Quinoa and Black Beans

I just made this dish last night and it was delicious!  I ate the leftovers for lunch today and added fresh avocados and it was even better.  I imagine you could also add some queso fresco for those of you who are cheese lovers!

Rated: Submitted By: 3LIONCUBS Photo By: Dianne Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cook Time: 35 Minutes Ready In: 50 Minutes Servings: 10

"Whether you're trying quinoa for the first time or just trying a new recipe for quinoa, this mixture of quinoa, black beans, corn, and spices will make this dish a new favorite."

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon vegetable oil 1 onion, chopped 3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped 3/4 cup uncooked quinoa 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth 1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper salt and pepper to taste 1 cup frozen corn kernels 2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:

1.	Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and saute until lightly browned.
2.	Mix quinoa into the saucepan and cover with vegetable broth. Season with cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes,
3.	Stir frozen corn into the saucepan, and continue to simmer about 5 minutes until heated through. Mix in the black beans and cilantro.

Black Bean and Chicken Soup(or Why Cumin Is So Important)

So, I made this a week or so ago, and it was bland, tasteless, yuck, just plain not good. I made it again tonight and it was awesome! I can't wait to eat the leftovers tomorrow. :)

Why was last week's batch so bad? I followed another person's recipe exactly, and didn't realize that this person was into bland tasting food. =P (After trying a few of her recipes, I found them to be lacking any real flavor, so when I see one I would like to try, I add things!)

So here's my version of a black bean and chicken soup recipe for the crockpot. The original recipe has mushrooms and sour cream, and much less cumin and salsa.

16oz dry black beans
1 large frozen chicken breast(or a couple small ones)
1cup frozen corn
16oz jarred salsa(I used pace)
2tsp cumin
4cups chicken broth

The night before making this, put the beans in a bowl, cover with water plus two inches, and let soak. In the morning, drain the beans and throw them in a large crockpot(4-6quarts).

Lay your frozen chicken breast on top of the beans, add the corn, salsa, and cumin. Pour the chicken broth over the whole thing, and let cook on high for 6-8 hours.

SOOOOOOOOOO good! Enjoy!

Chicken Taquitos

Altered from this recipe on Allrecipes.com. Made a few adjustments which I noted at the bottom. :) Super-yummy!

2lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 can rotel
8oz salsa
1/2tsp cumin
2cups shredded Monterrey jack cheese
28 corn tortillas
vegetable oil

1. boil chicken in can of rotel and can of water(more or less, at least enough to cover chicken), shred it up and toss it in a big bowl with cumin and salsa

2. in a skillet, warm up thin layer of oil over LOW heat(recipe said med, but that was frying the tortillas instead of just softening them) and warm each tortilla in oil until softened *I did this in batches of 6-8*

3. in center of each softened tortilla, place about a tablespoon of chicken mixture and same of cheese, roll up and place seam side down on sheet pan

4. once all taquitos are assembled, bake in 375 degree oven for about 15 minutes until exterior is slightly golden and crispy, and filling is melty

I changed the name to taquitos, 'cause flautas are made with flour tortillas. I also used thigh meat for more chicken flavor, they are really not that much more fat, I swear. They get such a bad rap!

Also, we like jack in mexican dishes, so we just used more jack cheese, no cheddar ... and we could only fit 28 on a half sheet pan, whereas the recips says it makes 36.

You can tell if you warmed the tortillas enough in the oil, 'cause if you did they stay together nicely, but if not, they fall apart!

Enjoy! We all loved this recipe, including the kids.

Tex Mex Lasagna (meat free)

1/4 cup bottled salsa
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 (14.5 oz) can no salt-added diced tomatoes
1 (8 oz) can no salt-added tomato sauce
Cooking spray
6 precooked lasagna noodles (such as Barilla or Vigo)
1 cup frozen whole-kernel corn, thawed
1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups (8 oz) preshredded 4 cheese Mexican blend cheese
1/4 cup chopped green onions

1. Preheat oven to 450
2. Combine first 4 ingredients; spread 2/3 cup sauce in bottom of an 8 inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange 2 noodles over sauce; top with 1/2 cup corn and half of beans. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup cheese; top with 2/3 cup sauce. Repeat layers once, top with remaining 2 noodles. Spread remaining sauce over noodles. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup cheese. Cover and bake at 450 for 30 minutes or until noodles are tender and sauce is bubbly. Let stand 15 minutes. Sprinkle with onions. Yield: 4 servings.

Taco Seasoning

adapted from Allrecipes.com ...

1tbsp chili powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4tsp onion powder
1/4tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4tsp dried oregano
1/2tsp paprika
1&1/2tsp ground cumin
1tsp sea salt(or course kosher salt)
1tsp fresh ground black pepper

Just mix them all together! Works just like one packet of the store bought stuff, will season one pound ground beef or go in your favorite recipes. So much tastier, though. Hubby and I will never go back.

Mexican Cornbread Casserole

I tried this recipe I found from my friend, Rachel's, recipe blog. It was really easy and really yummy. Click on the title to see the recipe.

The only thing I changed was I used 2 packets of the yellow cornbread mix instead of the sweet cornbread mix.

Fiesta Soup

I'm sure this is similar to alot of people's taco soup recipes, but since Briana's making me post, here it is:

1 pound cooked ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
15 ounce can diced tomatoes
12 ounce can Rotel tomotoes
1 envelope taco seasoning
1 envelope Ranch dressing
1 cup water
15 ounce can pinto beans
15 ounce can kidney beans
15 ounce can corn
Tortilla chips & cheese, avocado & sour cream if desired for toppings

-Rinse benas and corn. Combine with other ingredients. Simmer until onions are cooked. Pour soup into bowls and top with tortilla chips and cheese. You can also put avocado or sour cream on top if you like that!

Beef Enchiladas

This is Grant's Favorite!

1 lb. ground beef
1 16 oz package shredded cheddar cheese
Taco seasoning
12 corn tortillas
1-2 cans Mild Old El Paso Enchilada sauce


Brown ground beef. Season beef according to the directions on the taco seasoning. Warm tortillas in a covered dish in the microwave for about 90 seconds. Pour and spread half of the enchilada sauce in the bottom of a 16" x 9" pan. For each enchilada: lay both sides of tortilla in sauce, put about 2 Tbsp. on tortilla, sprinkle lightly with cheese, roll up. Repeat this process until all tortillas are used. Pour remaining sauce over enchiladas and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake at 350 until cheese melts (about 5-10 minutes).

Tip: White corn tortillas are easier to roll that yellow corn tortillas.

Mexican Steak & Beans (Crockpot Recipe)

1 1/2 lbs. beef flank steak
2 tbs. worcestershire sauce
1 10 oz. can chopped tomatoes with green chilie peppers (Rotel)
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbs. snipped fresh oregano or 1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
2 small green, red, and/or yellow sweet peppers, cut into strips
1 15 oz. can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
3 cups hot cooked rice
crumbled queso fresco (optional)

Trim fat from meat. Place meat in a slow cooker. Condition meat with salt and pepper (Not
recipe measurements) and worcestershire sauce. In a bowl, stir together undrained tomatoes, onion, garlic, dried oregano (if using), chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper (recipe measurements). Pour over meat.
Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 6-8 hours or on high-heat setting for 2-4 hours.
If using low-heat setting, turn to high-heat setting. Add sweet pepper strips and pinto beans. Cover and cook for 30 minutes more. Remove meat; cool slightly. Shred or thinly slice meat across the grain. If using, stir in fresh oregano into bean mixture.
To serve, spoon rice into soup bowls or into flour tortillas for soft tacos. Arrange meat on rice. Spoon bean mixture over meat. Sprinkle with cheese and additional snipped oregano, if desired.
Additional condiments include, but are not limited to sour cream, guacamole, cilantro, salsa, etc.

Mexican Salad

- lettuce of your choice
- fritos, crushed
- cherry tomatoes
- cubed cheese
- 1/2 lb. ground beef, browned
- 1 can ranch style beans, drained & rinsed
- 1 can pineapple tidbits, drained
- Kraft Free Catalina dressing

I know that everyone has their own favorite version of this recipe; this is mine! I'd love to see what ideas you put into your favorite salads for the summer! :-)

Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas

3 chicken breasts cooked and shredded
2 cans cream of chicken soup
8 oz sour cream
2 small cans green chilies
1 soup can water
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
1 cup chopped onion
12 tortillas

Boil chicken in seasoned water, save stock. Make sauce out of the next 4 ingredients. Add sheddred chicken. Dip tortillas in chicken stock and stuff with sauce and 1 tablespoon cheese and onion. Roll in casserole dish and cover with remaining sauce and cheese.

Bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes.

These make 2 9x13 pans and reheat very well.

Other variations: If you have already cooked chicken you can use canned stock to dip the tortillas in. You can also use one can each of cream of chicken and cream of mushroom soup. You can also use Monterrey Jack cheese or a blend of Mexican cheeses.