... Pinto, Black, and Red Bean Salad with Grilled Corn and Avocado

Let it be known that, as of right now, this recipe will be known as "The recipe with the longest name ever."  It's ok, though, and let me show you why...

If that doesn't scream SUMMER BARBEQUE!, I don't know what does.  Except maybe this, paired with a grilled burger, potato chips, fresh fruit, and a cold beer.  

 

Pinto, Black, and Red Bean Salad with Grilled Corn and Avocado
serves 12

1 cup halved heirloom grape or cherry tomatoes
1 teaspoon salt, divided
3 ears shucked corn
1 medium white onion, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
1 jalapeno pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
cooking spray
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
1 (15-ounce) can no-salt-added pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15-ounce) can no-salt-added black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15-ounce) can no-salt-added kidney beans, rinsed and drained
2 diced peeled avocados

Preheat the grill to medium-high heat.

Place the tomatoes in a large bowl, and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt.  Let stand 10 minutes.

Brush corn, onion, and jalapeno evenly with oil.  Place vegetables on grill rack coated with cooking spray.  Grill corn for 12 minutes or until lightly charred, turning after 6 minutes.  Grill onion slices and jalapeno 8 minutes or until lightly charred, turning after 4 minutes.  Let vegetables stand 5 minutes.  Cut kernels from cobs.  Coarsely chop onion.  Finely chop jalapeno; discard stem.  Add corn, onion, and jalapeno to tomato mixture; toss well.  Add remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, cilantro, and next 4 ingredients (through kidney beans) to corn mixture; toss well.  Top with avocado.

Taylor's Notes:
The only bad thing about this salad is that it's not too easy to make ahead of time, but the grilled vegetables are totally worth it.  It makes a lot - definitely serves more than twelve as a side - and is best the same day, but not too shabby the next.


Notice anything different down there??  Yep, I'm now going to add nutritional information to the ol' blogaroo.  Well, at least to the recipes that already have it listed... let's not get all crazy and think I can come up with this stuff on my own.  Why recreate the wheel when Cooking Light does such a bang-up job?


Enjoy!


Nutritional Information...
Calories 141  |  Fat 6.4g  |  Protein 5g  |  Carbs 18.2g  |  Fiber 6.8g  |  Sodium 211mg

... Lighter Chicken Enchiladas

I love new cookbooks.  Shocker, I'm sure.  I especially love new cookbooks that are kind of sequels to a favorite cookbook that I already have and are dubbed "light".  Win win.  If you're in the market for a new one, I'd highly recommend Everyday Food : Light... the sister of Everyday Food : Great Food Fast.  Really, you should own both, because they're both excellent... yes, do that, buy both.

Look at that sauce!  That light (!) sauce!  Don't you just want to dip your finger in it?

I honestly think that you could use this chicken mixture as the topping for nachos or put it in tacos, but it's really good rolled in corn tortillas and doused in sauce and topped with cheese... with a little dollop of light sour cream.

Lighter Chicken Enchiladas
serves 4

3 boneless, skinless, chicken breast halves (6 to 8 ounces each)
coarse salt and ground pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 to 2 tablespoons minced canned chipotles in adobo
1 can (14.5 ounces) low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup water
8 corn tortillas (6-inch), warmed
1/2 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese (2 ounces)

In a large skillet, bring 1 inch water to a boil.  Add chicken and season with salt; cover and reduce heat to medium-low.  Simmer 5 minutes; remove skillet from heat.  Let chicken steam, covered, until cooked through, 12 to 14 minutes.  Transfer chicken to a medium bowl; when cool enough to handle, shred with two forks.

While chicken is cooking, in a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium heat.  Add garlic, cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Add flour, cumin, and chipotles to taste; cook, whisking, 1 minute.  Whisk in broth and the water; bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer, and cook, whisking occasionally, until sauce has thickened slightly, 5 to 8 minutes; season with salt and pepper.  Transfer 1 cup sauce to bowl with chicken; toss to combine.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Spread 1/4 cup of remaining sauce evenly in an 8-inch square baking dish.  Fill each tortilla with chicken mixture, dividing evenly; roll up tightly, and arrange, seam side down, in baking dish.  Cover with remaining sauce, and top with cheese.  Bake until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbling, 15 to 20 minutes.  Let cool 5 minutes before serving.

Taylor's Notes:
To warm the tortillas, stack them and wrap them in damp paper towels and microwave for 30 to 60 seconds until soft.  This really helps them to not crack and tear when you're filling and rolling them up.  


I get that this is a light recipe and I probably shouldn't add more sauce, but I think I'll make just a tad bit more on the next go around.  More sauce, less cheese... if I must make a sacrifice.  And, speaking of cheese, I used pepper jack for a little more spice.  And, for the same reason, I added 3 or 4 chipotle chilies.  


I had this for leftovers a couple times and even froze one serving.  It heats up really well and anyone who knows me knows how I feel about leftovers, so eating this four different times really says a lot!


Enjoy!  

... Ancho Chicken Tacos with Cilantro Slaw and Avocado Cream

What a find this recipe was!  Fresh and delicious, quick and easy... what more could you ask for?  (unless a reminder to not leave a tortilla browning in a skillet when you go out on your balcony to chat with your neighbors...)  Not that I would know personally, of course.

The cilantro slaw and avocado cream were so tasty and I'll definitely be incorporating them into other recipes in the future.  Fish tacos... no brainer.  Nachos... absolutely.  

Ancho Chicken Tacos with Cilantro Slaw and Avocado Cream
serves 4 (2 tacos each)

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1/4-inch strips
3/4 teaspoon ancho chile powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
cooking spray
1/8 teaspoon grated lime zest
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, divided
1/4 cup light sour cream
2 tablespoons 1% low-fat milk
1/2 ripe peeled avocado, diced
2 cups packaged angel hair slaw
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon canola oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 (6-inch) corn tortillas

Heat a large skillet over high heat.  Sprinkle chicken evenly with chile powder, garlic salt, and cumin.  Coat pan with cooking spray.  Add chicken to pan; cook 4 minutes, stirring frequently.  Remove chicken from pan.

Combine zest, 1 tablespoon juice, and next 3 ingredients (through avocado) in a blender or food processor; process until smooth.

Combine remaining 1 tablespoon juice, slaw, onions, cilantro, oil, and salt, tossing to coat.

Heat tortillas according to directions.  Divide chicken mixture evenly among tortillas.  Top each tortilla with about 1 tablespoon avocado mixture and 1/4 cup slaw mixture.

Taylor's Notes:
With the weather we had today (aka terrific), I had to grill the chicken instead of cooking it inside.  Either way would be great, of course, but the grill added that extra bit of oompf.  Instead of slicing the chicken and tossing it with the spice mixture, I just rubbed the mix onto a couple of chicken breasts and put them on the grill.  Other than that, I played by the rules.  I warmed the tortillas (and yeah, ok, charred one or two) in a hot skillet for just under a minute on each side right before the chicken came off the grill.  


We had black beans and chips as sides, but it was a brilliant move when we added the beans to the tacos.  Well played.  Now, if only there were leftovers...


Enjoy!

... Chipotle Bean Burritos

I've really become quite a fan of Cooking Light magazine.  I'll admit, I was a little skeptical at first... who wouldn't be, but I have to say that some of my favorite recipes come from it.  And this is another to add to the list.

One big thing that I love about it is that I typically have most of the ingredients in my pantry.  Ok, so those black beans aren't organic, and yes, that's corn, not kidney beans... but what's also great is that you can improvise and still make great, healthy recipes that will most likely start appearing on your dinner table time and time again.

The recipes nearly always call for fresh veggies and herbs and great spices, but don't force you to shy away from not-so-great-for-you sour cream and cheese.  But really, who doesn't use light sour cream these days anyway?

Cooking Light is definitely a keeper in my book... er, magazine.

Chipotle Bean Burritos

6 servings

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 teaspoon chipotle chile powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup water

1 (15 ounce) can organic black beans, drained

1 (15 ounce) can organic kidney beans, drained

3 tablespoons refrigerated fresh salsa

6 (10-inch) reduced fat flour tortillas

1 cup (4 ounces) pre-shredded  reduced fat 4-cheese Mexican blend cheese

1 1/2 cups chopped plum tomato (about 3)

1 1/2 cups shredded romaine lettuce

6 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions

6 tablespoons light sour cream

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Add garlic to pan; cook 1 minute, stirring frequently.  Stir in chile powder and salt; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly.  Stir in 1/3 cup water and beans; bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.  Remove from heat; stir in salsa.  Partially mash bean mixture with a fork.

Warm tortillas according to package directions.  Spoon about 1/3 cup bean mixture into center of each tortilla.  Top each serving with about 2 1/2 tablespoons cheese, 1/4 cup tomato, 1/4 cup lettuce, 1 tablespoon onions, and 1 tablespoon sour cream; roll up.

Taylor's Notes:

As I mentioned, I didn't use organic black beans and didn't use the kidney beans at all.  It's not that I don't love kidney beans, I just didn't have them on hand.  I used Mexican Hot chile powder and love the kick it gave.   All in all a great Meatless Monday!

Enjoy! 

... Cuban Black Beans and Rice

Hi bloggies!  Welcome to our very first Meatless Monday!  Based on the image below, I think we're going to do just fine.  Who else loves fresh veggies and herbs?

Especially when you saute them with lots of great spices and add black beans...

... then serve it with rice and tortilla chips (and, yeah ok, a cold beer)... hey, no one said this was Carb-less Monday!

Cuban Black Beans and Rice
serves 4

1 cup long-grain white rice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
2 cloves garlic, chopped
kosher salt and black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 15.5-ounce cans black beans, rinsed
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
4 radishes, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/4 cup fresh cilantro

Cook the rice according to the package directions.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat.

Add the onion, bell pepper, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 5 to 7 minutes.

Stir in the cumin and cook for 1 minute.

Add the beans, oregano, and 1 cup water.  Simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.

Add the vinegar.  Smash some of the beans with the back of a fork to thicken.  Serve over the rice.  Top with the radishes and cilantro.

Taylor's Notes:


Meatless Monday Numero Uno and we're off to a good start.  No, I wasn't super thrilled about using the obvious meatless ingredient for my first Meatless Monday recipe, but hey you do what you can.  Don't get me wrong, I love black beans.  I just didn't think they were all that inspiring.  Anyhoo... it's a tasty little number and I definitely recommend it.  Just don't think it's all I have up my sleeve.


Per the reviews on the original recipe, I added more spice to battle the "blandness" that my other home chefs discovered.  So, along with the cumin, which I added a tad bit more of, I added hot mexican chili powder.  I also doubled the amount of red wine vinegar and oregano.  That pretty much did the trick , but definitely add your own spin to it.  Loved the bright, cool crunch of the radishes and cilantro.


Enjoy!

...Spicy Shredded Chicken

Ok, kiddos, who's ready for a super quick and easy recipe?  All of you?  That's what I thought!  This little concoction has been around for quite a while, so I'm not sure who to give credit for.  I learned it from Mom, though, so we'll go with that.

Three ingredients, one crock pot, walk away for eight hours, and dinner is ready.  Told you it was quick and easy.

Spicy Shredded Chicken
serves 6-8

4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (thawed or frozen, yes, you can put them in frozen - yea!)
1 jar picante sauce (spicy-ness level of your choice)
1 can chopped green chilies

Put all three ingredients into a large crock pot.  Turn the crock pot on low and let it cook for 8 hours.  When you get home from work, or shopping all day, or lounging by the pool (Summer... I miss you...  please come back soon!), shred the chicken breasts with a couple of forks and mix it all together.

Serve on top of chips for tasty chicken nachos or in tortillas for a spicy spin on chicken soft tacos.  Add cheese, sour cream, guacamole, anything you like.

Enjoy!

... Chicken and Guacamole Tostadas

Ok, kids, get ready for the easiest, tastiest, and freshest no-cook summer meal ever.  Yes, ever.  And it only takes 20 minutes to throw together.  I know, right, it's a busy girl's (or guy's) dream come true.  Start with fresh veggies: tomatoes, avocado, lime, onion, cilantro.  Add in fresh jalapeno and garlic.  Layer it all on a crunchy corn tortilla with some spiced up rotisserie chicken and you've got dinner.

The creamy avocado-turned-guacamole is a delicious addition to the spicy-but-not-hot chicken and the cool, fresh tomato salsa is just the right topper for this ready-in-a-minute meal.

Chicken and Guacamole Tostadas

serves 4 (2 tostadas each)

1 ripe peeled avocado

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons finely chopped tomato, divided

3 tablespoons minced fresh onion, divided

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice, divided

1/2 teaspoon salt, divided

1 small garlic clove, minced

1 tablespoon fresh chopped cilantro

1 tablespoon minced seeded jalapeno pepper

2 cups shredded skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken breast

1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika

8 (6-inch) corn tostada shells

Place avocado in a small bowl; mash with a fork.  Stir in 2 tablespoons tomato, 1 tablespoon onion, 1 tablespoon lime juice, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and garlic.

Combine remaining 1 cup tomato, 2 tablespoons onion, 1 tablespoon lime juice, 1/4 teaspoon salt, cilantro, and jalapeno; toss well.

Combine chicken, remaining 1 tablespoon lime juice, and paprika; toss well to combine.  Spread about 1 tablespoon guacamole over each tostada shell; top each with 1/4 cup chicken mixture and about 2 tablespoons salsa.  

Taylor's Notes:

I made this for just me and I honestly didn't pay much attention to the measurements of ingredients.  For the guac, I used half an avocado, the juice from half of a lime, half of a roma tomato, a little onion, the whole garlic clove and a dash of salt.  For the salsa I used the remaining half of tomato, a little more onion, the other half of the lime, another dash of salt, and a sprinkling of cilantro.  I totally missed the fresh jalapeno in the recipe when I was making my grocery list, so I just used some homemade pickled jalapeno peppers that I had in my refrigerator (thanks Larry!!)

I had leftover rotisserie chicken from an earlier recipe I'd made and I definitely used more than 1/4 teaspoon of smoked paprika.  Just eyeball it and if you like more of that flavor add more, if you don't, use less.  

I'll most definitely be eating this one again soon!

Enjoy!

... Tortilla and Black Bean Pie & Margaritas. Ole!

What better reason to have a Mexican fiesta than when the temp is in the single digits and you're up to your ears in snow?

Santa must have been thinking the same thing when he brought me Everyday Food's Great Food Fast for Christmas.  Not only does the cookbook have a picture for every recipe, but it divides the recipes into seasons and even gives nutritional information for each recipe.  Love!  I definitely think this is going to be a favorite go-to book and can't wait to try out recipe numero dos.

Tortilla and Black Bean Pie
serves 6

4 flour tortillas (10-inch)
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 large onion, diced
1 jalapeno chile, minced (remove seeds and ribs for less heat)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
coarse salt and fresh ground pepper
2 cans (15 ounces each) black beans, drained and rinsed
12 ounces beer, or 1 1/2 cups water
1 package (10 ounces) frozen corn
4 scallions, thinly sliced, plus more for garnish
2 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (8 ounces)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Using a paring knife, trim the tortillas to fit a 9-inch springform pan, using the bottom of the pan as a guide.  Set aside.

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Add the onion, jalapeno, garlic, and cumin; season with salt and pepper.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened, 5 to 7 minutes.

Add the beans and beer to the skillet and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to medium; simmer until the liquid has almost evaporated, 8 to 10 minutes.  Stir in the corn and scallions, and remove from the heat.  Season with salt and pepper.

Fit a trimmed tortilla in the bottom of the springform pan; layer with one quarter of the beans and 1/2 cup cheese.  Repeat three times, using 1 cup cheese on the top layer.  Bake until hot and the cheese is melted, 20 to 25 minutes.  Unmold the pie; sprinkle with scallions.  Slice into wedges and serve immediately.

Taylor's Notes:
I used the burrito size tortillas which ended up working out great.  I wonder if the size smaller than that would fit perfectly into the springform pan without having to trim them... I might give that a shot next time, but the trimming really wasn't an issue.


Use a slotted spoon to layer the beans onto the tortillas.  Most of the liquid does evaporate, but you don't want the tortillas to get soggy.


Other than that, the recipe was really simple and turned out great.  And, for just a second, I felt like it was definitely at least 15 degrees outside.


Enjoy!