Slow Cooker Mexican Lasagna - And a Giveaway!

A reporter from the local Jewish newspaper called me yesterday afternoon, asking if he could do a feature story on me and my new cookbook!  Whaaat?  Like I'd say no?  Oy!  I'm so verclempt I could plotz!  To celebrate this auspicious occasion, today's post is a recipe from the cookbook just for you, Dear Reader, as a token of my appreciation for reading my blog all these years.  Or for the first time.  In any event, you guys are the best!

Oh, and I am also giving away a free copy of my cookbook to one lucky Dear Reader!  Such a deal!  See below for the gory details.





I made a batch of slow cooker Mexican Lasagna yesterday.  I planned to follow the recipe exactly as printed in the cookbook.  I really did.  But for some reason the local Try-n-Save didn't have corn tortillas in stock.  Not any in the Mexican food aisle.  None in the dairy case.  None. Zero. Zilch.   They did have several brands of taco shells (which don't work as well because straight out of the box they are difficult to bend without breaking) and they did carry taco chips (which contain too much oil and salt and tend to get mushy in contact with sauce).  But the store did have around 20 different brands, varieties and sizes of flour tortillas.  I reluctantly picked up a package of fajita-sized and slinked (slunked?) home. Turned out, fajita-sized tortillas fit perfectly in my round slow cooker.  Although I prefer tortillas of the corn persuasion for this recipe, the use of floured can be served to family and friends without shame. 

To let you know how good this recipe is, theHubby ate everything I plopped on his plate without picking out any black beans and black olives.  And he normally hates black beans and black olives.  Which shows you how delicious this is.  Or how well the spices disguise the taste of the beans and olives.  So if people in your household insist that they hate a particular ingredient or two (and it won't literally kill them), make a batch as is and quietly slide some in front of them.  I almost guarantee it'll get shoveled down. 

Unlike the cold leftover rice required to make fried rice, the rice here can be prepared while you are pulling together all the ingredients while simultaneously cradling the phone between yours shoulder and head speaking to a newspaper reporter (avoid dropping the phone into the boiling water ... just sayin' ...).  When done (with the rice cooking part of the equation), leave the pot cover off a few minutes to let steam and excess moisture escape.  No need to chill (neither you nor the rice).

There's also no need to line the slow cooker with foil, even tho I did.  Leftovers were to be transported to another house and it was easier this way to lift up the dinner remains and wrap it without too much damage to its appearance.   One day I'll try out those liners, until then foil rules.

Besides the tortilla thing, I did another unintended cheat ... since I forgot to pick up enchilada sauce and didn't have much time  to make an easy from-scratch batch by the time I finally around to starting dinner, I subbed with a handy bottle of smooth taco sauce.  With everything else thrown into the slow cooker, no one noticed.  Please don't hate me.

Mexican Lasagna 
Adapted from The Everything Kosher Slow Cooker Cookbook
Serves 8

Cooking spray
1 Tbl. olive oil
1 (15 oz.) can diced tomatoes, drained
1 medium-sized onion, peeled and diced
4 tsp. minced garlic (about 4 cloves)
1 Tbl.chili powder
2 tsp. paprika
1/2 Tbl. ground cumin
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup sliced black olives
2 cups cooked rice
1 1/2 cups roasted (medium) or regular (mild) salsa verde
3 fajita-sized flour tortillas
1 package shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup smooth taco sauce
1 (12 oz.) bag frozen corn, defrosted
1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves (for garnish)
1/2 cup sour cream (for garnish)

Lightly spray the inside of a 4-quart slow cooker with the cooking spray; set aside.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add tomatoes, onions and garlic.Saute for 5 minutes or until onions are softened. Stir in chili powder, paprika, and cumin.  Saute for an additional minute to bring out the flavor in the spices. Stir in the black beans, olives, and cooked rice. Remove from heat and set aside.

Spread half of the salsa verde along tthe bottom of the prepared slow cooker.  Place one tortilla on top of the sauce.  Spread half of the rice mixture over the tortilla. Sprinkle half of the cheese over the rice.

Place another tortilla on top of the cheese. Pour all the taco sauce evenly over the tortillas.

Spread all the corn evenly over the sauce.  Top with remaining rice mixture. Place the last tortilla over the rice mixture. Pour the remaining salsa verde evenly over the tortillas, followed by the remaining cheese.

Cover and cook on high for 2 ½ to 3 hours, or until the cheese has completely melted and the sauce is bubbling.

Sprinkle each serving with cilantro and a dollop of sour cream, if desired, before serving.

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THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED.  WINNER TO BE ANNOUNCED SOON!
Oh, yeah, the cookbook! I have a copy of my new cookbook to send to a Dear Reader.  But first, the commercial.

As you would expect, The Everything Kosher Slow Cooker Cookbook includes traditional Jewish recipes, such as that quintessential shabbat dish cholent (3 different versions!), and chicken soup (with noodles or matzoh balls). But there are plenty of other traditional recipes, such as Tzimmes, Short Ribs, Hummus, Eggplant Caviar, Stuffed Cabbage, Stuffed Breast of Veal, and Gefilte Fish.

This delicious collection of 300 recipes also includes a bunch you wouldn’t expect to find in a kosher cookbook, such as Swedish Meatballs, and Hot and Sour Soup (okay, maybe this one).

Included are dairy recipes, such as Farro Salad with Feta, and Rice Pudding with Cherry Sauce (my favorite in the book).  Quite a few others are either parve or vegan, such as Curried Lentils.  Some even offer simple substitutes to make them vegan-friendly, such as Meatless Moussaka.

The fine print:
US addresses only. Comments must be submitted below by 11:59 pm EST on December 9, 2012. The winner will be randomly selected and contacted via email within 48 days of the closing date/time, and will have 72 hours to respond before I reluctantly select another Dear Reader. This contest is sponsored by me.  I received this copy of the cookbook along with a few others as part of author compensation. Most of the other copies I received have already been or will be be given to relatives, friends and others who have helped in the book's creation.

Required entry:
Comment below on what you plan to cook for Chanukah. If you don't celebrate Chanukah, then just name a specific recipe from this blog site. No anonymous comments please; I need a way to contact you if you are selected. 

Want up to three extra entries?
1. Like Oh! You Cook! on Facebook. Leave an additional comment below saying you did so.
2. Follow Oh! You Cook! (at least one of my boards) on Pinterest. Leave an additional comment below saying you did.
3. Follow @ohyoucook on twitter. Leave an additional comment below saying you did.

Good luck and thanks for playing!