Black Bean and Corn Topped Potatoes

I'm am all for quick and simple dinner ideas that taste good. 

This recipe hits the mark with all three; it can be prepared in under 30 minutes, it's easy to make, and it tastes delicious. Plus, it's meat-free and the ingredients are inexpensive and probably what you already have in your kitchen. 

My kids really liked these bean topped potatoes. The potato toppings have a Mexican food undertone with the cumin and cilantro but you can add a dash or two of hot sauce to spice it up as the current recipe doesn't have much heat. Enjoy!

Black Bean and Corn-Topped Potatoes

4 medium potatoes
cooking spray
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
15 ounces black beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups frozen whole kernel corn
1 1/2 cups salsa
1/4 cup (or more) shredded cheddar cheese or Mexican blend
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
salt and pepper to taste

Wash potatoes and poke a few times with a fork. Arrange potatoes in a circle in the microwave; cook on high for 10 minutes or until soft.

While the potatoes cook, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray; add onion, garlic, cumin, chili powder, and salt and pepper to taste. Saute three minutes or until onions become translucent. Reduce heat to low and add beans, corn, and salsa; cook four minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Once the potatoes are cooled to the touch, spray a 9x13 baking pan with cooking spray. Slice the potatoes in half lengthwise and place in baking dish. Top each potato half with a generous spoonful of bean mixture, a sprinkle of cheese and pinch of cilantro. It will seem like a lot of bean filling but the more the better as it will cook down. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted.

Cooked Mexican Pinto Beans

In my attempt to serve more meatless dinners as well as learning to cook with dried beans I found this yummy recipe. I'm sure it is just an average mexican pinto bean recipe but I have always wanted to learn how to make refried beans without the 'refried' and I was so happy when my first attempt was successful! Even my picky 2 year old ate a whole bowl!

Refried Beans (without the Refry)
Recipe and photo from AllRecipes

Ingredients

• 1 onion, peeled and halved
• 3 cups dry pinto beans, rinsed
• 1/2 fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped (I used 1 can diced green chili peppers)
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 5 teaspoons salt
• 1 3/4 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cumin, optional
• 9 cups water

Directions

1. Place the onion, rinsed beans, jalapeno, garlic, salt, pepper, and cumin into a slow cooker. Pour in the water and stir to combine. Cook on High for 8 hours, adding more water as needed. Note: if more than 1 cup of water has evaporated during cooking, then the temperature is too high.
2. Once the beans have cooked, strain them, and reserve the liquid. Mash the beans with a potato masher, adding the reserved water as needed to attain desired consistency. 

My Notes: I cut my onion into maybe 8 pieces so that it would mash easier with the beans at the end. Cooked beans can end up very bland so just be sure to add salt to taste. I also added a few sprinkles of hot sauce to give it more pep.

Nutritional Information Per Serving:  Calories: 139 | Total Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 0mg

(Sorry I don't know the serving size. This recipe makes 15 servings so I would assume a serving is about 1/2 to 3/4 cup)

Chili Seasoning Mix

I love a warm meal on a cold winter's night. This past week we've had a lot of rain and chilly weather so for Sunday dinner I decided to make some yummy chili. I have tried so many different chili recipes and purchased mixes and this recipe compares with the rest. This was a tasty chili mix that we all enjoyed and plan to use again. I found this recipe on 'Our Best Bites' as a bulk mix recipe to give in gift bags as cute holiday gifts.

Chili Seasoning Mix Recipe from OurBestBites.com
This makes one gift serving, so multiply by however many you'd like to package up. **You only need 4 Tablespoons for a normal-sized chili meal so I quartered this recipe my first time. Now that I know we like the flavors of this mix I'm going to mix a larger batch and save it for future use.

1/2 C chili powder
1/4 C ground cumin
2 T garlic salt
2 T dried oregano leaves
1 T ground coriander
1 t cayenne pepper or chipotle chili powder (add more if you like spicy chili)

If you are making a big batch, make sure to mix it very well so all of the spices get evenly distributed.




Hearty Chili

1 lb ground beef, turkey or sausage (you can leave out the beef to make it a vegetarian chili)
1 onion, diced
1 red or green bell pepper, diced
4 T chili seasoning mix
2 16oz cans pinto beans (I sometimes even use black beans)
2 16 oz cans kidney beans
1 28oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 14oz can beef broth

Drain and rinse beans and set aside. Combine meat and onion in large pot over med-high heat and cook until browned. Drain and discard fat. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally.


*I made this by soaking and cooking kidney beans on low over night in the crock pot. This morning I put the remaining ingredients in and let them all cook on low until dinner. I just love a Sunday dinner that cooks itself!

Crispy Black Bean Tacos with Feta and Cabbage Slaw

I love feta! I love it on fresh green salads, in greek pita pockets, and now in black bean tacos with slaw. It really adds a great flavor to this fun little meatless taco. Enjoy!

Crispy Black Bean Tacos with Feta and Cabbage Slaw
(Bon Appetit)

Ingredients:
1 15 oz. can of black beans, drained
1/2 Tsp ground cumin
5 Tsp olive oil, divided
1 Tbsp lime juice
2 Cups coleslaw mix (I used fresh shredded cabbage)
2 green onions, chopped
1/3 Cup cilantro, chopped
4 white or yellow corn tortillas
1/3 Cup crumbled feta cheese
Bottled hot sauce

Place beans and cumin in a bowl; partially mash. Mix 2 teaspoons olive oil and lime juice in a medium bowl; add coleslaw, green onions, cilantro and toss to coat. Season slaw to taste with salt and pepper.

Heat 3 teaspoons olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-heat. Add tortillas in a single layer. Spoon 1/4 of bean mixture onto each tortilla; cook 1 minute. Fold tacos in half. Cook until golden brown, about 1 minute per side. Fill tacos with feta, slaw and hot sauce.

*Jayne's Notes: I used fresh flour tortillas instead of frying the corn tortillas for less fat. The bottled hot sauce of choice in our family is Tapatio and a shake of it tasted great on this taco.