Black Bean Tostados with Mango Avocado Salsa

 Avocado and Mango...really can you go wrong with this?

Black Bean Tostados with Mango Avocado Salsa

From: The Sisters Cafe

1-2 ripe avocados, peeled and cut into 1/2″ cubes
3 Tbs. lime juice
1 ripe mango, peeled and cut into 1/2″ cubes
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
1 tsp. lime zest
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. sugar
2 Tbs. cilantro, chopped + more for garnish
4 Tbs. olive oil
1 (15.5 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
black pepper, to taste
Spring greens (I just use whatever salad greens I happen to have) 
4 whole wheat tortillas
olive oil flavored Pam
kosher salt
Cotija cheese for garnish (I substitute in Feta)
 
In a medium bowl, toss mango and jalapeno with 1 Tbs. lime juice and salt. Add avocado and gently toss to combine. In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining lime juice, zest, sugar, cilantro and oil. Toss the black beans with the vinaigrette.

Meanwhile, spray both sides of the whole wheat tortillas with olive oil flavored Pam and sprinkle with kosher salt. Broil 3-4 minutes, flip and broil reverse side until lightly browned.
 
To assemble, sprinkle tostados with spring mix greens. Then spoon the black beans with vinaigrette into the center of the greens and top with the mango-avocado mixture. Garnish with chopped cilantro, crumbled cotija cheese and black pepper.

Crispy Southwest Chicken Wraps

Crispy Southwest Chicken Wraps

From: My Kitchen Cafe

1 cup cooked rice, warm or at room temperature
1 cup cooked and shredded chicken
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 green onion, finely sliced (both the white and the green parts)
1/2 red or green pepper, diced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
juice of 1 lime
1/2 Tbs. chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
2 cups shredded cheese
sour cream
6 burrito sized flour tortillas

Mix rice together with chili powder, cumin and garlic salt. Add remaining ingredients except for the cheese and sour cream. Sprinkle cheese over the tortillas, leaving 1/2 inch border around the edges. Then arrange the chicken and rice mixture down the center of each tortilla. You can also add 1-2 Tbs. of sour cream down the middle of the tortillas before adding the chicken and rice mixture for added creaminess, if you want. (I wanted!) Roll stuffed tortillas, leaving edges open. (I didn't leave the edges open, that sounded like it would be disastrous as I tried to grill them.) Spray the tortillas all over with cooking spray.

Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat for 1 minute. Arrange 2 wraps, seam-side down, in pan and cook until golden brown and crisp, about 2-3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and repeat with remaining wraps. Serve topped with sour cream, salsa or whatever sounds delish.

Vegetarian Chili

I was a little concerned about this at first, but it turned out great. I loved all of the fresh vegetables in it. There was such a fabulous chunky texture to it and such variety.Vegetarian Chili

From: Eat For Dinner

1 medium onion, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1 green pepper, diced
3 carrots, diced
3 Japanese eggplants, diced (I used regular and mine were huge, so I only used 1 1/2. The skins on mine didn't get soft enough so next time I'll probably take the skin off.)
3/4 cup cauliflower florets
3/4 cup broccoli florets
1/2 cup canned yellow beans, drained (I used the entire can)
1/2 cup cut green beans,drained (I used the entire can)
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms (I used canned)
1 (19 oz.) can chick peas
1 (19 oz.) can kidney beans
1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes
1 (28 oz.) can tomato juice or sauce (I used sauce because I like my soups thicker)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 Tbs. chili powder (I had to add more, probably about an extra 1/2 Tbs.)
1 heaping tsp. chili pepper, finely diced
1/2 tsp. hot paprika (I used regular because it is what I have)
1/2 tsp. cumin
salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup unsalted cashews (I left these out)
shredded cheddar, for topping
sour cream, for topping

Saute onion for 5 minutes or until translucent. Add carrots and celery and cook about 5 minutes more. Add garlic, salt and pepper to taste. Add cauliflower, broccoli, green and yellow beans, mushrooms and eggplant. Combine and cook for 2-3 minutes.

Add chick peas, kidney beans, diced tomatoes and tomato sauce. Combine until well mixed. Add chili powder, paprika, cumin and mix. Allow to simmer for approximately 1/2 hour. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Mix in cashews. Serve with a dollup of sour cream and some shredded cheese.

Black Bean Soup by Goya

I've been on a major soup kick lately. So, you'll see at least 3 new soups coming up here. They were all fabulous.

The reason that this particular recipe was awesome is that it was literally 30 minutes start to finish. Stuff like that makes me positively giddy. I have to admit that the recipe called for quite a few ingredients that I've never purchased before. But the good news is that this soup was so good that I'll definitely be making it again and get to use the the rest of the ingredients.

We ate it over rice in order to stretch it a little farther. While it says this serves 4, I think it's a very lean 4. Doubling it would definitely give you some good leftovers.


Goya's Black Bean Soup

2 cans Black Beans, undrained
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 rounded Tbsp Goya Recaito (Cilantro Cooking Base)
1 tsp Oregano or to taste
1 tsp Cumin or to taste
2 Bay Leaves
2 packets Sazón Goya without Annatto
2 Tbsp Goya Golden Cooking Wine (unintentionally omitted, oops!)
1 tsp White Vinegar
1 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp Goya Adobo with Pepper or to taste
1 cup water
½ cup finely chopped onions for garnish

1. In saucepan on medium, combine all ingredients. Bring to boil, lower heat and simmer uncovered until desired consistency, about 10 minutes. Discard bay leaf. Garnish with onions.
Serves 4

Chinese Green Beans

These were absolutely fabulous. They were such an easy side dish to add to the meal, which is important to me because I have a hard time remembering to make side dishes as I get so focused on the main dish.

Chinese Green Beans

From: BlogChef

1 lb. fresh greenbeans, washed, strings removed and ends trimmed

1 tsp. fresh ginger, minced

1 clove garlic, minced

2 Tbs. water

1 Tbs. soy sauce

1 tsp. cornstarch

1/2 tsp. brown sugar

1/2 tsp. sesame oil

1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

Place beans over boiling water in a vegetable steamer. (For me this is my rice cooker with a little wire rack in the bottom). Cover and steam 5 minutes. (I wish I would have steamed mine a bit longer) Drain and dump into cold water, drain again.

Add oil to a wok or large frying pan. Add garlic and ginger; saute 30 seconds. Add beans and saute for about 5 minutes.

Combine 2 Tbs. water with cornstarch, soy sauce, brown sugar, red pepper flakes and sesame oil; mix well. Add mixture to beans and stir fry for another 30 seconds to 1 minute longer.