Mexican pizza and this weeks menu

One of my goals for this year is to do better with menu planning....when I say do better, I mean actually start menu planning.  Several years ago I would plan my menu out a month at a time, it is SO nice to have a menu plan.  Most of the time I enjoy cooking....but I really dread trying to decide what to make for dinner everyday and find that I make the same things over and over.  I also find myself going to the grocery store nearly everyday when I don't have a plan.

I am going to try to plan for 6 meals with one night for leftovers.  I am going to try a new recipe(to us) each week.  

I am going to share my menu for the previous week here with you.  You can see how boring we are :) ...and maybe get some ideas for dinner at your house.

I am sharing last weeks menu, so I can share our new recipe of the week with you and let you know how it went. 

Menu:

Monday:  Chicken Enchiladas

Tuesday:  Mexican Pizza (recipe below)

Wednesday:  Steak Bites, Pasta w/ browned butter and Parmesan Cheese, and veggies

Thursday:  Leftovers

Friday:  Breakfast Burritos

Saturday:  Homemade Pizza

SO....Saturday night we ended up eating frozen pizza and bell peppers.  Just didn't have time for homemade pizza and 2 of the boys were at friends parties....

The Mexican pizza was a huge hit and will definitely be added to the rotation on a frequent basis!

I found this recipe at Domestic Superhero.  She has great step-by-step pictures.  My family really LOVED this dinner!!

Mexican Pizza

Ingredients(for 5 medium size pizzas):

10 medium flour tortillas

~2 cans refried beans...canned from the store or make your own

1 small can red enchilada sauce (I used Macayo's brand), I only used ~1/2 small can for 5 pizzas

cheese

diced tomatoes

avocado

sour cream

Directions:  Adjust your ingredients depending on how many pizzas you will be making.  Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  Heat your tortillas on a griddle or skillet until they get crispy, turn them frequently so they don't burn.  Spread a layer of beans on half of the tortillas, top with the other half.  Spread a layer of enchilada sauce on the top tortilla and sprinkle with cheese and diced tomatoes.  Place pizzas on baking sheets and bake for 8-10 minutes.  I had my pizzas on 2 large baking sheets and rotated the pans at 5 minutes.  I baked my for 10 minutes and then put them under the broiler for a couple of minutes to brown the cheese.  I served my with sour cream and diced avocado.

What are you making for dinner this week?  Please share ideas with me in the comments :)

Black Beans

Today I am going to share with you a couple of my favorite things....black bean flakes and instant black beans.  We LOVE these!!!  Especially for backpacking!  We took these with us when we hiked to Havasupai(you can read more about that here, here and here) and ate them everyday.  Black beans are SO healthy....you can read more about their health benefits here.

 

 

I love these because they are light for backpacking and SO easy to prepare!!  To prepare the flake, you simply add 1/3 cup boiling water to 1/3 cup of the bean flakes....stir and let sit for 5 minutes! 

 

For the instant beans you boil them in water until they are tender....the amount of water depends on how 'soupy' you enjoy your beans.  If you add too much water, you can boil them until the extra evaporates.

 

We love these for backpacking, but I also love to cook up the flakes at home.  I spread them on a tortilla(after preparing the beans), add cheese and make quesadillas.  My boys love them!!

 

We order ours online at Barry Farm Foods.  They have all kinds of other dried, dehydrated, etc. foods.  We have tried their beans and also some of their dried peppers.

Shrimp Soup with Chili Tortilla Strips

 I LOVED this soup!!  It is so yummy and a nice light soup for spring and summer.  I found it in my Better Homes and Gardens magazine....you can also find it on their website...here.  Look how pretty their picture below looks :)  My picture below that does not do this soup justice...haha..I am terrible at photographing anyway, especially when it comes to soup.

Better Homes and Gardens picture

My picture :)  Not as pretty, but still delicious!!

Shrimp Soup with Chili Tortilla Strips

 

Ingredients:

1 large poblano pepper, seeded and chopped (about 1 cup)

1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon vegetable or olive oil

1 quart reduced-sodium chicken broth

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 12 ounce package frozen shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 cup frozen corn

1 15 ounce can cannellini beans (white kidney beans), rinsed and drained

1/4 cup snipped fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons lime juice

1 small avocado, halved, seeded, peeled, and thinly sliced or chopped

1 Recipe Chili Tortilla Strips

 

Directions:  In a 4- to 5- quart Dutch oven cook poblano pepper, onion, and garlic in hot oil until just tender. Add broth, salt and crushed red pepper. Bring to boiling. Add frozen shrimp, corn and drained beans; return to boil.  Simmer, uncovered, about 2 minutes or until shrimp are opaque. Stir in cilantro and lime juice. Serve in shallow bowls topped with avocado and Chili Tortilla Strips.

 

Chili Tortilla Strips

Ingredients: 

8 to 9 inch flour tortillas

vegetable oil - I use canola oil

chili powder

 

Directions:  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Brush one side of two 8- to 9-inch flour tortillas with vegetable oil; sprinkle with chili powder. With a pizza wheel, cut into strips and wedges. Place in a single layer on a very large baking sheet. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until crisp.

Chicken-Chipotle Burrito Bowls

This is going to be quick...I found the recipe here.  Sorry this picture isn't really focused...my camera battery is almost dead(like flashing battery light) and I can not find my charger anywhere!

I made this for dinner last night and it was SO good and SO easy!!  Next time I would add a little salt to the tomato mixture.  This is great in a bowl or wrapped up in a tortilla for lunch the next day.  The recipe said that it would feed 4, but if you make extra rice....I would say it will easily serve 6.

Chicken-Chipotle Burrito Bowls

Ingredients:

1 lb	Boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cubed
1	(15-oz.) Can Black Beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup	Frozen Corn
2 cups	Canned, crushed tomatoes
1– 2 tsp	Finely Chopped Canned Chipotle Chile Peppers In Adobo Sauce
½ tsp	Ground Cumin
1 Tbsp	Chopped Fresh Cilantro
1 clove	Garlic, minced
4	Corn Tortillas, cut or torn into bite-sized pieces
2 cups	Hot Cooked White Rice
	Reduced-fat Dairy Sour Cream, optional
	Reduced-fat Shredded Cheddar or Monterrey Jack Cheese (optional)
	Fresh Cilantro, optional

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13-inch glass baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

Arrange chicken in an even layer in baking dish. In a bowl combine beans, corn, tomatoes, chipotle chili peppers, cumin, cilantro, and garlic; pour mixture evenly over chicken. Sprinkle with tortilla pieces.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until chicken is tender and no longer pink.

To serve, divide rice evenly among four serving bowls. Top with chicken mixture. Garnish with sour cream, shredded cheese, and cilantro, if desired.

Mexican Pinto Bean Dip

This bean dip is easy and delicious!!  It calls for cooked pinto beans...I cooked a big batch in my crock pot to use for this recipe and some others, but you could also use canned pinto beans(rinsed and drained). 

Mexican Pinto Bean Dip

Ingredients:

3 cups pinto beans, Cooked
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup Monterrey jack cheese, Shredded
1/2 cup chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salsa verde, Hot Green Salsa

Directions:  Puree the beans to a coarse paste in a blender or food processor or mash by hand.  Place the bean paste in a sauce pan with the water and heat.  Mix in all the other ingredients, blending well, and simmer until the cheese is melted, about 5 minutes.

Put in dish and serve hot.

Crock Pot Cream Cheese Chicken Chili

Seriously, I have the hardest time getting a decent picture of chili, soup, enchiladas...etc....so this picture does not do this recipe justice!!  I found this recipe here from Plain Chicken.  If you want to see some great pictures of this dish that will make you drool....go HERE to see them.  This recipe is easy and really delicious!!

Crock Pot Cream Cheese Chicken Chili

Ingredients:

1 can black beans
1 can corn, undrained
1 can Rotel, undrained
1 package ranch dressing mix
1 tsp cumin
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 8 oz package light cream cheese
2 chicken breasts

Directions:  Drain and rinse black beans. Place chicken at bottom of pot, then pour out whole can of corn (undrained), rotel, and black beans. Top with seasonings and ranch mix. Stir together. Place cream cheese on top. Cover with lid and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Stir cream cheese into chili. Use 2 forks to shred chicken. Stir together and serve.

7 layer tostada

I love to cook a crock pot full of beans early in the week, then use them for several meals later on.  I originally posted the recipe for the smashed beans(refried beans...just no frying about them) here.  I still make them the pretty much the same, however, if I have an onion and fresh garlic, I use that instead of the garlic salt and onion powder.  I just add three or four garlic cloves and 1/2 to a whole onion in when I add the beans to the crock pot and let them cook while the beans cook.  Since I puree them in my food processor later...the garlic and onion get blended in nicely.  When I blend the beans I add salt to taste.  Also, I very rarely add the bacon grease anymore.  These beans are SO good.  Maybe I should just re-post the recipe with all the measurements I use now...I think I use more chili powder and cumin now too....I don't really measure, just dump some in.

A month or so ago, I was at the store buying tostada shells to use with our beans and thought I would make them like a 7 layer bean dip, but on a tostada shell.  They were a bit hit at our house.  I make my guacamole real fancy....smash the avocado out of the shell, add lime juice, salt and pepper to taste and then mix well :)  Also, my kids would prefer to substitute salsa for the tomatoes.  Of course the amount of ingredients will depend on if there are 2 of you or 10.

7 layer tostadas

Ingredients:

• tostada shells
• smashed beans...if you use a can of refried beans, you will want to add some taco seasoning for flavor
• guacamole
• sour cream
• shredded cheese
• sliced olives
• chopped tomatoes....or salsa
• slice green onions

Directions:  Heat your beans and layer ingredients in order from top bullet to bottom.

Do you have a favorite way to make guacamole?  Please share :)

Crock Pot Chicken Burritos

I love dinners that I can throw the ingredients in the crock pot and forget about it!!  When I saw this recipe at A Cookbook Blog, I knew my family would love it!  My crock pot must cook hotter than most...because cooking on low, my chicken would have been cooked through in 3...maybe 4 hours.  I put my chicken in the crock pot a couple of hours before I went to church Sunday and when I got home it was cooked and also a little dry(had been in the crock pot on low for ~6 hours)....SO I ended up adding about a cup of chicken stock so that the rice would have some liquid to cook in.  In the end it turned out great!! 

Crock Pot Chicken Burritos

Ingredients:

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast (can be frozen)

1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup salsa
1 cup minute rice (or regular rice, but will have to adjust cooking time)
1 can beans (I used black beans, I also rinse my beans first)

Directions:Combine chicken, soup and salsa. Let cook on low for 4-6 hours or high for 3-4 (may need to cook longer if you start with frozen chicken). Chicken is done when it falls apart when squeezed with a pair of tongs. Shred chicken up and add rice and beans. If using minute rice, cook for 15 more minutes. If using real rice, you will need to cook for about an hour.

Serve on flour tortillas with lettuce, more salsa, sour cream, tomatoes, and any other toppings you would like.

**I adjusted the cooking time from the original recipe.

Green Chili Bean Dip

Remember when I said that I have A LOT of green chili?  We LOVE green chili and use it in SO many things...salsa, green chili burros, chicken sandwiches, Chicken Enchiladas Creamas Verde and now I will be adding this dip to our green chili line-up.

Try not to judge it by the looks of this picture -k-  I should really work on my food photography skills:)  If only my cousin Tracey lived closer, so that I could get some lessons!

Green Chili Bean Dip

Ingredients:

1 can refried beans 

1 can ro-tel tomatoes

12 ounces Velveeta cheese

1/2 cup chopped roasted green chilies

Directions:  Heat all ingredients in a saucepan, until warm and cheese has melted.

Crock pot Burritos

WELL....I'm not sure why this keeps posting with the format all messed up. I'm going to post it anyway. If you have any suggestions on how to fix it, let me know. I found this recipe over at Tried and True with Heidi. As soon as I saw this, I knew my family would LOVE it!! It is really easy too.

Crock pot Burritos

Ingredients:

• 
  
  1 lb. ground beef, cooked and drained


• 
  
  1 envelope taco seasoning


• 
  
  2 cans refried beans


• 
  
  1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce


• 
  
  3/4 cup water


• 
  
  flour tortillas


• 
  
  toppings of choice (lettuce, cheese, sour cream, black olives)

Directions: Mix first 5 ingredients in a greased crock pot. Cover and cook on low 6-10 hours. Place in flour tortillas with your choice of toppings. Roll up and enjoy.

Smashed Pinto Beans

This is for Kali. Sorry it took me so long to post this. I finally made a batch of beans and actually measured the seasonings so that I could share. Usually when I make a pot(crock pot) of beans I puree most of the batch in my food processor for some yummy, creamy beans. This time I saved some to mash with the potato masher, for a little less creamy consistency, so that I could use them in this recipe. Well....they were SO good, we ate them all before I got around the the other recipe. Guess I'll try it again this week:)

So...here it goes...this is how I cook beans:)

I rinse and soak 3 cups of beans for ~ an hour or longer(depending on how much time I have). Then I rinse them again, put them in the crock pot with 3 T bacon grease and cover them with 3 inches of water. If I need to add more water later in the day, I bring it to a boil in the microwave before adding it to the crock pot. I cook the beans on high for 5-6 hours, or until I can easily smash one of the beans between my finger and the countertop...make sense?:)

When the beans have about 1/2 hour left to cook I add the following: 5 jalapeno rings(from the jar, you could use fresh jalapeno), 1/2 T seasoning salt, 1/2 T garlic salt, 1/2 t onion powder, 1/2 t cumin and 1 T chili powder.

After that cooks for about 1/2 hour, I scoop out the beans with a slotted spoon to the food processor and puree with ~ 1 cup of cheese. I add liquid from the beans as I puree until I get my desired consistency.

Red Enchilada Sauce

I know I've posted about bean and cheese burros with red sauce before. Here is the recipe for red sauce that we use. It is adapted from a recipe that came from my uncle(Thanks Kurt and thanks Nicole for sending it to me:)).

If I was only making this for myself and my husband, I would add some cayenne. The kids don't like it as hot so, I stick with only chili powder. I usually sprinkle a little cayenne pepper on top of my husband's burrito.

We really love this meal it is cheap and easy! I cook one pound of beans in the crock pot and then add the beans, cheese, some chili powder, garlic powder, onion salt and jalapeno to the food processor and blend away. Then the beans are all ready to spread on the tortillas and roll them up.


Check out the burrito in the top part of this top picture. Almost every time I make tortillas, I forget about the last one, leaving it to cook on the griddle until crisp. It is hard to get a crispy tortilla to roll nicely around the beans.

Red Enchilada Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 4 T flour
• 6 T chili powder (I used 3 T reg. chili powder and 3 T pasilla de ancho powder)
• 2 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes, pureed in blender or food processor until smooth
• 1 (14 oz) can of chicken broth (or just under two cups)
• 1 t ground cumin
• 1 t garlic powder
• 1 t onion salt

Directions: Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in flour and chili powder, reduce heat to medium, cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent burning the flour. Gradually stir in pureed tomatoes, chicken broth, and spices into flour and chili powder until smooth. Continue cooking over medium heat approximately 10 minutes, or until thickened slightly. Season to taste with salt.

**This makes a large batch. I used it to make a 9" x 13" pan of bean burros with red sauce and had 1 pint left over. The sauce is so yummy and really good mixed in with the pureed beans and served as a bean dip.

Hearty Fiesta Bean Soup

This soup is simple and delicious!

I found this recipe in my local Basha's Ad yesterday. My son actually made the soup to pass off a cub scout requirement. He did a GREAT job:)

Hearty Fiesta Bean Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 (15 oz) can chicken or vegetable broth (I used chicken)
• 1 (16 oz) can fat-free refried beans
• 1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15.25 oz) can corn, drained and rinsed
• 1 (10 oz) can tomatoes & chilies, like RO*TEL (I used the 15 oz generic brand petite diced tomatoes with green chilies)

Directions: Put the broth and refried beans into a soup pot and heat, while whisking together, until the beans have incorporated fully into the broth.

Add the rest of the ingredients and heat, while stirring until the soup is boiling.

Serve with cilantro, cheese, sour cream and a couple dashes of Tabasco.

Beef and Black Bean Burgers

These little burgers were SO yummy! This is a great recipe to make your beef stretch. And the black beans add some extra fiber.

I actually made my little burgers with elk meat, but of course beef would be equally great(or more great depending on your taste:)). I have a freezer full of buffalo, elk and venison...so I use wild game in most of my recipes. I do occasionally buy beef if I am cooking for someone other than my family. My husband is a hunter, so we are always well supplied with red meat.

I thought I took several pictures of these little burgers, but only had a couple. I was in a hurry to get these to the family and the battery on my camera was almost dead. We will be eating these again soon, so I'll try again:) Sorry this one is SO blurry!

Beef and Black Bean Burgers

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 cup black beans, rinsed, drained and slightly mashed
• 1 cup cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup grated onion
• 1 jalapeno, grated or chopped
• 1 1/2 t. McCormick's Grill Mates Montreal steak seasoning
• buns (I used Molly's roll recipe and made mini buns)
• Your favorite burger toppings

Directions: Mix first 6 ingredients together. Form into patties and grill. Place the patties on the buns and top with your favorite burger toppings. Makes ~5-6 servings

Bean and Cheese Burritos with Red Sauce

We love beans at our house!! I usually cook a crock pot full of beans at LEAST once a week and then use it for a couple of different meals throughout the week. Bean and cheese burritos with red sauce is one of our favorites. They are quick, easy and cheap! I am planning to cook up another pot full of beans tomorrow. Maybe I'll get some pictures and let you know how WE cook up our beans.

I took this pictures AFTER my husband had already started to devour, I mean eat his burrito. I have a couple of different recipes for homemade red sauce that I will be trying out soon. IF the recipe or recipes prove to be something my family enjoys, you'll hear about it here:)

Bean and Cheese Burritos w/ Red Sauce

Ingredients:

• Beans
• Cheese
• Tortillas
• Red sauce(enchilada sauce)
• Toppings..(salsa, shredded lettuce, sour cream, sliced olives)

Directions: Spray cooking spray into a baking dish and pour a thin layer of red sauce to coat the bottom of the dish. Spread your beans onto your tortilla(I puree my beans in the food processor and spread them like THICK butter). I happened to have some whole black beans that I had cooked earlier in the week and needed to use up, so I threw some of those on too. Add some cheese and roll up. Place the burrito in the baking dish and continue until you have the desired amount of burritos. Top with red sauce. We like a lot of red sauce and the tortillas seem to soak it up, so I add A LOT:). Top with cheese and bake at 375 until hot, bubbly and the cheese starts to brown. Place the burrito on a plate and top.

Chicken Taco Salad

I used more of my shredded Crock pot Chicken for this recipe. A friend of mine gave me a recipe for chicken tacos that is similar to this that I can't wait to try. I adapted the taco recipe for this.

Chicken Taco Salad

Ingredients:

• 3 slices bacon
• 1 1/2 cups shredded chicken
• 2 T brown sugar
• 1 cup salsa
• lettuce
• toppings: sliced olives, chopped avocado, black beans, salsa, ranch dip(sour cream with the ranch powder mixed in), fried corn tortilla strips, a squeeze of lime

Directions: Cut the bacon up into small pieces and fry in a large frying pan until cooked. Drain bacon reserving 2 T of the bacon grease in the pan. Add the chicken to the bacon grease and cook until warm. Add the brown sugar, salsa and bacon to the chicken. Place the chicken mixture on top of each bowl of lettuce and top with your favorite toppings. I liked using the ranch dip rather than regular sour cream.

For the tortilla strips, I cut corn tortillas into strips and fried them in my 'cool' new frying thing my husband gave me for Christmas, then put them in a zip-loc bag with some cumin and garlic salt. Shake and serve. I have also(before the cool new frying thing) cooked them on a baking sheet. Spray them with cooking spray, sprinkle with cumin and garlic salt and bake at 425 until they start to brown and crisp up. I turn them once or twice with a spatula.

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

This is one recipe I made from my shredded crock pot chicken.

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Ingredients:

• 12-15 corn tortillas
• 3 cups mashed pinto beans
• 2 cups shredded chicken
• 3 T oil, plus more to fry tortillas
• 1/2 onion, chopped (1-2 cups, my onion was large and was 2 cups)
• 1 jalapeno, chopped
• 4 tomatillos, chopped
• 1/3 cup green chili, chopped
• 1 T garlic powder
• 2 t cumin
• 2 t chili powder
• 1 t basil
• 1 t salt
• 1/2 t black pepper
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 3 T cornstarch
• 2 oz. cream cheese
• 2-3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• garnish: shredded lettuce, sour cream, salsa, lime wedges, cilantro

Directions: Saute onion, jalapeno, tomatillo and green chili in oil until soft. Once they are soft puree them in the blender or food processor until smooth(you can leave them chunky if you like). Add the puree to a large pot. Mix cornstarch with the chicken stock and add to the puree. Add seasonings and chicken. Cook until the mixture begins to thicken. Add the cream cheese and cook until melted. Spray a 9x13 casserole dish with cooking spray and layer the chicken mixture, then tortillas, beans, cheese, chicken mixture.(I did 3 layers) Top with 1-2 cups of salsa and cheese. Bake at 375 until it starts to bubble and the cheese begins to brown, approx. 25 minutes. I only used a small amount of cheese, but adjust for your taste. I fried my tortillas in small amount of oil and then patted the extra oil off with a paper towel before layering the tortillas. Serve with shredded lettuce, sour cream, salsa, cilantro and a squeeze of fresh lime.

Beef Fajita Quesadillas

This is how we used up our leftover beef fajita meat, peppers and onions. These were SO good! I think the boys enjoyed these more than the fajitas, since the peppers and onions weren't so noticeable:)

Beef Fajita Quesadillas

Ingredients:

• Beef fajita leftovers, chopped
• pinto beans
• cheese
• lime
• tortillas
• salsa
• sour cream

Directions: Place tortilla on griddle. Layer with beans, fajita meat, lime juice(squeeze a lime wedge over meat and beans), cheese and top with another tortilla. Cook until the bottom tortilla starts to brown. Flip over and finish cooking until heated through. Serve with salsa and sour cream.

Quesadillas

We eat tacos and bean burritos quite often at our house. These are two inexpensive and easy meals. This past week I have tried to make the beans and taco meat into something that looks like a whole different meal:) So hear you go. Next time you make taco meat or cook a pot of beans try serving them up this way:)

Taco Quesadilla Rolls

Ingredients:

• Prepared Taco Meat
• Tortillas
• Cheese
• Salsa
• Sour Cream
• Lettuce

Directions: Warm tortilla on a griddle or a large frying pan. Add cheese and taco meat to the top of the tortilla. Roll the tortilla up and let sit on the griddle/frying pan. Roll until all sides of the tortilla are warm and getting crunchy. Serve with salsa, sour cream and shredded lettuce.

Layered Bean and Cheese Quesadillas

Ingredients:

• Refried beans, or prepared beans(see below)
• Tortillas (I used 5 large tortillas)
• Cheese
• Salsa
• Sour Cream
• Cilantro

Directions: Warm tortilla on griddle or large frying pan and spread with beans and cheese. Top with another tortilla. When the bottom tortilla is warm and getting crispy, flip the 'stack'. Top the crispy tortilla with beans and cheese and another tortilla. When the bottom tortilla is warm and getting crispy flip again. Repeat for desired number of layers. I did 5 tortillas with 4 layers of beans and cheese. These were SO yummy!! We loved the crispy tortilla layers!! For the beans: I cooked a pot of beans and put them in the food processor to make them smooth.

Black Bean Chili and Corn Bread Muffins

I still had some black beans from this weeks big batch to use up and decided to make some chili. I know it is not really chili weather, but the monsoon storms have kept the temperatures nice and mild here. I took advantage of one of those stormy nights to whip this one up. Ever since my sister sent me some silicone mini-muffin pans, I love making all kinds of muffins in them. I love to just walk by and grab a mouthful:) Unfortunately I probably eat a lot more that way, actually not probably....definitely:)

Black Bean Chili

Ingredients:

• 3 cups of cooked black beans
• 1 can petite chopped tomatoes
• 1 T Cajun seasoning
• 1 T chili powder
• 1 4 oz can of green chili
• 1/2 chopped green bell pepper
• 1/2 chopped onion
• 1 T olive oil
• 1 pound ground beef

Directions: Saute onion and bell pepper in olive oil until tender. Add meat and cook. Depending on the % of fat your meat has, you may want to drain off some excess fat. When you have finished cooking the meat add green chili, beans, tomatoes and seasonings. Cook until hot. Serve with cheese, sour cream, cilantro and corn bread muffins.

I used fresh roasted green chili that I pulsed a few times in my food processor. I also added one fresh tomato that needed to be used from the garden.

For the Cajun season I mix up the following: 1/4 c salt, 3 T garlic powder, 3 T fresh ground black pepper, 1/4 t cayenne pepper, 1 T paprika. I put this in a jar and use it for all kinds of things.

Mini Corn Bread Muffins

Ingredients:

• 1/2 c corn meal
• 1/2 c flour
• 2 t baking powder
• 2 T sugar
• 1/2 t salt
• 1 egg
• 1/2 c milk
• 2 T canola oil

Directions: Mix dry ingredients together. Beat egg slightly, add milk and oil. Combine with dry ingredients, stirring only until moist. Spoon batter into mini muffin pans. Bake at 425 for approx. 10 minutes(adjust time if making regular size muffins).