sauce

1 cup frozen or canned corn

1/2 tsp salt

Black pepper to taste

2-3 dashes of cumin

2 cups chicken broth (or water)

Optional- ceyenne pepper, chili powder, paprika

Saute garlic and onion in oil about 1- 2 minutes, add rinsed rice and toast for about 2-3 more minutes. Add tomato sauce, cumin, salt, pepper, corn and chicken broth. Turn down heat, cover and let it simmer til done, about 20-30 minutes, checking it after 20 minutes for doneness.

You'll love the sweetness of the corn that counters the heat of the spices and Rotel that's in the Taco Bake.