Black Bean Tacos

I've been hearing people talk good things about Black Bean Tacos lately, so I did some internet searching for a recipe. I have found this one from www.allrecipes.com, and it has plenty of good reviews. I am going to post it here for a reference. I will likely be making this one soon after I go grocery shopping again and pick up our whole wheat tortillas. I subbed a few things (whole wheat instead of flour tortillas) from the original to make it a wic item.


Black Bean Tortillas

1 medium onion, chopped * (will sub frozen onion)

2 garlic cloves, minced*

1 tablespoon canola oil

2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed*

and drained

1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes* (wic item if use fresh tomatoes)

1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chilies

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon pepper

8 (6 inch) whole wheat tortillas, warmed*

1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat Cheddar

cheese*

1 large ripe avocado, peeled and sliced*

In a nonstick skillet, saute onion and garlic in oil until tender. Stir in the beans, tomatoes, chilies and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 3-5 minutes or until mixture begins to thicken. Spoon about 1/2 cup off center on each tortilla; sprinkle with cheese. Fold one side of tortilla over filling. Garnish with avocado.

Kidney Bean Salad

This recipe was pretty good. My kids picked out the kidney beans, but maybe someday they'll eat it. You can eat this as is, on bread or whole wheat tortillas, all WIC foods.

Kidney Bean Salad

1 can kidney beans*
1 cup cheddar cheese, cut in small chunks*
2 hard cooked eggs, diced*
Mayonnaise to taste

Whole wheat bread or tortillas* (optional)

Combine all. Eat right away or chill.

Mock Miso Salmon

I made a meal the other night. I thought I was just throwing ingredients together for a quick meal and my husband declared it tasted like the Miso Salmon you find at The Cheesecake recipe. I didn't give it the presentation The Cheesecake factory does, but it was good. Even my son, who declares he doesn't like salmon (and hasn't ever eaten it since he was a year old) ate his entire plate.

Mock Miso Salmon

Ingredients

2 pkg boil in a bag brown rice, cooked*
2 Tab butter
1-2 cloves garlic, minced*
1.5 cups milk*
1.5 Tab flour
1/3 cup mozzarella cheese*
1/4 cup dried parmesan cheese (or fresh)
1/4 tsp each salt and pepper
1 can salmon, drained*
1/4 cup sour cream
3/4 cup frozen peas, thawed*

Directions

• Cook brown rice as directed. While cooking rice...
  

• Melt butter in a meduim saucepan.
• Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute
• Mix the milk and flour together in a small bowl until smooth
• Add to the garlic
• Increase heat to get a nice simmer and stir until bubbly and thickened about 4-5 minutes
• reduce heat to low
• stir in parmesan cheese, salt and pepper
• cook for 1-2 minutes until cheese is melted
• stir in tuna. peas and sour cream
• cook until heated through

Taco Pizza

Yesterday for lunch we had bean dip with corn chips. With the left overs, we made Taco Pizza. It was delicious.

Bean Dip

• 2 cans white beans*
• 1 pkg taco seasoning (can also use 1/8 Cup chili powder, 1 tsp onion powder, and 1 tsp garlic powder or all to taste)
  

Mix Together in food processor. Warm if desired.

Corn Chips

• Corn Tortillas*
• Salt

Cut tortiallas in triangles. Add salt. Bake 350degrees about 12 minutes. Let crisp up further on pan if desired.

Taco Pizza

• Pizza crust (I used this recipe)
• Bean Dip*
• 1/2 pound cooked hamburger
• 8 oz shredded cheddar cheese*
• 8 oz shredded mozzarella cheese*
• Tomatoes*
• Lettuce*
• Corn Tortillas*
• Sour Cream
• Salsa or Taco Sauce

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Make pizza crust. Add Bean dip, hamburger, and cheeses. Bake 15-20 minutes. Serve with the rest of the toppings. Adding your own favorites if desired.

Magic Milkshakes

Hillbilly housewife has a magic milkshake recipe that uses powdered milk. I change it using 2 cups of milk instead. It is absolutely delicious. Today I used some frozen bananas instead of half the ice and ovaltine in place of the cocoa powder. It is good. My kids love it, too.

• 2 Cups Milk*
  
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa or drink mix like Ovaltine or Nestle
  
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 to 1-1/2 trays of ice cubes, as much as you can spare (I have a dispenser on my fridge, I take a 16 oz glass and fill it twice)
  
• 2 tablespoons corn oil plus a 5-second squirt of non-stick spray for emulsification purposes

Variations...

• Add 1 tablespoon of instant coffee for a mocha shake
• Add 1 very ripe banana for a chocolate banana shake*
• Add a big spoonful of peanut butter for a decadent Chocolate Peanut Butter Shake.*
• Add a few broken red and white candy mints for a refreshing Chocolate Mint shake.
• To make Vanilla Milk Shakes, omit the cocoa powder, reduce the sugar to 1/2-cup and add 1 tablespoon (yes a full tablespoon) of vanilla flavoring. For a french vanilla milk shake crack in an egg too.*

Place all in the blender and process a FULL 2 minutes. Make sure you do not forget the oil and the non-stick spray. They are important ingredients to make this creamy.

Cheesy Spinach Bake

Photo from mealmakeovermoms.com.

Found this recipe on http://mealmakeovermoms.com. Looks good to me. Haven't tried it yet, but I love cheese and spinach recipes.

Cheesy Spinach Bake

Makes 8 Servings

• One 10-ounce box frozen chopped spinach, thawed*
• 2 large eggs*
• ½ cup 1% low-fat milk*
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil or melted butter
• ½ cup Italian style seasoned bread crumbs
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese (4 ounces)*
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• Kosher salt

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly oil or coat an 8 x 8-inch baking pan or dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

2. Drain the spinach very well by pressing in a colander with the back of a large spoon and using paper towels to remove excess moisture. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, and olive oil until combined. Whisk in the bread crumbs and baking powder. Stir in the spinach, Cheddar cheese, and Parmesan cheese until well combined.

4. Spread the mixture evenly in the prepared pan. Bake until the mixture is set and the top is golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Slice into 2 x 4-inch rectangles and serve. Sprinkle the tops with a few pinches of salt to taste

Homemade Cheesy Rice

Found this recipe on a new blog I started reading. Uses a lot of good wic foods. It may be a site you want to check out. Bulk cooking is a good way to use up any perishable items like milk or cheese you get in abundance.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups Broccoli florets (2 cups steamed)*
• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• 2 Tablespoons Flour
• 2 cups Milk*
• 3 cups Cheddar cheese, shredded*
• 4 cups Rice, cooked (2 cups uncooked)*

Directions:

Steam the broccoli in the microwave, steamer or double boiler. Cook rice according to package directions. Set aside broccoli and rice. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the flour, being sure to combine it with the butter very well. Let cook, stirring the mixture constantly, for about 2 minutes. Do not let it darken. Gradually add the milk, about 1/4 cup at a time, whisking or stirring vigorously. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, until thickened and just starting to boil, about 15 to 20 minutes. Add the cheese and stir until melted. Add in cooked broccoli and rice. Serve.

Freezing Directions:

Prepare as above but instead of serving, scoop into 8 oz freezer containers and freeze. To serve: Warm in microwave until heated through, approximately 1-2 minutes.