Black Bean Salsa: a summer dip for the whole year.

This is a recipe that I am surprised I haven't gotten into this blog sooner. Black Bean Salsa is one of my favorite dips ever! It is pretty healthy and is by far one of the most delicious salsa that I have ever eaten. Plus, I didn't even have to go out and find the recipe. My MiL made this one summer a long time ago when I was but a friend of my now husband. I immediately fell in love with the sweet, smoky corn, the creamy avocado, the acidity of the red onion, and the tang of the red wine vinegar with lime all stirred into one pot of yum with a great source of fiber, black beans.

While I prefer to grill the corn in this dish, if you don't have the accessible to you, just use a can or corn. That is what the recipe actually calls for, but as this is a summer dish in my mind, I normally and BBQing enough that I just buy a few extra ears (3-4 depending on size) to cook up.

This is just the best...

Black Bean Salsa

Ingredients:
2 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can of corn, drained and rinsed
2 large tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 purple/red onion, diced
1 avocado, peeled and diced
1/4 cup Fresh cilantro, chopped
4 Tablespoons lime juice
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon
Method:
Mix all ingredients together and chill. Serve with Tostada Chips.



Seriously, put this in your body! This is pretty much one of the greatest things I have every eaten. I have used it as garnish for Mexican food, on chicken, and just eaten it by the spoonful.


Until next time...Cook it up!

BBQ Chicken and Bacon Pizza

So this past weekend, we had an impromptu Pizza Party at friend Alex's House! We all had a great ole time, making pizzas, and eating said pizzas. I Decided to make a BBQ Chicken and Bacon Pizza.

Tossing the dough!

Alex got us little packets of dough and basic toppings from the local grocers and we brought any "specialty" toppings. I decided that I wanted to use the Chipotle Maple BBQ sauce I had from Sugarfire and the bit of chicken left over from earlier last week. That morning, I had a BLT with too much bacon (I know, there is no such thing) so I brought the left over bacon as well. Sliced some onion, put on sauce, add chicken and bacon and topped with mozzarella cheese.


Right out of the oven!

It came out of the oven looking delightful!




The sauce was too saucey and made for some less than attractive pizza-ing.

Unfortunately, the liquid consistency BBQ sauce made for a sloshy pizza. While it was in fact delicious, it was not the prettiest of pizzas. I will need to find a better choice for BBQ sauce, but this pizza has a very good lesson in dough tossing and topping.




Until next time...Cook it up!

Trying hard to be the best me possible!

As most of y'all might have gathered if you follow me on other social media platforms, I have been working hard to get into shape. Not only cardio, but to I have a desire to have "cut" arms. A gal in the show I am doing (Footloose) has the craziest biceps and I kinda want to be like her. She does insanity and I doesn't think I am quite there yet. Any who, I started this crusade on July 27th, the white shirt is from July 31st, blue is August 7th, multi colored is from August 14th, and the teal is today.

Green is First Day, White is the end of the First week.

A slight improvement on the left arms (the lower pictures) and definite tightening in the triceps on both arms.

First Day and second week

The left arm (lower pictures) there is an even more definition and the tricep is looking so much better. The right arm (above) has some lighting issues, but it is looking much tighter as well.

First day and third week

I feel like my shoulders are looking way stronger is this pictures, though the bicep and tricep don't look al that different but I think that is due to the lighting.

Fourth week: A month in

There is still a nice amount of difference in between these two pictures, though I have to admit, I didn't do much work on my arms this past week as I have a 5k tonight. Instead, I have been working on my running so I am not miserable while running around Forest Park. Neverthe less, I am impressed with the change and it make me want to try even harder this next month to get my arms "super swol". 

Low Carb Tuna Melts

So, as we are getting close to buying a house, we essential have "no money". I try to think a little outside the box so that the Diet doesn't take up tons of dollars, but does take up tons of room in my stomach. That is how I stumbled upon Low Carb Tuna Melts.




Again, I don't have a recipe for this guy. It was an idea I saw and wanted to try so I put on my thinking cap and did it.




I just through some tuna in with some lite mayo and Greek yogurt with a little diced red onion and sweet relish. Then scoop into a half a Roma tomato, top with cheese of your choice (Swiss for me), and pop under the broiler until the cheese is melty delish.

Scooped!



Lightly broiled...



Until next time...Cook it up!

BFMH: Peaches and Cream Tacos

I found this idea and got really excited about it. So I decided to make it one morning to discover there were no tortillas in the house. Thus, I make a crepe to act as the tortilla.

No recipe today. Just sliced up peaches, mixed together cream cheese with cinnamon and sugar, and used my regular crepe recipe with a little less sugar to balance the cream cheese.

A loverly lite breakfast.

Cream Cheese with Cinnamon and Sugar? Yes, Please!

Look at that sexy color on that crepe. Work it, gurl...

Avocado Egg Rolls are amazeballs

I know you have ALL ordered this sort of dish before, but split it to not feel quite so much like a fatty. Now you can make them at home and now one has to know you ate ALL OF THEM.....

Avocado Egg Rolls

Ingredients

1 large avocado, peeled, pitted, & diced

2 tablespoons tomatoes, diced
1 tablespoon minced red onion
1 tablespoon corn
1⁄2 teaspoon fresh cilantro, chopped
1 pinch salt
3 egg roll wraps
1 egg, beaten
Method
Gently stir together avocado, tomatoes, onion, 1/2 teaspoon cilantro, and salt.
Distribute filling evenly onto center of each egg roll wrapper.
Position a wrapper so that a corner is pointing toward you; fold the bottom corner up, 1/4 of the way over the filling.
Brush remaining corners and edges of the wrapper with egg, roll up from side to side, fold top corner over all and press to seal.
Repeat with remaining wrappers.
Continue by deep-frying the egg rolls in 375 degree oil for 3-4 minutes, until golden brown.
Drain on brown paper bags.
Slice egg rolls diagonally across middle and enjoy!

Mine became a bit more like a guacamole...

Nothing about this was bad, except the calorie count.

Yes, they were as yummy as you think they would be. No, I will not order them at restaurants any more now that I can make them at home.
Until next time...Cook it up!

Cheesy Chicken Quinoa

I got to go out to Lunch the other day with my friend to First Watch. They had the most amazing thing on their menu that I immediately decided that I would try to make it.

Cheesy Cherry Chicken Quinoa

Ingredients

2 cups Quinoa, rinsed 

2 Chicken breasts

2 Zucchini, diced

1 Red Onion, peeled and diced

4 oz of Mushroom, diced

1/4 cup of Almonds, crushed

1/4 cup Dried Cherries, halved

Salt and pepper to taste

4 oz Goat Cheese, crumbled

Method:

Cook up the Quinoa (reserve about 1/4 cup of starchy water) and Chicken and then shred Chicken.

While Quinoa and Chicken are cooking, dice and peel the veggies necessary.

Lightly toast crushed almonds in a pan, then remove the almonds from the pan.

Lightly soften the Zucchini, Onion, and Mushrooms in the pan you toasted the almonds.

When everything is done cooking, mix together al the ingredients, blend the cheese in well with the other ingredients. If needed, add a little bit of the starchy water to help the cheese blend nicely and the cherries to lightly rehydrate.

Not the best picture to demonstrate how yummy it is...

This turned out very nicely and was a hit with the whole family, even Papa G as he doesn't care for Goat Cheese.
Until next time...Cook it up!

Chicken Taquitos

So MiL had a bunch of Egg Roll wrappers left over for a dish she made last week, so of course, I challenged myself to use them up.
One of the dishes I did was chicken taquitos.


Chicken Taquitos
Ingredients:
1/4 cup corn
1/4 cup black beans
1/4 of Mexi Cheese
3 tablespoons onion, diced
1 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
2 chicken breast, cooked and shredded
Salt and pepper to taste
Left over egg roll wrappers
Olive oil
Method
Mix all the ingredients except the egg roll wrappers and olive oil.
Stuff egg roll wrappers with filling and fold in your preferred method.
Then brush with olive oil and bake in the oven for 15 minutes at 350.
Enjoy!


The stuffing of perfection

All rolled up like little yummy diapers....that came out wrong.

I served them with Mexi rice (aka Rice with cayenne, tomatoes, and cheese).

These were a fine little way to enjoy the left over wrappers, but I am really excited about my next idea: Avocado Egg Rolls!


Until next time...Cook it up!

Green Beans and Onions of Yum

Another thing that really sells the summer to me is the magic of fresh vegetables. One veggie that really tickled my palate this year are Green Beans. MiL made some AMAZING versions of roasted green beans too, which definitely makes me want to eat all of them. This is a Tyler Florence recipe that I really like to use every year.

Green Beans with Onions and Crushed Almonds

Ingredients
Kosher salt
3 pounds green beans, trimmed of stem end
1/2 cup skin on sliced almonds
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 large onions, sliced thin
Freshly ground black pepper
Method:

Fill a large high sided skillet with some water, adding enough to be just shy of the rim of the pan by about 1 inch. Place over high heat and bring up to boil; add a big pinch of salt and the green beans. Cook for about 5 minutes, the beans should still be crisp. Drain the beans and then run them under some cold water to stop them from cooking. Reserve the beans while you start the onions.

Return the skillet you cooked the beans in to the cook top over medium heat. Add the almonds and toast stirring every now and then until golden, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the almonds from the skillet and reserve. Return the skillet to the heat and add the butter and olive oil and heat until the butter has melted. Add the onions, season with salt and pepper, and cook stirring frequently until the onions caramelize, 20 to 25 minutes. Add the cooked cooled green beans and almonds, and stir well to combine. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.




This dish is a one pot delight that everyone should try. Tyler Florence adds Thyme as well to his, but I don't care for that usually. You might love it though so give it a whirl!


Until next time...Cook it up!