Aztec Casserole Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Boil chicken breasts until no longer pink in the middle.
• Place cooked chicken breasts in food processor and give a few pulses to chop up. Don't get it too fine. If you don't have a food processor then shred the chicken by hand.
• In a large bowl combine all of the ingredients except tortilla strips and 1 cup of cheese. Also add in the chopped chicken. Mix well.
• Grease a 9x13 backing dish and place one layer of tortilla strips in bottom. Spoon 1/3 of mixture on strips and spread evenly. Continue alternating tortilla strips and chicken mixture with the top layer being the chicken mixture.
• Cover and bake for 60 minutes or until bubbly.
• Remove from oven and uncover. Sprinkle remaining cup of cheese on top. Put back in oven uncovered for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.
• Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes.
• Cut and serve. Can top with sour cream, salsa, hot sauce or fresh guacamole.

Steps:

• Ahead of time:.
• Prepare dried beans in a slow cooker.
• Cook on high until tender, (Approx. 3 hours).
• Prepare grains in rice cooker following directions for 2 cups of grain.
• (Approx 70 mins).
• When beans and grains are cooked:.
• In a very large skillet or sautee pan, heat half of the olive oil and brown the meat.
• Remove the meat to drain.
• Add the remaining oil and then cooking over medium heat, add chopped onions, peppers and garlic.
• Cook these until crisp-tender.
• Stir in corn and red chile paste (as desired).
• Add the cooked beans (including all the juice) and the cooked grains.
• Add the drained meat.
• Salt to taste and stir well.
• Simmer the mixture to slightly reduce the liquid and meld the flavors.

Steps:

• To make Aztec Soup: In a large pot, heat the extra-virgin olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute for 2 minutes, until golden. Throw in the minced chipotles, red onion, cumin, smoked cayenne, smoked paprika, sea salt, freshly ground pepper and saute for 8 minutes. Deglaze the pot with chicken broth and add the tomatoes, Greek oregano, chicken meat and the sprig of epazote. Stir. Partially cover pot and simmer soup for about 40 minutes.
• Boil some salted water in a separate pot. Throw in the wild rice and simmer for 40 minutes. Strain.
• Heat a grill pan on medium-high heat. Brush some canola oil on the ears of corn. Grill the corn for a few seconds on all sides until marked. Slice off the corn niblets. Add the corn, wild rice, and cooked black beans to the soup. Season the soup with brown sugar, sea salt, freshly ground pepper and coriander (cilantro) to taste.
• Serve this soup with a dollop of creme fraiche, crispy tortillas and a squirt of fresh lime juice.
• To make 'Liquid Gold' Chicken Broth: Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the crushed garlic cloves and saute for 2 minutes, until garlic is golden. Add the onions, carrots, and celery. Season the vegetables with sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Saute for about 8 minutes. Cut the organic chicken and chicken bones into pieces. Really hack into it so that the bones and marrow are exposed. Add the chicken pieces and pint of chicken bones to the pot. Fill the pot with water until it just covers all the chicken, and bring to a boil.
• Tie the parsley, celery leaves, bay leaf, thyme, and tarragon into a bouquet using butcher's twine or kitchen twine. Add the bouquet to the pot along with the black peppercorns.
• Once the broth has begun to boil, bring the heat down to medium-low. Partially cover, and let the broth simmer for 2 to 3 hours.
• Strain the chicken broth through cheesecloth. Hand-pick the good chicken meat and set it aside.
• Refrigerate the broth overnight. Slip a sharp knife around the edges of solidified chicken fat and discard.

Steps:

• Heat oil in skillet, add the onion and garlic and saute until transparent. Add the tomatoes and salt and cook over high heat for 5 minutes. Lower the heat and cook for 10 more minutes. Correct the seasoning and set aside.
• Preheat oven to 375°F
• Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the corn and zucchini and cook 2 minutes. Add the water, cover and cook over low heat for 8 minutes or until the zucchini is crisp-tender.
• Heat some oil in a skillet and fry the tortillas for 30-40 seconds on each side, just to soften. Set aside. (You could use cooking spray or sprinkle with water to soften and lower fat).
• Place a thin layer of veggies on the bottom of a greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Top with a layer of 4-5 corn tortillas and then a layer of tomato sauce. Add half the remaining veggies, half the chiles, 1/2 cup cream, half the chicken and 1/2 cup cheese. Repeat the layers, finishing with the cheese. Bake uncovered until the cheese begins to melt. About 10-15 minutes.