Veggie Burger

   I found this recipe in a magazine.  I tore it out and of course, could not, for the life of me, remember what magazine I tore it out of.  Luckily for me, this recipe is all over the internet, so I felt okay about not remembering the specific magazine where I found this in the first place.  I had never heard of The Counter, but from what I've gathered it is a burger place.  There were lots of rave reviews about this Veggie Burger and now I know the reason why.  

I really like how easy this recipe is and the fact that it contains wholesome ingredients. Sometimes Veggie Burgers are full of fillers and wierd things, but not these ones!  The flavor and texture are wonderful.  I made these the day before I cooked them and they were delicious.  My friend who came over for lunch to enjoy these with me, liked them so much that she made them for her family as well.  

Veggie Burger from The Counter

 recipe by executive chef Marc Boussarie

2 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

1 onion, small dice

3 each garlic cloves, minced

2 carrots, grated

1 yellow squash, grated

1 green zucchini, grated

1 ½ cups rolled oats, (instant is fine)

¼ cup cooked black beans

2 tablespoon Italian parsley, chopped

1 egg, beaten

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon paprika

¼ teaspoon black pepper

2 cups all-purpose flour

Directions:

1, In a large skillet, heat the olive oil until almost smoking, Add the onions and lower the heat to medium. Mix and then add the garlic. Cook until tender and soft.

2, Add the carrots, squash and zucchini and season. Cook for about 3 to 4 minutes until soft and hot. Add the black beans, egg, paprika, parsley and oats.

3, Take off heat and mix. Place in a bowl and let rest for 1 to 2 hours.  (or overnight)

4, Form veggie patties to desired size and place in flour to lightly coat.

5, Place a large skillet on the stove on medium high heat,  add olive oil, and when hot place patties. Flip the burger when golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes and cook the other side the same.

    

Cranberry Whole Wheat Buttermilk Biscuits & Roasted Sweet Potato Salad with Black Beans

Once again horrible, quick photos. You will have to overlook them please, because these two things are very tasty.

First up, Cranberry Whole Wheat Buttermilk Biscuits. My son chose dinner the other night and he wanted fried eggs, sauteed swiss chard & spinach, and biscuits. I know for a fact that these were not the kind of biscuits he wanted, but I was ready to try them, so I made half of them without the cranberries. This recipe uses whole wheat pastry flour and it makes a very tender, delicious biscuit. My daughters and I thought the ones with cranberries were very good and my son enjoyed those that were cranberry free.

Second, this Sweet Potato & Black Bean Salad. I'm happy to say that I have completely overcome my dislike of sweet potatoes. The key for me is to combine them with savory and/or spicy ingredients. I made this salad for a Christmas party and it was really delicious. Pretty simple too. I didn't follow the directions exactly because I wanted to add the lime juice and olive oil bit by bit, so I could adjust the taste and I also wanted the little bites of jalapeno to be in there, not pureed. I loved this salad. Many people requested the recipe. It is a fun, healthy alternative/salad that can be shared at this time of year.


Here is the recipe for Roasted Sweet Potato Salad with Black Beans
* I didn't puree the dressing, I just added the jalapenos, lime juice and other ingredients
the the roasted veggies & beans
* I used less olive oil than called for, both when roasted the sweet potatoes and when dressing the salad


Here is the recipe for Cranberry Whole Wheat Buttermilk Biscuits
* I used low-fat buttermilk
* I only added frozen cranberries to half of my biscuits

Turkey and Pinto Bean Chili (kinda)

It's that time of year again- Chili season! For some reason, once the weather turns a little bit cooler, it just feels like time to make chili. I'm pretty sure that I'm not the only one who feels that way.
I usually make a vegetable-heavy chili, sometimes with ground turkey and sometimes meatless with a few different kinds of beans. I saw this recipe in Everyday Food Magazine and it looked really delicious. I wasn't planning on adding anything extra, but I had some sweet potatoes in the fridge that needed to be used and well, an extra can of beans never really hurt anybody, right?

This was delicious!

Emeril's Turkey and Pinto Bean Chili
from Everyday Food
makes 6-8 servings

4 slices thick-cut bacon, diced
2 medium onions, diced
1 large red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and diced
1.25-1.5 pounds ground turkey
3 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
2 teaspoons dried oregano
coarse salt and ground pepper
1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
2 cans (15.5 ounces each) pinto beans, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream (optional)
* I added 1 1/2 cups chopped sweet potato with the ground turkey and 1 can drained & rinsed black beans with the pinto beans + a little extra water :D

In a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot, cook bacon over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until bacon is crisp, about 8 minutes. Add onions and bell pepper and cook until vegetable soften, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes. Add ground turkey, chili powder, cumin, garlic, oregano, and cook about 6-8 minutes, until lightly browned and cooked through. Continually break meat up with wooden spoon. Season with salt and pepper.

Add tomatoes with juice, beans, and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil then reduce to a rapid simmer. Partially cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens. (This could take anywhere from 20-45 minutes, or more.)

Serve topped with cilantro and shredded cheese and/or sour cream, if desired.

Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club- Sweet Potato and Black Bean Empanadas

This month's Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club theme was chosen by Jerry. He wanted us to have a menu full of spooky foods, that were either orange or black.

He started us off with 'Dracula's Revenge' (Baked Penne with Sausage and Garlic),

Sandi added Devilish Eggs,

Jamie picked Devilishly Devine Peanut Butter Caramel Corn,

I went with Sweet Potato and Black Bean Empanadas,

Val chose Roasted Squash (Pumpkin) Soup with Turkey Croquettes (Ghosts),

and Roz finished the meal with Chocolate Spiderweb Cookies.

I first noticed these empanadas last year and eagerly tore the page from my issue of Cooking Light. I haven't ever really been a big fan of sweet potatoes, but this savory take really made me think that it could be the turning point. Somehow, I never made them, but when the orange and black food theme came around this month, I knew they would be perfect. Orange because of the sweet potatoes and the black beans for the black part. I figured my kids would be scared to eat them, so that could count for the spooky part.

The dough for the empanadas is really easy to mix together, but it does need to chill for an hour, so make sure to add that time to your prep. The filling is fairly easy to make, if you already have your sweet potato cooked, mashed and/or pureed. I had pureed a bunch of sweet potatoes that I baked in the oven a few weeks ago and frozen the puree in little ziploc bags, so all I had to do was defrost it and I was ready to go. I made a change to the filling, just because I wanted my kids to be able to handle the heat factor- I reduced the amount of chili powder by about half.

The dough was really easy to roll out and I decided to use a fork to seal my empanadas instead of using an egg white. When I tasted one of these, I was really surprised by how good they were. The combination of spices, cilantro, black beans, etc. really took away the sweetness that usually bothers me with sweet potatoes and added a nice spice/warmth. I really, really liked these. One of my daughters also surprised me by absolutely loving them. She liked them so much that she asked me to pack a couple for her lunch the next day. My other 2 children were not big fans, but they ate them anyway. I thought they were good warm or cold. I had a few leftover and ate one cold the next day for lunch. It was fabulous. So, I am happy to report that this recipe has really changed my outlook on sweet potatoes. I hope you check out the rest of our fabulously spooky menu!

BLT (Bacon, Lemon & Tomato) Quinoa Salad and Lemon-Cornmeal Cookies

This recipe popped up on facebook the other day and I figured it would be a good meal for dinner on a Monday night. I happened to have everything on hand that I needed for the recipe and that made it a lot less stressful to get dinner on the table.

My dad loves a good BLT sandwich and he grows tomatoes in his garden, so BLT's were always a lunch staple of his in the summer. I personally didn't really like bacon or mayo (I still don't) back then, so I always just watched my dad put these sandwiches together and remember hearing about how good they were.

This salad is really good and the interesting thing is that it really tastes like a BLT. Somehow, the combination of the ingredients, makes you feel like you are eating a sandwich. I know that is crazy, but it's true. In this salad, the lettuce has been switched out to lemon, which adds a brightness to the salad, in color and flavor. I added black beans for fun and roasted some broccoli in the oven to round out our dinner.

That same night we still had lots of lemons and the kids wanted me to make a quick cookie. I found this one on myrecipes and decided it would be easy to throw them together at the last minute. My kids really liked these. They reminded us of these Cornmeal Lime Cookies in taste and texture.

Here is the recipe for BLT Quinoa Salad
* I cooked my quinoa in chicken broth to add more flavor
* I added drained, rinsed black beans
* I tossed my salad with a little bit of olive oil, along with the lemon juice and vinegar

Here is the recipe for Lemon-Cornmeal Cookies
* I added the juice of 1 lemon to the cookie dough, after mixing in the flour mixture

Brown Rice with Black Beans

This is a bad picture of a really surprising, delicious dish. (But look at that sweet little finger. There is always someone trying to help me around here!)
I wasn't really expecting too much out of this dish, but it ended up really surprising me. The ingredients are fairly simple. There aren't a ton of seasonings, but I think the cooking method helps this dish have a risotto-like texture.

The brown rice is really good and takes on a different texture than it normally does. The fresh corn kernels and black beans make it so hearty. It was good the first day right out of the oven, the next day cold out of the fridge, and the third day we used it as a filling for burritos. I love dishes that can be used in multiple ways and that stretch over many days.
I will be making this again and again.

Here is the recipe for Brown Rice with Black Beans

Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club- Notes of Citrus, Lime-Spiked Black Bean Dip

This month's Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club's theme was Notes of Citrus, which was chosen by Jamie.

I love citrus and the beautiful flavor it can give to any dish, savory or sweet.
I chose to make a dip this time around, which was very quick and easy to throw together. My life has been so extremely busy the past couple of weeks, so this was the perfect thing for a superfast, after-school snack.
Now, unfortunately for me, I didn' t realize the picture was so bad until I started editing photos late last night. SO, I apologize for how this dip looks. Keep in mind that it is pureed black beans and go over to Cooking Light to see a better picture of this dip. It has to be the angle.

Oh well, moving on- the dip was delicious and only contained a few ingredients.
I went ahead and pureed the cilantro, garlic and green onions in with the black beans, which made this even easier. I found some organic blue corn tortilla chips that we dipped in it, but cucumber slices, and carrot sticks were also really tasty. This would also be a really great spread for a sandwich or wrap.

Check out what the other members of the Supper Club chose to contribute below and go see how the other citrus-y parts of this menu turned out!

Jamie - -Mixed Lettuce, Pear and Goat Cheese Salad with Citrus Dressing

Val - - Blood Orange Sangria

Sandi - Lemon Sage Chicken

Mary Ann (me) - Lime-Spiked Black Bean Dip

Jerry -Braised Fennel with Orange

Roz- Nathan's Lemon Cake

Lime-Spiked Black Bean Dip from Cooking Light
2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup grated carrot
1/2 cup fresh lime juice (about 2 limes)
1/4 cup finely chopped green onions
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper

Place beans in a food processor, and pulse until almost smooth. Combine the beans, carrot, and the remaining ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring until well blended. Let stand 30 minutes. Serve with baked tortilla chips.

Amaranth Black Bean Patties

Have you tried Amaranth? It's not a grain, it's a seed. Kind of like quinoa, but smaller. Here is a little bit more information about it, as well as some pictures.

Anyway, a couple of months ago I tried it at a class where we learned about different grains and seeds to serve. My girls loved it, so I bought some in bulk at EarthFare the next time we went.

I looked online to find out how to cook it and most of the sources I found said to boil it for 15-20
minutes using 2.5 cups water for every 1 cup of amaranth.
That is the method I used and it was a little bit too moist for these black bean patties, but it worked out. The mixture turned out more like batter, so I ended up scooping it onto my griddle and cooking them that way.
It worked. And they were really good.

I served them alongside some romaine and fresh tomatoes.
The leftovers were good cold, right out of the fridge.

We have also enjoyed amaranth as a hot cereal option in the morning. I love it when a food can be breakfast, lunch or dinner!



My husband asked "is there any more of that?"

Recipe for Amaranth Black Bean Patties
* I used 1 egg instead of egg whites
*I used sunflower seeds instead of pepitas

Barley and Black Bean Salad

I found this recipe when I was searching for a nice side dish or salad to take to a family reunion potluck lunch.

I loved that this salad used barley as the base.
It was quick to make and easy to transport. A great side dish.
I thought the barley went really well with the black beans, as well as the other flavors that were going on in the salad.
This salad tasted great chilled, but it would also be really good when served at room temperature.


Recipe for Barley and Black Bean Salad

Refried Black Beans w/ Avocado & Fried Egg and Jicama-Cucumber Slaw

I saw a recipe recently for black bean and avocado burritos and decided I would give avocados another try. Lindsey's new blog, Fresh Clean Start, also gave me a push to try them again.

Unfortunately, I got food poisoning a few years ago and avocados were involved, so that sight of them for many years made me feel sick to my stomach. I decided it was time to get over that and I am proud to say that I now like avocados again.

I decided to change this recipe a little bit and make it healthier, by removing the tortilla and cheese, so essentially just using the refried black beans and slaw that were in the recipe. I also added a fried egg because avocado and egg are a good combination, in my book.

I really liked the way my version of this recipe turned out.
I added a little bit of water to the black beans, when reheating the leftovers and it made them a little bit creamier.

I also added radish to the slaw.

Recipe for Black Bean and Avocado Burritos with Jicama-Cucumber Slaw
* I didn't make a burrito because I didn't use tortillas or cheese
* I added sliced radish to the slaw
* I added fried eggs to the top of the black bean/avocado mixture

Vegetarian Taco Salad

The most recent issue of Eating Well had a section of great salads. I wanted to make every single one of them. So far I have made 2. The Spiced Eggplant-Lentil one that I posted a few days ago and this take on taco salad.
I liked the idea of a vegetarian taco salad and knew that if I played around with this recipe a little bit it would be a great dinner for us and no one would even notice that there wasn't any meat.

Usually when I make tacos I use lean ground turkey and reduce the amount by 1/2, adding a can or two of black, kidney or some other kind of bean to fill in for the "missing meat". Not that I miss it at all.
So, I was really happy when I saw this version which had beans, corn, whole grains and other things as the main event.

I had to make a couple of changes since my husband doesn't like tomatoes. I used red peppers instead and didn't combine all the salad ingredients. I just layered them on everyone's plates, since some of my kids don't like salsa, I just added that to my hubby's salad and mine.

I also used quinoa instead of brown rice just because I already had some that was cooked in my fridge.



Recipe for Vegetarian Taco Salad
* I used quinoa instead of brown rice
* I added cumin, subbed red bell pepper for tomatoes and mixed my salad together differently than the recipe advised.

CEiMB- Five Layer Mexican Dip

This week's CEiMB recipe is Five Layer Mexican Dip. It was chosen by Heather who blogs over at Mama Cooks. You can find the recipe on her blog or by clicking on the link at the bottom of this page.
The Five Layers in this dip are: 1- a delicious black bean dip, made in the food processor with garlic, cumin, and other things 2- corn/cilantro mixture combined w/ some of the leftover onion/garlic from layer 1, 3-mashed avocado with lime juice, 4-chopped tomato, jalepeno, and scallions, 5- shredded cheese.

I went back and forth about making this recipe, mainly because I have 2 tomato haters and 1 avocado hater in my family and didn't know how it would go over.
I decided to make it for a family dinner that we were going to because then there would be more mouths to fill and hopefully more people that would like this dip.
I didn't love it. Sorry. I am not going to lie to you. I wanted to really like it, but it was just ok.
I liked the black bean layer and I would have rather eaten that with the chips.
The corn/cilantro layer just didn't fit. I don't love frozen corn-not a big fan. Don't get me wrong, I love fresh corn on the cob, but not so much the frozen kernels.
I just didn't appreciate all the layers together.

That's not to say that there weren't those family members who loved the dip. There were some. They liked it so much that they were gifted the leftovers :)

Go check out the CEiMB Blogroll to see what everyone else thought about this one!

Recipe for Five Layer Mexican Dip

Black Bean Pumpkin Chili with Pumpkin Cornbread

Chili and cornbread. They go together this time of year. Some people don't care for either of them, like my hubby, so I rarely make either.
I saw a post on Real Mom Kitchen about this cornbread, which contains pumpkin puree and whole wheat flour and I was very intrigued. She got the recipe from The Recipe Girl, so I went over to Lori's site and found out that she served the pumpkin cornbread with a pumpkin chili. Sounded like a great combination.
At first I was going to half the recipe for the cornbread, but then my hubby told me some friends were going to be stopping by for dinner and I figured this was the perfect time to serve both of these foods.
I changed the pumpkin chili recipe up a bit. I do not like beef or ground beef, so I thought that I would make a bean chili, but then decided to add some lean ground turkey since there were going to be so many people eating with us.
I also added a zucchini, since I had one I needed to use, and black beans. I changed the spices, so that it would be mild enough for my kids to eat and switched the toppings.
The pumpkin puree in the chili is very subtle- it adds texture, but not so much flavor.

The pumpkin cornbread was fabulous. I love cornbread-I grew up eating it all the time, so I really liked this version. It had a hint of sweetness, great spices and a nice pumpkin flavor. The best part is that my kids all liked it! I couldn't believe it. None of them like regular cornbread, I think because of the texture, but this cornbread was a winner. I was so happy about it.
The pumpkin cornbread also tastes good the 2nd and 3rd day after it is made, which is usually a problem with cornbread because it dries out. The pumpkin keeps this one tasting good for leftovers.

The friends who were supposed to join us for dinner didn't make it, so I actually saved the chili and cornbread and invited some other friends over the next night. Great thing about chili is it tastes better after sitting in the fridge and being reheated. The flavors were great.
If you like a spicier chili, up the chili powder or add a jalapeno.
And try this cornbread, it is really good!
Black Bean Pumpkin Chili adapted from The Recipe Girl

1 Tbls canola oil
1 lb ground turkey (93% lean)
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped red, yellow, or green bell pepper (I used all three)
1 small zucchini, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 14 1/2 oz cans diced tomatoes with green chiles
1 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 tsp chili powder
1 heaping tsp cumin
dash of oregano
pepper and salt to taste
1/4 to 1/2 cup chicken broth
toppings- greek yogurt, shredded cheese, cilantro

In a large pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add ground turkey, onion, green pepper, and zucchini. Cook for a few minutes, until veggies are tender and meat is browned.
Add garlic and cook for additional minute.
Add tomatoes, black beans, pumpkin puree and spices. Add enough chicken broth to loosen it up a little bit, but not too much.
Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
Garnish with greek yogurt, shredded cheese, and cilantro.


Recipe for Pumpkin Cornbread

Cuban Black Beans

(I have no idea how authentically "cuban" these black beans are. That is just the title the recipe had when I got it)
My sister sent me this recipe for Black Beans and said that they were the best ones that she had ever tasted. I believed her and decided I would have to make them.
I usually use canned beans when I cook, draining and rinsing them, but this called for dried beans, which you have to soak overnight.
I actually started this recipe in the morning and soaked my beans for 8 hours. It worked!

I didn't really know what to expect from this recipe, but it was worth the time. The taste was amazing. These beans are so flavorful, which really surprised me and by the time they were done cooking, the texture of the beans was perfect-not hard or crumbly.

I ate a big bowl of these plain and then added some cooked rice and chopped tomato when we ate them again.
These would make a great addition to a burrito or a nice side dish. Very, very tasty.
Thanks Audrey, for passing the recipe on to me!

On a little side note, has anyone seen these cute little mini pitas?
When we went to visit my sister (same one who gave me the BB recipe) this summer, she was making all sorts of cute things with these mini pitas.

I found them at Publix and now, we eat them all the time. I stuff them with lunchmeat, cheese and a spinach leaf and pack them in my son's lunch for school, we dip them in hummus, make pb&j sammies with them, and also make little breakfast bites, here I just filled them with scrambled eggs. I buy the whole wheat mini pitas and they are really fun to fill with different things. If you can find them, try them out!

Cuban Black Beans from my sister's friend, Sharra

Ingredients
1 lb black beans
6 cups water
1 large green bell pepper chopped
1 large minced onion
4 cloves minced garlic
A second green pepper minced
2/3 cups olive oil (I only used a couple Tbls)
4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp oregano
1 bay leaf
2 Tbsp sugar
2 tbsp dry wine (I omitted this)
2 tbsp vinegar (I used red wine vinegar)
2 tbsp oil (I forgot to add this!)

Rinse Beans. Combine beans, water, chopped pepper. Soak overnite.
Cook covered for 45 minutes or until soft.
In a frying pan, saute onion, garlic, 2/3 cup olive oil, and minced pepper.
Take 1 cup of beans and mash into sauteed vegetables.
Pour sauteed veggies into bean pot.
Add 4 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, oregano, bay leaf broken in half, and sugar.
Cook covered 1 hour.
Add 2 tbsp vinegar and wine.
Cook 1 hour uncovered to thicken.
When ready to serve add 2 Tbsp oil.

Chicken Nachos

A couple weeks ago I accompanied my daughters to a birthday party. It was really fun with lots of princesses and princess activities.
The birthday girl's mom had made some cute little sammies and snacks for the kids as a light lunch and had also prepared these chicken nachos for the adults to munch on.
They tasted really good and so I asked her for the recipe. Turns out that it is super easy.
I don't usually use sour cream, but I happened to have some in my fridge because I used it in a baked good, so I went ahead and used the rest of it in this recipe. I am sure that plain yogurt or greek yogurt would work just as well.
I added a can of black beans and also garnished it with green onions and cilantro.

I made these for a dinner get together and we had the leftovers for dinner another night wrapped in a tortilla with chopped tomatoes inside. It would also make a great filling for a quesadilla.


Chicken Nachos adapted from Misty Francom
Season 4 chicken breasts witih lemon pepper and garlic salt.
Cook and Shred.
Add 2 cans of corn without juice (I used Mexi-corn because I had it in the pantry)
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1-2 cups of shredded cheese
1 large scoop of sour cream
1 jar of salsa
green onions and cilantro, for garnish

Simmer together for 10-15 minutes
Serve with chips

* Misty's note- I (Misty) don't cook it this way anymore, but it basically tastes the same as the way I make it. I cook the chicken and shred it the night before. Then in the morning I through everything in the Crockpot and let it cook until lunch and it is ready!

One Year Ago- Weekly Lunchbox

CEiMB-Black Bean Mexican Style Pizza

The recipe for Craving Ellie in My Belly this week was Black Bean Mexican Style Pizza. This recipe was chosen by Joanne and you can find the recipe over at her blog- Apple Crumbles or by clicking on the link at the bottom of this post. Joanne amazes me every week because she cooks so many variations of each recipe to satisfy the people in her family. Make sure you check out her blog.
I was excited to try this recipe because the black bean dip that you use as the spread for this pizza sounded really tasty. I made these for dinner last night and luckily, Kayte made them for lunch, so she tweeted about how good they were, just the way the recipe was written. Since she raved about them as is, I didn't change anything about these when I made my first batch.

I even got out my little cookie cut and made tiny little tortilla circles and I think this would make a great appetizer or party dish. Very delicious.
I could not keep my fingers out of this black bean dip. It was good. Plus the whole thing took maybe 20 minutes to make- blending up the dip, throw the pizzas together, cook and clean-up. I can handle that.

For my hubby and kids, I added some shredded chicken before I put the cabbage (I used angel hair coleslaw from the bag, which is just cabbage, but already thinly sliced) on top and then melted a little cheese on top. No complaints from any of my family members. They actually really liked this dinner too.
I will be making the dip again and hope that maybe there will be some left to make another pizza. I am not making any promises about that. Go to the CEiMB Blogroll to see what everyone else thought about these Mexican Pizzas!

Recipe for Black Bean Mexican Style Pizza


One Year Ago-Lunchbox #3

Stacked Burrito Pie

I saw this recipe in a recent issue of Family Fun Magazine and it look liked an easy quick dinner. I changed up the ingredients quite a bit, to make it more of a meal that my family would enjoy. The original recipe called for ground beef and I subbed in a bunch of veggies instead. I also subbed in plain yogurt for the sour cream, which is something that I usually do and added some extra beans for fiber. I had already packed my springform pans when I made this, so I just put it together in a cake pan, which worked just fine.
We all liked this dinner and it was very filling. The great thing about this recipe is that it is very versatile and you can switch up the ingredients anyway you want.

Stacked Burrito Pie adapted from Family Fun Magazine

1 tablespoons canola oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced

2 red, orange, or yellow bell peppers, finely chopped
1 small zucchini, cut in quarters lenthwise and sliced

2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup water
1 (15 1/2-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cups frozen corn kernel
4 (10-inch) flour tortillas

1 cup refried beans

1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 cup salsa
8 ounces Cheddar or Monterey Jack, grated

Step 1 In a large skillet over medium-low heat, warm the oil. Add the onion and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring often. Add the garlic and sauté another minute.

Step 2 Increase the heat to medium, then add the bell peppers, zucchini, chili powder, and cumin. Cook for about 3 minutes. Add the salt, water, black beans, and corn, and bring the mixture to a boil. Allow it to continue boiling, stirring occasionally, until the liquid evaporates, about 20 minutes.

Step 3 Heat the oven to 350°. Using the rim of a 9-inch springform pan as a template, trim 3 of the tortillas to the size of the pan. Leave the fourth tortilla untrimmed. Note: You can also bake this dish in a 9-inch round cake pan and serve it like a lasagna.

Step 4 Spray the bottom and the sides of the pan with cooking spray. Press the untrimmed tortilla evenly into the pan's bottom. Spread 2-3 tablespoons of the refried beans over the tortilla, followed by 2 Tbls of plain yogurt and 1/4 cup of the salsa. Spoon and spread a quarter of the veggie mixture over the salsa, then sprinkle a quarter of the grated cheese evenly over the top.

Step 5 Place one of the trimmed tortillas on top of the cheese, then repeat the layering of the refried beans, plain yogurt, salsa, vegetables and cheese. Continue this way until the ingredients and tortillas are used up. You should end up with four layers, topped with the final sprinkling of cheese.

Step 6 Bake the pie until heated through, about 30 minutes. Allow it to cool for 10 minutes, then remove the rim from the springform pan, if you used one. Slice the pie into wedges using a sharp knife.

Coming Next- Craving Ellie- White Gazpacho

Jicama and Black Bean Salad

Here is a quick, delicious, fresh recipe from one of my favorite blogs-Cafe Johnsonia. Lindsey makes some pretty amazing creations. Everything I see makes me drool. Don't even get me started on her ice cream making skills. So, if you haven't checked out her blog, go over there and bookmark it.

I love the time of year that just seems to call for salads. Light and delicious meals that are easy to throw together. It has yet to really warm up here, in my mind, but dishes like this make it easier to imagine warm weather and are happily enjoyed by my family anytime.

My kids love jicama-so I knew this salad would be a hit. We had it on the side with a meal one night and then ate the leftovers with tortilla chips and lettuce leaves. Yummy!

Give it a try- the flavors are perfect.

Jicama and Black Bean Salad by Lindsey Johnson

1 small jicama, peeled and cut into 1/4" dice

1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed well

1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/4" dice

1 cup yellow corn

4-5 green onions, sliced, white and tender green parts only

Juice of 1 lime

1-2 tsp. grapeseed or other flavorless oil (like canola)

coarse salt and black pepper, to taste

pinch of chili powder

1 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Combine the jicama, black beans, red pepper, corn and green onions in a bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together lime juice, oil, salt, pepper, and chili powder. Pour over the veggies and stir to coat. Just before serving, add the cilantro. Makes 4-6 servings as a side dish.

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