Let them eat hay....

 
I was browsing through my cookbooks a while back, looking for some inspiration. I was thinking healthy so grabbed "Everyday Cooking with Dr. Dean Ornish" the expert on eating to reverse heart disease. It's been 13 years since my Honey's heart attack and I am ashamed to admit that we have strayed from the diet we adopted immediately after his bypass surgery. So many reasons, none of them good........
 
But now I needed something that would appeal to my four visiting granddaughters too. I spied a recipe for haystacks!
 
That name would catch everyone's attention! So I made it. Everyone (except one fussy 5 year old who only ate the chips) loved it and it was so easy to put together. So here, courtesy of Dr. Dean Ornish and with a little tweaking from me, is how you make Haystacks!
 

1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
corn from 2 ears cooked corn (a great way to use leftover corn on the cob)
1 head romaine lettuce, chopped or shredded
1 1/2 c shredded cheddar or your choice of cheese (I guess I should suggest low fat)
2 tomatoes, chopped
2 cups cooked rice (brown if you have it)
1 15oz can fat free refried beans
thinly sliced green onions, optional. (I left them out for the kids)
 
With a little oil in a large, nonstick fry pan, saute the red pepper, half of the green pepper and the corn for about 3 minutes until they start to soften. Add the cooked rice and continue to cook over medium heat until everything is nice and hot.
 
Heat beans in a microwave safe dish covered with plastic or heat in a pan on the stovetop.
 
To Assemble:
On a large plater spread the refried beans then top with the rice and half of the cheese. Next add the lettuce, the remaining cheese, tomatoes and green pepper. Serve with tortilla chips or soft tortillas if you want to make burritos.

I just put out the haystack with a basket of tortilla chips and let everybody go to it! The kids thought it was great to eat dinner with their hands and, I have to say, it tasted really good! And did I mention it was healthy?