Crispy Southwest Chicken Wraps

At long last I have found the elusive pictures of this truly AMAZING wrap filling.

And when I say wrap, honestly you could use this filling for whatever you want: wraps, quesadillas, nacho topping, just plain on a spoon..... there's no judgement here!

So easy. So good!

Crispy Southwest Chicken Wraps
Recipe slightly adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe
Prep time: 15 minutes   Cook time: 5 minutes

1 cup cooked quinoa, warm or at room temperature
1 cup cooked, shredded chicken
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 green onion, finely sliced (white and green parts)
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Juice of 1 lime
1/2 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp garlic salt
2 cups shredded cheese
Sour cream (optional)
6 burrito-sized flour tortillas

1.  Mix quinoa together with chili powder, cumin and garlic salt. Add remaining ingredients except for cheese and sour cream. 

Quinoa is so much like rice. But BETTER.

Admit it. You could eat this as is.

2.  Sprinkle cheese over tortillas, leaving 1/2-inch border around edges, then arrange chicken and rice mixture down the center of each tortilla. (Option: dollop little bits of sour cream over the cheese before arranging chicken mixture down the center for a creamier filling) Roll stuffed tortillas, leaving edges open and slightly flatten the wraps with the palm of your hand. Spray seam-side of the wrap lightly with cooking spray.

Special thanks to my 6 year-old for helping me with the pics of this process.

3.  Heat a large non-stick skillet (or griddle) over medium heat for 1 minute. Arrange wraps, seam-side down, in pan or griddle and cook until golden brown and crisp, about 2-3 minutes per side. Cooking them seam-side down first helps seal the long edge so they don’t fall apart. Transfer to a plate and repeat with remaining wraps. Serve warm.

Cooking seam-side down first ensures they won't open when you flip them.

I just have to say again how much I love the versatility of this recipe.  Even if you stick with using this as filling for wraps, you can still play around with it!  The recipe calls for burrito-sized tortillas, however I used smaller, taco-sized ones and thought they were perfect for small kids OR appetizers at a party.  I also found myself wishing I had the bigger ones to wrap up some extras for my freezer.  And a couple days later when it was leftover night, I was too tired to even make wraps.  But slapping the filling in between tortillas and cheese for quick quesadillas was just as good!  Sadly I think we finished this off that night so I could really test the nacho idea but rest assured I will!

Five Layer Mexican Dip

One of my favorite things in the Food Universe is to either develop or discover a recipe for something that is NOTORIOUSLY bad for you and make something good, without sacrificing flavor.

Actually, I prefer this version to it's more fattening, seven-layer counterpart.

5-Layer Mexican Dip
Recipe from Ellie Krieger
Prep time: 20 minutes   Cook time: 8 minutes

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (15.5-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon minced chipotle pepper in adobo
4 tablespoons lime juice
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon water
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups frozen corn kernels
1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves
2 ripe avocados
4 medium tomatoes, seeded and diced (about 2 cups)
1/4 cup thinly sliced scallion
1 tablespoon finely diced jalapeno pepper
3/4 cup shredded extra-sharp Cheddar

1.  Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook until they soften, about 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for 2 minutes more.

One step for TWO layers!

2.  Put half of the onion mixture into a food processor with the black beans, chipotle pepper, 2 tablespoons of the lime juice, cumin, water and salt. Puree until smooth. Set aside.

Prepare to be pulsed.

3.  Add the corn to the skillet with the remaining onion mixture and cook for about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the cilantro leaves.

I heart cilantro.

4.  In a small bowl mash the avocado with the remaining lime juice. In a medium bowl toss together the tomatoes, scallion and jalapeno, if using. Season tomato mixture with salt and pepper, to taste.

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

It was REALLY HARD to keep from snacking.

5.  Spread the black bean dip into the bottom of an 8 by 8 glass baking or serving dish. Top with the corn mixture, spreading it out to form a single layer over the beans, repeat with the avocado, then the tomatoes. Top with cheese.

Now, is this version as easy as putting together a 7-Layer Dip?  No.  I'll admit it!  It's much easier to open up some cans and plastic containers and layer them all together for a fantastic party spread.  But if you'd like to feel a twinge less guilty eating a yummy Mexican dip, sometimes the tradeoff is doing just a little bit of work, like cooking up the bean and corn layers in this recipe.  I'll say though that these layers are WORTH the few extra minutes to put together!!  The beans are smokey and spicy from the chipotle pepper.  I love how the corn kernals burst in my mouth.  And the avocado and tomato layers are so cool and refreshing; and the cheese just brings it all together.

SUPER YUMMY!!!

p.s. At the party I went on Saturday, after two hours there was only about a cup of this left.  And I'm fairly certain that the rest was consumed not long after I took my boys home for bed. ;)

Black Bean Burgers

A while back my cousin asked me about veggie burgers.  Although I loooooooooove to experiment with new flavors and textures, I'm married to a Committed Carnivore.  Creating a dish that is normally, primarily, made of meat and making it completely from non-meat ingredients just hadn't crossed the threshold of my mind.  Sure I may have played around with adding veggies to burger patties, but a whole patty made completely from vegetables??  Yeah no.  I got nothing.

But her request stuck with me.  It bothered me that I had no answer.  I haaaaate when I can't help someone out.  So I thought on it.  And thought.  And thought.  Why couldn't I make some veggie burgers, alongside some regular ones for Rob to eat?

So pretty AND yummy!

Why not?

Black Bean Burgers
Recipe adapted from AllRecipes, based on recommendations by a reviewer

1 (15.5oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 green bell pepper, cut into 2 inch pieces
1/2 onion, cut into wedges
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1 egg
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp cumin
1 tsp Sriracha or hot sauce of choice
1/2 cup Panko

1.  After rinsing the canning juices off the beans, dry on a paper towel-lined plate*.  Transfer beans to a medium bowl and mash until thick and pasty.

Use a fork, potato masher, or, like I did, your hands.

2.  In a food processor, finely chop bell pepper, onion, and garlic. Line a sieve with a paper towel or coffee filter.  Pour pepper mixture into the liner and press out as much of the liquid as possible*.  Then stir into mashed beans.

You'll be amazed how much water is in this.

 
3. In a small bowl, stir together egg, chili powder, cumin, and chili sauce. Stir the egg mixture into the mashed beans. Mix in bread crumbs until the mixture is sticky and holds together. Divide mixture into four patties. 

Press into an even layer and score for equal patties

4.  Lay patties on a baking sheet lined with parchment or wax paper.  Freeze at least one hour.

Ready for freezing!

 

5.  FOR GRILLING: Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat, and lightly oil a sheet of aluminum foil. Place frozen patties on foil, and grill about 8 minutes on each side.  FOR BAKING: Preheat oven to 375 degrees and lightly oil a baking sheet.  Place frozen patties on baking sheet, and bake about 10 minutes on each side. FOR FRYING: Heat 1 tbsp of canola oil in a frying pan.  Fry frozen patties about 5-8 minutes per side, until edges get that yummy crispiness.

I wanted that flat-top-grill texture to my burger.

*You want to remove as much moisture as you can from the bean mixture to help prevent the patties from falling apart as you handle/cook them.  Freezing them also helps with this.

I really wasn't sure what to expect from this.  I'd had the occasional veggie burger before but usually stuck with meat burgers.  At first, I wasn't too sure about the texture... I mean, it's just mashed up beans in the shape of a circle, right?  I chose to fry mine because I wanted that crisp burger-esque edge to them.  The result?  DANG tasty!! 

I also love that with this recipe you can make up a bunch of patties and keep them in the freezer.  Since there's no need to thaw them before cooking, this makes for an EASY long-day dinner with a tasty pile of chips and crisp salad.

Three more ready for later meals.  Woo hoo!!

p.s. Despite the amount of chili powder and hot sauce, these are NOT spicy.  It's just enough to give the flavor a little kick.  If you like spice, maybe use a hot pepper instead of a bell pepper.

Roasted Tomato & Black Bean Soup

I am totally on a soup kick.  The temps are starting to cool.  Leaves are turning those gorgeous jewel tones.  It's dark now when I get up and leave for the day.

These are the days I would really like to come home to a giant pot of goodness already bubbling away.  And a clean house.  And the laundry washed, folded, and put away.  Oh and a perfectly chilled glass of wine.  *sigh*  Ok, back to reality.

The reality is, with this recipe and a little thinking ahead, it comes together in about 10 minutes.  Yes, for real!

Roasted Tomato & Black Bean Soup
Recipe adapted from Ellie Krieger

7-10 medium tomatoes [I used a bunch of plum tomatoes], quartered
1 medium, or 2 small onions, quartered
3 cloves garlic
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
5 cups low sodium chicken stock [Don't do meat? Use a good quality vegetable stock]
1 tsp chipotle chili powder
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp hot pepper sauce

1. GET AHEAD TIME: Preheat your oven to 375. On a parchment paper lined baking sheet, toss the tomatoes, quartered onions and garlic cloves in the oil, salt & pepper.  Spread out in a single layer.  Roast for 35-40 minutes, stirring once.  Cool and refrigerate, or move onto step 2 right away.

I love the garden-freshness of this pan

2. Transfer the roasted vegetable mixture to a 4-quart saucepan.  Add the stock, beans, cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

The veggies I roasted the day before are ready for the soup pot!

3. Remove from the heat and blend until smooth with an immersion blender, or in batches in a regular blender.  Stir in the hot pepper sauce.  Garnish however you like (my boys went for sour cream and cheese).

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Don't be fooled by the almost milk-chocolatey color of this soup.  This dish has some KICK!!  I'll admit I was pretty free with my "1/4 tsp" of hot pepper sauce.  And yes, I have a really good quality chili powder and didn't bother to level off my measure spoon as I scooped it out of the jar.  But even if you pay close attention to the spice amounts, this soup has heat.  And that's good!!  Between the warm smells of vegetables roasting, and this soup simmering, you want to keep that warming trend as you eat this with some really great spices.

I made some plain ol' white bread for dunking.  But a monster good grilled cheese sandwich would be fabulous as well.

Black Bean & Corn Quesadillas

I can trust y'all, right?  I mean, we are talking about food here... peoples' likes and dislikes and that can get pretty intense sometimes.  See, I need to confess something....I am always on the hunt for vegetarian recipes that I think my family will like.  There, I said it.  I'm in a house of carnivores, and God knows I like to eat meat too, but I also sometimes just need to change things up a little with a vegetarian option.

Baby's really into avocado, hence my heavier hand with the guac

And can I just say that it is HARD to quietly get a vegetarian dish to my table??  Knowing how much I love cooking, Rob will usually ask about what meals I'm planning because he's awesome and wants to be supportive of my obses- *ahem*, I mean hobby.  If it comes to light ahead of time that I'm working on a dish with no meat in it, I get The Look.

But this time, I won. :)  And even though I agree this would also be good with chicken in it (occasionally), we BOTH liked it despite it's lack of meat!

Black Bean & Corn Quesadillas
Recipe adapted from AllRecipes

2 tsp olive oil
3 tbsp chopped green onion
1 (15.5 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/4 cups frozen corn, thawed
1 tbsp brown sugar
1/4 cup salsa
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
8 (8 inch) whole wheat tortillas
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese of your choice

1.  Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in onion, and cook about a minute, just to soften it up a little.  Stir in beans and corn (if you're in a rush and using corn that's still frozen, add the corn first and let that heat up a minute or two before adding the beans).

Look at that COLOR!!

2.  Add sugar, salsa, and pepper flakes to the skillet; mix well. Cook until heated through, about 3 minutes. 

3.  Sprinkle the shredded cheese on half of a tortilla.  Top with a little of the bean-corn mixture and sprinkle with some more cheese [Note: a little goes a long way].  Cook on a hot griddle or dry skillet until golden, then flip and cook on the other side.  Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling. 

The combination of the brown sugar along with the salsa and red pepper flakes really gives this an amazing flavor.  It's so not spicy at all (but then I used medium salsa and was careful with the red pepper), rather I get this lovely warming sensation in my mouth, but it's tempered by the sweetness of the sugar.  I almost think it has a barbecue flavor but that's not entirely true.....Give it a try and let me know what you think!

As for cheese, I used two different kinds of cheeses: cheddar and pepperjack.  Cheddar is my standard go-to for all quesadillas.  And since I had some leftover pepperjack cheese from those club sandwiches (and Rob and I love the kick of pepperjack), I tore those slices up too.  Wouldn't you know but I happened to love both!  I got a better sense of the filling from the cheddar quesadillas, while the pepperjack ones satisfied my desire for spice (and, again, I can't get over how great that sweetness is in this!).


So, if you're a vegetarian or into vegetarian dishes, try this out and let me know what you think of the flavor.  If you're a Tried-and-True-sure-this-looks-great-but-I-can't-do-it Carnivore, my feelings aren't hurt. ;)  Try this with some shredded chicken or, better yet, pork. 


p.s. Just want to let you know that the leftover filling, topped with some cheese and guacamole, make awesome nachos the next day!