{easy three-bean vegetable chili} and {refried bean and avocado soft tacos}

Now, don't eat these two meals together.  HA! 

I am just behind on posting some recipes so I thought I'd give you two!

The chili is such a good throw it on the stove (or even in a crock pot) and let it cook recipe.  It makes a pretty large batch and freezes well.  We end up eating it for dinner, then lunch the next day, then dinner again.  And it is SO healthy.  Its full of tons of veggies.  Just a word of warning, you need to let it simmer at least 2 hours so plan accordingly. :)

Here is that recipe:

Easy Three-Bean Vegetable Chili (recipe from Eat to Live by Joel Furhman)

5 tsp          chili powder

1 tsp          ground cumin

10 oz         frozen onions

3 C            frozen broccoli

3 C            frozen cauliflower

3 cloves     garlic, chopped

1 can         pinto beans, no salt added (nsa) or low sodium (14.5 oz)

1 can         black beans, nsa or low sodium (14.5 oz)

1 can         red beans, nsa or low sodium (14.5 oz)

1 can         diced tomatoes, nsa (28 oz)

1 can         chopped mild green chills, drained (4 oz)

2 1/2 C      frozen or fresh corn kernels

2 large       zucchini, finely chopped (or a bag of frozen squash)

2 C            water, (or more depending on your preference)

All you do is dump everything in a large pot, cover, and simmer for 2 hours.  
When you are feeling frisky, you can change up the beans and veggies to give you some variety.  I love to add carrots and green beans, or add in black eyed peas.  Go crazy! :)

All ready to simmer!

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Every once and a while you need a good taco. 

I found this recipe at Whole Foods (they have a great plant-based section!) and gave it a try.
The recipe tells you to top it with lettuce, tomato, and avocado, but you could top it with your favorite salsa, corn, or whatever else you like too! (Just don't add cheese or sour cream!) If you aren't an avocado fan, just leave them off.  However, they do make a nice substitute for sour cream.

Refried Bean and Avocado Soft Tacos

1 medium     white onion diced

2 cloves        garlic, minced

1 1/2 C         low sodium vegetable broth, divided

1 can            pinto beans, nsa or low sodium (28 oz can or 2 14.5 oz cans)

1 1/2 tsp       ground cumin

1/2 tsp          ground black pepper

1/2 tsp          fine sea salt (I just use my regular sea salt)

8                   corn tortillas

2 C               shredded romaine lettuce

3                  roma tomatoes

1 1/2            avocados, thinly sliced

Heat a large skillet over medium heat until hot.  Add onion and garlic and cook 3 to 4 minutes or until beginning to stick to skillet.  Stir in 1/2 cup broth and continue to cook 6-8  minutes or until onion is translucent and very tender.  Reduce heat to medium-low, add beans and cook 2 to 3 minus to soften, stirring frequently.  Mash beans with a potato masher.  Stir in remaining broth, cumin, pepper, and salt. Cook 2 minutes longer or until warmed through, stirring occasionally and adding water or more broth as needed for desired consistency.

**Tip - I did not use all of the veggie broth.  Add a little at a time until you get desired consistency.  I liked it just thick enough to hold together, not runny.
**Tip 2 - warm tortillas in the microwave between two damp paper towels. :)

Bon appétit!

much love,

bc

Tasty Thursdays! Chicken and Veggie Pasta

I love the Hungry Girl website! They give you healthy swaps for your favorite foods! Its awesome. One recipe I have found is for Chicken and Veggie Pasta. It replaces a dish from the Cheesecake Factory that packs almost 2000 calories. This version, however, only has around 274 calories for a serving.

So here's what you need:

1/2 box of healthy pasta (whole wheat or something like it)
2 boneless skinless lean chicken breasts
1/4 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp. salt, divided, or more to taste
1/8 tsp. black pepper, or more to taste
20 asparagus spears, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 2 1/2 cups)
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained and thinly sliced
1 tsp. chopped garlic
1 tbsp. light whipped butter or light buttery spread
1 tbsp. reduced-fat grated cheese topping


Cook pasta and set aside.

Bring a skillet sprayed with nonstick spray to medium-high heat on the stove. Add chicken and season with Italian seasoning, 1/8 tsp. salt, and pepper. Cook for about 4 minutes per side, until fully cooked.

Remove chicken from the skillet. Once cool enough to handle, slice chicken and set aside.

Remove skillet from heat, re-spray, and return to medium-high heat. Add asparagus and 2 tbsp. water. Cover and cook for 4 minutes.

Remove cover and add tomatoes and garlic to the skillet. Stirring occasionally, cook until veggies are tender, about 4 minutes.

Add noodles to the skillet, stir, and cook just until any excess water has evaporated and noodles are hot, about 2 minutes.

Add butter, remaining 1/8 tsp. salt, and sliced chicken to the skillet. Cook and stir until ingredients are well mixed and butter has melted, about 1 minute.

Add grated cheese topping and mix well. If you like, season to taste with additional salt and pepper.

(makes 2 servings!)

I hope you enjoy!!!

Share your recipes...
Love,
bc

I've Got Some Baby Squash!

I planted my first attempt at a home vegetable garden about a month ago. And I've been faithfully watering and fretting ever since. I am trying to keep this garden organic, but do you know how many bugs there are?? Its a little ridiculous. I found some botanical insecticide and I am going to give that a try this weekend. Hopefully that will clear out all the unwanted visitors. Now that I have some baby squash growing, I don't want to lose them. Does maternal instinct extend to vegetation?

This is my garden as a whole. Its pretty small. There is some zucchini, yellow squash, green peppers, red peppers, and a few herbs. The four squash plants are taking over though. I had no idea they would get so huge!



Anyway, I thought I would share a couple of pictures of the adorable baby squash. I haven't seen many vegetables growing in person, so its cool to see them in my very own garden. I have two plants of the yellow squash and each plant has one little squash growing.

Look!:





So we will see how this goes. Hopefully they will survive and taste delicious. I really have no idea what I am doing. Its quite humorous. Between a couple of gardening books and google, we will get through this. If anyone has any tips, I would surely appreciate it.