For the past couple of months, we’ve been eating more vegetarian meals each week than I ever expected to see on my menus. And coincidentally, in the spirit of saving money on groceries when the new house budget is our first priority, these vegetarian meals oftentimes come in comparatively less expensive than non-veggie meals. I think this has helped get Kyle on board with eating less meat but honestly, he’s been really impressed with the meals I’ve been making, these spicy bean burritos being one of them.
We all know that beans are cheap but these burritos weren’t completely about eating on the cheap. They were about amping up the flavor of canned beans (pantry staples) with garlic, cumin, chile powder, and pickled jalapeños (more pantry staples) in a healthy way. I liken the bean mixture in these burritos to a cross between two of my favorite Tex-Mex side dishes, refried beans and Elly’s world famous black beans (but without the bacon)…which means that I totally loved these burritos. Actually, we both did and there was so much leftover filling that we each had lunches for the next few days covered. I certainly didn’t hear any complaints about this vegetarian meal, and in fact, Kyle commented how these burritos were almost exactly like the ones he orders from the Mexican food truck for lunch on Fridays. Sounds like a winner to me!
1/3 cup water or vegetable broth (or chicken broth if you choose)
1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 15-ounce can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp salsa
Juice of one lime
For serving:
6 10-inch flour tortillas (burrito size), warmed in microwave for 10-15 seconds between 2 damp paper towels
Shredded cheese (cheddar, pepper jack, monterey jack, or a mixture)
Diced tomatoes
Shredded lettue
Chopped cilantro
2 scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced
Nonfat Greek yogurt or low-fat sour cream
Instructions:
Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic, chile powder, jalapeños, cumin, and salt, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the beans and broth, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and allow to simmer 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in salsa. Mash the bean mixture lightly with a slotted spoon or fork to desired consistency.
Spoon about 1/3 cup of the bean mixture down the center of each tortilla. Top each serving with desired toppings and roll the burrito tightly. Slice each burrito in half and serve immediately.
It snowed for the first time this winter over the weekend. And actually, the puny 6 inches that fell to the ground didn’t amount to much, considering the 15 inches we got socked with in October. Needless to say snow makes me crave grilled cheese. This probably goes back to my childhood where grilled cheese and tomato soup were standard fare on snowy days but on Saturday, I didn’t feel much like tomato soup. I was feeling spicy. Spicy grilled cheese. Jalapeño popper grilled cheese. It was a creative sandwich I had seen on Foodgawker months ago and I filed it deep in the recesses of my brain; this was before my Pinterest boards were built, of course.
I already had a opened can of pickled jalapeños in the fridge which needed to be used up and this sandwich was the optimal way to do so. And let me tell you, I freaking loved this sandwich. I’m not a crazy hot and spicy lover but the pickled peppers mute the heat and I was sure to remove all of the seeds and ribs from the pepper before adding it to the sandwich. I surprisingly only had good ol’ deli-sliced yellow American cheese in the fridge, so that’s what I used…and it’s usually my cheese of choice for grilled cheese anyway so I wasn’t making a sacrifice here. With a mellow level of spice and lots of cheesiness, this sandwich was just like a really good jalapeño popper should be – leaving you craving more.
4 to 6 pickled jalapeños, sliced in half lengthwise, seeds and ribs removed, and patted dry
Sliced American cheese (or whatever cheese you choose), 2-3 slices per sandwich depending on the thickness of the cheese
Instructions:
Heat a large non-stick frying pan over medium-low heat.
Lightly butter one side of all the bread slices
Divide the cream cheese between two of the slices, spreading it out evenly on the un-buttered side of the bread. Lay the jalapeños halves over the cream cheese. Lay the American cheese over the jalapeños and add the second piece of bread, butter side up.
Place the sandwiches in the pan and cover the pan with a lid or piece of aluminum foil; this will help to retain the heat in the pan and melt the cheese. Heat each side of the sandwich until desired darkness and until the cheese inside is melted. Slice and serve warm.
Since it’s January and I’m still in the early stages of my be-healthy goal this year, I’d like to introduce you all to this recipe. It looks super fattening doesn’t it? Au contraire! These baked panko chicken fingers are first dipped in beaten egg whites, lightly coated in toasted panko breadcrumbs (go for whole wheat if you can find them!) and then baked until the chicken is tender on the inside and perfectly crispy on the outside. Dipped in low-fat homemade ranch dressing and served alongside some baked sweet potato fries and a steamed vegetable, you’ll stop second guessing how difficult healthy eating can be!
Preheat the oven to 475˚ F. In a large skillet, toss the panko with the oil. Toast over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 8-10 minutes. Transfer the toasted crumbs to a shallow dish or pie plate.
In a second shallow dish, whisk together the flour, garlic powder, salt, and cayenne pepper. In a bowl, whisk together the egg whites, water, mustard and thyme.
Spray a wire rack lightly with cooking spray and place over a rimmed baking sheet. Working in batches, dredge a few pieces of the chicken in the flour, then the egg whites, and finally the breadcrumbs to coat, shaking off the excess between each step. Lay the coated pieces on the prepared wire rack and repeat with the remaining chicken.
Spray the tops of the chicken pieces lightly with the cooking spray. Bake until the chicken is cooked through, 10-12 minutes. Serve warm.
When I set out to create my holiday treat packages last year, I knew I wanted to make treats I’d never made before but that had been on my to-make list for a while. Like marshmallows. And hot chocolate. And these peppermint patties. And let me tell you, these little minty treats probably made me the most proud I’ve been in the kitchen in quite a while. The filling is easy to put together, but dipping them in chocolate will require some patience. You’ll need to dip them in batches and keep the extra little rounds of filling really cold (like frozen) while you dip because as soon as they start to come to room temperature, dipping them in warm chocolate is impossible. And impossibly messy. Trust me. The chocolate will harden but make sure all of the filling is covered by chocolate – otherwise it will ooze out. But needless to say, my peppermint patty connoisseur (Kyle) LOVED these (so did I!), as they are waaaay better than the store-bought version. You’ll find that they will be gushed over and will certainly be worth the little extra effort it takes to make them.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together the condensed milk, 2 cups of powdered sugar, and peppermint extract on medium speed until well incorporated. Add more powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough is stiff but still pliable. You’ll need almost the full amount, but add it slowly, as directed.
Roll the dough into 3/4-inch balls (a small cookie scoop helps with portioning the dough) with lightly damp hands to prevent the dough from sticking to your hands.
Flatten each ball into a disk about 1/4-inch high and set the disks on the baking sheets. Transfer the baking sheets to the freezer for 30 minutes. While the dough is chilling, temper the chocolate coating.
Place chocolate chips in a microwavable bowl. Melt the chocolate and shortening in 30 second increments on medium power (5 on most microwaves), making sure to stir after each increment until chocolate is smooth. (Alternatively, you can melt the chocolate and shortening in a heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water on the stove top.)
Remove one baking sheet from the freezer. Place a patty on the tines of the fork and dip in the chocolate until completely covered. Allow excess chocolate to drip off the patty before setting each one on top of another parchment paper lined baking sheet, platter, or plate. Slowly reheat the chocolate once it starts to becomes too thick for dipping.
Move the chocolate-coated peppermint patties to the refrigerator to completely set up and harden. Remove more undipped patties from the freezer as you finish dipping others so that they are always very cold as you dip them. The peppermint patties are ready serve when they are dry to the touch.
When I set out to make a new cookie, it’s never an easy task. SO many recipes touted as “the best”, so little time. And so few calories to sacrifice. But I’ve had my eye on these giant double chocolate cookies for almost exactly a year now and I finally gave in. It was time [...]
In the midst of holiday preparation craziness, there was this soup. Broccoli cheddar soup. A knock-off of the famed and beloved Panera version, this version is a lighter homemade version where you control the ingredients – I love soups like this one! I’ve made this recipe a handful of times over the past few years [...]
I won’t lie to you…eggnog exists in our house at Christmastime. Ever since I found vanilla eggnog a few years ago, we always have a carton on hand from the first week of December when we put up the tree right through New Year’s and into January. And this particular vanilla eggnog tastes like a [...]
Here’s to a fabulous 2011 and even better 2012! Thank you all of your love and support this year – it’s been a great one for me and as Kyle and I transition into our new home in the next few weeks, I’m looking forward to sharing all kinds of great recipes that I’ve been [...]
I swear my candy thermometer has gotten more of a workout this past week than in all of the past year! As I mentioned a couple days ago, I’m not making a whole lot of cookies this Christmas and have opted instead for candies, confections, and other treats for my treat boxes. Hot chocolate mix [...]
When I first decided to put together treat packages for our Christmas gifts this year, the first thing I thought about wasn’t the treat themselves. It was the packaging. To me, the treats are usually able to stand alone but it’s the packaging that makes everything so festive and I don’t know…complete. And by complete, [...]
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