black bean burrito bake

I was making this for lunch today and realized I have never posted about it. This is weird, because I eat it a lot. Mostly because I can make it two times with the groceries from it, making it a major budget plus. Also it's just really yummy.

I seem to make things every couple of weeks that require one chipotle chili in adobo sauce and the cans include about five or six. It feels wasteful to throw the rest out and buy more each time, so instead I do this- line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, then spoon out each chili with about a teaspoon of sauce a couple inches away from each other. Then put it in the freezer to harden, and ultimately put them in a baggie in the freezer to use whenever you need. This is probably just common sense to most people, but it was pretty huge for me.

Black Bean Burrito Bake
from Cooking Light
  
1 (7-ounce) can chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed, drained, and divided
1 cup frozen whole-kernel corn, thawed
4 (8-inch) flour tortillas
Cooking spray
1 cup bottled salsa
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Preheat oven to 350°.
Remove one chile from can. Chop chile. Reserve remaining adobo sauce and chiles for another use. Combine sour cream and chile in a medium bowl; let stand 10 minutes.
Place half of beans in a food processor; process until finely chopped. Add chopped beans, remaining beans, and corn to sour cream mixture.
Spoon 1/2 cup bean mixture down the center of each tortilla. Roll up tortillas; place, seam side down, in an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Spread salsa over tortillas; sprinkle with cheese. Cover and bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

smoked gouda macaroni & cheese

Can I give up? On this winter thing? My body seems to already have- my skin is so dry it actually cracks at times (painful), my mouth will randomly bleed when I smile (frightening), and my scalp... well, it's gross.

This is the time of year where I could care less about eating more vegetables and would much prefer to shove as many carbs and cheeses in my face as I can. Preferably at the same time so I can save my precious hibernation-fighting energy. Enter Smoked Gouda Macaroni & Cheese. The happy medium between comfort food and not feeling guilty while eating it. The addition of spinach makes it so much easier to eat four portions and somehow make it reasonable.

smoked gouda macaroni & cheese (via Cooking Light)

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 1/4 cups)

Ingredients

• 1 (1-ounce) slice whole wheat bread
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups fat-free milk
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded smoked Gouda cheese
• 1/3 cup (about 1 1/2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
• 5 cups coarsely chopped fresh spinach
• 4 cups hot cooked elbow macaroni (about 2 cups uncooked)
• Cooking spray

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.

Place bread in a food processor, and pulse 10 times or until coarse crumbs measure 1/2 cup.

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and garlic; cook 1 minute. Add flour; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Gradually add milk, salt, and pepper, stirring constantly with a whisk until blended. Bring to a boil; cook until thick (about 2 minutes). Add cheeses; stir until melted.

Add spinach and macaroni to cheese sauce, stirring until well blended. Spoon mixture into a 2-quart baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes or until bubbly.

falafel pitas with cucumber-yogurt dressing

This has been in my Things I Should Make folder for a couple of weeks now, and on Friday I finally took my own advice. While it doesn't taste at all authentic it was fast, cheap, and pretty yummy. I have no regrets. Also, I learned that I need and want more plain yogurt in my life.

Falafel Pitas with Cucumber-Yogurt Dressing
from Cooking Light


Ingredients
1/4 cup minced red onion
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 (15 1/2-ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
1 (1-ounce) slice whole wheat bread, torn into pieces
1 large egg
1 large egg white
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
2 (6-inch) whole wheat pitas, split
1 cup arugula
1/2 cup Cucumber-Yogurt Dressing (1/4 c. minced red onion, 1/2 c. seedless chopped cucumber, 1 c. plain yogurt)

Preparation
Combine first 10 ingredients in a food processor; pulse 6 times or until well blended (mixture will be wet).
Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Spoon about 1/3 cup chickpea mixture per patty into pan; cook 4 minutes on each side or until golden brown.
Line each pita half with 1/4 cup arugula, add 1 patty to each pita half, and spoon 2 tablespoons Cucumber-Yogurt Dressing into each pita half.