Tex Mex Lasagna

Good Morning! Last night was a long one for us over here. My in-laws called on their way home from Indiana that they were about 20 miles south of our house and had hit a deer. Thankfully, they were fine and their van was still driveable, but what were they going to do with that meat?! They didn't have time to take care of that and they knew my hubby hadn't gotten a deer in a couple years, so we were running dangerously low on venison. We took it. My dad came over to help cut it up enough to get it in the house where it was warm and we cut up what meat was still good into steaks and roasts. WOOHOO!! They called right after we finished dinner, so the timing was pretty good, too! I made this tex-mex lasagna thing that was pretty good, but a 9x13 pan of it was too much for the 6 of us, especially since 3 of the boys decided they didn't like it before they even tried it! So I sent some home with dad for their lunches today and kept some for my lunch today and still have leftovers. Tim is convinced that since he liked it, I'll never make it again since I have a tendency to make so many new things and rarely get back to making something we liked. Maybe I'll surprise him (it was from the TOH Guilt Free Cookbook my MIL got for me, so it's pretty good for you, too!) with it again sometime soon! Anyway, here it is. Enjoy!

Tex-Mex Lasagna
(As usual, there are a few modifications that I made....you can ignore them if you like.)

1 pound lean ground beef**(See note below)
1 can (16 oz) refried black beans (I skipped this, I can. not. stand. refried beans!)
1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup frozen corn (totally not enough! Use 1 full cup or maybe a little more)
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped (I skipped this since I used homemade salsa and there's enough jalapenos in there to make it have some zip)
1 envelope taco seasoning (I make my own, here's the recipe for that!)
1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce (I made the mistake of not writing down what size can I needed when I went to the store, so I bought too small of a can. Oops! I mixed in the 8 oz can that I bought with a 15 oz can of tomato soup and it worked fine. Use the whole can of tomato soup if you do it this way, it won't hurt anything and then what's left isn't going to waste.)
2 1/2 cups salsa (I used homemade and used 2 pints{equivalent of 4 cups}...2 1/2 cups just wasn't saucy enough for me!)
12 no cook lasagna noodles (took me 15, 5 on each layer)
1 1/2 cups reduced fat shredded monterey jack or fiesta blend cheese
1 1/2 cup reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup fat free sour cream (optional)
1 medium avocado, peeled and cubed (optional)
4 green onions, thinly sliced (optional)

In a large skillet, brown the hamburger until no longer pink; drain. Stir in the beans, corn, jalapeno, taco seasoning and 3/4 cup tomato sauce. Set aside.

Combine salsa and remaining tomato sauce. Spread 1/4 cup (I used about 1/2 cup) into a greased 9x13 pan. Lay down one set of lasagna noodles, top with half of the meat, 1 cup salsa mixture, 1/2 cup of each of the cheeses. Repeat. Top that with the remaining noodles, salsa mixture and cheeses.

Cover and bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes or until edges are golden and bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting. Serve with sour cream, avocado, and onion, if desired.

**A note about ground beef....I was listening to something on public radio and they said that if you buy the cheaper ground beef (73/27 or whatever) and drain it, then rinse it with hot water, the fat content is similar to if you buy the more expensive lean ground beef. Just a tip for you. Or, you can use half a pound of lean ground beef and half a pound of ground turkey to save more fat.

One serving= 1 piece (12 servings per pan): 381 calories, 13g fat, 5g fiber, 25g protein. You can use no salt added tomato sauce and beans to lower the sodium, too.

Corn and Black Bean Salsa

A couple summers ago (I think), my SIL Christine made this awesome salsa for the Fourth of July gathering at my husband's parents house. All of his siblings (there are 7 total) come home with their spouses, boyfriends and kids and it makes for quite the party. Tim's dad's business usually puts a float in the parade and the kids throw popsicles off the back of the truck. Good times. But, anyway, for the cookout one night, Christine brought this salsa and I have to share (And put it here so I don't lose it!) it's so good and so easy!

Corn and Black Bean Salsa ala Christine

1 can black beans rinsed and drained
1 can mexican corn - drained
1 small red onion - finely chopped (I didn't put this in) (She doesn't...I do!)
3 roma tomatoes - chopped
3 green onions - chopped
2 avocados - chopped
1 sm clove garlic - minced

MIX together

dressing:
1/4 - 1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 envelope good seasons Italian dressing.

I added chopped fresh cilantro. (Me, too!!)

Serve with chips. (I'm thinking Fritos scoops would be good with this!!)

Enjoy!