Fiesta Bowl

So you know those black beans (Recipe Here) I made, this is what I make with them. FIEST BOWLS! This has become a favorite in our house. So easy and SO SO GOOD! This recipe is totally up for interpretation, add whatever sounds good to you.

This is what we like:
rice
black beans
frozen corn
tomato
green onion
avocado
cilantro
sour cream
salsa or hot sauce (I like siracha)

I cook the frozen corn on a cookie sheet under the broiler. It's so much better cooked this way! Spray the cookie sheet with cooking spray, spread corn on the sheet, spray corn with some cooking spray, sprinkle with garlic powder, salt and pepper. Cooke until golden. Delicious. 

Layer everything up in the order of the ingredients or however you want. 

See SUPER simple. 

Pot O Beans

My mom taught me this concoction, like many of my other meals I prepare. She is a master of the kitchen. I'm so grateful for a mom who was so creative. She always cooked the staples like; beans, rice and potatoes. She also always made sure our meals consisted of a protein, starch and vegetable. I still haven't mastered that. Making a pot of beans probably costs a grand total of $1.25. Great for a family on a budget. 

So here it goes:
Get a pot with a lid, I prefer cast iron.
A bag of beans, any beans (black, white, pinto).
Half and onion
2 cloves of garlic
2 bay leaves
2 tsp of cumin
1 tsp of pepper
1 tsp of salt
* these spices can vary based upon your taste level

How to:
Heat oil in pot over medium heat, add onion and cook until almost transparent, add garlic and cook a bit longer. Add beans, mix with onions. Add water, about 3 cups. You want the water to completely cover the beans, about an inch over the beans. Now add the spices. Salt, pepper, bay leaves, and cumin. When putting the bay leaves in break them in half to release more flavor. Bring all of this to a boil and then cover and bring heat down to low and let simmer. That's pretty much it people! Now I set my timer on the stove for every 30min, just to check the water level. You want to water to stay right about the beans. They need to cook for about 3 hours. Check and eat one to make sure it's cooked through. Should be soft. Don't eat the bay leaf, remove before serving.

Chinese Chicken Salad

This salad is super healthy and fresh, perfect for a summer night. Not to mention it is beautifully colorful and a show stopper at dinner parties.

Ingredient

1/4 of a head of Red Cabbage

1-1 1/2 heads of Romain Lettuce

2 Carrots 

1 can of Mandarin oranges

3 green onions

1/2 package of noodles (your choice)

2 chicken breasts or rotisserie chicken

Chow Mein Noodles

Put your noodles on to boil. While your noodles are cooking chop cabbage, lettuce and green onions. Grate carrots. I already had left over chicken, but If you don't boil the chicken breast. When the noodles are done, drain and rinse with cool water. Mix into salad once they have cooled. I topped the salad with Mandarin oranges and chow mein noodles. Add the dressing to each individual serving. DO NOT pour over the entire salad, the salad will not keep over night if you do this. 

Dressing

3 Tblsp of Olive Oil or Vegetable Oil
6 Tblsp of rice Wine Vinegar
3 Tblsp of Soy Sauce
2 cloves of Garlic Chopped
1 tsp of chopped Ginger (powdered ginger works too)
Pepper to taste

Mix all together in a bowl. Adjust to your taste. You can always add more soy sauce or ginger. Its up to you.

Orzo Pasta

Ingredients

1 cup orzo pasta

2 cups water or chicken broth

2 tblsp of butter

1.5 tblsp of olive oil

1/2 cup fresh Parmesan cheese

3 cloves of garlic

mushrooms

spinach

Italian sausage (pre-cooked)

salt and pepper

How To

1. Brown the orzo pasta in the 2 tblsp of butter, once browned add water or chicken broth, bring to a boil, then cover and let simmer until the water has been absorbed.

2. In a large skillet heat olive oil. Add diced garlic and saute for only a few minutes, add mushrooms. Just before the mushrooms are completely done add sausage ( mine were leftovers so they were already cooked and only needed to be heated up). Add about 2 cups of spinach and cook until wilted. 

3. Once orzo pasta is done add to the skillet and mix, mix, mix. Add the Parmesan cheese and mix until melted. 

This was a really easy and FAST dish. I was surprised at how fast it was! Enjoy

BBQ Chicken Salad

I was proud of myself this week I used all my left overs! That is a big deal in my house. I usually get tired of the same food, and I'm usually not creative enough to change things up. This week was an exception. I made bbq chicken earlier in the week and chopped it up for the salad. This was delicious. SERIOUSLY!

Ingredients

Romain Lettuce

roasted corn

black beans

diced chicken

diced tomatoes

black olives

avocado

cilantro

I used this recipe for the corn and it was tasty http://bevcooks.com/2013/02/bbq-shrimp-minestrone/

Dressing

Sweet Baby Rays BBQ sauce mixed with Honey Mustard dressing

Garlic bread

Creamy veggie pasta

This meal is really quick and easy for that busy night when you dont start dinner until 6:30. Yeah we have a lot of those at our house.

Ingredients

1 package of pasta (your choice, anything works)

2 yellow squash

2 zucchini

1/4 white onion

2 garlic cloves

1 can diced tomatoes

White cooking wine

Heavy cream

butter

Put pasta on to boil

Sautee onions and garlic in 2 tblsp of olive oil on medium to low heat. Add the zucchini and squash. Add 2 tblsp of butter. I like the zucchini and squash to be a little crunchy still. Cook to your preference. Add the can of tomatoes with the juice. Let simmer. Add 1/4 of cooking wine to give it a good flavor. Add heavy cream right before serving. Use half of the half pint container. Once pasta is done add to the sauce and mix together. 

Perfectly, delicious, easy meal!!!