Mexican Polenta Casserole

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Hello my friends. I am 2-weeks in to my new job and I’m loving it, but my weeknights are crazy! I used to have plenty of time for a lengthy dinner preparation, but now I’m getting home around the same time that we used to be sitting down for dinner. So my meal prep time has basically been reduced to zero.  Yet, I still want to provide a healthy and filling meal for my family. What’s a hungry mom to do?

Make-ahead meals to the rescue!! [Enter corny super-hero music here]

I simply spend an hour or two on Sunday afternoon, preparing a couple of meals like this yummy Mexican Polenta Casserole. Then during the week, all we have to do is heat up our delicious dinner, and enjoy!  You know the best part? No pile of dirty dishes to wash at the end of the day!

This casserole is full of delicious Mexican flavor, which only gets better after sitting in the fridge for a couple of days. I love how the slices of polenta get crispy around the edges and smothered with melted cheese. Yum!

I adapted this recipe from Recipe.com; click here to see the original recipe.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
1/2 cup chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound ground beef
3 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed
1 14-1/2-ounce can diced tomatoes, with juice
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
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2 16-ounce tubes cooked polenta
2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese (or your favorite cheese), divided
2/3 cup chopped fresh tomato

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, and sauté for about 2 minutes, or until the onion begins to soften.

Add the garlic, ground beef, chili powder, cumin, and cayenne to the skillet and cook, stirring frequently, until the ground beef is thoroughly cooked.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Add the beans, canned tomatoes, corn, and salsa to the beef mixture, stirring to combine. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low. Simmer gently, uncovered for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, grease a 13×9 rectangular baking dish with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil.

Cut 1 tube of polenta into small pieces and press evenly into the bottom of the prepared baking dish. (Note: this was a bit labor-intensive. Next time, I may try heating the polenta slightly, so it is easier to press into the bottom of the baking dish. I also think this would be good without the polenta on the bottom – although I haven’t tried that yet.)

Halve the remaining tube of polenta lengthwise, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices, and set aside.

Sprinkle 1 cup of the cheese over the polenta in the baking dish. Top with all of the meat mixture. Arrange the sliced polenta over the meat and then sprinkle with the remaining cheese and the fresh tomato.

Bake, uncovered, for 35 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand 15 to 20 minutes before serving.

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Burrito Bowl

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Happy Friday everyone! On Fridays I get a bit lazy and slack off on my domestic duties a bit. After a busy week, the last thing I feel like doing is preparing a big dinner. I usually have some extra homemade meals in the freezer, but I also like “re-purposing” leftovers into a delicious new meal like this one.

The beauty of a burrito bowl is that you don’t even need a recipe. My basic burrito bowls consists of leftover carnitas meat (if you haven’t tried my carnitas recipe, you are missing out!), rice, and beans. Then you can toss in whatever else sounds good. Chopped bell peppers, tomatoes, avocado, shredded lettuce, fire roasted chiles, sauteed onions – the possibilities are endless.

Ingredients
Leftover carnitas (or any leftover taco meat)
Leftover brown rice
1 can black beans, rinsed
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Sour cream
Salsa
Green onions, chopped

Heat the carnitas and the rice in the microwave until warm. (Tip: add about a teaspoon of water to the rice and cover, before reheating. This will prevent the rice from being too dry.)

To serve, place a generous scoop of carnitas, rice, and black beans into each serving bowl. Sprinkle with a bit of cilantro, and then add a spoonful of sour cream and salsa. Top it off with a few green onions. Mix it all together and enjoy your delicious no-cook dinner!

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Simply Delicious Burgers

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Sometimes the simplest recipes are the best. I spent many years in pursuit of the perfect homemade burger. I’ve tried countless burger recipes, containing a variety of ingredients, but none of those burgers were as delicious, or as easy to prepare as this one. The only ingredients you need are barbeque sauce, salt, and pepper to get juicy and flavorful burgers at home. Give Kinder’s BBQ Sauce at try; it’s our favorite! 

These burgers are great to make ahead and store in your freezer for an easy week-night dinner. Simply prepare the burger patties (uncooked), place each patty on a piece of waxed paper, then stack them and freeze in a freezer bag.

Ingredients
Ground beef (approx. 1.5 pounds)
Barbeque sauce (approx. 1/2 cup)
Salt and pepper to taste
Sliced cheese (optional)
Hamburger buns
Burger toppings

Add the ground beef, barbeque sauce, and salt and pepper to a large bowl and stir until combined (be careful not to over-mix).
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Use your hands to form patties about 3/4-inch thick. After you form each patty, use your fingers to make a depression in the center of the patty (the center of the patty should be thinner than the outside), so you don’t get a bulge in the burger while it cooks.

If you have time, cover and refrigerate the patties for several hours before cooking to enhance the flavor of the burgers. You could also freeze them at this point.

Preheat the grill to medium-high heat.

Allow the patties to sit on the counter for 15-20 minutes before cooking. This will bring the meat to room temperature, which will ensure the burgers cook evenly.

Place the burgers on the grill and cook for about 5-6 minute a side, or until cooked through, being careful not to over-cook them. If desired, place a slice of cheese on each burger about 1 minute before they are done.

Serve the burgers on hamburger buns with your favorite toppings. I served our burgers with sweet potato fries (I’m still perfecting that recipe) and awesome baked zucchini fries (I’ll post that recipe soon). Enjoy!

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