Vege Enchilada Casserole

I made this the other night combining and adjusting 2 recipes.  One recipe (from Phoo-d.com) is for the sauce and one recipe (from EatingWell.com) is for the casserole.  I've made Phoo-D's yummy fire roasted enchiladas before, but if I make any type of enchilada dish, I always use her sauce.  We also now use fresh ingredients whenever possible.  We try not to buy food in cans.  

You are going to want to make this!

Ingredients:

Sauce:

2 cans of tomato sauce

1 red bell pepper, diced

1/8 cup of brown sugar

1/2 lime (juice only)

2 teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon white vinegar

1 teaspoon each:  chipolte powder, chili powder, garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon each:  Mexican Fiesta seasoning blend, freshly ground black pepper

Casserole:

1 tablespoon oil (we always use olive)

1 onion, diced

1 zucchini, diced

About 19 ounces (1 can) dried black beans

About 3 or 4 (a 14 ounce can) fresh tomatoes, diced

2 ears of corn, cut off the corn (or 1 and 1/2 cups frozen)

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt

8 corn tortillas, quartered

1 and 1/4 cups of shredded Cheddar cheese

Preparation:

1.  Prepare black beans (if using dried beans).  You can soak them over night and then use fresh water to simmer for an hour.  Or, my favorite way is to cover them in water and bring to a boil for 2 minutes.  I then let them sit on the stove, off the burner, for an hour.  Then, I dump out the water and put in fresh water and simmer for an hour. 

2.  Prepare sauce.  Mix all ingredients together and simmer covered for about 30 minutes.  (Using a jar of sauce is an option, but it won't taste nearly as good).

3.  Preheat oven to 400.  Lightly coat a 9 X 13 inch baking pan with cooking spray.

4.  Heat oil in large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add onion and cook about 5 minutes.  Stir in zucchini, beans, tomatoes, corn, cumin and salt.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until veges are heated through, about 3 mintues.

5.  Scatter half of the tortilla pieces in the bottom of the baking pan.  Top with half of the vege mixture, half the sauce, and half the cheese.  Repeat with one more layer of tortilla, veges, sauce, and cheese.  Cover with foil.

6.  Bake casserole for 15 minutes.  If casserole is not boiling by then, remove foil and continue baking until boiling around the edges and cheese is melted, about 10 minutes more.

Enjoy!