Black Bean Chiquale

This is one of my favourite vegetarian recipes. It is from Moosewood Retaurant Low-Fat Favourites-the moosewood collection of recipe books is a great place to look for yummy vegetarian recipes. They don't use a whole lot of tofu or things like ground round, which I can't stand.

1 cup chopped onions
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup chopped tomatoes
1 1/2 cups corn kernels-I just use a standard can of corn
1 1/2 cups cooked black beans (15-oz can) drained
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 cups rinsed, stemmed and chopped swiss chard or spinach
2 cups crushed baked tortilla chips
1 cup grated low-fat sharp cheddar cheese
2 cups salsa

Preheat oven to 350. Saute the onions, stir in tomatos, corn, black beans, lime juice, salt and pepper. Continue to saute for about 10 min, then remove from heat.

Blanche the greens in boiling water until just wilted. Drain immediately and set aside. TIP: I just put the greens in a colander and pour boiling water over them-works just as well!

Grease a 8x8 casserole dish. Spread half the crushed chips on the bottom. Spoon the sauteed vegetables over the chips and sprinkle with half of the cheddar. Arrange the greens over the cheese and spoon on half of the salsa. Finish with the rest of the chips and top with the remaining salsa and cheddar. Bake for about 35-40 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbling and beginning to brown.

I love this recipe, in fact I may have to make it this weekend. It is a very forgiving recipe, you can easily substitute things or add extras. The leftovers are delicious!