FAJITA TACO BAKE

Cut the fat tonight with this low carb, high protein fajita taco bake! It has all the yummy insides of a taco and fajita and only some of the crunchy outside. Lay it on a bed of shredded lettuce and add a couple of crunched up corn chips on top, and you'll have a satisfying Mexican meal that you can have a second helping of- guilt free!

INGREDIENTS:
15 oz can of refried beans
15 oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 lb ground turkey, beef, or chicken
taco seasonings
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup cooked brown rice (measure 1/2 cup uncooked rice, and follow package instructions)
1 poblano pepper, cut into 1" slices
1/2 cup diced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large tomato, diced
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
juice of half a lime
3/4 cup of grated cheddar cheese
1/3 cup of crushed corn chips or taco shells
2 cups of shredded lettuce (optional)
vegetable or canola oil

DIRECTIONS:
-Cook meat and add taco seasonings. Set aside.
-In the same pan, warm 1 tablespoon of oil over medium low heat.
-Add peppers, onion, and garlic and cook for 5-7 minutes until onion starts to become transparent.
-Add lime juice to pepper mixture.
-Spread the refried beans in a 9x13 casserole dish.
-Spread a thin layer of sour cream on top of the refried beans.
-Layer on black beans, meat, and pepper mixture.
-Layer on rice, tomatoes, and cilantro.
-Cover casserole with grated cheese.
-Place in a 375 degree oven for 30-40 minutes until cheese is melted and mixture is bubbly.
-Sprinkle on crushed corn chips.
-Serve over lettuce and with other optional taco toppings such as avocado/guacamole, sliced olives, and/or hot sauce and enjoy!


SHOUT OUTS:
I came up with this dish trying to use up broken taco shells- and everyone loved it! (Including my Granny who is typically picky about eating Mexican!)

TIPS and ADAPTATIONS:
-Skip the cilantro and tomatoes and spread on some salsa!
-Make it vegetarian. Leave the meat out and add extra veggies like corn, grated zucchini, and diced bell peppers.
-For homemade taco seasoning mix together: 1 tbs chili powder, 1 tbs coriander, 1 tbs cumin, 2 tsp paprika, 1 1/2 tsp seasoned salt, 1/2 tsp pepper.
-Instead of crunching up the chips and putting them on top of the bake, use the corn chips to scoop up and eat the bake!
-Make it spicy! Add in some diced jalapenos, diced chilis, or cayenne pepper.
-Make the dish the night before, cover and put in the refrigerator, and cook the next day for a quick dinner.
-Don't like cilantro, use parsley instead.
-No poblano pepper? Use a cubanelle or red or yellow bell pepper.