Black Bean Tostadas

This is one of my favorite quick lunches. It's also a great meal on those hot summer days! The beauty of this meal, is that each person can add what ever toppings they happen to like.

The basics to the tostadas is as follows.

Tostada shells (found by the taco shells - they are like hard taco shells, but flat and round).

Refried black beans (read the label to watch for animals fats - or make your own)

Sour cream (optional)

Salsa (red or green)

Toppings of your choosing, such as: onions, tomatoes, avocado, peppers, black olives, lettuce, jalapenos, etc.

To put it together simply put a thin layer of sour cream on the tostada, then a layer of refried black beans, and then add whatever veggie toppings you like. Top it off with your favorite salsa and you're done.

Quick, easy, and packed full of fiber and protein!

If you're worried about fat, you can forego the sour cream. Some of you may choose to use reduced fat sour cream and that is up to you. I'm personally not a fan of doing this. I have a general rule that if there are ingredients on the label that aren't natural, it wasn't meant to go in my body. Also keep in mind that often when fat is taken out, it is replaced with sugar - which in the end turns into fat (usually on my thighs).

I also believe that if your diet is primarily made up of healthy whole foods (not processed foods) and healthy fats (olive oil, canola oil, safflower oil) a little bit of sour cream on occasion isn't a bad thing.

See the link below for more information on fats.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/fat/nu00262

As always - be kind to yourself and treat your body with the respect it deserves! Each day is a new day and a new opportunity for you to start a new, healthier relationship with your body.

Eat well......

Barbecue Boca Pita Sandwich

The following is a camping creation that I made this past weekend to feed my guys after a long and enjoyable day of kayaking. It is incredibly simple and so delicious! You don't have to wait for camping to make it though.

Why is it that everything taste better over a campfire in the great out of doors? Mother nature must have her hand in it somehow!

Barbecue Boca Pita Sandwich:

1 large onion, chopped in large pieces (use more or less to your liking)

Canola oil

Boca Burgers (a couple of burgers per person, depending on how big their appetites are)

Barbecue sauce (any brand)

Pita pockets

Heat a couple of tablespoons of canola oil in skillet and add the onion. Saute the onion until it starts to soften. I like my onion to have some crunch left in it, so I don't saute it very long.

Next, break the Boca burgers into chunky pieces and put into the skillet with the onions. Cook on medium heat until browned (5-10 minutes). Add extra oil if needed.

Then pour in the barbecue sauce and stir into burger/onion mixture. Use as much or little barbecue sauce as you like. Let this simmer for 5-10 minutes. Then scoop the barbecue into pita pockets and serve.

To go along with this I cut up some cucumbers, tomato and avocado (all the veggies left from our sandwiches earlier in the day) and topped it with a Basil Vinegrette and some black pepper.

Yummy!

Almost -Classic Quiche with Spinach

This recipe is a healthier alternative to traditional quiche. It's lower in fat, cholesterol and calories than traditional quiche, but is still loaded with flavor. I would really encourage use to make the crust recipe, rather than used a store bought crust - you won't regret it. My husband has made this recipe for company, who are not vegetarians, and it was a hit.

The original recipe is made with broccoli, but we prefer it with spinach. If you're a broccoli lover, give it a go.

I hope you find it to your liking!

Almost-Classic Quiche with Spinach:

Crust:

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup unbleached white flour

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp baking powder

1/4 to 1/3 cup canola oil

2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

1 1/2 tsp agave nectar (or honey)

2 to 3 Tbsp cold water

1 to 2 tsp sesame seeds

Filling:

1 tsp water

1 cup diced onion

1 tsp minced garlic

3 cups fresh or frozen spinach (or broccoli). If frozen, thaw and drain.

1 to 2 Tbsp water

1 egg

2 egg whites

One 10-ounce package soft tofu

1 Tbsp prepared mustard

1 tsp dried basil or rosemary

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp white pepper (black pepper works too)

1 to 2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese (my husband likes to increase this quite a bit) :)

Red pepper strips or slice black olives, for garnish (optional)

Crust:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grind the oats to a course flour in a blender or food processor. Place the ground oats in a large bowl. Stir in the flours, salt and baking powder. Drizzle 1/4 cup canola oil over the flour mixture and mix lightly; add more oil if necessary, until the mixture looks like wet sand. Drizzle the lemon juice, honey and 2 Tbsp. water over the dough. Mix lightly with a fork until the dough forms a ball. (Add more water if necessary.)

Roll out the dough between sheets of waxed paper. Sprinkle the sesame seeds evenly over bottom of a quiche or pie pan, then place the dough in the pan. (If using a pie pan, fold excess dough over to form an edge about 1/4 inch thick.) Prick the sides and bottom of the crust with a fork. Bake for 10 minutes, remove from the oven and lower the temperature to 350 degrees.

Filling:

Heat 1 tsp water or oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds more. Add the spinach (or broccoli) and 1 to 2 Tbsp. water. Cover. Steam about 2 minutes. Drain the vegetables if necessary; then spread them evenly over the bottom of the pre-baked pie crust.

In a blender or food processor, whip the egg and egg whites until frothy. Add the tofu, mustard, basil or rosemary, nutmeg, salt, pepper and Parmesan. Blend until very smooth, about 1 to 2 minutes. Pour the egg-tofu mixture over the vegetables in the pie crust. Place the red pepper or black olives on top. Bake until slightly puffy, about 40 minutes. Let cool 5 to 10 minutes before slicing.

* To reheat: Heat oven to 375 degees for 15 to 20 minutes.

** To vary this dish, you could use 3 cups of another vegetable, such as lightly steamed asparagus, sauteed mushrooms and leeks, or red pepper and zucchini. Why not roam your local farmer's market and let the vegetables in season lead the way! Fresh will always taste better.

*** If you'd like to make this a Vegan dish, you can substitute the eggs with an additional 8 ounces of tofu (for a total of 16 ounces). For the cheese, simply use a vegan cheese.

Nutritional Information: (per serving)

Calories: 267

Protein: 11 grams

Fat: 13 grams

Carbohydrates: 25 grams

Cholesterol: 28 mg

Sodium: 408 mg

Fiber: 4 grams

Tortilla Soup with Corn and Chillies

I've been trying out some new recipes this week, and I'm not having much luck finding one that I would recommend. First I tried a spinach- bean patty with a side of daikon "French fries" and that didn't go over so great. My husband ate some of the patty and rated them about a "3" (out of 5 stars) - but the daikon "French fries" were horrible! I tasted one and that was more than enough for me :(

In case you are wondering what in the world daikon is - it's a root vegetable that taste a bit like a radish, but milder. I thought it tasted great raw and would highly recommend it. The only place I've found it is at our local Festival Foods.

The next recipe I tried was a broccoli bean soup. The overall taste of the soup was good - although my mother thought some butter would richen it up - but the consistency was a bit paste-like, so I'm going to continue to work with that recipe, make some changes, and then I'll share it with you :)

In the meantime, I was at my favorite restaurant today - Tacos Juanita - and was reminded of this great soup that Gregorio makes that I really miss since becoming a vegetarian. It's called Sopa Azteca, and it is to die for (as is everything else that Gregorio makes). Fortunately, I have found a recipe that is very similar that my husband and I are very fond of. So I thought I would share that with you today. Cheers to you Gregorio for the inspiration!!!

Tortilla Soup with Corn and Chillies:

1 dried New Mexico chili pepper

2 cups boiling water

1 Tbsp cumin seeds

1 Tbsp vegetable oil

2 onions, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp dried oregano leaves

1 tsp grated lime zest

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cracked black peppercorns

1 can (14-19 oz) pinto beans, drained and rinsed - or1 cup dried pinto beans, soaked, cooked and drained

1 can (28 oz) tomatoes, including juice

6 cups vegetable stock

1 can (4.5 oz) mild green chilies, drained

2 cups corn kernels, thawed if frozen

3 tortillas, preferably corn, cut into 1-inch strips

vegetable oil

1 to 2 avocados, cut into 1/2" cubes

Ceso Fresco cheese (mozzarella will work too)

Finely chopped red onion

Finely chopped cilantro

In a heatproof bowl, soak chili pepper in boiling water for 30 minutes. Drain and discard stem and soaking water. Set aside.

In a dry skillet, over medium heat, toast cumin seeds until they release their aroma and just begin to turn brown. Transfer to a mortar or spice grinder and grind coarsely. Set aside.

In the same skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion to the pan and cook, stirring, until softened. Add garlic, reserved cumin, oregano, lime zest, salt and peppercorns and reserved New Mexico chili and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Transfer mixture to a food processor along with beans and 1 cup tomatoes and liquid and process until smooth.

Transfer to slow cooker stoneware. Add vegetable stock. Cover and cook on Low for 8 to 10 hours or on High for 3 to 4 hours, until mixture is bubbling and flavors are combined. Stir in mild green chilies and corn. Cover and cook on High for 15 to 20 minutes, until corn is tender.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brush tortilla strips with oil, place on baking sheet and bake for 4 minutes per side, until crisp and golden.

When ready to serve, ladle soup into bowls, lay tortilla strips across the surface and top with ceso freso (the more the better in my opinion), avocado, red onion, and cilantro.

The tortillas and the cheese will find their way to the bottom of your bowl, creating a wonderful gooey treat. The coolness of the avocados in the hot broth is another wonderful treat. I can't wait for you all to give this recipe a try.

And to my favorite chef Gregorio, cheers once again to you!

Tortilla Soup with Corn and Chilies

I've been trying out some new recipes this week, and I'm not having much luck finding one that I would recommend. First I tried a spinach bean pattie with a side of daikon "french fries" and that didn't go over so great. My husband ate some of the patties and rated them about a "3" (out of 5 stars) - but the daikon "french fries" were horrible! I tasted one and that was more than enough for me :(

In case you are wondering what in the world daikon is - it's a root vegetable that taste a bit like a radish, but milder. I thought it tasted great raw and would highly recommend it. The only place I've found it is at our local Festival Foods.

The next recipe I trialed was a broccoli bean soup. The overall taste of the soup was good - although my mother thought some butter would richen it up - but the consistency was a bit paste-like, so I'm going to continue to work with that recipe, make some changes, and then I'll share it with you :)

In the meantime, I was at my favorite restaurant today - Tacos Juanita - and was reminded of this great soup that Gregorio makes that I really miss since becoming a vegetarian. It's called Sopa Azteca, and it is to die for (as is everything else that Gregorio makes). Fortunately, I have found a recipe that is very similar that my husband and I are very fond of. So I thought I would share that with you today. Cheers to you Gregorio for the inspiration!!!

Tortilla Soup with Corn and Chillies:

1 dried New Mexico chili pepper

2 cups boiling water

1 Tbsp cumin seeds

1 Tbsp vegetable oil

2 onions, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp dried oregano leaves

1 tsp grated lime zest

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cracked black peppercorns

1 can (14-19 oz) pinto beans, drained and rinsed - or1 cup dried pinto beans, soaked, cooked and drained

1 can (28 oz) tomatoes, including juice

6 cups vegetable stock

1 can (4.5 oz) mild green chilies, drained

2 cups corn kernals, thawed if frozen

3 tortillas, preferably corn, cut into 1-inch strips

vegetable oil

1 to 2 avacados, cut into 1/2" cubes

Finely chopped red onion

Finely chopped cilantro

In a heatproof bowl, soak chili pepper in boiling water for 30 minutes. Drain and discard stem and soaking water. Set aside.

In a dry skillet, over medium heat, toast cumin seeks until they release their aroma and just begin to turn brown. Transfer to a mortar or spice grinder and grind coarsely. Set aside.

In the same skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion to the pan and cook, stirring, until softened. Add garlic, reserved cumin, oregano, lime zest, salt and peppercorns and reserved New Mexico chili and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Transfer mixture to a food processor along with beans and 1 cup tomatos and liquid and process until smooth.

Transfer to slow cooker stoneware. Add vegetable stock. Cover and cook on Low for 8 to 10 hours or on High for 3 to 4 hours, until mixture is bubbling and flavors are combined. Stir in mild green chilies and corn. Cover and cook on High for 15 to 20 minutes, until corn is tender.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brush tortilla strips with oil, place on baking sheet and bake for 4 minutes per side, until crisp and golden.

When ready to serve, ladle soup into bowls, lay tortilla strips across the surface and top with avocado, red onion, and cilantro.

Carrot-Basil Gumbo Soup

This is a recipe that my husband put together today. He's quite the soup maker. He just starts putting stuff together in a pot, and before I know it, he's created another tasty soup. Thanks Honey!

I hope you find it to be as tasty as we did. Our friends stopped by, so they were our official taste testers -- thumbs up from them too!

Stephe's Carrot-Basil Gumbo Soup:

8 oz. okra, chopped

4 celery stalks, chopped thin

3 carrots - 2 thinly chopped and 1 grated

1 small onion, chopped

1 tomato, chopped

1 c. fresh parsley, chopped

1/4 cup brown rice

1 Tbsp. lemon pepper

1/4 tsp. curry powder

2 Tbsp. dried oregano

2 Tbsp. dried basil

1 bay leaf

1 pinch of dried rosemary

8 cups water

4 Tbsp olive oil

2 Tbsp Better Than Bouillon vegetable base

Put everything together in a pot and cook 20-30 minutes (until the rice is cooked). It's as easy as that.

My favorite accompaniment to soup of any kind....... a slice of hearty whole grain bread with butter. And of course, a large glass of milk!

The next day........I heated up a bowl of Stephe's soup, which always seems thicker the next day, and put it over top a bed of brown rice. Delicious! And of course, I also had a large glass of milk :)

Give it a try - your body will be thanking you for the nourishment!