Mexican Casserole, Few Substitutions

This mexican casserole from Cooking Light (again) made 8 great lunches, which got better as the week got long.  I made only a few substitutions, mostly to avoid the garlic as requested by Mark.  Admittedly, this took awhile to put together, plus two pans and a food processor. 

         Salsa:

·         8 plum tomatoes, halved and seeded

·         3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

·         1 small onion, peeled and chopped

·         1 seeded jalapeño pepper, quartered    Used sweet banana pepper

·         Cooking spray

·         1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

·         3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

·         1/8 teaspoon black pepper

·         Casserole:

·         1 cup chopped onion

·         1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels

·         1 cup diced zucchini

·         1 cup chopped red bell pepper

·         3 cups shredded cooked chicken breast  (Used a rotisserie chicken)

·         1 tablespoon minced garlic

·         2 teaspoons chili powder

·         1 teaspoon ground cumin 

·         1 (10-ounce) can green chile enchilada sauce

·         1 (4-ounce) can chopped green chiles

·         12 (6-inch) corn tortillas

·         1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese

·         1 cup (4 ounces) crumbled feta cheese

Added Salt

Preparation

·         1. Preheat broiler.

·         2. To prepare salsa, combine first 4 ingredients on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Broil 20 minutes or until charred, stirring once. Remove from oven; cool slightly. Place tomato mixture in a food processor; add cilantro, lime juice, and pepper. Process until smooth. Set aside.

·         3. Preheat oven to 350°.

·         4. To prepare casserole, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Lightly coat pan with cooking spray. Add 1 cup onion, corn, zucchini, and bell pepper; sauté 6 minutes or until tender. Add chicken and next 5 ingredients (through green chiles); sauté 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Remove from heat.

·         5. Spread 1/2 cup salsa over the bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange half of tortillas over salsa. Spoon 2 cups chicken mixture evenly over tortillas. Top with 3/4 cup salsa. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of each cheese. Repeat layers, starting with remaining tortillas and ending with remaining cheeses. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes until bubbly.