Taco casserole

Pitiful. That is all I have to say for myself.  I just uploaded 8 pictures with no blog post.  That is backwards of what I normally do.  I know there are many bloggers out there who post one a day, but they do this for other reasons.  I just want my recipes where I can find them, and I want to remember how I alter them and if everyone liked them that way.  Kind of hard when I'm 8 recipes behind.  Best quit chatting about it and start typing the important stuff.  

This recipe is from last Saturday.  I was out shopping with Tavio, so Brandon made it.  It came from recipe shoebox.  I'm loving that sight lately.  We've liked everything we've tried from there.  YUM!  Thanks again Catherine.  This recipe was no exception.  Seemed like it took a little while to put together, but it wasn't me making the food.  :)  I thought it was a tiny bit spicy, but I'm sure that was the brand of taco seasoning we used - it was a new one for us.  (I really want to find a recipe and make my own - one of these days in my spare time. lol)  I believe the only changes that Brandon made were to use a full pound of meat because we just used a package of pre-cooked and we do those in 1 lb containers. He also added an egg to make up for the extra meat.  Here is our adaptation of the recipe.

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup uncooked brown rice
• 1 1/3 cup plus 4-5 Tablespoons water, divided
• 3/4 cup flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 Tablespoons cold butter
• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped green pepper (we used red)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup water
• 1 envelope taco seasoning
• 3 eggs, slightly beaten 
• 1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 cups shredded lettuce
• 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
• 3/4 cup salsa (not sure I added this on mine)
• 1/2 cup fat free sour cream

Directions

1. In a small saucepan, bring rice and 1 1/3 cups water to a boil.  Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 30-35 minutes or until rice is tender and water is absorbed. 
2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt; cut in butter until crumbly.  Sir in enough remaining water (the 4-5 Tablespoons) to form a soft dough.  On a floured surface, roll dough into a 12 X 8 inch rectangle.  Press into a 9 X 13 pan coated with cooking spray.  (Brandon said the dough was not very rollable the way he made it so he just pushed it into the bottom of the pan - no rolling step.)  Bake at 400 for 13-15 minutes or until very lightly browned.
3. For filling, in a large non-stick skillet, cook beef, onion, green pepper and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain.  (Certainly Brandon just sauteed the onion pepper and garlic then added the pre-cooked meat)  Add 1 cup water, taco seasoning and cooked rice.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 2-3 minutes or until thickened.  Remove from heat.  Stir in eggs and cilantro.  Spread over crust.
4. Cover and bake fore 15-17 minutes or until filling is set.  Add cheese and let melt.  Serve topped with lettuce, tomato, sour cream and salsa.