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.

Ranch-Style Eggs

Ingredients:

4 eggs

1 cup of salsa

4 tortillas

1/2 cup of shredded Jack cheese

3 tablespoons of chopped scallions

Directions:  

Preheat oven to 325.

To prepare sunny-side up eggs, heat sprayed non-stick skillet over medium heat.  Carefully add each to skillet.  Add about 2 tablespoons of water.  Cover and cook until egg whites set and yolks are still moist. Remove eggs and keep warm.

Heat salsa in the skillet over medium-high heat until it boils.  Reduce heat to low.

Dip tortillas in sauce to soften and transfer to ovenproof plates.  Spoon one-fourth of the sauce onto each tortilla and top with egg, 2 tablespoons of cheese, and 1 teaspoon of onions.  Place in oven and cook until cheese melts.  

Serves:  4

Mexican Stuffed Shells

Ingredients:
1 pkg of soy beef (or regular beef for the meat-eaters)
1 package low-sodium taco seasoning
4 oz. cream cheese
14-16 jumbo pasta shells
1.5 cup salsa
1 cup taco sauce
1 cup cheddar cheese
1 cup monterey jack cheese
3 green onions
Sour cream

Preheat oven to 350°.

In a frying pan cook soy beef; add taco seasoning and prepare according to package directions.  Add cream cheese, cover and simmer until cheese is melted. Blend well. Set aside and cool completely.  While soy beef is cooking, cook the pasta shells according to directions; drain. Set shells out individually on cutting board/baking sheet so that they don’t stick together.

Pour salsa on bottom of 9×13 baking dish.  Stuff each shell with the meat mixture. Place shells in 9×13 pan open side up. Cover shells with taco sauce.  Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, add shredded cheese and bake for 10-15 more minutes, with the foil removed.  Top with any condiments you’d like (green onions, black olives, etc.) Serve with sour cream and/or more salsa.

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.

Stacked Roasted Vegetable Enchilada Bake

Stacked Roasted Vegetable Enchiladas

9-10 corn tortillas, halved

1 poblano chile, cut into matchsticks
2 red bell peppers, cut into matchsticks
1/2 head of cauliflower, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
1 medium onion, halved and slivered
1 cup corn kernels, fresh or frozen
3 T heat-safe oil like grapeseed or coconut
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
2 garlic cloves, minced
salt and black pepper
2 cups homemade or store bought salsa/pico de gallo
2 ounces baby spinach leaves (about 2 big handfuls)
2 cans of pinto beans, rinsed and drained

2 cups shredded cheese (I used a cheddar-Monterey Jack blend)
sour cream and thinly sliced scallions (green onions) for garnish, if desired

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly oil a large shallow roasting pan or rimmed cookie sheet.

Place poblanos, red bell peppers, cauliflower, onion, and corn kernels onto cookie sheet. Drizzle olive oil and sprinkle the cumin and minced garlic over top. Add a generous pinch or two of salt and black pepper, then use your hands to mix everything together. After everything is coated well, spread the vegetables evenly in the pan. Roast for 30-40 minutes until vegetables are tender and begin to brown in spots. Stir or shake the pan every 10 minutes for even roasting.  Remove pan from oven and reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F.

Prepare an 8x8x2 or 9x9x2-inch square baking pan with nonstick spray. Spread 1/4 cup of salsa into the bottom of the baking pan. Add a layer of tortilla pieces, to completely cover the salsa. Top with 1/3 of the vegetables, a handful of spinach, 1/3 of the beans and 1/3 of the cheese. Make a second layer of tortilla, salsa, vegetables, spinach, beans and cheese. Top with with a layer of tortillas, salsa, vegetables, beans and cheese. Cover with aluminum foil.

Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake another 10 minutes, until cheese is melted and everything is heated through.

Let it sit for 5 minutes and cut into squares. Serve with sour cream and a sprinkle of sliced scallions.

Serves 4-5

Taco Cupcakes

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef (obviously I use soy)
1 packet taco seasoning
2/3 cup water
1 can black beans, drained
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
36 wonton wrappers
your favorite taco toppings - salsa, cheese, sour cream, lettuce, tomatoes, etc
cooking spray

Preheat oven to 375.

Brown the meat in a skillet.  Return the meat to the skillet; add the taco seasoning, water and black beans.  Mix and simmer for 5-10 minutes, until water is absorbed.

Spray 18 regular muffin pan cups with cooking spray.  Place one wonton wrapper in each muffin cup.  Divide half of the taco meat between muffin cups.  Sprinkle half of the cheese over the cupcakes.  Repeat layers - wonton, taco meat and cheese.  Bake at 375 for 20 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly.  Top with your favorite taco toppings.

Mexican Pizza

Ingredients:  
1 Package of ready-to-bake whole wheat pizza dough (16 oz)
1 container of salsa- your choice (I used the Salsa Especial from Trader Joes)- (30 g)
3 cups of Mexican shredded cheese
15 oz of black beans- rinsed and drained

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 F.

Spread pizza dough evenly over a cookie sheet or pizza stone.  Top with salsa, spread evenly over dough extending to almost the edges, sprinkle with the cheese and then top with the black beans.

Bake for about 15 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and edges of pizza dough are starting to brown.

Serves:  4
Serving:  1/4 of the pizza

Calories:  445
Fat:  13g
Carbs:  67
Protein:  18g

Mushroom and Manchego Quesadillas

• 2 jalapeño chiles
• 2 tsp. canola oil
• 6 oz. cremini mushrooms, sliced (1 1/2 cups)
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
• 4 (8-inch) whole-wheat tortillas
• 6 Tbs. shredded manchego cheese
• 1/2 cup prepared salsa verde
• Cilantro sprigs for garnish, optional

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat broiler. Broil jalapeños on foil-lined baking sheet 15 minutes, or until blackened, turning once. Transfer to bowl, cover, and let stand 15 minutes. Peel, remove seeds, and coarsely chop.
2. Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and pepper, and sauté 3 minutes, or until browned.
3. Sprinkle 2 tortillas with 3 Tbs. cheese. Top with jalapeños, mushrooms, and remaining tortillas. Broil on baking sheet 2 to 3 minutes per side. Serve with salsa verde. Garnish with cilantro, if using.

Serves 4
Serving:  1 Quesadilla

Calories:  227
Fat:  7g
Carbs:  44g
Protein:  9g

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)

Apple Salsa Salad

• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 
  

1/4 cup lime juice
2 tsp. agave nectar
2 Tbs. olive oil
4 green onions, finely chopped (1/4 cup)
1 small jalapeño chile, seeded and finely minced
1 clove garlic, minced (1 tsp.)
2 red-skinned apples, julienned (2 cups)
1/4 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
2 cups mâche
1 cup crushed blue corn chips

DIRECTIONS

1. Whisk together lime juice and agave nectar in large salad bowl. Whisk in olive oil. Stir in green onions, jalapeño, and garlic. Fold in apples and cilantro, and season with salt and pepper, if desired. Let stand 10 minutes.

2. Fold mâche bouquets into apple mixture, making sure leaves are coated with lime juice mixture. Divide among serving plates, and top with crushed corn chips.

Serves: 8
Serving size: 1 cup
Calories: 98
Fat: 4g
Protein: 1g
Carbs: 15g

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

I LOVE this salad. I made it for 2 different potlucks and got such good reviews and almost everyone asked me for the recipe. I found the mache lettuce at Trader Joes...and, yes, it does make a difference!!

Black Bean & Toasted Corn Tacos

• 1 cup cooked black beans
• 1/2 cup prepared salsa
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)
• 2 1/2 tsp. ground cumin, divided
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
• 4 6-inch corn tortillas
• 12 baby spinach leaves
• 1/2 cup jarred roasted red pepper strips
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
• 2 small green onions, finely chopped (1/4 cup)
• 1/4 cup crumbled cotija

DIRECTIONS

1. Bring beans, salsa, garlic, and 1 tsp. cumin to a simmer in saucepan. Reduce heat to medium low, and cook 5 to 6 minutes, or until soft. Remove from heat, and mash with fork to crush beans for creamier filling, if desired.
2. Heat skillet over medium-high heat, and coat with olive oil cooking spray. Wrap corn in paper towels, and squeeze out excess water. Add corn to skillet in single layer, and sprinkle with remaining 1 1/2 tsp. cumin, black pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste. Cook 5 to 10 minutes, or until golden and crispy, stirring frequently.
3. Preheat oven or toaster oven to 350°F. Toast tortillas in toaster oven 1 minute to soften. Alternately, bake tortillas on taco baking rack in oven 7 to 10 minutes, or until crisp. Fill each tortilla with 1/4 cup beans, 1/4 cup corn, 3 spinach leaves, red pepper strips, cilantro, and green onions. Top each taco with 1 Tbs. cheese.

Serves: 4

Serving: 2 Tacos

Calories: 362

Fat: 4g

Protein: 14g

Carbs: 74g

****1/2 (Star-rating out of 5)

The husband really liked these and said he would most certainly eat them again! Hooray! A winner. I found the cotija cheese at Trader Joes. Warning: These are really cumin-y (I like to make up words) so if you don't favor cumin so much maybe cut it in half. Fresh cilantro is a must- dried just won't cut it in these.