Showing posts with label Meatless Monday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Meatless Monday. Show all posts

Monday, January 24, 2011

Meatless Monday



(his and hers taco salads...can you guess?)


I love taco salads. I mostly love the big taco salads from Mexican restaurants. The ones with the big, fried, crispy tortilla bowl. I know...I know..."they" say that it's much healthier to skip the shell. But I can never resist it!

Tonight we had taco salad on the menu. Since it's Meatless Monday, I decided to skip the chicken or beef. So it was a simple salad of seasoned refried beans, lettuce, cheese, salsa, and sour cream (well, Lonnie skipped the sour cream). To make things a little more exciting, I made our own tortilla bowls. They were perfect! They turned out crispy and light brown. I got the recipe from Mel's Kitchen Cafe. Here's how I made them...

HOMEMADE TORTILLA BOWLS

2 burrito size tortillas
Canola oil
2 oven-safe cups or jars

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a rimmed, foil-lined baking sheet, place the cups/jars that you will use to drape the tortillas over.
Microwave each tortilla for about 30 seconds, until they are soft. Rub a little bit of oil on each side of the tortilla. I just poured a small amount (1/2 tsp or so?) onto each side of the tortilla and spread it around with my fingers. Drape each tortilla over the cups.



Bake the tortillas for 8-10 minutes, frequently checking on them to make sure they don't burn. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool for a few minutes. Take the tortillas off of the cups and place on plates. Fill with salad!

Monday, January 10, 2011

Meatless Monday


Normally I am not a fan of broccoli or cauliflower. But, roast them in the oven...and something magical happens. Tonight's dinner was Sesame & Soy Roasted Broccoli, served over rice. I got the recipe from Prudence Pennywise, a great food blog that also takes the cost of the meal into account. This broccoli was amazing. Delicious, salty, little crispy bits - perfection!

SESAME AND SOY ROASTED BROCCOLI

(recipe from Prudence Pennywise)

1 (12 oz.) bag of broccoli florets
1 Tbsp. olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. sesame oil
Hot cooked rice

Preheat oven to 425*. Spread broccoli out on baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and stir it all around. Roast for 10 minutes. Drizzle with sesame oil and soy sauce and put back in oven for 10 more minutes.
Serve over hot rice.

Monday, January 3, 2011

Meatless Monday

On the menu for tonight - Super Bean Burritos!

I ran across this recipe at Real Mom Kitchen, and knew right away that I wanted to try it. We try to have at least 2-3 meatless meals per week and burritos are a great way to make one of those meals happen. They come together easily, they're cheap, and they're filling (and delicious)!


SUPER BEAN BURRITOS

2 cups already cooked rice (brown or white)
2 T. olive oil
1 onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeno, seeds and membranes removed, finely diced
1 tsp. cumin
3 T. tomato paste
2 cans pinto beans (15 oz. each), drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups water
1 10 oz. package frozen corn
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
10-12 large tortillas (10" burrito size)
1 1/2 - 2 cups shredded cheese (I used a cheddar jack mix)

In large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, jalapeno, and cumin. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are tender. Watch the garlic closely to make sure it doesn't burn. Add the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.
I know it doesn't look like much, but this will make your house smell amazing. (onion, garlic, jalapeno and cumin)



Add 1 can of beans to the pan and mash with a fork. Add the 2nd can of beans, along with the water. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil and then turn heat down to medium. Simmer for 10-12 minutes, allowing mixture to thicken. Stir occasionally, making sure the mixture doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan. Add corn and cook 2-3 minutes until heated thoroughly. Stir in onion and garlic powders. Remove from heat and stir in rice.
Before the rice is added.


Heat tortillas in the microwave until soft (25 seconds or so). Fill each tortilla with 2/3 cup (or so) of the bean/rice mixture and then about 1/4 cup of cheese. Fold like a burrito. I would try to explain in detail how to fold the tortilla, but I would fail. So, if you don't know how to fold a tortilla into a burrito, I would suggest Googling it.
The finished product.



Serve immediately (with salsa and sour cream, if you so choose) or freeze for later. The original recipe has different directions for freezing and reheating...but here's how I'm doing it - I folded up the burritos and then I wrapped each individual burrito in foil. I put the foil covered the burritos in the freezer. For reheating, I am planning on putting them in the oven at 350* until they're heated through. I am hoping that the foil will keep the tortillas from getting too dried out, and without the extra chewiness of putting them in the microwave for a 2nd time. I'll let you know how they turned out!


Here's what Jack had for dinner - Fiber One cereal! Haha! He loves this cereal. And it's a good thing, too. Let's just say that he could always use more fiber in his diet. :)


It's a good thing he's cute.