Assembling a Tortilla Casserole with Life Long Learners

I had 16 students who brought their own baking dish to assemble a meal for three to four. My nutrient dense take home meal featured corn tortillas, lean protein, vegetables and dairy.

I prepared the vegetables, beans and chicken prior to the class. In class, the students greased their baking dish, then layered tortilla pieces with the vegetable/protein mix and cheese to take home and bake for dinner.

The nutritional emphasis of my class was foremost protein, followed by fiber and diversifying plant foods.

My preparations for 16 student meal prep:

Purchased 4 pound each of raw chicken breast and thighs (boneless, skinless). Shredded cooked chicken to equal 4 pound total.

Cooked 3 pound dry weight black beans.

Diced 5 cups green pepper and 2 cups onion and sauteed in 1/2 cup olive oil.

For seasonings I mixed 1/4 cup cumin, 2 1/2 Tablespoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon oregano and 2 teaspoon salt.

I purchased 9 cans petite diced tomatoes without added salt and 6 cans crushed tomatoes without added salt. Added 3-12 ounce bags of frozen corn.

3 pounds of aged cheddar was purchased and shredded.  I planned to use 96 corn tortillas.

I brought disposable gloves (40), 2 cans of olive oil spray, aluminum foil, 2 long handled 1/2 cup scoops, 2 -1/3 cup measuring cups, 4 cutting boards and 4 serrated knifes and 2 tablecloths with runners.

 

The door prize today was a food thermometer, emphasizing the need to bake the dish to an internal temperature of 165 F. The ticket for the drawing required each to student to count the total plant foods (grain, vegetable, fruit and nuts) eaten yesterday. Total numbers averaged 5-6, including lots of folks who ate nuts. Whole grains included quinoa, oatmeal and rice, though only 1 person specified brown rice.
 

 

Here is the recipe for 8:

Chicken Tortilla Casserole

(Serves 8)

Cook meat and beans.  
6 ounce cooked chicken
1 ¼ cups cooked dried beans

Sauté peppers and onions in olive oil.  
1 tablespoon olive oil
2/3 cup sweet peppers, diced
¼ cup onion, diced

Add spices.  Cook 1-2 minutes.
2 teaspoon cumin
1 1/3 teaspoon chili powder
Dash oregano
¼ teaspoon salt

Add tomatoes, corn and cooked chicken and beans to pot.
1 ½ cup canned diced tomatoes, no added salt
1 cup crushed tomatoes, no added salt
1 cup corn
6 ounces cooked shredded chicken
1 ¼  cup cooked and drained beans

Heat over medium heat and simmer 10-15 minutes to allow spices to develop. 

Grease pans with olive oil spray.

Cut each tortilla into quarters. Arrange tortillas in bottom of baking dish. Add protein-tomato mix. Top with cheese. Repeat. Cover with foil. Bake at 325 F. 30-40 minutes. (Till internal temperature reaches 165 F). Remove foil the last 15 minutes.

12 Corn Tortillas

1 ½ cup Shredded Cheese

 

Protein, Fiber, Fluids +30

The phrase “plant based” is all over packages, commercials and advertisements. Plant foods offer fiber, vitamins and micro-nutrients. But do plants afford the protein needs of older adults? The answer is concerning. Though calorie needs for older adults decrease, protein needs increase. Senior meals inclusive of animal proteins (lean meats and dairy) surely are nutritious and tasty.

It’s plant foods however that contain fiber-another concern for older adults. Also water as fiber depends on fluids to be effective.

The 30+ challenge proceeds with prebiotic fibers and a healthy digestive system the focus. Eating many different plant foods in the diet pattern adds prebiotic fibers and polyphenol nutrients supporting a healthy gut. The real challenge here is different plant foods. While “plants” include grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds, a specific plant food eaten daily only counts as one. Diversifying foods and trying different varieties is good for a healthy gut as well as the environment.

Now for a recipe that meets the bill.  This Beef Barley Soup starts with the protein.  A recipe for 4 has 2-4 ounce (raw weight) petite sirloin fillets.  In a crock pot turned to "high", the steaks tenderize so that the meat shreds easily with a fork or spoon.  There's barley, not pearled, cooked in a counter top pressure cooker and peas for fiber. The cooking broth, along with a drink at meal time is fluid. Count up the plant foods-barley, peas, onions, carrots, celery and spinach totals 6 (add rye in the crackers) and we're well on the way to the 30+ challenge.

 Beef Barley Soup

(Serves 4)

Place beef in slow cooker greased with olive oil spray. Season with salt and pepper. 

Turn slow cooker to high.

2-4 ounce petite sirloin fillets

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

 

Saute onions, celery, garlic and carrots in olive oil.

1/4 cup onions, diced

1/3 cup celery stalks and leaves, diced

1/2 cup carrots (multi-colored), peeled and diced

2 teaspoon garlic, minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

 

Add wine.  Cook until nearly evaporated.

1/4 cup wine

 

Pour vegetables over meat in slow cooker.

Cook barley and broth in a counter top pressure cooker for 20 minutes. 

 Allow to cool for 15 minutes. Release pressure. Pour into slow cooker.

1/4 cup barley

1 cup chicken broth

 

Add fish sauce.

1/2 teaspoon fish sauce

 

1/2 hour before serving, add peas and spinach.  Sprinkle with thyme.

1/8 teaspoon thyme

1/2 cup peas

1/2 cup cut fresh spinach 

 

 

  

Salads Embrace Novel Grains

 

Cooked whole grains offer unique tastes and textures to salads. Some restaurant salads include pasta, corn, quinoa or rice. This salad features rye, Kamut and sorghum whole grains.

The layered salad in a jar is what’s on the menu for Whole Grains Sampling Day- this one in a class for Life Long Learners on the last Wednesday of March. The objective of the annual event is to try a new whole grain. Most people who try a new whole grain will like it. Diversifying whole grains is good for the health of the microbiome and good for the environment.

Here are the layers starting from the bottom up:

Dressing (1 Tablespoon each lemon juice and olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic and dash of salt)

Chopped radishes

Rye berry and red cabbage salad with caraway seed, Dijon mustard, cider vinegar and apple juice.

Chopped hard cooked eggs

Sorghum and beet salad with pistachios, red wine vinegar, apple juice and dash of pepper

Feta cheese

Kamut, carrot and raisin salad with orange juice, cinnamon and pecans

Spring mix

Portioned into a 2 cup jar, the portion of each layer is 3 tablespoons except feta cheese (2 tablespoon) and the final layer of greens which should fill the jar.

To eat, attach the lid, invert, shake then empty onto a plate.

Tentative whole grain accompaniments include King Tut bread (made with Kamut, millet and wheat flours)

Sourdough crackers made with rye and spelt flours

Oat flour and pumpkin bread

Kamut, Carrot & Raisin Salad

(1 cup)

Bring water to a boil in a pot with a tight-fitting lid.  Add Kamut grains.  

Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for 45-60 minutes.  

Drain off any excess liquid.

2 cups water

1/4 cup Kamut grain

Mix carrots, raisins, orange juice, honey, cinnamon, olive oil and nuts with grain.

Refrigerate overnight to develop flavors.

¼ cup carrots, peeled and shredded

2 tablespoon raisins

3 tablespoon orange juice

1 teaspoon honey

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

2 teaspoon olive oil

2 tablespoon toasted pecans.

Make Your Own Tortilla Casserole

You do it all the time-change a recipe to fit you. You adjust the seasonings to fit your palate, perhaps changing hot peppers to sweet peppers, adding more or less of a given spice to suit you. Some use less sugar to meet dietary guidelines. Others use one half whole grain flour for the total flour.

In this recipe, I'll suggest swaps for protein ingredients and techniques for fitting the casserole in your favorite size baking dish.

Tortilla Casserole

I've made this casserole with cooked chicken or pork. First I bake the chicken (to an internal temperature of 165F) or cook the pork tenderloin (in the slow cooker to an internal temperature of 145F). Shred in quantity and freeze some for an easy barbecue or casserole at a later date.

This recipe makes 1 9X 13 inch pan or 2 smaller pans (the one in the picture 5 X 9. I also made a second one in a loaf pan and froze for later) When we prepared this in the cafeteria I managed, we arranged 12 servings in a half size steam table pan and cut 3 X 4 to serve.

(8 servings)

Cook meat and beans. Shred meat. 

6 ounce cooked chicken or pork tenderloin 

1 1/4 cups cooked dried beans.

 

Saute peppers and onions in olive oil.

2/3 cup sweet peppers, diced
1/4 cup onion, diced

1 Tablespoon olive oil.
 

Add spices. Cook 1-2 minutes.
2 teaspoon cumin
1 and 1/3 teaspoon chili powder
Dash oregano

1/4 teaspoon salt

Add tomatoes, corn and cooked protein (chicken or pork and beans) to pot.
1 1/2 cup canned diced tomatoes, no added salt

1 cup crushed tomatoes, no added salt

1 cup corn

6 ounces cooked shredded chicken or pork
1 1/2 cup cooked and drained beans

Heat over medium heat and simmer 10-15 minutes to allow spices to develop.

 

Grease pan(s) with olive oil spray. 

 

 

Cut each tortilla into quarters.  Arrange tortillas in bottom of baking dish (this one is 5 X 9-the recipe makes 2 of this size pans).

6 corn tortillas

Add protein-tomato mix.

1 cup per layer

 

Top with cheese.
 6 tablespoon cheese each layer

Repeat.

Cover with foil. Bake at 325 F 30-40 minutes. (Till internal temperature reaches 165 F) Remove foil the last 15 minutes. 

The second casserole I assembled was placed in a 8 X 4 X 2.5 inch pan (the layers of protein and vegetables were slightly smaller) and froze. To thaw, I placed it in the refrigerator the night before, then baked at 325 F. The casserole was still frozen slightly and took 90 minutes to bake. The key was using the thermometer to check the internal temperature.   

 

 

 

Winter Squash and Goat Cheese Soup

 

Fall is soup and pumpkin time, and here’s a delicious recipe for any of those winter squash available locally. The simplest way to precook these is in a crockpot. Grease the crockpot with olive oil spray, drop the squash in whole and cook for an hour or two.

The skin softens and is easy to cut, remove pulp and seeds and scoop the flesh from the skin.

This soup features sautéed vegetables, curry seasoning and the squash flesh cooked in broth. After simmering for 30 minutes, the soup is blended with 4 ounce goat cheese and milk, then cooked just enough to heat. (Cook to 165 F.)

Adjust the milk volume in proportion to the size of the 

Pumpkin and Goat Cheese Soup

(6 Cups)

Cook the squash in the crockpot or roast. To roast, quarter pumpkin, removing pulp and seeds.  Spray with oil.  Roast at 425 F. for 45 minutes.
1 pie pumpkin
Olive oil spray
Remove peel and dice roasted pumpkin.

In a large saucepan, sauté onion, fennel and celery in olive oil 3 minutes.
1 small onion, diced
2 tablespoon fennel, diced
2 tablespoon celery stalks and leaves, diced
2 tablespoon olive oil

Stir in curry powder and sauté 1 minute.
1 tablespoon curry powder

Add ginger, orange juice, zest and stock.
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
Juice and zest from 1 orange
3 cups low sodium chicken stock (GMO free)
Add roasted pumpkin.  Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer 30 minutes.

Stir in milks, goat cheese, salt and seasoning.  Simmer 5 minutes.  Carefully add 3 cups of soup to a blender at a time.  Remove center piece of blender lid.  Cover lid and open center with a cloth and blend until smooth.  Return blended soup to saucepan and simmer until hot but not boiling.
1 cup skim milk
1/2 cup evaporated skim milk
4 ounce goat cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt

Tantalizing Tomatillos

 

Sometimes referred to as the "Mexican green tomato", the tomatillo has it's own distinct taste. I love the way it grows-beginning with a yellow bloom that hummingbirds love, extending into a parchment paper like packet where the fruit develops and expands to fill the covering. Here in West Virginia, they have a long growing season that extends into the cooler fall months. When picked and covering removed, they are have a sticky sweetness on the outside. Inside they are firm and acidic.

Tomatillos are often diced into salsas. Cooking softens the skin and enhances the taste. I like to combine them with other green vegetables (peppers, parsley and green onions) and saute before adding to enchiladas or casseroles. Some folks add these to guacamole. 

In this recipe, I highlighted the tomatillo uniqueness by inserting the green tomatillo sauce into the center layer of the tortilla casserole.

Chicken Tortilla Casserole with Tomatillo Sauce

(Serves 4)

Tomatillo Sauce

Combine vegetables in small saucepan on stove top. Saute over medium heat for 10 minutes. Drain. 

5 ounce tomatillos, parchment covering removed and diced

1/4 cup green onions, diced

1/4 cup green pepper, seeded and diced

1 tablespoon garlic, minced

Grease a small baking dish (mine is 9 X 6 1/2 inch) with olive oil spray.

 

Bake chicken in a 325F oven for 20 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165F. Dice.
9 ounce chicken breast, boneless, skinless

Rotisserie chicken is a speedy substitute! 

On stove-top, heat tomatoes and spices. 
2/3 cup canned diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon cumin
2/3 teaspoon chili powder
Dash oregano

Add corn and cooked diced or shredded chicken breast to pot. 
1/2 cup corn
Cooked, diced or shredded chicken breast 

Mix cornstarch into milk. Add milk to pot.  Heat over medium low heat until mixture begins to thicken, about 15 minutes. 
2/3 teaspoon cornstarch, non GMO

1/2 cup skim milk 

 

Cut each tortilla into quarters.  Arrange 1/3 of tortillas in bottom of baking dish, greased with olive oil spray 
 4 corn tortillas
Add 1/2 of vegetable-chicken mix. 

 

Cover with 1/3 of tortillas.  

 

Top with tomatillo sauce.

 

Add 1/2 of cheese.

3/4 cup shredded cheese (mine has parmigiana and cheddar)

 

Top with 1/3 of tortillas.

 

Add rest of vegetable-chicken mix, then remaining cheese.

Bake at 325 F for 30 minutes.

Tomatillos are rich in VitaminA and contain a good amount of Vitamin C.