Enchilada Veggie Pizza

From Two Peas and Their Pod

This is a great, easy, rummage the fridge/pantry meal. Plus everyone gets to make their own, so it's fun! You basically just throw whatever veggies/beans you want on to a tortilla with some enchilada sauce and cheese, throw it in the oven, and, voila, pizza! Mark enjoyed 1 3/4 pizzas, 1 1/4 for me, 1/2 for Clara, and 0 for Tyler. Yeah, Tyler has been having picky issues as of late - dang those horrific threes! Also, I bet it wouldn't be bad sans cheese for you vegans out there.

I'll list all the things I've thought of and asterisk the ones we used. I think it will be different every time based on what's in my fridge/pantry.

Ingredients:
*Flour tortillas
*Red enchilada sauce
*Shredded cheese
*Black beans
Refried beans
*Bell pepper, chopped
*onion, chopped
*Green onion, minced
*Tomato, chopped
Olives
Cilantro
*Corn
Sour cream/Greek yogurt
Salsa
Avocado

Preheat oven to 400. Spray a cookie sheet with olive oil or Pam (I have this awesome spritzer thing that I got at costco. I fill it with olive oil and that's my new "Pam.") Place tortillas on cookie sheet and place in the oven. Take out when they are browning and puffing up.

Now it's time to make your pizza! Spread some enchilada sauce on your tortilla, sprinkle on some cheese, and then go to town with toppings. When you have created your masterpiece stick it back in the oven for a few more minutes to warm everything up and melt the cheese.

Note: On the website she sautes her veggies first. I didn't feel like doing that, but you can if you want.

Black Bean and Spinach Enchiladas

From The Garden Grazer

Another great vegetarian enchilada recipe! Even has a homemade red sauce recipe that was great and I'll probably use it regularly.

The Sauce:

3 cups low sodium vegetable broth
1/4 cup tomato paste1/4 cup all purpose flour2 Tbsp. olive oil2 tsp. cumin1/4 tsp. garlic powder1/4 tsp. onion powder1/4 tsp. chili powder


Heat olive oil over medium heat. Add in tomato paste, flour, and spices. Stir around for a bit. Whisk in broth and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer for about 10 minutes, until slightly thickened.

The Enchiladas:

15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 cups corn (I used frozen, thawed)
6 oz. fresh baby spinach (I doubled this since it shrinks so much)
6 green onions, thinly sliced
1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
Shredded cheese blend
tortillas

Saute the spinach in olive oil over medium heat until slightly wilted. (It happens FAST!)
In a large bowl, combine beans, spinach, corn, green onions, cumin, and cilantro.
Preheat oven to 375. 
Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish and pour a small amount of the sauce in the bottom.
Spoon mixture into tortillas, sprinkle on cheese, and roll up tightly.
Pour remaining sauce over the enchiladas. Sprinkle cheese on top.
Bake about 20 minutes. Switch to broiler at the end to get the top nice and crispy.

Cowboy Caviar

This is the best chip dip ever! I make it like once every other week or so. It's pretty healthy so I don't feel bad eating the majority of it all by myself, although Mark surely eats his share. And it's SUPER simple. I made it for a game night with friends and they downed it in minutes. THey all wanted the recipe and have already made it for themselves a time or two. Yes, this recipe is a winner and its vegan too! I usually half the recipe when I make it for just us at home.

2 avocados, chopped
2-3 tomatoes, chopped
15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
6 green onions, chopped - only green part
half a bunch cilantro, chopped
1 1/2 cup frozen corn, thawed
1/4 cup white distilled vinegar
1 packet dry Italian Dressing
Tortilla chipst

Mix and voila!

Fiesta Lime Rice

From Skinny Taste

Ok all you new and newly returned vegans out there. I found this recipe and decided to give it a go. If you've ever been to Chipotle it tastes kind of like their burrito bowl sans meat. We did eat ours with some yummy rotisserie chicken, but you don't have to. It's perfectly filling and nutritious all on its own. It would probably taste great on a tortilla too - Mark actually preferred his burrito style with some salsa and Greek yogurt.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups rice, cooked (I used brown rice)
3/4-1 cup black beans, drained
3/4 cup corn (canned or frozen, doesn't matter)
1 tomato, chopped
2 tbsp cilantro, chopped
1-2 scallions, chopped (I didn't have any so I just chopped up a bit of sweet onion and it was fine)
1/3 bell pepper, chopped (optional)
1 tbsp fresh squeezed lime juice
salt
Any toppings: avocado, cheese, meat, salsa, greek yogurt, tortilla, etc

Cook rice, chop all ingredients, dump in a bowl, and mix. Couldn't get much easier than that.

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Flautas

From Peas and Crayons

This was really good! It was a winner with Mark and I'm pretty sure Tyler and Clara liked it too. A good veggie dish!

Ingredients:

9 corn tortillas
1 cup of black beans
1 cup mexi-corn [corn + colorful red/green peppers!] (I didn't have this so I just used regular canned corn and then added some chopped peppers to it)
1 small/medium sweet potato
1/4 cup of diced white, yellow, or red onion
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp dried or fresh cilantro
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes [optional]
2oz cream cheese, room temperature [optional] (didn't use it)
4-6 ounces of grated cheese
1 heaping tablespoon [or two!] of taco sauce, enchilada sauce, or salsa (I used red enchilada sauce and more than a tablespoon. Just keep tasting until you get the flavor you want).
salt and pepper to taste
all-natural olive oil spray or plain oil


Directions: (She had a lot of good tips so I'm basically just giving her directions verbatim)

-Pre-heat your oven to 425F.  
-Poke a few holes in your sweet potato, wrap it in a slightly damp paper towel, and microwave on high for about 6-8 minutes.  
-While you wait, combine corn/peppers/onion with your black beans, garlic powder, chili powder, cumin, cilantro, cayenne, and taco sauce/salsa.  
-In a separate bowl mix your cheeses.  Add the sweet potato [minus the skin] to the rest of your veggies and mix thoroughly.  Add salt, pepper, and any additional seasoning or sauce to taste.
-Next wrap your corn tortillas in a damp paper towel, followed by a dry paper towel, and microwave on high for 30 seconds.  Follow it up with an additional 30 seconds.  The goal here is to steam the tortillas so they roll into perfect flautas without breaking or cracking (This worked great! I think I did 4 or so at a time) 
-Spray or rub one side of the tortilla with oil and add "line" of veggie filling to the center of the "dry side" of the tortilla, about 1-inch thick.  Top it off with a layer of cheese and roll the tortilla. -Place on a wire baking/cooling rack and seal with a toothpick, if needed.  
-Give them one more spritz of olive oil to get them extra crispy and set on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil.  
-Bake on the middle rack, at 425F, for 15 minutes.  At the end, set to broil on HIGH for just under a minute to crisp the tortillas into a perfectly golden, crunchy shell.

Veggie Enchilada Casserole

I have been trying to find a good and easy veggie enchilada casserole that both my kids and my other kid (aka Mark) will eat. I finally created one using a combination of a recipe I found on Aggie's Kitchen, a recipe I found on 100 Days of Real Food, and my own brain. YAY victory!

Ingredients:

• 1 can pinto beans
• 1 can black beans (low sodium)
• 1 can corn
• salsa of your choice (don't use picante..yucky. Use real salsa)
• half of an onion or so
• 1 small-medium green bell pepper (or whatever color) 
• a few cloves of garlic
• shredded cheese
• 9 medium sized tortillas
• 1 10 oz can of red enchilada sauce (use a bigger can if you want it more saucy)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350

2. Rinse and drain pinto beans. Place in food processor and add a couple heaping spoonfuls of salsa. Process until a refried bean consistency.

3. Rinse black beans and corn and set aside

4. Chop onion, pepper, and garlic and saute in EVOO.

5. Pour a bit of enchilada sauce on the bottom of a greased casserole dish and lay out first layer of tortillas (I highly recommend going to 100 Days of Real Food to check out how he lays out his tortillas. It's genius! No more cutting tortillas into a million strips!)

6. Now layer on the pinto bean mixture, black beans, corn, saute mix, cheese, and sauce. Put more tortillas on and do it again. Put more tortillas on and top with sauce and cheese. So got that? That's 2 layers of veggies/beans, 3 layers of tortillas, and 3 layers of sauce and cheese.

7. Cover with foil and cook for about 35-40 minutes or less (I just kept it in until Mark came home) a half and hour is probably fine. Take off the foil and cook a few minutes more to crunchify the top. 

8. Serve as is or with avocados and plain greek yogurt. 

  

Beet and Citrus Quinoa Salad

 

       You can find the real recipe here!

       I did it a little differently though. I went to three grocery stores and none of them had blood oranges or kumquats....so I just used regular oranges and tangerines. It still tasted excellent though! I also added feta cheese which isn't in the recipe, but was an excellent addition. Set aside some time to cook the beets though. Those suckers really take time. Basic gist though...avocado, beets, orange-like fruit, quinoa, and a yummy dressing mixed in. Verrrry tasty!

Veggie Manicotti

I combined mom's manicotti recipe with a recipe that I found on Peas and Crayons. Adding veggies made me feel a bit better about eating all that cheese :) and it was good to boot.

Ingredients:

• 
  
• 1 box of manicotti noodles
• Torn up baby spinach
• 1/2 medium onion
• 1/4-1/2 cup (or more) of grated carrots and/or zucchini 
• 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 15 oz ricotta cheese
• 1 cup (approx) shredded parmesan/romano cheese
• 1-2 cups (approx) shredded mozzarella cheese - and some more to sprinkle on top
• to taste: black pepper, salt, parsley, oregano, thyme & garlic powder.
• 16 oz marinara sauce

Preheat your oven to 350.  Gently boil shells until tender/al dente (Very important you don't boil them too long or you'll end up doing a manicotti noodle casserole like me). Drain & arrange cooked noodles in a glass baking dish with a layer of spaghetti sauce on the bottom.  Dice and sauté, onions and garlic together with shredded carrots/zucchini in olive oil. In a large bowl, fold ricotta, parmesan, and mozzarella cheeses, and torn spinach together with all your herbs and spices.  A note about cheese: I NEVER measure. I just go with what looks/tastes right. Next, add your veggies to the mix.  Put the stuffing in a bag with a hole cut in the corner and stuff the noodles gently. Pour more sauce on top.  Top with shredded mozzarella/parm cheese and bake for approx 20-30 minutes at 350F.

Lentil Taco Salad

From 31 Days of August

Katelyn has made this too and it is great! You don't miss the meat at all and it cooks in a crock pot! SIMPLE!

1 red pepper, coarsely chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup brown lentils (on the website it says you can use black or green too)
½ cup brown rice
1 garlic clove
2 teaspoons chili powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 cups vegetable broth

Toppings:
lettuce
shredded cheese
tortilla chips
avocado
tomatoes
hot sauce
plain greek yogurt

Prepare veggies and throw everything together in the crock pot. 
As for how long.... that is kind of up in the air at the moment. The website says high for 6 hours. I tried that and it was burning on the side and bottom around 4 or 5 hours. Plus I don't even think you cook meet on high for 6 hours.  So maybe low for 6 hours? I'll update as I play around with it. 
You can make this vegan by leaving out the cheese and yogurt.

Veggie Omelette/Frittata

I got this idea from Aggie's Kitchen, but I don't have a skillet that is oven safe so mine turned in to an omelette. I never thought of putting black beans in with eggs, but it is delicious!

eggs
zucchini, chopped

red onion, chopped, or whatever kind you have
Best Black Beans, rinsed
shredded cheddar or monterey jack cheese
salt and pepper

I have also added bacon or sausage at times if I wanted some meat.

Saute the zucchini and onion in some evoo. Add in some black beans according to taste until warmed through. At this point you can either mix them in with some scrambled eggs for a breakfast burrito, put them in a fritatta, or place them in your omelette. Add cheese, salt and pepper. YUM!  

Santa Fe Bean Wrap

From Mama's Blissful Bites

Mark and I both agreed this was an excellent wrap and healthy too. Bonus! Filling and delicious without the meat. If you use Greek yogurt instead of sour cream and add the brown rice it has plenty of protein and fiber.

Ingredients:

2/3 cup plain Greek yogurt (the actual recipe called for sour cream)

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice (or less. Mark said it was too limey and I agree. Next time I'll do less)

1/2 – 3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon paprika

1/4 teaspoon cumin

1 – 2 tablespoon minced cilantro (I used 1 heaping Tbsp and it was plenty of cilantro for me)

1 shallot: chopped

1 can (15 oz) black beans: drained and rinsed

1/2 can (8oz.) of diced tomatoes with garlic and oregano: drained (aka Italian diced tomatoes)

hot sauce (optional) (didn't use it)

1 avocado: halved, seeded, peeled and diced

bunch of spinach leaves (I used romaine)

flour Tortillas

mozzarella or Cheddar Cheese for topping

I also added brown rice and I think it really gave it a good texture and taste. 

Directions:

Combine all ingredients up through hot sauce and mix to combine. Place in fridge to chill for about an hour. (I made mine at about 4 and put it in the fridge while the rice cooked and I prepared everything else). While it's chilling cut up avocado and lettuce and shred cheese. Place on a tortilla and wrap.

Baked Ziti with Summer Veggies

From Rantings of an Amateur Chef
This was great! But a bit dry. Next time I will add some marinara sauce.

Ingredients:

• 4 ounces uncooked ziti (I used rigatoni and probably more than 4 oz)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cups chopped yellow squash (my squash measurements were approximate based on what I had. I think I ended up with 1 1/2 c yellow squash and 1 1/2 c zucchini)
• 1 cup chopped zucchini
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 2 cups chopped tomato (I've also used a can of diced tomatoes)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided (I used more cheese all around. I don't know my measurements. I just kept putting it in until it looked the right cheesiness to me)
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano
• 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1/4 cup (2 ounces) part-skim ricotta cheese (same with this)
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• Cooking spray
• Marinara sauce (to taste)

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, drain.

2. Preheat oven to 400°.

3. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan. Add squash, zucchini, and onion; sauté 5 minutes. Add tomato and garlic; sauté 3 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in pasta, mozzarella, herbs, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper.

4. Combine ricotta, remaining salt, and egg. Stir into pasta mixture. Spoon into an 8-inch (mine was probably bigger since I used more pasta) square glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until bubbly and browned.

Quickie Meatless Enchiladas

From Aggie's Kitchen

refried beans

tortillas 

can verde enchilada sauce

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 med green peppers, chopped

1 onion, chopped 

1 tomato, seeded and chopped

1/2 cup frozen or canned corn

2 tsp cumin

salt and pepper

shredded cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Spray a baking dish with non stick spray.

Saute peppers, onions, garlic, tomatoes, corn in a little olive oil until soft, about 8 minutes. While sauteeing veggies, season with cumin, salt and pepper to taste. Set aside to cool slightly.

Take tortilla and spread refried beans in the middle.  Sprinkle a shredded cheese over beans, then top with veggie mixture.  Carefully roll up and place seamside down into baking dish.  Any leftover veggie mixture can be sprinkled over prepared enchiladas in baking dish.  Pour desired amount of sauce over enchiladas.  Add desired amount of shredded cheese to top and bake in oven for about 25-30 minutes until sauce is bubbly and top is golden brown.

Homemade Alfredo Sauce

From 100 days of Real Food

This was so good! Proof: When I asked Mark how often I could make this. He said, "As often as you want." He basically says that . . . never. I doubled this recipe and we had enough left overs for maybe 1 1/2 lunches, but we like a lot of sauce on our pasta.   

• 1 lb boxed 100% whole-grain pasta
• 2 tablespoons butter, unsalted
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream, (I have also used half and half and it worked just fine) (I only used 2/3 c to get it thicker, but I may try it her way next time just to see)
• 2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (I just went by taste and look - not sure how much I used)
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• I also added some garlic, peppers, and onions to give it a little kick

1. In a large pot, boil the pasta according to package directions
2. Meanwhile melt all the butter and saute some garlic.
3. Add 2/3 of the cream in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Stir with a wooden or other large spoon.
4. In a separate pan saute some peppers and onions to sprinkle on top
5. Once the cream and butter start to thicken (after a couple minutes) turn the heat to medium low. (mine never really thickened, but it thickens up when you add the cheese and let it sit for a bit before you eat).

6. Slowly stir in the cheese a little at a time so you don't get clumps. (if you want to use the remaining 1/3 c heavy whipping cream (or half and half) this is the time to stir it in)

7. Stir in salt, pepper

8. Remove it from the heat and let sit for a while to thicken.

At this point you can stir it into the pasta or serve separately. I don't stir it in since Mark likes more sauce on his noodles than I do. Be creative and add whatever you want. It's pretty versatile. 

Whole Wheat Pizza Pockets

From 100 Days of Real Food

These were so good! Seriously! And now that I know the tricks to the trade they are a pretty quick meal too. The cheese mixture is what really makes it. Man now I want these for dinner again!

Dough Ingredients

• 1 cup water
• 2 teaspoons dry active yeast (did you know that yeast should be refrigerated or in the freezer)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 cups whole-wheat flour (same with this - whole wheat flour needs to be refrigerated or in the freezer to keep it good).
• 2 tsp sugar (I tried this SEVERAL times without sugar and it never ever ever foamed like it's supposed to. I even tried to see if foaming was really necessary and the dough would not stick together - it was just a clumpy mess. Finally Mark looked at the back of my yeast jar and in the directions it says to add sugar. Anyway, it may just be the yeast I have, but check to make sure).

Filling Ingredients

• 1 ¼ cups ricotta cheese (maybe you could substitute with cottage cheese)
• 1 ¼ cups mozzarella cheese, shredded 
• ½ cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
• Salt and pepper, to taste 
• Other fillings as desired: (Italian sausage, mushrooms, green bell pepper with onions and garlic. Other ideas: BBQ chicken, cilantro, pineapple, caramelized onions, olives, basil, roasted garlic, spinach, eggplant, goat cheese, figs, and zucchini. (We just used Italian sausage. I was going to saute up some onions and peppers, but after fighting with the dough for an hour I just wanted to get it over with. Next time, next time).
• Pizza sauce

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. In a glass measuring cup heat 1-cup water until warm. Drop in 2 teaspoons yeast (and sugar) and let rest for a minute. (more like 5-10 minutes)
3. After the yeast foams up a bit add the salt and olive oil to the water mixture and gently stir if necessary.
4. In a food processor or mixer with a dough blade/hook add 3 cups flour. Pour in the water mixture and process until a dough ball forms. (I still had to knead mine by hand a little bit to get it good and doughy)
5. Coat a large bowl with olive oil, add the pizza dough ball, and cover with plastic wrap while you prepare the other fillings. (She says this in her blog post, but you don't have to let it rise. I didn't and it was still good).
6. In another bowl mix together the ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan. Chop and/or cook other desired fillings while dough rises on the counter (20 – 30 minutes). 
7. Divide dough into 6 equal sized pieces. Shape each one into a ball and then flatten it out with a rolling pin. 
8. Spread a spoonful of pizza sauce in the center of the dough. Add two heaping spoonfuls of the cheese mixture and one spoonful of filling (or 3 spoonfuls of cheese mixture if no other filling is desired).
9. Seal edges of the dough together as best you can with your fingers. (After reading some of the comments I folded ours like a calzone. Otherwise the cheese filling comes out and the dough doesn't cook all the way in the middle. Make a couple of holes with a fork in the top.
10. Bake in the oven for 12 – 15 minutes and once done let cool for a few minutes.
11. Serve with warm pizza sauce for dipping and enjoy!

Veggie Pancakes

From 100 Days of Real Food

These were yummy! Tyler ate 3 and Mark had just as many and probably would have had more, but they were all gone. I made them as a side when we were having pancakes for dinner. (I needed to add something of nutritional value). It probably made about 8 pancakes. 

Ingredients

• 2 cups shredded veggies (I like to use a mix including things like sweet potatoes, zucchini, yellow squash and/or carrots…whatever you have on hand)
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon whole-wheat flour
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• Olive oil for cooking
• I added some salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder to give it some flavor.

Directions

1. Combine the shredded veggies with the eggs, flour, and salt. Mix thoroughly.
2. Heat a thin layer of olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. It is important that the heat is the right temperature because you want the pancakes to cook all the way through the middle by the time they are brown on the outside.
3. Once the oil has heated up add pancake size dollops of the veggie mixture into the pan. Cook for several minutes until the bottom starts to brown. Then flip and repeat.
4. Transfer cooked pancakes to a plate lined with paper towels.

Graham Crackers/Bars

I got this recipe from my friend Stacy.

These are more like graham bars and they aren't hard like crackers - they are nice and soft.  Tyler gobbles these suckers down and I don't care because they are whole wheat.  I like them too.  They are a nice snack to have around and easy to boot.

2 c whole wheat flour (I use white whole wheat flour)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 c butter, melted
1/2 c honey

Mix together flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt. Separately mix the butter and honey and pour into the dry ingredients. Mix Well and drop onto a greased baking sheet or jelly roll pan. Roll out to the corners or pat into shape. Bake for 10 min at 350 degrees. Cut quickly when they come out of the oven. Place on cooling rack.

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Enchiladas

These were yummy! Even Mark liked them (well for being meatfree)! *cue heavenly chorus* And they were super easy. Bonus! So seriously, you should try them, like now!

I got the basic idea from A Couple Cooks, Their recipe seemed very spicy and VERY oniony, so I made quite a few changes. The recipe that follows is the way I made it. If you want to see their version just click on their blog link.

Sweet potatoes (about 2 cups, diced)
1 15 oz can black beans (drained and rinsed)
1/2 medium sized red onion, diced (this may even be a bit much...just go for how oniony you want it)
1 4 oz can diced green chiles
1/2 Tbsp cumin
1 Tbsp chili powder
Sprinkle of salt and pepper
1 10 oz can green enchilada sauce (I don't think I used the whole can. Just pour on how much you like)
Shredded colby jack cheese
8 flour tortillas
guacamole or sour cream for toppings (I made a basic guac but added some plain yogurt to make it a bit creamier)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Peel and dice potato. Throw in a sauce pan, cover with water, and sprinkle in some salt. Bring to a boil and boil until tender.

Combine tender diced potatoes, black beans, diced onion, green chiles, cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper in a bowl and mix.

Warm up tortillas in microwave to soften. Pour some green enchilada sauce in the bottom of a greased 9x13 casserole dish.

Spoon some mixture into a tortilla, sprinkle on some cheese, roll up, and place in the pan seam side down. Continue until mix is all gone.

Pour some more enchilada sauce over the top of the enchiladas (as much as you like), sprinkle some cheese on top, and throw in the oven - about 20-30 minutes.

Serve with guac and/or sour cream and enjoy!

Spicy Bean Burritos

These were good and really easy and fast. Perfect meatless meal for days that you're busy.  

Spicy Bean Burritos
Adapted rom Sarah's Fares and she got it from Annie's Eats

This is my rendition:

For the bean filling:
Olive oil 
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

Sweet onion, finely chopped (about 1/4 of an onion or so)

Red pepper, finely chopped (about 1/3 or so) 
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. minced chipotle in adobo sauce and 1 T sauce from can, optional (I've tried it both ways...the chipotle def adds some heat!)
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/3- 1/2 cup water
1 (15-oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15-oz.) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
4-6 T. salsa (fresh is best, but use whatever you have)

For serving:
6 (9- or 10-inch) flour tortillas, warmed
shredded cheese
diced tomatoes
shredded lettuce
avocados or guacamole
brown rice
plain greek yogurt

To make the bean filling, heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the onion and pepper. Saute for a bit until fragrant and tender. Add the garlic, chili powder, chipotle, cumin, and salt; stir, cooking just until fragrant, 30-60 seconds.  Add the beans and the water to the pan.  Bring the mixture to a boil.  Reduce the heat to medium-low and allow the mixture to simmer for 10 minutes.  Remove the skillet from the heat, stir in the salsa and the mash the mixture a bit with a spoon or fork.

Spoon about a third of a cup of the bean mixture down the center of each tortilla.  Top with lots of toppings. Yum yum! 

Sweet Potato Veggie Burgers

This was pretty good! I think it needs some polishing before I say very good though. Tyler ate it as long as it was smothered in ketchup. Mark said it tasted "healthy" which is his go to adjective for anything I make that is... wait for it ... healthy. Don't worry, he assures me healthy also means good - just not In-n-out or pizza good. He did eat two so it couldn't have been too horrible. I will make this man a health nut yet! My biggest complaint is that it needed more flavor so next time I will up the seasoning.  


Sweet Potato Veggie Burgers
From Healthy Happy Lifemakes 7-8 large patties

2 cans cannellini white beans, drained
1 large sweet potato, baked/peeled/mashed (about 2 cups)
2 Tbsp tahini (I think this may be a little much. I felt like I could taste this more than I could the sweet potato)
2 tsp maple or agave syrup
1 tsp lemon pepper seasoning OR Cajun seasoning (or another fave spice!) (I used both lemon pepper and some good ol' steak seasoning and next time I'm using more!)
1/4 cup wheat flour
optional: additional seasoning (whatever you have on hand - I used a few dashes cayenne, black pepper and a scoop of nutritional yeast) (I used powdered garlic, powdered onion, some chili powder, and nutritional yeast. I think seasoning salt would be good - maybe some cumin or something. Really I don't think you can go wrong. Like I said it definitely needs it for flavor).
salt to taste if needed

plentiful Panko crumbs
safflower oil for pan (I used olive oil)

burgers: avocado, Dijon mustard, grain buns, romaine, onion, (we also added tomato and ketchup).

Directions:

1. Bake sweet potato. Peel, place in large mixing bowl.
2. Add drained beans to mixing bowl. Mash beans and potato together.
3. Mash in seasoning, flour and any additional seasoning. Your mixture will be quite soft and moist. But you should be able to form a patty. Add more flour or a scoop of breadcrumbs - or dry rice to thicken the mixture if needed.
4. Heat 1 Tbsp safflower oil in a pan over high heat.
5. Form a patty from mixture and coat in Panko crumbs. Thick coating. Then drop the patty in the pan. Repeat until the pan is filled. Cook until browned on both sides. You could also bake. If baking, use less Panko.
6. Transfer cooked patties to paper towel. Cool for a few minutes.
7. Serve on toasted bun with lotsa toppings.