Cinco de mayo casserole

Yield: 8 Servings

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c Yellow cornmeal
1 ts Salt
4 c Cold water
2 tb Butter/margarine
1 c Shredded sharp Cheddar -Cheese
5 c Double-Header Chili (recipe -follows) heated Toppings:
1 (8 oz) container sour cream
2 c Shredded Romaine or iceberg -lettuce
1 c Shredded sharp Cheddar -Cheese
2 Plum tomatoes diced
2 Green onions sliced
1/2 Ripe avocado diced
1/2 c Pitted sliced ripe olives

Instructions:

This dish is a hearty chili turned into a party dish by adding a cornmeal layer and a garnish of cut-up vegies. Prep time: 30 minutes plus cooling Cooking time: 25 minutes Cornmeal layer: whisk cornmeal salt and water together in large saucepan. Bring to boil over medium-high heat whisking constantly. Cook until thickened 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in butter and cheese until melted. Immediately pour cornmeal mixture into shallow 3-quart casserole. cool until firm 30 minutes. (Can be made ahead. Cover and refrigerat chili and cornmeal layers separately. Assemble casserole cover and bake in preheatd 375~ oven 1 hour or until heated through.) Preheat oven to 375~. Spread top of casserole with chili. Cover and bake 25 minutes or until heated through. Garnish with toppings. Makes 8 servings. Per serving: 545 calories 34 mg protein 31 gm fat 33 gm ccarbohydrates 1 093 mg sodium 124 mg cholesterol. ** Double-Header Chili A no-fuss feast taht makes 2 meals with or without beans. Prep time: 10 minutes Cooking time 2 to 2-1/2 hours 4 lbs. boneless lean beef chuck cut into 1-inch cubes 6 cups chopped onions 1 bottle (12 oz) beer 1/2 cup chili powder 6 Tbsp tomato paste 2 Tbsp seeded minced jalapeno chile 2 Tbsp minced garlic 2 1/2 tsp salt 1 tsp ground pepper Preheat oven to 325~. Combine all ingredients in heavy Dutch oven. Cover tightly and cook 2 to 2-1/2 hours until meat is very tender. (Can be made ahead. Cover and refrigerate up to 3 days. Or freeze up to 1 month) Makes 11 cups. Per cup: 310 calories 34 gm protein 13 gm fat 13 gm carbohydrates 756 mg sodium 107 mg cholesterol. CHILI with BEANS: Combine 5-1/2 cups chili with 1 can (19 oz) red kidney beans drained and rinsed in large saucepan. cook over medium heat until heated through 10 minutes. Makes 7 cups. Per cup: 300 calories 31 gm protein 11 gm fat 18 gm carbohydrates 690 gm sodium 84 mg cholesterol. [ Ladies' Home Journal Maya 1991 ] *>* this comes from the bottom of the files of Shelley Rodgers <=-