Shish Taouk (Lebanese Chicken)

This is one of my favorite Lebanese dishes to make.  I got the recipe from Nita Mehta's Lebanese Cooking for the Indian Kitchen.

This will require some planning ahead because you will have to assemble your Lebanese spice mix and also marinate your chicken for at least 4 hours (I usually marinate overnight), but the results are well worth the extra planning. I usually double this for my family.





Serves 3-4
250 gms boneless chicken - cut into 3/4" pieces
1 medium sized onion- cut into 8 pieces

Marinade
1 egg
1/2 tsp ginger-garlic paste (I usually just use fresh grated ginger and minced garlic)
4 Tbsp. thick curd (yogurt)
1/2 tsp. garam masala
1 tsp. salt
1 onion, grated
1 tsp dried thyme or oregano
1 tsp Lebanese spice mix
1 tsp roasted cumin (bhuna jeera) powder
1/2 tsp red chilli powder or paprika (degi mirch) powder (I always use paprika b/c of the little people)
2 tsp tomato ketchup
2 tsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp oil

1. Mix all ingredients of the marinade in a bowl.
2. Add chicken pieces and onion.  Keep in fridge covered for at least 4 hours.
3. Preheat oven at 180 C for 10 minutes.
4. Grease the wire rack with oil.  Place the chicken pieces on it. (I always use the skewers that came with my oven.)
5. Bake at 180 C in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until the chicken is well cooked.

This goes great with some hummus, and carrots, cucumbers, and Megan's pita bread for dipping.

Lebanese Spice Mix

This is a great Lebanese spice mix that I use with several recipes. You can find all of these easily in an Indian grocery store. I have re-purposed my husband's old coffee grinder to grind my spices. I quadruple this recipe to make the grinding easier, then I store the extra for later use. The ground spices will keep for 6 months.

Makes 2 tsp.
1/2 tsp. black pepper corns (saboot kali mirch)
4-5 cloves (laung)
1/4 tsp. nutmeg (jaiphal) - grated
1/4 tsp.  fenugreek seeds (methi daana)
1/4 tsp. ginger (sonth) powder
1/2 tsp. green cardamom seeds (chhoti illaichi)
1 star anise (phool chakri)
1" stick cinnamon (dalchini)

 Grind all ingredients in a small mixer (or coffee grinder) or crush with a pestle and mortar to a powder. Store in a jar with a tight fitting lid and use as required.

Pasta in Creamy Garlic Sauce (Chicken and Broccoli version)

Although this meal is REALLY easy to put together, it does require a little bit of planning ahead. That's because the sauce (which you can make in about 5 minutes) needs to sit for several hours for the garlic to really get nicely infused. Otherwise, your sauce is just going to taste like milk:( But this is a great meal for making all the things ahead of time, and then throwing it all together in a snap later in the day (or even the next day). This is really, really easy to make!

Creamy Garlic Sauce Ingredients:

1/2 c. water, divided

2 Tbsp. chopped garlic

1 tsp. garlic powder

2 c. heavy cream (in India, use 1 c. Amul cream and 1 c. milk. This is not good with 2 c. Amul cream...trust me)

1 Tbsp. fresh parsley (or 1 tsp. dried parsley if you have it...I've made it without this before)

salt and pepper to taste (I also use Tony's creole seasoning)

2 Tbsp. cornstarch (cornflour)

Directions

1. Pour half of the water into a saucepan, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Add the garlic and garlic powder, and boil until the water has almost evaporated, about 5 minutes. Stir in the heavy cream, parsley, salt, and pepper. At this point (before I add the cornstarch) I take it off the burner and allow it to cool, then put it in the fridge. I usually do this in the morning if I’m going to make this for dinner, or you could do this before you go to bed and let it sit overnight in order to make it for lunch.

2. When you are ready to make your meal, see the rest of the directions below.

Ingredients to add to the sauce:

2 baked chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces (I season mine with Tony's before baking)

1 small head of broccoli, cut into small pieces and steamed

3 cups of cooked pasta (macaroni, elbow, etc.)

When you're ready to assemble your meal, remove the garlic sauce from the fridge.

3. Add the cornstarch to the sauce and slowly heat it. Add all your other ingredients (I add the chicken and brocolli first, and then add the pasta so that I don't get too much in there. You want the sauce to nicely coat everything). Heat everything through til you get the sauce to the thickness that you want.

To turn this into a veg meal, leave out the chicken and add a variety of steamed vegetables (carrots, summer squash, etc.).

This goes nicely with French bread and Carrots with Rosemary Butter.

Enjoy!

Carrots with Rosemary Butter

This is a great savory side dish. I serve it alongside chicken 'n' dumplings, pasta, baked chicken...it goes great with just about anything and it's so easy and fast.

Ingredients:

3 c. carrots cut into sticks

1 1/2 Tbsp. butter, softened

1/2 tsp. rosemary, crushed

1/2 tsp. parsley

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

Steam carrot sticks to desired tenderness. Combine spices with butter. Add carrots and toss to coat. So easy, and so delicious:)

Make your own Sausage (Minced Mutton)

This is my first attempt at a blog post...ever. I hope I do not mess up Megan's wonderful blog! I really appreciate all her hard work in keeping this thing going. I use lots of her recipes (the one I keep making over and over right now is Chicken Soup with Lentils ...with brown rice instead of barley. All of my family, even the picky eater, loves it.)

I'm not a big fan of mutton except in its minced form. If you have a pretty good selection of spices, mostly ones you use for Thanksgiving-type foods, you can easily make your own sausage using mutton keema. This is adapted from a Jimmy Dean sausage copy cat recipe.

1 kg mutton keema
2 1/2 tsp. salt
2 1/2 tsp. dried parsley
3-4 tsp. rubbed sage
1/2 tsp. black pepper
3-4 tsp. dried thyme
1 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 1/2 tsp. coriander (dhaniya powder)

Combine all the spices with the keema. Mix thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate several hours (I usually let it set overnight). If your sausage mixture smells really fragrant, then your spices are probably fine. I usually cook just a tiny portion in a skillet to see if I want to add anything else before cooking all of it.

Cook it, then use it to top homemade pizza, make breakfast casserole, put in sausage potato soup, etc. This makes quite a bit of sausage, so after I cook it I freeze it in several smaller batches. Later I will post a recipe for sausage stromboli that my family loves. Enjoy!
Rachel R.

Key Lime Pie

From RachelR:

My brother made this for me when we were on STAS.  It was great.  You can get all the ingredients locally, so that is a definite bonus!  And those little lime/lemon things are going to be everywhere soon.

 

This is a Paula Deen recipe.  I’m giving the recipe as is, and then below I’ll tell you a few things I usually do differently.

 

Ingredients:

 

Crust

5 tablespoons butter, melted

1-1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs (or Hob Nob crumbs...I don’t recommend Marie Gold b/c they don’t stick together very well)

1/2 cup slivered almonds (or chopped almonds...I usually toast these for a few minutes, but they will also get a little toasted when you bake the crust)

 

Filling

1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk (this is one 400 g can of Milk Maid sweetened condensed milk)

1/2 cup Key lime juice

2 teaspoons grated lime zest

2 eggs, separated

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar (for meringue)

1/4 cup sugar (for meringue)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
For the crust, combine ingredients and pat down into a 9-inch pie pan. Bake for 5 to 10 minutes.
In a medium bowl, combine the milk, lime juice, and 1 teaspoon zest; blend in the egg yolks. Pour the filling into the crust.
For the meringue, beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in the sugar and remaining teaspoon zest until the mixture is stiff. Spread the meringue over the filling; spread it to touch the edge of the crust all around. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the meringue is golden brown.


The key lime pie should be chilled before serving, and it is best after it sits for a day (or overnight).  A great summer dessert!

Whole Wheat Banana Waffles

Whole Wheat Banana Waffles

These are very filling, and very good.  My family loves them, and we have them about once a week since we have strawberries in our city.  The bananas in the batter will make these waffles a little on the darker side.

1 ½ c. whole wheat flour

½ c. all purpose flour

1 Tbsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. salt

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

2 eggs

1 ½ c. milk

¼ c. applesauce (I make my own by peeling and chopping an apple, then place it in a pan and cover the bottom with water.  Let it boil, then simmer til the liquid is evaporated.  Mash with fork.)

3 Tbsp. sugar

1Tbsp. vegetable oil

1 tsp. vanilla

2 ripe bananas, mashed

Mix dry ingredients in a bowl.  Mix all other ingredients in separate bowl.  Mix wet ingredients into dry just until incorporated.

Cook waffles according to waffle iron instructions.  Top with fresh fruit, syrup, peanut butter, powdered sugar…we’ve done it all.

My waffle iron makes two square waffles at a time, and this recipe will make 10-12 waffle squares.  The best thing is you can freeze leftovers and then pop them in the toaster when you want one.

Chocolate Cobbler

This is a nice dessert...kind of like a lava cake. And so easy to make. No eggs or butter needed, and you can serve to your vegetarian friends. This makes a spongy chocolate cake and forms a chocolate sauce underneath. The only ingredient you can't get here is brown sugar, but since Megan has figured out how to make that, you should be good to go!

Ingredients:
1 c. self-rising flour (or place 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder and 1/2 tsp. salt in a measuring cup. Add all-purpose flour to measure 1 c.)
1/2 c. sugar
2 Tbsp. plus 1/4 c. baking cocoa
1/2 c. milk
3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 c. packed brown sugar
1 3/4 cups hot water
vanilla ice cream, optional (but I'd highly recommend it)

In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar and 2 Tbsp. cocoa. Stir in milk and oil until smooth. Pour into a greased 8 in. square baking pan. Combine the brown sugar and remaining cocoa; sprinkle over batter. Do not stir this together. Pour hot water over the top. Again, don't stir! Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes or until top of cake springs back when lightly touched. (I usually cook mine for about 40 min. The cake might seem done before that, but if you take it out too early, the sauce on the bottom will be way too thin. YOu want it to get a little thick, like hot fudge sauce.) Serve warm with ice cream if desired.

Cinnamon Toast Cake

This is the ultimate comfort food for breakfast. My mom used to make this on Saturday mornings and we'd munch on it while we watched cartoons. Think of something like monkey bread, without all the labor involved. I don't make it that often as it has a bit more sugar than I usually give my family in the mornings (I give it later in the day:) but when I put this on the table in the mornings, my boys have big smiles. Goes great with apple cinnamon oatmeal, or scrambled eggs and some fruit. And you probably have all the ingredients on hand:)

2 cups flour (I use 1 atta and 1 maida)
1 c. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 c. milk (you might have to add a little more depending on where you live...living in UP, my flour is always very dry)
2 Tbsp. melted butter
1 tsp. vanilla.

Topping
1/2 c. melted butter (I think I usually only do 1/4 cup)
1/2 c. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
(You probably won't use all the topping, but just save it back for cinnamon toast or something like that)

Combine dry ingredients. Stir in milk, 2 Tbsp. butter and vanilla until batter is smooth. Grease and flour pan (I use a small jelly roll pan that fits in my little oven). Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.
Combine sugar and cinnamon. Brush cake with butter then sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on top. Place back in oven til bubbly. Yum!

Chocolate Cobbler

This is awesome. If you like chocolate, you'll love this. It is like a cake that makes it's own fudge sauce at the bottom of the pan. It is AWESOME with vanilla ice cream. I always have all the ingredients on hand, too, so that makes it even better!

1 cup self rising flour (or 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder and 1/2 tsp. salt in a measuring cup, then add maida to measure 1 cup)
1/2 c. sugar
2 Tbsp. plus 1/4 c. baking cocoa, divided
1/2 c. milk
3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 c. brown sugar
1 3/4 c. hot water
vanilla ice cream, optional

In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar and 2 Tbsp. cocoa. Stir in milk and oil until smooth. pour into a greased 8-in. square baking pan. Combine the brown sugar and remaining cocoa; sprinkle over batter. Pour hot water over top (do not stir). Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes or until top of cake springs back when lightly touched. (It's important to let it cook long enough, or else your sauce will be watery!) Serve warm with ice cream if desired. Yield: 6-8 servings.

Healthy Apple Cake

Rachel R says:

I love seeing all these apples that are being sold along the side of the road. I love apple pie, apple crisp, and all those other things, but I've been trying my hand at some healthier things using apples. Here's a recipe that my family has really liked. (I've also been adding grated apples and cinnamon to my pancake batter, and grated apples to oatmeal when I make it:)

Healthy Apple Cake
2 c. diced apples
1/2 c. raw sugar*

Sprinkle apples with sugar and set aside.

Combine
1 c. whole wheat flour
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

In another bowl, combine
1 egg
1/2 c. applesauce (I make my own)
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix wet ingredients into dry ones. Your batter will be dry, so mix it really good. Stir in your apple mixture.

Grease 9" round or square pan. Bake at 375 for 35 minutes.

*(I use something like turbinado sugar that I find at Spencer's...sorry, I don't remember the name of it. If you use regular sugar in this recipe, just reduce the amount b/c what I use isn't nearly as sweet as the regular stuff.)

Makes 8 servings, and each piece is just 110 calories:)

Rachel's No Knead Yeast Rolls

RachelR says:

If you want to impress your family or dinner guests with homemade bread but don't have a lot of time, make these rolls. They are super easy and don't require any kneading. You have to cook these in a muffin tin because the mixture is very wet and the rolls won't hold their shape very well in a regular pan. But they will pull apart and melt in your mouth. Yum!

No Knead Yeast Dinner Rolls

2 Tbsp. shortening OR butter
3 Tbsp. white sugar
1 c. hot water (it has to be hot enough to melt the shortening or butter)

Mix these three together. When the mixture cools to 110 degrees, add

1 pkg (.25 oz, 1 1/4 t.) yeast

Let this set about 5 minutes to get your yeast active. Then blend in

1 egg, beaten
1 tsp. salt
2 1/4 c. flour (I did half whole wheat flour and they were great!)

After you've mixed all this together, set aside. The mixture will be very wet. Just cover it and keep in a draft free area and let it double in size. Then spoon into a greased muffin tin. (This recipe just makes 8 rolls, so be sure to fill your empty cups with water to ensure even baking.) Again, set aside and allow the rolls to double in size again.
Bake at 425 for 10 minutes.

After mine rose the second time, I brushed with butter, then sprinkled a little rosemary on top, then brushed with more butter, then sprinkled just a little sea salt on top. Just an adaptation from the Pioneer Woman!

I'm back... and Rachel's Chicken Pot Pie

Our family has made it back to South Asia! We spent this summer in the states catching up with family and friends and taking it easy. It was a great break and time to refresh our family, marriage, and spiritual health. We are thankful for it, and ready to get back into the swing of life here. I apologize that I did not post a single help or recipe while we were away. I barely did any cooking in the states, people hosted us so often or our families took us out to eat! I'm so ready to get back in the kitchen and share with you what's happening there!

We'll start with a couple of recipes submitted by others while I was away...

From RachelR:

So I pulled out my mother-in-law's recipe for chicken pot pie the other day. Hers calls for a Bisquick topping. I've made the recipe before with a pie crust topping, but I was feeling adventurous. I searched the internet and found an easy recipe for Bisquick. I also made cream of chicken soup from scratch. If you do these two things ahead of time, this recipe is really pretty easy and fast to make.

Bisquick Recipe:
5 c. flour
1/4 c. baking powder
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 c. butter

Mix together flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Cut in butter til mixture is crumbly.

Store in airtight container up to 6 weeks or in freezer for longer storage.

Cream of chicken soup
1 1/2 c. water
1 chicken buillon cube
few tsp. chopped onion
clove of garlic, minced
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. salt
a little lemon pepper
1 1/2 c. milk
3/4 c. flour
Boil water, buillon, 1/2 c. milk and onions and garlic for a minute. Add spices and boil another minute.
Whisk together 1 c. milk and flour. Add to liquid mixture and boil, whisking continually til mixture thickens.
(This makes 3 cups, and you'll just need 1 1/2 cups for this recipe, so freeze the remainder.)

Chicken Pot Pie
Put a whole chicken and cut up carrots and potatoes into pressure cooker and cook about 15 minutes. Debone chicken and cut into bite size pieces. Save broth.
Place pulled chicken in bottom of 9 x 13 pan
Mix following and pour over chicken
1 can cream of chicken soup (1/2 of the mixture from above)
1 ½ c. broth
¼ c. butter, melted
Carrots, potatoes, and other veggies (I used frozen peas and corn)
Salt and pepper
Mix following and pour over top.
1 ½ cups milk
1 ½ cups bisquick
Bake at 350 for 1 hour or til top is done.
Great with cornbread and fried okra

Banana Nutella Crepes

From RachelR:

Nutella and Banana Crepes

Making a crepe is not as intimidating as one would think. Remember not to overmix the batter and letting the batter rest and you will be assured of a tender crepe.

I made these for my family yesterday, and Luke came and hugged me and said, “Mommy, those crepes were so good, I’ll never forget them.” I’m making them again next week! (I used the pan that we make our roti on…it’s not nonstick, not sure what kind of material it is.)

Ingredients
4 small or 3 large eggs
1 ½ cup milk
2 tablespoons rum (ok, I didn’t use rum, just substituted more milk for this)
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons sugar
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
5 ripe bananas
½ cup Nutella (can be found at most stores that have imported items)
3 tablespoons butter
Powdered sugar

Directions
1. Preparing the batter: In a small bowl, beat the eggs. Gradually whisk in the milk and oil. Set aside. Into a blender/food processer, pulse once or twice flour, sugar and salt together to mix. Pour in the egg mixture and process about 8 seconds to make a smooth mixture. Stop when there are no more lumps. Never overmix. Let batter sit for 20 mins (preferably an hour) to let the gluten rest.

2. Preparing the filling: Slice bananas into ¼ inch disks. Transfer Nutella into small stainless steel or glass bowl and warm over a double boiler.

3. Preparing the melted butter: Melt the butter in a small pot over moderate heat until hot.

4. Cooking the crepes: Brush a 10-inch crepe pan with the melted butter on medium heat. When the butter begins to sizzle, pour ¼ cup batter into pan, and tilt the pan immediately to fully spread the batter around as quickly as you can. The crepe should not be too thin, about the thickness of a quarter coin. Cook until the batter is bubbly and edge is golden, about 1 minute.

5. Flip the crepe with a rubber spatula (or with your fingers) and cook the other side for 20 seconds. Fold the crepe into half, place some banana slices in the middle third of the half and drizzle on some warmed Nutella across the half circle. Fold the two sides over the bananas to make a triangle. The crepe should be well browned with a crunchy edge.
6. Transfer crepe to a waiting plate (or paper) and sprinkle with powdered sugar (using a sift). Serve immediately.

Rachel's Guide to Freezing Vegetables

Cabbage: Remove outer leaves and wash the remainder. Cut into thin wedges or shred. Blanch 1½ minutes if shredded or 2 minutes if cut into wedges. Chill in iced water 1-2 minutes. Drain well. Pack in freezer bags, label and seal. Keeps up to 6 months.

Carrots: Wash and scrub carrots and cut large carrots into pieces. Blanch 3 minutes in boiling water. Chill in iced water 3 minutes. Drain. Spread on a tray in a single layer and freeze 30 minutes. Pack in freezer bags, remove air, label and seal. Keeps up to 6 months.

Cauliflower: Divide into florets and wash. Blanch for 3 minutes in boiling water. Chill in iced water for 3 minutes. Drain and place on a tray in a single layer. Cover with plastic wrap. Freeze for 30 minutes. Transfer to freezer bags, remove air, label and seal. Keeps for 6 months.

Peas: Shell, wash and blanch 1 minute. Chill in iced water 1 minute. Drain and place on tray in a single layer. Freeze for 30 minutes. Transfer to freezer bags, remove air, label and seal. Keeps for 6 months.

Chicken, Rice and Broccoli Casserole

Chicken, Rice and Broccoli Casserole

1/2 c. onion, chopped
1/2 c. celery, chopped (I use celery seed in India)
2 c. rice, cooked
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can milk
1 c. cheddar cheese
2 c. chopped broccoli, cooked
2 c. chicken, cubed & cooked

Saute onion and celery in butter. Mix milk and soup. Mix all ingredients except cheese and place in greased casserole. Sprinkle cheese on top. Bake 1/2 hour at 350 degrees.

Banana Walnut Whole Wheat Pancakes

Banana Walnut Whole Wheat Pancakes

2/3 c. Atta
1/3 c. White flour (you can use all atta if you prefer)
2 t. Baking powder
1/2 t. Salt
2 T. Sugar
2 T. Melted butter
1 egg
1 c. Milk
sliced bananas
chopped walnuts

Mix all except bananas and walnuts together with wire whisk or fork.

Heat skillet and grease with a little oil or butter. When pan is hot, pour batter into skillet. Then place several slices of banana and some chopped walnuts onto the pancake. Flip when ready.

This makes about 8 pancakes.

Rachel's Tortilla Soup

Rachel says: "A friend gave me this recipe. You can experiment with it to cut out some of the fat (uses lots of butter and oil!")

Tortilla Soup

½ stick butter
½ c. oil
1 large onion chopped
1 fresh jalapeno seeded and chopped
4 garlic cloves minced
2 large carrots diced
1 lb. Boned diced raw chicken

Simmer for 5 minutes

Add:
1 tsp. Ground cumin
1 tsp. Chili powder (this is using American brand, so don’t overdo if you’re using Indian chili powder)
1 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Lemon pepper
3 tsp. Bottled hot red pepper sauce (optional)
½ c. Flour (mix with some broth and then add; make sure there are no lumps!)
1 14 oz. Can of tomatoes (I use fresh ones in India)
4 10 ½ cans of chicken broth

Simmer for one hour

Serving suggestions:
sour cream, cheese, avocadoes

**I like to cut up tortillas in strips and bake them at 350 degrees for 10 minutes and put them on top.

Cappuccino Muffins

From Rachel R:

"These are not healthy, but they are soooo good, especially with coffee:)"

Cappuccino Muffins

2 cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup sugar
2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ tsp. Salt
1 cup milk
2 Tbsp. Instant coffee granules
½ cup butter melted
1 egg
1 tsp. Vanilla extract
¾ cup chocolate chips

In a bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. In another bowl, stir milk and coffee granules until the coffee is dissolved. Add butter, egg and vanilla; mix well. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in chocolate chips. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake in 375 degree oven for 17-20 minutes or until muffins test done. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.

Mexican Casserole

"When you need a Mexican food fix, here's a very quick and easy recipe. I can find Senor Pepito tortilla chips (jalapeno flavored) in my town at Good Bakery or Spencers. I also make my own cream of chicken for this recipe. I know you can use the Maggi packets, but I'm just not into Indi-Mex food." - RachelR

Ingredients:
1 bag Senor Pepitos jalapeno tortilla chips
1 can cream of chicken soup
2-3 tomatoes, chopped
Half an onion, chopped
1 chicken, cooked an deboned

1 Taco Seasoning packet
Grated cheese


Saute the onions and tomatoes in a little oil. When done, add the cream of chicken and heat through. In a skillet, cook your chicken in a taco seasoning packet according to directions.

In an 8x8 casserole dish, cover the bottom with chips, then put chicken, soup mixture, then cheese, and then repeat layers one more time. Top with cheese. Cook in the oven til bubbly.

I've also added in a layer of beans when I've made this, but you'll want to season those with taco seasoning as well, otherwise the casserole is a little bland.

Makes about 6 servings.