Black Bean Burrito Bowl

I love a good burrito from places like Chipotle and Qudoba. The tortilla is soft and the black beans, rice, vegetables, and salsa all come together for a punch of southwest flavor. Yum! However, the average burrito from Qudoba has 118g of carbohydrate and from Chipotle it has 90g of carbohydrate. Because I work with people who have diabetes all day long, I am pretty tuned in to the carb content of foods. The average woman needs about 45-60g of carbohydrate per meal and the average male 60-75g. So, even though Chipotle burritos are considered a pretty healthy food, carbohydrate wise they are over what the average person needs. Continuous over consumption of carbohydrates leads to increased insulin needs and if you aren't active, overweight and have a family history of diabetes, you could eventually also have diabetes. So, even though I love a good burrito, I go for the burrito bowls or tacos simply because of the lower carbohydrate content. By not having the burrito shell, you save about 45g of carbohydrate. I made some homemade burrito bowls tonight with sauteed veggies. You could add chicken or beef if you want and anything else that sounds delicious. Enjoy!

Step 1: Rice. I made a mixture of red and brown rice.

Step 2. Add beans. You could use canned or dry. I made mine this way

Step 3. Sauteed or grilled vegetables (chicken, beef or pork work here too). I cooked some zucchini, asparagus, bell pepper and onion in some grapeseed oil with mustard seeds, coriander seeds, salt and pepper

Step 4. Add your favorite salsa

Step 5. Add guacamole, slices of avocado and tomato or make a chunky avocado-tomato salsa- dice avocado and tomato along with a handful of cilantro. Combine in a bowl and squeeze juice of 1/2 a lime over the mixture.

Step 6 Top with a dollop of sour cream and eat!

Mango Edamame Salsa

I really don't have anything to say about this recipe except that you should make it! It came about because the other day there were champagne mangos for sale at the grocery store. They were small and yellow and looked interesting so I bought a couple. One of them I used in this Vegan Mango Banana Bread recipe. I haven't tried it yet because I immediately put it in the freezer to bring to Montana next weekend. It smelled and looked good though!

The other mango I used to make this salsa which was excellent on some baked tilapia. It would also be great with tortilla or pita chips, in a wrap with some chicken or mixed with some cooked quinoa.  It is fresh, sweet, and crunchy and perfect for a hot summer day. (The other items on our plate are sauteed kale and some brown rice and red quinoa pilaf from Trader Joes) Enjoy!

Mango Edamame Salsa

1/2 cup frozen edamame (warm from frozen for about 45 seconds in the microwave and allow to cool)
1 mango, cubed
1 small shallot, diced or 1/8 cup chopped red onion
1/4 cup frozen corn thawed or 1/2 ear fresh corn cob, cooked and kernels removed from cob
handful diced cilantro
juice form 1/2 lime

Combine all ingredients together and serve.

Meatless Monday- Southwest Lasagna

This was one of my favorite dishes to made before I got married and I don't know why I seemed to have forgotten about it over this past year. My brother asked me for the recipe a few weeks ago and so then after a year's hiatus I made it again too. I forgotten how much delicious flavor is packed into one bite of this dish! This is a very healthy meal full of fiber and with all of the flavors, I promise you won't miss the meat. Don't let the spinach in this turn you off- the cilantro mixed with it adds a freshness and brightness to the dish.  I personally love this for lunch. It is very easy to make and freezes really well too. Both my brother and Aaron love this lasagna and I plan to add it back to my usual recipe repertoire. Enjoy!

Southwest Lasagna

4-6 6in tortillas or 2-4 12in tortillas (I use La Tortilla Factory Smart & Delicious or Mission Carb Balance)

1 16oz jar of your favorite salsa

1/2 cup shredded cheddar or Mexican blend cheese

1 16oz can black beans, drained

1/2 bag of frozen corn

1 bunch fresh cilantro

1 package frozen spinach, thawed and water squeezed out

2 green onions (scallions), cut into 2 inch pieces

2 garlic cloves, peeled

1/3 cup light sour cream

1. In a food processor, process spinach, handful of cilantro, garlic cloves, green onions and sour cream until smooth

2. Spray the bottom of an 8x8 inch pan with non stick cooking spray. Layer half of the tortillas on the bottom of the pan. You will have to tear some in half to cover the pan. 

3.  Spread half of the spinach mixture on top of the tortillas. Top with half of the beans, corn, and salsa. Repeat layers and top with cheese.*

4. Bake in 375 degree oven until bubbling ~30 minutes. 

*This can also be made ahead and kept in the refrigerator until ready to bake.  Baking time may take 30-45 minutes. 

Steak Fajitas

A few weeks ago we visited Aaron's grandparents in Houston, Texas. I had not been to Texas since I was five years old and I really didn't realize how strong the Mexican influence is there. Of course it makes sense that there would be great Mexican food and fresh avocados, peppers, limes, etc., being so close to Mexico, but it just hadn't occurred to me before. I was picturing more barbecue, huge steaks, and cowboy food I guess. At the wedding we attended while we were there, the food was a fajita bar with tortillas, chicken, beef, vegetables, guacamole, queso, chips and pico. Yum! Aaron's mom said food like this was common in Texas and weddings or parties. Hmmm. Quite a bit different from the traditional ham and butter sandwiches that I have been told are common to have at North Dakota weddings!

 I could live off of tomatoes, avocados, black beans, and peppers, so this food was no problem for me! Aaron's grandmother made us migas one morning for breakfast. Reading on Wikipedia, I discovered that migas is a traditional Tex-Mex food that is Spanish for "crumbs." Her's was eggs mixed with strips of tortillas, bacon, peppers, onions, and cheese. Others meats, vegetables, etc could be used in it as well.  Something like this probably would not have sounded very good to me if someone described it to me- being used to pancakes and plain old scrambled eggs! But, we had our migas with fresh avocado slices, fresh tomatoes, salsa, and warm corn tortillas and it was delicious! It is a filling meal and I think it will become a regular on the Russell weekend breakfast menu or as a breakfast-for-dinner item. 

Before we left Houston, we visited a Fiesta Mart grocery store. It was liking walking into Mexico with food trucks in the parking lot, vendors selling hats, dresses and other trinkets in the doorway, and Latin products in the store. There were bags of key limes for $2.50, bell peppers and avocados for less than $1.00, live talipia swimming in tanks, every part of a pig, and fresh tortillas. We bought a bag of still warm corn tortillas for $1.00. I just wished I could have bought and bags and bags of food back! We will be using some of these tortillas for fish tacos this week, but when we got back from Houston, we had them with steak and beans and rice. Enjoy!

 

 Steak Fajitas with Beans & Rice
8 corn tortillas
8oz grilled steak, sliced
Optional ingredients:
grilled peppers and onions
shredded cheese
sliced avocados
diced tomatoes
chopped cilantro
salsa
light sour cream

1 cup brown rice
16oz canned pinto beans, not rinsed
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth

1. Combine rice, beans (do not rinse), tomato paste, cumin, coriander, and chicken broth. Cook according to package directions or in a rice cooker, about 40 minutes.
2. Heat tortillas until warm in griddle or microwave. Fill with 2oz steak and favorite toppings.

Serves 4 (2 tortillas each)

Pico and Guacamole

Tomatoes have arrived. For weeks I have been watching and waiting for my tomatoes to begin turning from green to red. I've been picking a few cherry tomatoes here and there the past few weeks, but this week it was kind of an avalanche of tomatoes! I have cherry, roma, and beef steak tomatoes- more than we could possibly eat I think, but it sure is exciting to pick them right from the back yard! Note for next year, probably only one or two cherry tomato plants is needed-not six! I can literally pick them by the dozens right now.

Operation tomato preservation is now in action so that none of these delicious fruits go to waste. I  took several roma tomatoes, cut an "x" in the bottom of them and boiled them for about 1 minute. The skin easily pulled off and into the freezer those tomatoes went. They will be great to use for sauce this fall. Yesterday I dried cherry tomatoes (See Pinch My Salt for recipe) and I am excited to use them in a pasta dish, for bruchetta, or maybe in homemade hummus?

 

 This weekend I made pico de gallo since that has become a Russell favorite. When we were in Mexico for our honeymoon, every afternoon we would have nachos with pico and guacamole (see photo below). I don't know if it was because we were eating nachos on a beautiful beach with the hot sun shining down on us and the waves crashing on the sand, but those nachos tasted seriously amazing! The pico had a strong lime flavor, the guac was creamy and not too garlicy, and the cheese was running and delicious! I have been trying to recreate the experience ever since and I think I am getting close (minus the beach, water and sand).

For more information about tomatoes plus recipes, check out Away to Garden. There is a great post all about tomatoes plus links to a lot of different tomato recipes.

Russell Pico de Gallo
(The trick to this is making it to your taste. You may like a stronger onion flavor or less lime. I kind of throw everything together, so these measurements are not meant to be followed exactly. Make it to your taste, try it with a chip and then modify it until it is to your liking)

2-4 Roma tomatoes,diced

1/4 of an onion, chopped finely
1/4 of a jalapeno, chopped finely
1 garlic clove, chopped finely
handful of cilantro, chopped
juice of 1/2 a lime
course salt

You can either chop all of the vegetables or put the onion, jalapeno, and garlic into a food processor so they are chopped finely and they don't cause you any tears! Add to the tomatoes and toss with the cilantro, salt to taste, and the lime juice. Serve immediately, or allow to sit for several hours in the refrigerator so the flavors come together. Enjoy!

Laura's Guacamole

2 avocados, skins and pit removed
1/4 of an onion, chopped,
1/2 of a jalapeno, finely chopped, seeds and ribs removed
1-2 cloves of garlic, chopped
handful of cilantro, chopped
juice of 1/2 a lime
course salt and pepper
1 Roma tomato, diced (optional)
1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese (optional)

Add the garlic, onion, and jalapeno to the avocado, mashing with a fork until combined. Add cilantro, lime juice, and salt and pepper to taste. You can also add tomatoes and a tablespoon of Parmesan cheese for even more flavor.

 This was all that was left after our recent feast!