Recipe(tried): Black Bean Chilaquile

I have been greatly helped in embracing this vegetarian lifestyle by the many, many wonderful cookbooks out there on the subject. For Christmas I was given a gift certificate to a bookstore and last week I ordered the cookbook, Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites. Last night I made this for dinner along with the Lemon Pudding Cake from the same book. I will post that recipe separately.

Black Bean Chilaquile
From Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites
Serves 4-6

1 cup chopped onions
1 Tablespoon oil (I omitted, see note*)
1 cup chopped tomatoes (I used canned diced tomatoes, drained)
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels ( I used frozen)
1 1/2 cups cooked black beans (15 ounce can)
2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice (I used lemon)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 cups rinsed, stemmed and chopped Swiss chard or spinach (I used 1 box chopped frozen spinach, drained and most of the liquid squeezed out)
2 cups baked tortilla chips, crushed (I used corn tortillas, torn up)
8 oz. grated fat-free sharp Cheddar cheese (I only had mild, it worked fine)
2 cups prepared Mexican-style red salsa (I used canned mild green enchilada sauce, read the labels, some have added fat)

Preheat oven to 350.

Saut the onions in the oil for about 8 minutes, until translucent.

Stir in the tomatoes, corn, black beans, lime juice, salt and pepper and continue to saut for another 5-10 minutes, until just heated through.

Meanwhile, in another saucepan, blanch the greens in boiling water to cover for 1-3 minutes, until just wilted but still bright green. Drain immediately and set aside.

Prepare an 8x8 inch casserole dish or baking pan with a very light coating of oil or cooking spray.

Spread half of the crushed tortillas chips on the bottom. Spoon the saut ed vegetables over the tortilla chips and sprinkle on about two-thirds of the grated Cheddar. Arrange the greens evenly over the cheese and spoon on half of the salsa. Finish with the rest of the tortilla chips and top with the remaining salsa and Cheddar.

Bake for about 35 to 40 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling and beginning to brown.

*I had prepared a large amount of vegetable stock earlier in the day and just used a cup of the onion/shallot mixture from the stock for the onions in this recipe. Instead of heating them with the tomatoes, corn, black beans, lemon juice, salt and pepper, I just layered everything into the casserole. I ran some cold water over the frozen corn in a sieve and drained it well. I rinsed and drained the canned beans and just sprinkled the lemon juice and salt and pepper over the vegetables after I put them in. I put the defrosted drained spinach over the first cheese layer.

The leftovers from this casserole were even better for lunch today. I served it with fat free sour cream.