Black Bean & Sweet Potato Tacos

I thought about taking pictures while I was making this.  It didn't happen.  I didn't get the whole thing done yet, I just wanted to make sure I got the potatoes cooked and the slaw put together so I could have it ready for a weeknight meal.  As soon as the potatoes were done, I scooped some in a bowl and added a little slaw.  Wow, these are DELICIOUS!  I can't wait to add the beans and wrap it in a tortilla.  Such a refreshing, healthy, inexpensive take on tacos.  I got the recipe from Joy The Baker.  Go to her site.  You'll love her.

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Tacos

serves 4

inspired by WindAttack

Print this Recipe!

For the Potatoes:

2 sweet potatoes (really orange-fleshed yams), peeled and cut into small cubes

1 tablespoon olive oil

salt and red chili flakes to taste

juice of 1 lime

For the Cabbage Slaw:
2 heaping cups shredded cabbage (I used Chinese cabbage because it's what I had on hand)
1/4 cup finely diced yellow onions
2 heaping tablespoons chopped cilantro
juice of 2 limes
salt and red chili flakes to taste
For the Beans:
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/4 cup finely diced yellow onion
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
juice of 1 lime
small corn tortillas (I'll use flour, just my preference)

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Place peeled and diced sweet potatoes on a cookie sheet.  Top with olive oil, salt and chili flakes, and lime juice.  Toss together until all of the potato chunks are coated.  Place in the oven to bake until softened through and toasted brown.  This usually takes about 40 minutes.   Remove the cookie sheet once or twice during baking to toss the potato chunks around.  This will ensure that the cubes cook evenly.  Remove from the oven and let stand when cooked through.
While the potatoes cook, assemble the Cabbage Slaw.  In a medium bowl, place cabbage, yellow, and chopped cilantro.  Add lime juice, salt and chili flakes.  Toss to coat and set aside while the potatoes cook and beans heat.  Letting the cabbage slaw sit will help soften the cabbage.
To cook the beans, heat olive oil in a medium saucepan.  Add onions and cook until transluscent, about 3 minutes.  Add ground cumin and stir until fragrant.  Add beans and lime juice.  Cook until heated through.
Heat corn tortillas in a hot saucepan with just a touch of oil.  Heat through and serve with potatoes, beans, and slaw. 

Jalapeno Poppers - with Bacon!

The title says it all, really!  Jalapeno, cream cheese and bacon...wrapped in a crescent roll.  YUMMY!  I unknowingly purchased the garlic butter crescent rolls, and that was totally fine.  Made them smell even better in the oven!

Here's the link to the blog I got the recipe from.  She's got a great writing style, and good photos.  So go there.  And make these.  Then eat them.

http://aisletoaloha.blogspot.com/2011/01/pop-em-like-theyre-hot.html

Sausage & Pepperoni Pizza Puffs

Yum!  These are good, and they are SO easy.  We were having a big group of family over for a birthday/football party, and I chose to make these.  I'm glad I did...and I'm glad there are a few left!  I used the cheese I had on hand, regular pepperoni and Italian sausage, just because I wanted to.  I'm pretty sure you could use any pizza ingredients you want.

Here's the link to the original recipe: http://www.plainchicken.com/2011/02/sausage-pepperoni-pizza-puffs.html


3/4 cup flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
3/4 cup whole milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
4 oz mozzarella cheese, shredded (about 1 cup)
2 oz mini turkey pepperoni, (about 1/2 cup)
4 oz low-fat sausage, cooked and crumbled
1/2 cup pizza sauce


Pre-heat the oven to 375°. Grease a 24-cup mini-muffin pan. (*I used a silicone pan, no grease.  Came out great!)

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, garlic powder and baking powder; whisk in the milk and egg. Stir in the mozzarella, sausage and pepperoni; let stand for 10 minutes.

Stir the batter and divide among the mini-muffin cups. Bake until puffed and golden, 20 to 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, microwave the pizza sauce until warmed through. Serve the puffs with the pizza sauce for dipping.

Emeril's Chicken Salad

I haven't been blogging much lately...obviously. We got an offer on our house and moved 27 days later (yikes!), and then I found this website and haven't really done much else. This recipe though...this is blog worthy. Drool worthy, really. One night, I asked some friends what they'd had for dinner , and one of the responses was "chicken salad wraps" and I thought "yum! I haven't had chicken salad in a long time!" so I did some research and came upon Emeril's Chicken Salad with Fresh Herbs. I don't know when the last time was I was this excited about lunch. Try it for yourself. I used light mayo, works just fine. It is a bit spicy though, but you can tame that by cutting the cayenne pepper. I also used the same herbs mentioned (parsley and tarragon). I'm now eating the last of this batch and I can't wait to make it again. It's not yo mamma's chicken salad. It's Emeril's. And now it's mine!

2lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp EVOO
1 C mayonnaise
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
1/2 C finely diced celery stalks, plus 1/4 C chopped celery leaves
1/3 C finely chopped red onion
3 Tbsp chopped mixed fresh herbs (such as parsley and tarragon)
1/2 tsp celery seeds
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2 to 3 avocados, halved and pitted (optional)

Preheat oven to 400. rinse the chicken briefly under cool running water, then pat dry with paper towels. Season on both sides with 2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.

Heat the oil in a 12" ovenproof saute pan over high heat. Add the chicken and cook 2 minutes. Turn the chicken over and immediately place the pan in the oven. Roast 10-15 minutes, or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees when tested with an instant read thermometer. Remove from the pan and set aside to cool.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the mayonnaise, garlic, mustard, celery and leaves, red onion, herbs, celery seeds and cayenne pepper. Mix well.

When the chicken is cool enough to handle, cut into a 1/2 inch dice, add it to the mayonnaise mixture and mix well. If not serving immediately, transfer to the refrigerator to chill. Serve in avocado halves, if desired.

Used to be Dianne's Lasagna

I can't believe this recipe isn't on this blog yet! I make it fairly regularly. I got a recipe from Dave's sister Dianne. She makes it every Christmas. I've tweaked it to my liking, and now it's mine, but it used to be Dianne's.

Lasagna Noodles - do not cook
8 oz cottage cheese
8 oz plain yogurt
2 jars spaghetti sauce (barilla 3 cheese)
1 lb hamburger, browned and drained
8 oz shredded Mozzarella cheese
8 oz shredded cheddar cheese (State Brand Mild Cheddar)
1Tbsp Tastefully Simple Onion Onion (optional)

Heat oven to 400 degrees. After browning and draining beef, add almost all the spaghetti sauce. If you have it, add some Tastefully Simple Onion Onion to this mixture.
In a separate bowl, mix cottage cheese with plain yogurt and cheddar cheese. In a 9 x 13 pan, layer Noodles, meat sauce and yogurt mixture. Continue layering for a total of three layers, ending with noodles and sauce. Pour remaining sauce around edges.
Cover and seal with aluminum foil so that the steam can not escape. Bake for 1 hour. Remove foil and sprinkle shredded mozzarella cheese on lasagna and return to oven (without the foil) for 15 minutes longer or until cheese melts and begins to brown. Remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes before cutting and serving. Serves 6

Chicken Soup in the Slow Cooker

I recently joined a CSA, which means I get a box of veggies from a local farm every week. Some of them are things I've never tried and am not sure what to do with...like bok choy and kohlrabi. So rather than letting them go to waste while I try to figure it out, I chop them up and use them in soup. I'm thrilled this turned out so yummy, because it is definitely a "throw what you have in the crockpot" kind of soup. So, I prepped my veggies, poached my chicken, and made it into soup. I just finished eating a bowl of it...I wish I would have waited so I could remember what all was in it!

6 chicken thighs, poached (or cooked the way you like)
2 heads kohlrabi, peeled and sliced
3 carrots, sliced into rounds
bok choy, chopped (not sure how much there was)
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1" pieces
Onion
2 Tbsp chicken base
water

I literally threw everything (varying amounts, whatever I had on hand) into the crock pot, covered it with water, and let it cook on low for 7 hours or so. Then I shredded the chicken and cooked it a little while longer. Sorry it's not more descriptive, but when it comes to chicken soup, I think you mainly have to get the right liquid flavor. I had chicken base (a yellow powdery substance) to use, but I'm sure chicken bouillon would work, as well as using chicken stock instead of water. A recipe I read suggested adding a couple tablespoons of balsamic vinegar to the soup, but I don't have any on hand. (*note to self: buy balsamic!)

Cinnamon French Toast Bake

I found this on Pillsbury's website, and have made it a few different times. This last time I altered it with what I had on hand, and it was still delicious. Try it, you'll like it! It's easy and tastes great!

1/4 cup LAND O LAKES® Butter, melted*
2 cans (12.4 oz each) Pillsbury® refrigerated cinnamon rolls with icing
6 Eggland's Best eggs*
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream*
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup Fisher® Chef's Naturals® Chopped Pecans
1 cup maple syrup*
Garnish
Icing from cinnamon rolls
Powdered sugar
1/2 cup maple syrup, if desired

1.Heat oven to 375°F. Pour melted butter into ungreased 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish. Separate both cans of dough into 16 rolls; set icing aside. Cut each roll into 8 pieces; place pieces over butter in dish.

2.In medium bowl, beat eggs. Beat in cream, cinnamon and vanilla until well blended; gently pour over roll pieces. Sprinkle with pecans; drizzle with 1 cup syrup.

3.Bake 20 to 28 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 15 minutes. Meanwhile, remove covers from icing; microwave on Medium (50%) 10 to 15 seconds or until thin enough to drizzle.

4.Drizzle icing over top; sprinkle with powdered sugar. If desired, spoon syrup from dish over individual servings. Serve with the additional 1/2 cup maple syrup.

*I probably used 2 tablespoons of butter, and I just melted it in the pan right in the oven before adding everything else. I also just used 3 eggs, fat-free half and half, and just drizzled some syrup over the top before baking without measuring. It cooked faster than it called for, not sure if that was because of the super-oven we were using, or the fewer eggs. Either way, it was awesome, and I'll be making this again :)

Seriously Delicious Carrot Pineapple Cake

I was looking for a dessert to take to Easter dinner, and this is the recipe I found. I'd never made carrot cake before, but with so many glowing reviews, I figured it must be good. I had carrots and fresh pineapple on hand, along with most everything else the recipe called for. Like the name suggests, this is seriously delicious! Even without the nuts (which I didn't have) and less powdered sugar in the frosting than it calls for, because I ran out. It's possibly the easiest cake to make too. Here is the link to Carrot Pineapple Cake on Allrecipes

Make this cake. Don't tell anyone, because then you'll have to share. You won't want to.

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 3/4 cups white sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups shredded carrots
• 1 cup flaked coconut
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 2 cups confectioners' sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan.
2. Mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Make a well in the center and add sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla. Mix with wooden spoon* until smooth. Stir in carrots, coconut, walnuts and pineapple.
3. Pour into 9x13 inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. Don't panic, the center will sink a little. Allow to cool.
4. To make the frosting: Cream the butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add the confectioners sugar and beat until creamy.

*it is important to use a wooden spoon and not an electric mixer.

My Very Own Chili

I love chili. So many people tell me "I just add this and that until it tastes good" but I've always needed a recipe. Until now. I had hamburger in the freezer, so I went to the store on a mission. Find the stuff to make chili, and don't use a seasoning packet. So that's what I did, and dammit, it's GOOD! The measurements aren't precise, because who measures onions when they're cooking them for chili? And I don't know how much chili powder works for you, so do what you want. I think the main ingredient for me was the tomatoes with chiles and cilantro. You could tell there was cilantro in it, but it wasn't overpowering at all. It was definitely a background note.

Dice onions and red bell pepper. Very finely dice a carrot. I did a julienne cut first and then diced them. Cook them in about 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large pot until soft, about 5 minutes.
Add 1.5 pounds ground beef, cook until done.
Put ground beef mixture in a crockpot with:
1 28oz can crushed tomatoes
28oz water (used to rinse out can)
2 15oz cans Rotel Diced Tomatoes with Chiles and Cilantro
1 15oz can pinto beans
1 15oz can red kidney beans
1 Tbsp chili powder
2 tsp cumin
Salt and pepper to taste

Stir well and cook on low 7 hours, or on high for 4. Or until you're ready to eat and the taste is right for you.

Peach-Pineapple Crumble (9)

From Cooking Light Fresh Food Fast Weeknight Meals

I.LOVE.THIS. I used a pineapple that I cut myself...I just let it sit in a bowl overnight and get the juices that come with the one you can buy already cored at the grocery store. It's seriously delicious. Did I mention how much I loved it? (I just realized I didn't peel the peaches. oops!)

1 cored fresh pineapple
3 C sliced peeled peaches (3 large)
Cooking spray
1/4 C butter, melted
1 1/2 C pineapple supreme cake mix (such as Duncan Hines) (NOT THE WHOLE BOX!)
2 C vanilla low-fat frozen yogurt
1/4 C chopped pecans, toasted (optional)

Preheat oven to 350.
Drain pineapple, reserving 3 tablespoons juice. Chop pineapple to measure 3 cups.
Combine chopped pineapple, reserved juice, and peach slices in an 11x7" baking dish coated with cooking spray. Stir butter into cake mix until smooth. Spread batter over fruit; coat with cooking spray.
Bake at 350 for 38 minutes or until golden and bubbly. Serve warm with frozen yogurt. 8 servings (1/8 of crumble, 1/4 C frozen yogurt)

Cal: 333 Fat: 10.6 Protein: 5.1 Carb: 58.4 Fiber: 1.8

Chicken Scaloppini (6)

From Cooking Light Fresh Food Fast Weeknight Meals

This one is really tasty. My biggest issue with it is pounding the chicken thin enough without tearing it up. I'll need to practice more I guess. If I remember correct, it's less about force and more about letting the meat mallet do the work.
I do really like this because it is very easy and, I would think, pretty versatile. Add some mushrooms, onions, etc to the pan when you add the broth and lemon juice and let them cook while the sauce reduces. Sounds like something I'm going to try next time!

4 (6oz) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (about the size of a chicken breast with the tender removed)
1 large egg white
2 tsp water
1/2 C Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs
2 tsp olive oil, divided
1/2 C fat free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

Place chicken between 2 sheets of plastic wrap. Pound to 1/4" thickness using a meat mallet or small heavy skillet.
Combine egg white and water in a shallow dish, stirring with a whisk. Place the breadcrumbs in another dish. Dip each chicken breast half in egg mixture; dredge in breadcrumbs.
Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add half of chicken to the pan. Cook 3 minutes on each side or until golden. Transfer to a plate and cover to keep warm. Repeat procedure with remaining oil and chicken.
Add broth and lemon juice to pan, stirring to loosen browned bits. Cook, uncovered, over high heat 2-3 minutes or until reduced to 1/3 cup. Drizzle sauce over chicken. 4 servings (1 chicken breast half and 1 Tbsp sauce)

Cal: 265 Fat: 7 Protein: 37.4 Carb: 10.5 Fiber: 0.5

Chocolate Mousse Cake

Got this one from allrecipes.com too! Here is the link: Chocolate Mousse Cake IV

It is SO good and SO easy. There are very few ingredients...it starts with a boxed cake mix for cryin' out loud! But it's still good enough to share with friends...if you must! I made it a couple years ago for a birthday (maybe mine?) and just made it tonight for my boss's surprise going-away potluck tomorrow. I think everyone at work will love it!

1 (18.25 ounce) package chocolate cake mix
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
2 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate, melted (it tells you on the box how to melt it best)
1/2 cup cold water
1 (3.9 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix
1 cup heavy cream, whipped (measure out 1/2 cup heavy cream, whip it with a hand mixer until thick)

Prepare and bake cake mix according to package directions for two 9-inch layers. Cool and remove from pans.
In a large bowl, mix together sweetened condensed milk and melted chocolate. Gradually stir in the water, then instant pudding until smooth. Chill for at least 30 minutes.
Remove the chocolate mixture from the refrigerator, and stir to loosen. Fold in whipped cream and return to the refrigerator for at least another hour.
Place one layer of cake onto a serving plate. Top with 1 1/2 cups of the mousse, then cover with the remaining cake layer. Frost with the remaining mousse, and refrigerate until serving. Garnish with fresh fruit or chocolate shavings.

Smoky Black Bean Soup with Avocado-Lime Salsa

1 15oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 C water
1 14.4oz can fire-roasted diced tomatoes, undrained
1/2 C chipotle salsa
1 tsp ground cumin
Avocado-Lime salsa
Reduced-fat sour cream

Place beans in a medium saucepan. Mash beans slightly with a potato masher.
Stir in water and next 3 ingredients. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat, and simmer 8 minutes. Uncover, and cook 2 minutes or until soup is slightly thickened. Ladle soup evenly into each of 4 bowls; top evenly with Avocado-Lime salsa, and, if desired, sour cream.
4 servings (serving size: 1 cup soup and 1/4 cup salsa)
Cal: 172; Fat: 5.7; Protein: 7.4; Carb: 29.7; Fiber: 11g

Avocado-Lime Salsa
1 C diced peeled avocado
1 lime
2 Tbsp freshly chopped fresh cilantro
1/8 tsp salt

Place avocado in a small bowl. Grate rind from lime and squeeze juice to measure 1/2 teaspoon and 1 tablespoon, respectively; add to avocado. Add cilantro and salt. Toss gently.
Yield: 1 C (serving size 1/4 cup) Cal: 55; Fat: 5.2; Protein: 0.7; Carb: 2.9g; Fiber: 1.7g

Rachael Ray's Buffalo Chicken Bites

These are SO good! We've had them many times, and they're always a favorite. We've used a few different kinds of hot sauce, like Frank's Red Hot and Hooter's Hot Wing Sauce. They don't usually come out very spicy. This time we used Hooter's sauce and then dipped them in more sauce when they were done cooking. They got a little soggy this way, but they were still good, and spicier! This time I also cooked them in bigger pieces. Sometimes cutting them in small chunks just meant more work for me, and I was too hungry for more work. However I make them, we love them! (I don't make them with the blue cheese dip, just because I'd be the only one to eat it. Maybe someday I'll try it!)

Vegetable oil (1 1/2 quarts), for frying
2 1/2 cups plain pancake mix
1 1/4 cups water
8 teaspoons hot sauce, such as Tabasco
1 1/4 pounds chicken tenders or skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces
Salt
For dip:
2 scallions, finely chopped
1 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper (one-third palmful)
1 cup good-quality refrigerated blue cheese dressing, such as Marie's brand
Store-bought celery sticks

1. In a deep skillet, heat 1 1/2 inches of oil over medium heat.
2. While the oil is heating, make the batter: In a wide mixing bowl, combine 2 cups of the pancake mix, the water and 6 teaspoons of hot sauce. Place the remaining 1/2 cup of pancake mix in another wide mixing bowl. Arrange the batter and the bowl of pancake mix near the stove. Line a plate with a few paper towels and keep within reach.
3. Once the oil is heated, toss the chicken pieces with the remaining 2 teaspoons of hot sauce, then toss them in the dry pancake mix, coat evenly and shake off the excess. (The dry pancake mix will help the batter stick to the chicken pieces.) Add some of the chicken to the batter (you're going to batter and fry in 3 to 4 batches) and toss with your fingers or a fork. Remove the first batch from the batter, shaking off the excess, and carefully add the chicken to the hot oil. Fry the chicken for 2 minutes on each side, flipping once, until deep golden brown. Remove the fried chicken from the oil and drain on the paper towel-lined plate, then season with salt. Repeat until all the popcorn chicken bites are fried.
4. Stir the chopped scallions and pepper into the blue cheese dressing. Serve the chicken immediately with the dressing on the side. Garnish the platter with the celery sticks.

What I've found...

I made a pulled pork recipe last week for pork tacos, and the pork is really good! But, there's also a chimmichurri and you use corn tortillas. Apparently, I'm a fan of neither. So I think I'm going to use the pork for a pulled pork sandwich and dress it in barbecue sauce instead. I want to make a homemade barbecue sauce, but I figured I should probably use up the bottled stuff I have first.

I've been trying to eat better lately...the holidays (and my birthday) got in the way, but I have good intentions. Now that all the "fun" stuff is over, I can really concentrate. So Cooking Light recipes have become my best friends. And I'm pretty happy so far!

Slow Cooker Taco Soup

I absolutely LOVED this one. I found it where I found most of my crockpot recipes, Crockpot 365. It is SO easy, and feeds a crowd. I gave leftovers to my brother, and he put some on top of an egg, with salsa and sour cream as an omelet of sorts. Seriously, try it. It's good!

2 cans of kindey beans
2 cans of pinto beans
2 cans of corn
1 large (28oz) can of diced tomatoes
1 (14.5oz) can tomatoes and chiles
1 packet taco seasoning
1 packet ranch dressing mix
1 lb browned ground turkey or hamburger (optional.)
shredded cheese and sour cream for embelishment

Brown meat and drain it. Add meat to your crockpot, sprinkle with seasoning packets. Drain and rinse all the beans and add them. Add the entire contents of the corn and tomato cans; stir. Cover and cook on low 8-10 hours or high 4-5. The longer it cooks, the better it tastes! Stir well, and serve topped with cheese or sour cream (or salsa!) if desired.