Hello!
This is a quick and easy (two of my favorite descriptive words for a weeknight dinner...) fajita recipe that is spicy and refreshing at the same time!
The Mexican flag is red, white, and green, consequently those colors come together to make a beautiful fajita!
Ingredients:
1-2 cans white beans, drained
3 Chipotle peppers
2 med white onions
1 red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
1 tomatillo
2 ripe tomatoes
1 jalapeno
3-4 garlic cloves
1 bunch cilantro
juice of one lime
1/4 cup tequila
cumin
salt & pepper
cooking oil
sour cream
shredded mozzarella or crumbled queso fresco
avocado
flour tortillas
Step 1:
Slice one of the onions and both bell peppers into strips, crush two of the garlic cloves, saute in skillet with a small amount of oil.
In a separate pan, heat drained white beans. Add peppers to beans and stir in Chipotle peppers (more peppers = more heat), add lime juice, salt & pepper, tequila, and cumin.
Step 2:
Put tomatoes, onion, garlic, cilantro, jalapeno, tomatillo, a little lime juice, and salt and pepper into the bowl of the food processor, process to desired chunkiness. Taste and adjust salt as needed.
Step 3: Assemble fajitas, beans and pepper mixture, topped with fresh salsa (a.k.a pico de gallo), queso fresco, sour cream, and a slice of avocado.
YUM!!!
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Saturday, July 25, 2009
7-layer Dip
I LOVE Mexican food.
This is just a fast, easy recipe, we have it for dinner at least once a week. Making your own "refried beans" reduces a lot of the fat. (ok, so there are more than seven layers... whatever)
1-2 cans black beans, drained
1 medium onion, minced
chili powder, cumin, salt, red pepper flakes, garlic powder
hot sauce
2 ripe tomatoes
cheddar cheese
shredded lettuce
olives
avocado
sour cream
green onions
tortilla chips
saute onion in medium pan until translucent, add beans and seasonings and hot sauce. When heated through, mash with a potato masher, transfer to a dish (I use a 9x13 baking dish it is perfect)
Spread beans level in dish, top with cheese, shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, onions and olives, the avocado makes a beautiful and tasty garnish.
Serve with tortilla chips and hot sauce.
That's it. Super easy, very satisfying.
This is just a fast, easy recipe, we have it for dinner at least once a week. Making your own "refried beans" reduces a lot of the fat. (ok, so there are more than seven layers... whatever)
1-2 cans black beans, drained
1 medium onion, minced
chili powder, cumin, salt, red pepper flakes, garlic powder
hot sauce
2 ripe tomatoes
cheddar cheese
shredded lettuce
olives
avocado
sour cream
green onions
tortilla chips
saute onion in medium pan until translucent, add beans and seasonings and hot sauce. When heated through, mash with a potato masher, transfer to a dish (I use a 9x13 baking dish it is perfect)
Spread beans level in dish, top with cheese, shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, onions and olives, the avocado makes a beautiful and tasty garnish.
Serve with tortilla chips and hot sauce.
That's it. Super easy, very satisfying.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Sweet Potato Cakes with Black Beans and Tomatoes
HI everyone!
So- Thanks to Dr. Atkins and his craziness, lots of people are still really confused about carbohydrates and how to use them.
They are not Devil Spawn. Carbs are our friends if we use them wisely! For example, the carbs in a bowl of brown rice vs. the carbs in a chocolate chip cookie... both are delicious, one is good for you.
Carbohydrates give us energy that our cells use to keep us up and running. We need them, we just need to be able to make smart decisions about them.
Anyway, on with the show!
Today our recipe calls for grated sweet potatoes (a couple of medium sized potatoes should be plenty for 3-4 people). Sweet potatoes are so tasty, but many people A. think they are only for Thanksgiving and Christmas, or B. don't realize how easy and versatile they really are.
wait... I should give you an ingredients list...
sweet potatoes (we already talked about that up there)
onion (red or white)
green and red bell peppers (1/2 of each)
red pepper flakes
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp flour
1 clove garlic
1/4 c shredded cheese (pepper jack is good, a sharp cheddar with do just fine though)
salt and pepper
lime juice
fresh herb of your choice (cilantro or rosemary are both great options)
fresh tomatoes (yellow tomatoes look really nice on this plate)
put onions, peppers and garlic in food processor until minced
add eggs, flour, baking soda, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper, cheese, any fresh herbs you are using, and onion/pepper mixture to the grated potatoes, stir well
squeeze a couple of teaspoons of lime juice into the mixture, stir again (this will keep the potatoes from discoloring as well as add a nice zing of flavor.)
heat a skillet over med/high heat add a small amount of oil. When the oil is hot add a spoonful of the potatoes to the skillet and smush with a spatula to flatten. Let cook for about 5 minutes on each side, when golden and crispy remove from pan to a paper towel.
For the Black beans, the simpler the better... a little chili paste and onion, or a little barbeque sauce is plenty of seasoning.
Serve the beans on top of the potatoes with a small dollop of sour cream, garnish with the sliced tomatoes.
Today when we ate this for lunch, I cut up some red plums to go with it as well, and the tartness of the fruit was amazing! Just place it in there with the tomatoes. It's an unusual but delicious flavor combo!
Have a great day.
So- Thanks to Dr. Atkins and his craziness, lots of people are still really confused about carbohydrates and how to use them.
They are not Devil Spawn. Carbs are our friends if we use them wisely! For example, the carbs in a bowl of brown rice vs. the carbs in a chocolate chip cookie... both are delicious, one is good for you.
Carbohydrates give us energy that our cells use to keep us up and running. We need them, we just need to be able to make smart decisions about them.
Anyway, on with the show!
Today our recipe calls for grated sweet potatoes (a couple of medium sized potatoes should be plenty for 3-4 people). Sweet potatoes are so tasty, but many people A. think they are only for Thanksgiving and Christmas, or B. don't realize how easy and versatile they really are.
wait... I should give you an ingredients list...
sweet potatoes (we already talked about that up there)
onion (red or white)
green and red bell peppers (1/2 of each)
red pepper flakes
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp flour
1 clove garlic
1/4 c shredded cheese (pepper jack is good, a sharp cheddar with do just fine though)
salt and pepper
lime juice
fresh herb of your choice (cilantro or rosemary are both great options)
fresh tomatoes (yellow tomatoes look really nice on this plate)
put onions, peppers and garlic in food processor until minced
add eggs, flour, baking soda, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper, cheese, any fresh herbs you are using, and onion/pepper mixture to the grated potatoes, stir well
squeeze a couple of teaspoons of lime juice into the mixture, stir again (this will keep the potatoes from discoloring as well as add a nice zing of flavor.)
heat a skillet over med/high heat add a small amount of oil. When the oil is hot add a spoonful of the potatoes to the skillet and smush with a spatula to flatten. Let cook for about 5 minutes on each side, when golden and crispy remove from pan to a paper towel.
For the Black beans, the simpler the better... a little chili paste and onion, or a little barbeque sauce is plenty of seasoning.
Serve the beans on top of the potatoes with a small dollop of sour cream, garnish with the sliced tomatoes.
Today when we ate this for lunch, I cut up some red plums to go with it as well, and the tartness of the fruit was amazing! Just place it in there with the tomatoes. It's an unusual but delicious flavor combo!
Have a great day.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Easy Summer Lunch
Good afternoon everyone!
Today I want to talk about a couple of things...
1. Farmer's Market! If you have never been to one, go. They are amazing. It is really a great way to be involved with your community, support local farmers, and go home with LOTS of fresh fruits, veggies, and flowers for super cheap!
The other thing is just today's recipe: Simple Cabbage with Mushrooms
I don't think this even qualifies as a recipe it is so simple, but it takes about 10 minutes and is great for a light lunch, or you can add to it and it is easily a beautiful dinner. There aren't a lot of ingredients and the flavors of the mushrooms and cabbage really blend well together.
1 small head of green cabbage, cleaned and cut into small pieces
1 medium white onion, chopped
1 cup baby Portabella mushrooms
salt and pepper
butter
Directions:
In a large skillet (with a lid is helpful) saute onions in butter until translucent over medium/high heat. Add in chopped cabbage and stir to coat with butter. Cover for about 3 minutes. Cabbage should be very pretty green now, add in the mushrooms, salt, and fresh cracked pepper, give it a good stir. Cover for another 1-2 minutes.
That's it for the cabbage...
To complete the meal I like to serve this either with some lightly boiled new potatoes, or with brown rice.
If using potatoes, leave them whole, boil them for about 5-6 minutes, and add them to the skillet when you add the cabbage. If using rice, add a bay leaf to the cooking water for some extra flavor, and add a dash of soy sauce or vinegar.
Slice up a fresh, juicy tomato to go along with it (tomatoes and soy sauce are a really great flavor combo...)
Plate it up. Simple, delicious, and a beautiful plate!
Today I want to talk about a couple of things...
1. Farmer's Market! If you have never been to one, go. They are amazing. It is really a great way to be involved with your community, support local farmers, and go home with LOTS of fresh fruits, veggies, and flowers for super cheap!
The other thing is just today's recipe: Simple Cabbage with Mushrooms
I don't think this even qualifies as a recipe it is so simple, but it takes about 10 minutes and is great for a light lunch, or you can add to it and it is easily a beautiful dinner. There aren't a lot of ingredients and the flavors of the mushrooms and cabbage really blend well together.
1 small head of green cabbage, cleaned and cut into small pieces
1 medium white onion, chopped
1 cup baby Portabella mushrooms
salt and pepper
butter
Directions:
In a large skillet (with a lid is helpful) saute onions in butter until translucent over medium/high heat. Add in chopped cabbage and stir to coat with butter. Cover for about 3 minutes. Cabbage should be very pretty green now, add in the mushrooms, salt, and fresh cracked pepper, give it a good stir. Cover for another 1-2 minutes.
That's it for the cabbage...
To complete the meal I like to serve this either with some lightly boiled new potatoes, or with brown rice.
If using potatoes, leave them whole, boil them for about 5-6 minutes, and add them to the skillet when you add the cabbage. If using rice, add a bay leaf to the cooking water for some extra flavor, and add a dash of soy sauce or vinegar.
Slice up a fresh, juicy tomato to go along with it (tomatoes and soy sauce are a really great flavor combo...)
Plate it up. Simple, delicious, and a beautiful plate!
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Red Beans and Rice
This seems like kind of an odd one to start off with in the middle of summer, but it's what we had for lunch today so it's on my mind...
I love to cook my beans from scratch, when I have time, and don't need to eat for a few hours, but I also have a pantry stocked with canned beans... it does not make you less of a cook, it makes you a real person. (One of the top reasons people say they don't cook is time. If a can of beans is all it takes to give you that time, then its thank goodness for whoever decided to put those beans in can!)
Ok- to start out, I recommend getting everything prepped before you turn on the stove, it will save more time, and give you a chance to clean up while everything is cooking.
Red beans and rice is a traditional Creole dish usually made with pork sausage. This is my own variation and I will be omitting the pork but feel free to add it in. To appease our taste buds though, we will need to get some smokey flavor back into this meal, there are a few different options, but we will get to that later.
First.. the ingredients!
1 med white onion
1 green pepper
1 red pepper
2 cups uncooked rice (I use brown rice by default, white rice is fine too)
2 cans drained red beans or kidney beans (or about 3 cups cooked dry beans if you so chose)
2-3 cloves of garlic
2 tbsp fresh basil
3-4 ribs celery
cayenne, paprika, salt, fresh cracked pepper, thyme, bay leaf, chili powder
vinegar
hot sauce
butter
ok- I am not a stickler for measuring... if you are, sorry, I'll try my best.
I'm not gonna lie, I use a rice cooker, its easy, and you don't have to worry about the rice being over or under done, and you can do other things while the rice is cooking...
1. In a skillet over medium heat, add a small amount of butter or olive oil, toss in about half the onion, diced, sliced, whatever you want to do to it is fine. Let the onion saute for a few minutes then add the dry rice to the skillet and stir to coat with butter. Keep stirring about 2 more minutes (this is gonna smell like heaven so get ready). Add the rice to the rice cooker with double the amount of liquid (1:2 ratio rice to liquid), water is fine, but I like using veggie broth. Add a bay leaf and let the rice cooker do its magic.
2. Turn on the broiler, and set the garlic cloves (still in their skin) and the green pepper, the rest of the onion can go too if you want, on a baking sheet and set them under the broiler. This will cause the skin to blister on the pepper. After about 5 minutes (maybe turn it a couple of times) remove the baking sheet from the oven and wrap the pepper in foil or put it in a plastic container with the lid on until it is cool enough to handle. Then, remove the skin and clean the pepper.
Chop the onion in to small pieces, and remove the skins from the garlic cloves. (This step provides part of that savory smokey flavor)
3. Place the garlic, 1/2 the green pepper, 1/2 the raw red pepper, 1/2 the onion and 1/4 c of beans in the food processor
3a. you may also add 1-2 chipotle peppers (this will increase the spiciness quite a bit) with their adobo sauce at this point, or 1 tsp liquid smoke and 2-3 rehydrated sun-dried tomatoes.
proceede with the food processing, set this aside.
4. In the same skillet as before, add any remaining onion, the celery and the red of the red and green peppers with butter or oil and saute for a few minutes. Add the processed veggie/bean mixture as well as 1/2-1 cup vegetable stock. Add the rest of the drained beans and let this simmer down to the desired thickness. You may also at this point add about a 1-inch piece of Kombu (a dried sea vegetable) This will add saltiness and a little more of that savory smokey flavor. This is also were the spices come in!! So here you are going add all your dry spices to taste, adjust the cayenne to your desired heat intensity, and watch out for the salt- we have veggie stock in two places, if you use the chipotles that adds salt, the kombu adds salt, and the butter (if you are using salted butter). In the last 2-3 minutes of cooking, add the fresh basil and fresh thyme (dried is fine, add it with the other spices).
5. When the rice is done cooking, REMOVE THE BAY LEAF, and combine the beans and rice in a serving dish. Serve family style with vinegar and hot sauce.
Side options that would be great with this?
Cornbread
greens
salad
okra
green beans with tomatoes
I love to cook my beans from scratch, when I have time, and don't need to eat for a few hours, but I also have a pantry stocked with canned beans... it does not make you less of a cook, it makes you a real person. (One of the top reasons people say they don't cook is time. If a can of beans is all it takes to give you that time, then its thank goodness for whoever decided to put those beans in can!)
Ok- to start out, I recommend getting everything prepped before you turn on the stove, it will save more time, and give you a chance to clean up while everything is cooking.
Red beans and rice is a traditional Creole dish usually made with pork sausage. This is my own variation and I will be omitting the pork but feel free to add it in. To appease our taste buds though, we will need to get some smokey flavor back into this meal, there are a few different options, but we will get to that later.
First.. the ingredients!
1 med white onion
1 green pepper
1 red pepper
2 cups uncooked rice (I use brown rice by default, white rice is fine too)
2 cans drained red beans or kidney beans (or about 3 cups cooked dry beans if you so chose)
2-3 cloves of garlic
2 tbsp fresh basil
3-4 ribs celery
cayenne, paprika, salt, fresh cracked pepper, thyme, bay leaf, chili powder
vinegar
hot sauce
butter
ok- I am not a stickler for measuring... if you are, sorry, I'll try my best.
I'm not gonna lie, I use a rice cooker, its easy, and you don't have to worry about the rice being over or under done, and you can do other things while the rice is cooking...
1. In a skillet over medium heat, add a small amount of butter or olive oil, toss in about half the onion, diced, sliced, whatever you want to do to it is fine. Let the onion saute for a few minutes then add the dry rice to the skillet and stir to coat with butter. Keep stirring about 2 more minutes (this is gonna smell like heaven so get ready). Add the rice to the rice cooker with double the amount of liquid (1:2 ratio rice to liquid), water is fine, but I like using veggie broth. Add a bay leaf and let the rice cooker do its magic.
2. Turn on the broiler, and set the garlic cloves (still in their skin) and the green pepper, the rest of the onion can go too if you want, on a baking sheet and set them under the broiler. This will cause the skin to blister on the pepper. After about 5 minutes (maybe turn it a couple of times) remove the baking sheet from the oven and wrap the pepper in foil or put it in a plastic container with the lid on until it is cool enough to handle. Then, remove the skin and clean the pepper.
Chop the onion in to small pieces, and remove the skins from the garlic cloves. (This step provides part of that savory smokey flavor)
3. Place the garlic, 1/2 the green pepper, 1/2 the raw red pepper, 1/2 the onion and 1/4 c of beans in the food processor
3a. you may also add 1-2 chipotle peppers (this will increase the spiciness quite a bit) with their adobo sauce at this point, or 1 tsp liquid smoke and 2-3 rehydrated sun-dried tomatoes.
proceede with the food processing, set this aside.
4. In the same skillet as before, add any remaining onion, the celery and the red of the red and green peppers with butter or oil and saute for a few minutes. Add the processed veggie/bean mixture as well as 1/2-1 cup vegetable stock. Add the rest of the drained beans and let this simmer down to the desired thickness. You may also at this point add about a 1-inch piece of Kombu (a dried sea vegetable) This will add saltiness and a little more of that savory smokey flavor. This is also were the spices come in!! So here you are going add all your dry spices to taste, adjust the cayenne to your desired heat intensity, and watch out for the salt- we have veggie stock in two places, if you use the chipotles that adds salt, the kombu adds salt, and the butter (if you are using salted butter). In the last 2-3 minutes of cooking, add the fresh basil and fresh thyme (dried is fine, add it with the other spices).
5. When the rice is done cooking, REMOVE THE BAY LEAF, and combine the beans and rice in a serving dish. Serve family style with vinegar and hot sauce.
Side options that would be great with this?
Cornbread
greens
salad
okra
green beans with tomatoes
Greetings!
Hi Everyone!
I love vegetables and hope you do too. If you don't, maybe some of these recipes will inspire you to give a certain type of veggie another try.
Vegetables are amazing little things, and are often abused and misused, no wonder so many people think they hate ___________ (fill in your veggie nemesis...)
This Summer, I have also began a garden, and have harvested cukes, and soon will be eating fresh tomatoes off the vine, as well as zucchini, peppers, and watermelon, and various herbs too!
About one year ago I got really interested in nutrition and started reading and reading some more, and I was amazed and disgusted at just how bad most of the food people eat really is. As a result of this and some other personal searching, my husband and I quit eating meat. The first noticeable difference was how much more energy we had. Next thing we knew we had lost about 65 pounds between us. We were eating great new foods that neither of us had ever even thought about eating, and we were having fun!
I love cooking and there is always something new to do with veggies! The options are limitless, there is no way to become bored with vegetables. It is still easy to fall in a rut and make the same 5 dinners every week, but with meals not centered around beef, chicken, or seafood, the new flavors and colors and tastes are boundless!
Vegetables also allow you to be in tune with nature and follow the seasons. Sure, there are tomatoes in the produce section of the local grocery, but they don't really taste like tomatoes. Eating fresh, vegetables in season really makes a person be thankful to the earth and nature for making something so delicious possible. (Not to mention the nutrients in fresh veggies is trough the roof!) Not to worry though, there are plenty of ways to take advantage of the abundance of summer to enjoy the nutritional and flavor benefits of seasonal veggies in the winter months, and there are plenty of fresh veggies to harvest in the winter as well.
Some of my recipes are adaptations of traditional meat meals, some are recipes I have come across in books and magazines, and some are my own creations from my kitchen.
Even if you are not a vegetarian, subbing out one meal a week with a meatless meal can save you lots of money!
Ok, enough of this introduction. I hope you will stop by often to see whats cooking!
I love vegetables and hope you do too. If you don't, maybe some of these recipes will inspire you to give a certain type of veggie another try.
Vegetables are amazing little things, and are often abused and misused, no wonder so many people think they hate ___________ (fill in your veggie nemesis...)
This Summer, I have also began a garden, and have harvested cukes, and soon will be eating fresh tomatoes off the vine, as well as zucchini, peppers, and watermelon, and various herbs too!
About one year ago I got really interested in nutrition and started reading and reading some more, and I was amazed and disgusted at just how bad most of the food people eat really is. As a result of this and some other personal searching, my husband and I quit eating meat. The first noticeable difference was how much more energy we had. Next thing we knew we had lost about 65 pounds between us. We were eating great new foods that neither of us had ever even thought about eating, and we were having fun!
I love cooking and there is always something new to do with veggies! The options are limitless, there is no way to become bored with vegetables. It is still easy to fall in a rut and make the same 5 dinners every week, but with meals not centered around beef, chicken, or seafood, the new flavors and colors and tastes are boundless!
Vegetables also allow you to be in tune with nature and follow the seasons. Sure, there are tomatoes in the produce section of the local grocery, but they don't really taste like tomatoes. Eating fresh, vegetables in season really makes a person be thankful to the earth and nature for making something so delicious possible. (Not to mention the nutrients in fresh veggies is trough the roof!) Not to worry though, there are plenty of ways to take advantage of the abundance of summer to enjoy the nutritional and flavor benefits of seasonal veggies in the winter months, and there are plenty of fresh veggies to harvest in the winter as well.
Some of my recipes are adaptations of traditional meat meals, some are recipes I have come across in books and magazines, and some are my own creations from my kitchen.
Even if you are not a vegetarian, subbing out one meal a week with a meatless meal can save you lots of money!
Ok, enough of this introduction. I hope you will stop by often to see whats cooking!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
