Burrito Bowl with Creamy Chipotle Sauce

Makes 3-4 burrito bowls

Ingredients

1 cup uncooked rice or quinoa

1/2 cup salsa

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

2-3 roma tomatoes, diced

1 1/2 cups corn (I used frozen corn, thawed)

Romaine lettuce, chopped

Creamy chipotle sauce*

Other additions: onion, green onion, bell pepper, avocado, cheese, cilantro

Directions

Cook rice. (For firmer rice, use 1 cup rice + 1 1/4 cup water.)

While rice is cooking, prep your veggies and make the creamy chipotle sauce.

When rice is cooked, stir in salsa.

Begin layering your bowl: start with rice, then black beans, and vegetables.

Drizzle the creamy chipotle sauce on top and enjoy.

*Creamy Chipotle Sauce:

1/2 cup plain greek yogurt

1 chipotle in adobo sauce

1/2 tsp. adobo sauce

1-2 cloves garlic

1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice

1/8 tsp. cumin

Scrape away the seeds from the chipotle with a knife (use caution when handling chipotle, and wash your hands when done.)

Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth.

Taste and adjust seasonings/consistency as necessary.

Tips: if the sauce is too thick, thin it out with more lime juice, or olive oil. If it's too thin, add more greek yogurt. If you like a touch of sweetness, add some honey/agave.

Cream Cheese Enchiladas

Cream Cheese Chicken Enchiladas

5 ounces cream cheese, softened 

1/4 cup Greek nonfat yogurt

2 cups prepared salsa

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1 cup shredded pepper-jack cheese, divided

1 can of white kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon cumin
Salt and pepper
4 scallions, thinly sliced

8 8-inch flour tortillas

1. Preheat oven 325 degrees.

2. In a medium bowl cream together cream cheese and sour cream. Stir in 1/2 cup salsa. Stir in 1/2 cup of each type of cheese.

3. In a second bowl toss together the beans, corn, cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, and half of the scallions. Add the bean mixture to the cheese mixture and stir to combine.

4. Spread about 1/2 cup salsa in the bottom of a baking dish. Place 1/3 to 1/2 cup filling on a tortilla, roll up and put in dish seam side down. Repeat process for remaining tortillas.

5. Pour remaining salsa over enchiladas, spreading to coat all of them. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.

6. Transfer to preheated oven and bake 20 to 25 minutes until hot and bubbly. Sprinkle with the remaining scallions and serve warm.

Grilled Portobello Tacos with Salsa and Soyrizo

Marinade:
1/3 cup olive oil
3 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
1 tsp black pepper

Tacos:
6 large portobello caps
6 6-inch soft whole-wheat tortillas
1 package of soy chorizo
2 cups chopped tomatoes
3 cups shredded cabbage
Plain greek yogurt
Salsa- I used Trader Joe's Salsa Especial and Trader Joe's Guacamole Salsa

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Preheat grill or grill pan to high heat.  To make marinade combine all ingredients in a small bowl.

2.  To make tacos:  Brush mushroom caps with marinade.  Grill mushrooms 3-5 minutes per side.  Cool until easy to handle, then slice into strips.

3.  Cook soyrizo in nonstick pan until done. Toss with the mushrooms.

4.  Fill tortillas with mushroom and soyrizo mixture, tomatoes, and cabbage.  Serve with salsa of your choice and top with a dollop of greek yogurt.

Serves:  6  (1 tortilla)

Mini Loaded Red Potatoes

10 red potatoes (2 inches in diameter)
1 Tbs. vegetable oil
1 tsp. salt
3 pieces vegetarian bacon
5 tsp. Greek yogurt
10 tsp. shredded low-fat cheddar cheese
6 chives, finely chopped

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Slice off small portion from one side of each potato to create flat base. Toss potatoes in bowl with oil and salt. Arrange potatoes, cut-side down, on baking sheet. Bake 20 to 30 minutes, or until soft.
2. Meanwhile, cook bacon according to package directions, then chop.
3. Allow potatoes to cool slightly, then slice top off each potato and scoop out 1 Tbs. flesh. Stuff each potato with 1/2 tsp. sour cream and 1 tsp. cheese, then sprinkle with bacon, chives, and paprika.

Serves: 10
Serving: 1 stuffed potato
Calories: 140
Fat: 3g
Protein: 4g
Carbs: 24g

**** (out of 5-star rating)

I made these for my lunch- I actually heated them up in the microwave and it was delicious! They tasted like the potato-skins that you would find at an Applebees. I packed 3 of them for my lunch and was satisfied. I am planning on making them again for an appetizer to bring to a party.

Jewel-Tone Pancakes with Creamy Yogurt-Dill Sauce

Yogurt-Dill Sauce

• 6 oz. plain nonfat Greek yogurt
• 2 Tbs. chopped fresh dill
• 2 Tbs. lemon juice
• 1 small clove garlic, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Pancakes

• 3 medium beets (1 lb.), trimmed and scrubbed
• 2 medium carrots (6 oz.)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 large egg plus 2 large egg whites, beaten

DIRECTIONS

1. To make Yogurt-Dill Sauce: Whisk together yogurt, dill, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper in small bowl. Refrigerate until ready to use, up to 3 days.

2. To make Pancakes: Preheat oven to 250°F. Coat baking sheet with cooking spray, and set aside. Shred beets and carrots in food processor fitted with grating blade, or grate with box grater. Place beet-carrot mixture in large bowl, and toss with garlic and salt. Add egg and egg whites, and mix well.

3. Lightly spray large nonstick skillet with cooking spray, and heat over medium-high heat. Drop 1/4 cup beet mixture into skillet, and flatten slightly to form 3-inch-diameter pancake. Repeat, forming 3 other pancakes in pan. Cook 4 minutes, or until undersides are golden brown. Flip pancakes, and cook 3 minutes more. Respray pan, and repeat process with remaining batter, keeping prepared pancakes warm in oven. Drizzle with Yogurt-Dill Sauce, and serve immediately.

Serves 8

Serving: 1 pancake and 2 Tbs. sauce

Calories: 44

Fat: 1g

Protein: 4g

Carbs: 6g

** (Star-rating out of 5)

I have never really eaten or cooked with beets before so I've been trying out different recipes with beets trying to decide if I like them. I wasn't too crazy about these. They smelled really good and, truth be told, I didn't hate them but I definitely put less than the 2 tablespoons of dill sauce on them. I like dill, but this was really dill-y. Surprisingly my co-workers really liked theses and I was able to get rid of the rest of them. A few asked for the recipe which is I why I'm posting it here even though I probably wouldn't make them again. I'll have to keep trying out the beet-thing until I find one I like.