This experience started out as me making shrimp and black bean enchiladas, which I’ve been making almost once a week of late. However, this past grocery shopping trip enticed me to try a new brand of corn tortillas, which did NOT hold their shape when rolled. It was a serious crash and burn situation. It was 8pm and I was faced with my beautiful mis en place, a hot oven and my pretty purple Le Cruset dish, I had to make a decision. Luckily for my husband, that decision wasn’t drop everything and lock myself in the bathroom.

I layered the corn tortillas with my enchilada filling and sauce and topped with cheese. Mind blowing innovation, I know.

After a brief date with the oven, I cut this puppy into squares and topped with cilantro and a dollop of 0% fat Greek yogurt – my fave swap for sour cream. Delish! Plus, perfect for lunch leftovers and not a bad way to get some Mexican flavor without a ton of calories. (Corn tortillas will often run you about 40-70 calories a piece).

One of my favorite things these days is fixing my potential food disasters. I’m not sure if it’s so great that I’m HAVING the disasters in the first place, but often the most beautiful things come out of the biggest mistakes. (If this is an official quote said by some famous person, I apologize for not knowing who it was). Fixing a mess is how I discovered this Pumpkin Pie Mousse and is what pushed me to not give up on gluten free potato gnocchi that would NOT hold it’s shape. That’s the most exciting part, for me, about this blog and my exploration into being gluten free is the opportunity to try new things and customize my old faves. I love finding myself in a situation where I have no food plan and have to just figure it out. Very Top Chef of me, huh?

 Have you been able to fix a “food blah” into a “food wow?” (Yes, I know that doesn’t rhyme…) Did a fix like this ever give you a dish you now make regularly?

Shrimp Enchilada Lasagna

Shrimp (about 20-30 medium to large uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined)

1 can black beans

1 pepper, diced small (I usually use 1/2 red and 1/2 yellow or orange

1 small yellow onion, diced small

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half or quarters

2 Tbsp Trader Joe’s Salsa Verde (or any other green kind you like)

2 cups low sodium, gluten free mushroom or chicken broth

1 Tbsp butter

2 packages gluten free corn tortillas

Shredded cheese (this recipe is delicious with gruyere, but any cheese you like will do)

Salt, pepper & olive oil

Saute onion and peppers until soft, add garlic and tomato. Add the butter and cook until the tomato starts to soften. Stir in the salsa verde (add a little more if you’d like) and top with the broth. Let simmer, mashing the tomatoes as they cook down. Drain the black beans and microwave for 1-2 minutes, set aside. Peel, rinse and chop your shrimp into chunks. Toss the shrimp into the sauce and cook until just pink (usually about 5 minutes). Fish your shrimp out with a slotted spoon and add to the black beans. You want to get some liquid and pepper/onion mixture in with it.

Pour about 1/3 cup of the sauce into the bottom of a lasagna or casserole dish. If taking the lasagna (ie: no rolling) method, layer corn tortillas along the bottom of the dish, cover with shrimp/black beans and repeat. Pour remaining sauce over top and sprinkle with cheese. If you make enchiladas, take a tortilla in your hand and spoon some of the shrimp/black bean mixture in. Roll lightly and place seam side down in your prepared pan. Repeat until you run out of tortillas/mixture and top with the remaining sauce and cheese. Bake at 375 until the cheese bubbles, about 10 minutes. Cut into squares or spoon enchiladas onto a plate, top with plain Greek yogurt, cilantro and extra salsa verde if you’d like.