Chicken Casserole

Ingredients:
- 1lb potatoes, peeled and diced
- 1 large chicken breast (or two small), grilled
- ½ cup salsa verde
- 1 bell pepper, sliced (any color)
- ½ small onion, sliced
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2/3 cup black bean dip (or refried beans)
- 1 cup canned red beans, drained and rinsed
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon season salt
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1/3 cup chopped scallion
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- Oil or additional butter for sautéing
- Cooking spray
- Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Add your diced potatoes to a pot of water and bring to a boil. Allow potatoes to cook until just before being fork tender. Once done, remove from heat and drain well.

2. While potatoes are cooking sauté peppers and onions over medium heat in a couple of tablespoons of oil or butter for about 10 minutes or until vegetables soften. Once done remove from heat and set aside. 

3. In a small bowl mix together your red beans and bean dip.

4. In a separate sauté pan add potatoes, 2 tablespoons of butter, garlic powder, onion powder, and season salt. Cook over medium high heat for approximately 10 – 12 minutes or until potatoes are cooked through. Add pepper to taste.

5. In a small casserole dish spray a small amount of cooking spray. Then layer: potatoes, bean mixture, sautéed veggies, chicken, salsa verde, cheese, and finally scallions.

6. Place in a 400 degree oven for 10-15 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and casserole is heated through.

TUNA NOODLE CASSEROLE

TUNA NOODLE CASSEROLE

Adapted from San Francisco à la Carte

Putting together this recipe is about as easy as it gets.  In fact, the only real room for error is overcooking the pasta.  To avoid this, fill a large pot with an abundant amount of water and bring to a rolling boil before adding the egg noodles.  Make sure to season the water well — it should taste salty.  Cook until the noodles are almost done as they will continue to cook a bit more in the oven.  Also, using good quality canned tuna and some excellent sharp cheddar cheese will make a world of difference in the flavor of the dish.

INGREDIENTS:

• 6 ounces egg noodles, cooked until al dente and drained
• 1/2 teaspoon thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon table salt
• 1 10 1/2-ounce can of cream of celery soup
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 7-ounce cans tuna, drained and flaked
• 1 cup diced celery
• 1/3 cup diced red bell pepper
• 1/3 cup chopped scallions with some green tops
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 3/4 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Pinch cayenne pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped toasted almonds
• Chopped parsley for garnish

METHOD:

1. Preheat oven to 425°.
2. Lightly butter a 2-quart casserole and combine the cooked noodles with the salt and minced thyme.  Set aside.
3. In a medium saucepan, mix together the milk and canned soup over medium heat until smooth, stirring constantly.  Gently fold in the tuna, celery, red bell pepper, scallions, mayonnaise and all but 2 tablespoons of the grated cheddar.  Stir until the cheese is melted.
4. Add the cheese sauce to the casserole and mix thoroughly with the noodles.   Sprinkle the top with the remaining cheese and the chopped almonds.
5. Bake for about 20 minutes until bubbly and lightly browned.  Garnish with parsley before serving.

Serves 6