Easy beef & bean tortillas

My Mexican dishes really don't photograph well. But they taste good, I promise!

This is another staple in our house, although usually we leave out the beef. We were in the mood for extra protein today, and ground beef sounded good.

I used two different salsas on this: On one half of the casserole dish, I used medium plain salsa, and on the other side, I used pineapple salsa. You can also pass the hot sauce and sliced jalapenos on the side, too.

Beef and bean tortillas (makes 4-6 servings)

1 pound ground beef

1 cup salsa

1-1/2 cups dried refried beans

4 ounces shredded cheddar or chihuahua cheese

salt and pepper, to taste

12 small corn tortillas (6-inchers)

boiling water, about 2 cups

1 tablespoon olive oil

store-bought mole sauce

fresh chopped cilantro and sliced avocado to garnish

1.) Put dried beans in a bowl, and slowly add enough boiling water to cover them. Stir, and let them sit about 10 minutes. Stir again, and let them sit while you prepare the beef.

2.) In a skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add the beef and cook until browned, stirring frequently. You might have to lower the heat to medium as it gets hotter.

3.) Drain the beef (I use a strainer), sprinkle with salt and pepper, and set aside.

4.) One by one, put about 2 tablespoons beans, 2 tablespoons meat, and a little cheese in the center of each tortilla. Roll them up and line them up in a casserole dish or other pan. Mine tend to break as I roll them, but that's OK for this dish.

5.) Sprinkle the remaining beef over the top of the tortillas. Spread the salsa over that. Cover with a lid or foil.

6.) Bake at 350 for a half-hour, or until heated through. While this cools slightly, prepare your mole sauce according to directions.

7.) Serve these with the mole sauce on the side, as well as chopped cilantro and sliced avocado.