Cinco de Yummy!

This was our dinner for Cinco De Mayo tonight. I meant to put beans in the burritos but I didn't have any in cans and it was too late to cook up my dried beans. I ended up just warming some refried beans. I also didn't have very much ground beef so I did half ground beef and half Jimmy Dean regular sausage. And for our veggie, I shredded some lettuce. Hope you like it! I did take pictures. Jason enjoyed it, although from the pictures, it may not look that tasty.

Burrito Grande

1/2 lb ground beef
1 can spicy chili beans
1 t ground cumin
6 (8-inch) flour tortillas
2 1/2 cups Shredded cheese
1 cup taco sauce
Sour cream

1. Heat oven to 375(I used a small 8 inch pan so that it would fit in my toaster oven.) Spray  15x10x1 pan with cooking spray. (I also skipped this step since I browned the tortillas in a non-stick pan sprayed with pam... I figured more grease wasn't needed. I had no problem with sticking.)

2. In skillet, cook beef over medium-high heat until well browned. Drain. Add chili beans and cumin; mix well. (I, of course, skipped the chili beans step.)

3. Spoon sausage mixture down center of tortillas; sprinkle with 1 1/2 cups of cheese. Place in pan seam side down. Spoon taco sauce over burrito; sprinkle with remaining 1 cup cheese.

4. Bake 15-20 minutes or until hot. To serve, cut burrito into slices. Serve with sour cream.


Note: High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): In step 2, add chili beans and cumin, mix well and cook about 1 minute or until hot, stirring constantly. In step 3, do not spoon taco sauce or cheese over burrito. In step 4, bake 15 minutes, then add sauce and cheese over burrito and bake 5 to 10 minutes longer.


Spanish Rice

1/2 cup chopped green,yellow, or red sweet bell pepper
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 T minced fresh garlic
1 T minced fresh rosemary
2 T olive oil
1 cup long grain rice
1 cup of diced tomatoes, canned or fresh, if canned, no need to drain
1 t salt
1/8 t pepper


In skillet cook green pepper, onion, garlic, basil, and rosemary in hot oil till vegetables are tender. Stir in rice, chopped tomato, salt, pepper, and 2 cups water. Cook, covered, over low heat for about 20 minutes or till rice is done. Makes about 6 servings.
 

Now heat up sum beans(if they aren't in the burrito already), slice some lettuce, grab your sour cream, and feast! Happy Cinco de Mayo everyone!

Balsamic Portobello Burgers with Bell Pepper and Goat Cheese

With the weather getting warmer, I though I would share some of our most favorite grilling recipes. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

Serves 4.

• 1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for grates
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 red bell pepper (ribs and seeds removed), cut into 4 equal pieces
• 4-8 (depending on size) portobello mushrooms (about 1 pound total), stems removed
• 4 whole wheat hamburger buns
• 5 ounces fresh goat cheese
• 4 lettuce leaves

DIRECTIONS

1. In a shallow dish, whisk together oil, vinegar, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add bell pepper and mushrooms; toss gently to coat. Marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes (or refrigerate, up to overnight).
2. Heat grill to medium; lightly oil grates. Grill bell pepper, skin side down, until blackened, about 10 minutes; remove from grill. When cool enough to handle, remove and discard skin; set bell pepper aside. Grill mushrooms, covered, until lightly charred and tender, 3 to 4 minutes per side.
3. Dividing evenly, top bottom half of each bun with bell pepper, mushrooms, goat cheese, and lettuce. Close burgers, and serve immediately.

Copyright 2010 Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Grilled Chicken Stuffed with Basil and Tomato

Before grilling, soak the toothpicks or skewers in water for 30 minutes to prevent them from burning. Butterflying the chicken -- splitting each piece in half and fanning it open like a book -- creates two layers. They make tasty "sandwiches" with tomato and basil.

INGREDIENTS

Serves 4.

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 6 ounces each)
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• FOR THE STUFFING
• 12 fresh basil leaves, plus more for garnish
• 2 beefsteak tomatoes, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices

DIRECTIONS

1. Butterfly chicken breasts: Put halves on a cutting board, smooth sides down, with the pointed ends facing you. Starting on one long side, cut breasts almost in half horizontally (stop about 1/2 inch before reaching the opposite side). Open cut breasts like a book. Sprinkle each piece all over with 1/8 teaspoon salt; season with pepper. Transfer to a plate, and coat both sides with garlic and oil. Let stand 30 minutes.
2. Heat a grill or grill pan until medium-hot. Place 3 basil leaves on the bottom half of each opened chicken breast; top each with 2 slices tomato. Fold over other half of chicken breast, and secure with two toothpicks or short skewers.
3. Grill chicken breasts, turning once, until golden brown on both sides and no longer pink in the center, about 15 minutes. Place on a clean serving platter; garnish with basil. If desired, remove toothpicks or skewers before serving.

Copyright 2010 Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Grilled Orange Sesame Chicken and Vegetables

INGREDIENTS

Serves 6.

• 3 oranges
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 tablespoon white-wine vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
• 3 whole boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in half
• 2 pounds (2 bunches) asparagus, trimmed
• 6 small (1 3/4 to 2 pound) zucchini, cut on the diagonal 1/4-inch thick
• 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds

DIRECTIONS

1. Cut 1 orange into wedges (peel intact); set aside. Of the remaining 2 oranges, remove zest of 1 and juice of both; place zest and juice in a glass bowl. Add lemon juice, vinegar, pepper, and mustard; whisk. Slowly whisk in sesame oil; set aside.
2. Place chicken between two sheets of plastic wrap; pound with a meat tenderizer to 1/2 inch thick. Place chicken in a glass bowl; pour half reserved vinaigrette over chicken. Coat thoroughly, cover with plastic wrap, and chill 1 to 2 hours.
3. Heat a grill or grill pan until very hot. Coat asparagus and zucchini with olive oil; sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Grill vegetables and reserved orange wedges until tender. Remove chicken from marinade; season with remaining teaspoon salt; discard marinade. Grill until browned on both sides and cooked through. Arrange chicken and vegetables on platter; sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve with remaining reserved vinaigrette.

Copyright 2010 Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Holly's Hearty Whole Wheat Bread

My sister, Holly gave me this recipe and it's the best wheat bread recipe I've found yet. Sorry it's taken me so long to post it Jenn!

Mix:
1/3 C Warm Water
2 Tbsp. Honey
1 1/2 T Yeast

Let sit for five minutes. Add to:

4 C Nearly Scalding Milk
1/3 C Oil
1 Tbsp Salt
1/3-2/3 C Honey*
8 C Wheat Flour

Mix everything together and if dough is still sticky and wet, add additional Bread Flour until bread is no longer sticky. Once everthing is incorporated, let sit five minutes, then knead for ten minutes. Let dough sit for twenty minutes then form into loaves. Allow to rise to double then bake at 420 degrees for 12 minutes then 320 degrees for 20 minutes.

* We haven't quite decided how much honey to add; it really depends on how sweet you want it. I normally do about a half a cup and the bread turns out super tasty. Let me know what you think!

Pumpkin Bread

This is a fabulous recipe for Pumpkin Bread!

1 1/4 C Flour
1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt
1/8 tsp Allspice
1 tsp Cinnamon
1/8 tsp Nutmeg
1/4 tsp Ginger

Mix the dry ingredients together and set aside. Beat together the following ingredients.

1/4 C Vegetable Oil
1 C Sugar
1 Egg

After mixing, add 1 C Pumpkin Puree and mix, then add dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Optional: add 3/4 C Chopped Walnuts. Bake in greased pan at 350 degrees for 55-65 minutes.

Cheese Enchiladas

I found this recipe in one of my "Taste of Home" magazine. I love the from scratch enchilada sauce and they are cheesy and delicious!

Prep: 25 min
Bake :254 minutes
Makes 16 Enchiladas

2 Cans (15 oz each) tomato sauce
1 1/3 cup water
2 Tbsp chili powder
2 garlic gloves minced
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp ground cumin
16 flour tortillas (8 inches) warmed
4 cups monterey jack cheese, shredded
2 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded and divided
2 medium onions finely chopped
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup parsley
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
shredded lettuce, sliced olives, and additional sour cream

1. In a large saucepan, combine the first 6 ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 4-5 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally.
2. In a large bowl combine monterey jack, 2 cups cheddar cheese, onions, sour cream, parsley, salt and pepper.
3. Place 2 T of sauce on each tortilla then top with 1/3 c of filling. Roll up and place seam side down in 2 greased 13 x 9 baking dish. Pour remaining sauce over the top.
4. Bake uncovered at 350 F for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining cheddar cheese. Bake 4-5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Garnish with olives, sour cream, and lettuce if desired.