easy Mexican

Ok... so it's a stretch to call this 'Mexican,' but nowadays, everyone that uses salsa and beans together in a dish calls it Mexican. I do it too.

About.com sponsors a 30 minute Mexican meals e-course in which you get an email once a week featuring a new recipe, but I think I'll wait until I am in Mexico and take some real courses in person. Hopefully that's not so far away.

This time I just had a craving for salsa and beans (unfortunately a little hard to find black beans in Finland).

Stacked Mexican Tortilla Casserole

package flour tortillas (8)
1 can tomatoes
1 can brown or white beans in tomato sauce
1 can kidney beans in chili sauce
1 cup textured soy crumble (or 1lb ground beef)
1 cup water
beef flavored bullion cube
1 onion
bell pepper (any color)
corn (from two corn stalks or half a small can)
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tbs paprika
2 tbs chilli powder
1 tbs cumin
1 tsp cayenne pepper (or to taste)
oil (corn or vegetable)

cup shredded cheese
1/2 cup sour cream (or creme fraiche)
1 cup shredded lettuce
freshly chopped tomatoes

Preheat oven to 175C

In first pan, heat oil 2 cloves of crushed garlic, and half of the spices. Add the onion and paprika and allow the onion to cook through until yellow and transparent. Add half can of tomatoes, water, beef bullion to the onion and pepper and allow to reach a boil. Add the soy and stir until well combined. Cover and turn heat low and allow for the flavors to combine well.

In the second pan, heat oil. Add 1 clove of garlic and the rest of the spices and cook for a few minutes on medium heat. Add both cans of beans, the other half of the tomatoes and allow to simmer. Drain the corn and add to the bean mixture. Lower the heat and allow to simmer for a few moments.

Now, spoon a thin layer of the soy mixture, followed by the first tortilla. Layer the mixture between tortillas in any order that suits you, throwing in some cheese whenever you feel like, also topping with the cheese.

Bake for 30 minutes covered with foil and another 20 without.
Serve with shredded lettuce, tomatoes and sour cream. Easy and satisfying!