Howdy, partners! Impossibly it's already Friday again which means that it's time for another edition of Famous Fridays. If you keep up with the blog, you'll know that around here it's Thanksgiving central as I test out new Turkey Day recipes daily. In fact, several times over these last few pre-holiday nights, we've sat down to a mini-Thanksgiving meal, sans-turkey, and while we all love most of the goodies that I'm churning out, we're starting to get a bit tired of things pumpkin and cranberry and desperate for a little palette cleanser. So today we head West with a wonderful Tex-Mex Chili-Cheese Brunch Casserole straight from the pages of EatingWell One-Pot Meals by Jesse Price, but that's not all! While we're moseying on down the trail, check out these gorgeous Native American inspired dishes I've photographed the food on from the good folks at Lone Star Western Decor. No matter where you live, you can bring a little bit of the Southwest into your home. Yippee ki-yay!

If you're finding it difficult to get healthy, well-rounded, great-tasting meals on the table every night, you need to check out EatingWell's website and EatingWell One-Pot Meals with its focus on one-pot cooking. The book has over 100 recipes for stews, paellas, roasts, frittatas, casseroles, etc., all of them have been approved by a team of registered nutritionists and most of them can be made in 45-minutes or less, which is critical on those busy weeknights! And it's great for easy weekend entertaining too, as for example with this southwestern inspired brunch casserole. If you're having guests for the holiday weekend, this make-ahead dish would be an easy and great thing to serve for brunch and a real 180º turn for their tastebuds too! 

You start by charring corn tortillas over an open flame and then cutting them into strips.

Next you mix together eggs, egg whites, cottage cheese, cheddar cheese, green chiles and those tortillas as well as some other goodies, toss them into a baking dish and bake. Doesn't get much easier than that!

The casserole cooks up light, fluffy, and cheesy, with an interesting texture from the charred tortillas and a real Tex-Mex flavor, thanks to those chiles which give it just enough of a kick to be eyebrow-raising but mild enough that there won't be steam coming out of your ears! Plus it's good for you too--under 230 calories per serving, which after the indulgence of Thanksgiving, is something to be truly thankful for! And while I'm touting this as a brunch casserole, it also makes a yummy breakfast-for-dinner kind of meal too!

And...besides the fact that it's delightfully yummy, healthy and can double as a light dinner, I also LOVE the fact that it tastes just as good if you make it a day or two ahead of time and heat it up when you're ready. It's a lifesaver in the entertaining and post-party sanity department!! 

So have an amazing weekend enjoying some yummy food with family and friends, check out EatingWell One-Pot Meals to make your life easier and healthier and if you like these cool dishes and other things Western,  visit Lone Star Western Decor and get a jump on your holiday shopping. Yeehaw, cowboys!

EatingWell's Tex-Mex Chili-Cheese Brunch Casserole-Famous Fridays

Makes 10-12 servings

Prep Time:  35 minutes; Bake Time:  50 minutes

Ingredients

• 6 corn tortillas
• 4 large eggs
• 1/3 cup unbleached, all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 large egg whites (you can use an equivalent amount of liquid egg whites too)
• Two 16-ounce containers low-fat, low-salt cottage cheese
• 2 1/2 cups sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
• Four 4-ounce cans chopped mild green chiles
• Salsa for topping or serving on the side (optional)

The Recipe

1.  Preheat oven to 350ºF. Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with vegetable cooking spray. Set aside.

2.  Using tongs, toast tortillas, one at a time, by placing them directly on a burner over high heat. Turn frequently for a minute or two until charred in spots. Stack tortillas and cut into 1-inch wide strips. Set aside.

3.  In a large bowl, whisk 2 of the whole eggs together until foamy. Add the flour, baking powder and salt and whisk until completely smooth. Add the remaining 2 whole eggs and egg whites and whisk together well. Then use a spoon or rubber spatula to stir in the cottage cheese, cheddar cheese, chiles and tortilla strips and mix well. Pour into the prepared baking dish.

4.  Bake for about 50 minutes, until set in the center and golden on top. Let cool for 5-10 minutes and serve. It's great as is or with some salsa on the side.

5.  Casserole can be made at least one day ahead, cooked and stored well-covered in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature and then reheat before serving until very hot. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

Enjoy!

Note:  Recipe adapted from EatingWell One Pot Meals by Jessie Price and the EatingWell Test Kitchen.