Dec 20, 2005
I improvised pretty heavily with this recipe as I didn't have some of the ingredients on hand. First off, I used the "Morningstar Grillers" ground meat-like product and mixed in a few spices (cumin, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, salt/pepper). Since the grillers are a bit dry I was adding a little water here and there just to keep it from sticking. I then found some leftover refried beans in the refrigerator and mixed those in with the "meat" while it was cooking. This gave it a nice consistency. I also did not have any tortilla chips, so I substituted black beans. I minced two cloves of garlic, sauteed them in ~one tsp of safflower oil and then added a partially drained can of black beans to the skillet. I cooked those until about half of the bean liquid had cooked off. From bottom to top, I layered the meal: crescent roll(I used the reduced fat too), black bean mixture, "meat", cheese. I baked for 25-30 minutes. I was very pleased with how it turned out. Some improvements to my adjustments would include (which is why I gave it 4 *'s): sour cream, diced tomatoes (to top or added into the bean or meat mixture), avacado...ie something cool. I'm sure this method takes down the calorie count pretty significantly...but the taste is certainly there. If you like beans (which I do), you will like this modification.
—Jer
