Southwest Egg Rolls and Spanish Rice

While dinner did not look particularly noteworthy, it was pretty tasty.  Although these were written up as an appetizer, with a side of Spanish rice, they made a nice dinner.  If I consider this a trial run, this could probably be a good dinner for company.

The egg rolls were much easier than I had thought, and definitely something I'd try again, probably with a more typical Asian filling.  I used my favorite thing - chipotle cheddar- and black beans, frozen corn, and spinach.  These were spicy with a good heat, but not overwhelmingly so.

The Spanish rice was dry, but okay.  I made brown rice in the rice cooker and added a can of diced tomatoes and a couple tablespoons of cumin.  It wasn't saucy like the packaged stuff, but probably also not full of salt.  Worth some googling to see if someone has a better recipe.

Mexican Lasagne

This looked like a big pile of brown mush, but tasted pretty good, and the texture wasn't bad.

I layered salsa, tortillas, refried beans and then cheese (Monterey Jack and Cheddar), then again, lasagne-style.  Baked the next day until the cheese was bubbly and served with some homemade guacamole.  An easy, quick dinner that doesn't need to be made ahead, it's so easy.

Vegetarian Enchiladas

I suspect there will be many versions of this meal, with different fillings.  This week is going to be all vegetarian, and this was a good, easy start.  I made it Sunday afternoon and baked them Monday evening.

I shredded 2 zucchini, chopped a bunch of kale, and mixed in Northern beans along with a good pile of cumin.  Wrapped in tortillas, a little cheese inside (the end of the chipotle Cheddar that we're definitely getting again and a Cheddar / Monterey Jack mix), and enchilada sauce with the end of the cheese on top.

A whole bunch of kale was too much for this, which was only 3 well-stuffed tortillas.  Maybe spread out a bit more, it would be OK, or chopped more finely.  Mine came out a bit more like Mexican lasagne than separate units, but the flavor was good.