Sweet Potato Burritos

I got his recipe from my friend Janel and I knew it would be one that I would love.  Tonight was the first time I made these burritos.  Lover Boy was in heaven.  I changed the recipe a little for our family.

3 cups peeled cubed sweet potatoes

½ tsp of salt

2 tsp oil

3 ½  C. diced onions

4 large garlic cloves minced

1 TBS minced fresh green chile

4 tsp ground cumin

4 tsp ground coriander (I didn't use this spice)

4 ½ C. cooked black beans (3 15 oz cans drained)--  I only used 1 can, and it was plenty

2/3 C. lightly packed cilantro leaves, chopped

2 TBS fresh lemon juice

1 tsp salt

8 eight-inch flour tortillas

fresh tomato salsa

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place sweet potatoes in a medium saucepan with the salt and water to cover.  Cover and bring to a boil, then simmer until tender, about 10 minutes.  Drain and set aside.

While the sweet potatoes are cooking, warm the oil in a medium skillet or saucepan and add onions, garlic, and chile.  Cook on medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions are tender, about 7 minutes.  Add the cumin and coriander and cook for 2-3 minutes longer, stirring frequently.  Remove from heat and set aside.

In a food processor, combine the black beans, cilantro, lemon juice, salt, and cooked sweet potatoes and puree until smooth (I just mixed everything together with a rubber spatula until it was all combined.  I liked the beans whole).  Transfer the sweet potato mixture to a large mixing bowl and mix in the cooked onions and spices.

Lightly grease a large baking dish. Spoon about 2/3 to 3/4 cup of filling in the center of each tortilla, roll it up, and place it, seam side down, in the baking dish. Cover tightly with foil and bake for about 30 minutes, until piping hot. 

Serve with salsa, guacamole, and sour cream

Italian Zucchini Pie

This recipe comes from my mother-in-law.  Lover Boy grew up loving this meal so when we got married I had to learn how to make it!

I used zucchini AND yellow squash tonight

2 T. butter or olive oil
1 c. chopped onion
4 thin unpeeled zucchini, sliced thin
2 T. dried parsley
1/2 t. pepper
1/2 t. garlic salt
1/4 t. dried basil
1/4 t. dried oregano
2 eggs, beaten well
2 c. shredded mozzarella
2 cans refrigerated crescent rolls
1 t. yellow mustard

Heat oven to 375 degrees.  In a skillet, cook onion, zucchini, and butter until tender (about 10 minutes).  Add spices (I usually sprinkle them in without measuring).  Remove from heat.  In a large bowl, blend eggs and cheese.  Add vegetable mixture and combine.  Separate 1 can of dough into 8 triangles.  Press into ungreased 9x13" baking dish; spread with mustard.  Pour vegetable mix evenly unto crust.
**I top mine with 4 more crescent rolls, but the original recipe doesn't call for this.  I also cook the remaining 4 crescent rolls on another little pan for the kids.  Bake the pie for 18-20 minutes.  Remove from oven and let set for 10 minutes before serving.

Strawberry Spinach Salad

I originally got this recipe from Lover Boy's aunt.  I doctored it up a little to add strawberries in the salad and the dressing...and a few other things that I love.

1 bag or bunch baby spinach

1 c. candied pecans  (I make them by putting cinnamon & sugar on them and cooking them over the stove until the sugar melts)

1-2 c. sliced strawberries

1 avocado, sliced

8 slices cooked bacon, torn into pieces (optional)

1 c. grated swiss cheese

1 pkg. sliced mushrooms (I didn't use these)

Strawberry Poppyseed Dressing

1 c. oil

1/2 c. apple cider vinegar

2/3 c. sugar

1 t. salt

1/2 t. dry mustard

1 T. poppy seeds

1 clove garlic

handful of strawberries 

Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth.

Enjoy!

Vegetable Stir Fry with Brown Rice

This is one of my go-to dishes.  I use whatever vegetables I have in the refrigerator.  

The vegetables we had on this particular night were:

1/2 onion, sliced
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 orange bell pepper, sliced
1/2 yellow bell pepper, sliced
1 zucchini, halved and chopped
1 yellow squash, quartered and chopped
1 cup broccoli
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
Gyoza sauce
sesame seeds

Begin by heating 1-2 T. olive oil in a large pan or wok on medium-high heat.  Once heated, add onion and carrots.  Let blacken a little.  Add remaining vegetables, according to how hard or soft they are.  I add a vegetable, chop the next, and so forth.  This way the harder vegetables can cook longer than the softer ones.  Does that make sense?!  Once all of the vegetables are cooked, I drizzle on some Gyoza sauce from Trader Joe's (Lover Boy is obsessed with this stuff) and heat through.  Then I sprinkle on some sesame seeds.

For my brown rice, I always use short grain.  I buy a large bag at Costco and store it in a large food storage container.  I cook my brown rice in the rice cooker and it turns out perfect every time.  But I use the Hawaiian way to measure water/rice.  I don't know how to explain it unless I show you in person.  So if you really want to know, ask me!!  Oh, and start the rice before you cook anything else.  It usually takes about 30 minutes to cook.

WEEK OF OCTOBER 3- OCTOBER 9

MONDAY- Stir Fry (I need to use up the ingredients that I didn't use last week)
TUESDAY- Spinach Strawberry Salad
WEDNESDAY- Italian Zucchini Pie
THURSDAY- Sweet Potato Burritos
FRIDAY- Eat Out (Birthday Party for Bigger)
SATURDAY- Asian Infusion (Birthday Party for Biggest)
SUNDAY- Sweet Potato and Coconut Soup with Thai Pesto



SHOPPING LIST
bananas
spinach
strawberries
avocados
green onions (bday party)
yellow onion (zucchini pie, sweet potato burritos)
3 green chiles (sweet potato burritos, soup)
lime (burritos, soup)
cilantro (sweet potato burritos, soup)
mint (soup)
basil (soup)
ginger (soup)
garlic (salad, burritos, soup)
sweet potatoes (burritos, soup)
red onion (burritos)
2 c. shredded mozzarella (zucchini pie)
cream cheese x 4 (bday party)
asian snack mix (bday party)
mochi (bday party)
1 can black beans (burritos)
apple cider vinegar (dressing for salad)
asian sauces (bday party)
2 c. coconut milk (soup)
2 cans refrigerated crescent rolls (zucchini pie)
6-pk yogurt for kids
buttermilk (bday party)
milk
orange peach mango juice
tortillas (burritos)



THINGS I ALREADY HAVE THAT YOU MAY NOT:

Spinach Strawberry Salad:
-bacon (optional)
-swiss cheese
-pecans
-poppy seeds

Stir Fry:
-rice
-zucchini
-yellow squash
-bell peppers
-onion
-rice
-Gyoza sauce

Zucchini Pie:
-zucchini
-eggs
-oregano, basil, spices
-mustard

Sweet Potato Burritos:
-cumin
-lemon
-salsa

Soup:
-Thai red curry paste
-vegetable stock
-peanuts
-soy sauce
-brown sugar



Happy October,

Pumpkin Black Bean Soup

Welcome to my favorite month--OCTOBER!!!

Let's start it off with one of my favorite flavors: PUMPKIN

I love everything pumpkin (except pumpkin pie, but we won't get into that right now).

My mom takes a bike ride every morning.  

One lady who she met along the way gave her this recipe.

You will love this one.  Our kids even eat it!

Don't forget the toppings for the soup...they make it amazing. 

1 1/2 T. olive oil

1 onion, diced

1- 15 oz. can diced tomatoes

15 oz. vegetable broth

1- 15 oz. can pumpkin puree

1- 15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 c. cream

1/2 t. curry

1/2 t. cumin

1/2 t. cayenne pepper

1/4 t. chili powder

salt and pepper to taste

Toppings: sour cream, pepitas, chives

In a pot, saute onion in olive oil.  Add tomatoes, broth, pumpkin, and black beans.  Simmer for 20 minutes.  Add cream and spices.  Remove from heat and serve with toppings.  I put sour cream in a squeezable container to make a beautiful garnish.

Bean, Rice, and Cheese Burritos

Each child in our family likes different ingredients in their burritos.  I'm just going to make a list of ingredients Lover Boy and I like:

whole wheat tortillas
shredded jack cheese
cooked black beans or refried beans
cooked brown rice
chopped avocados
diced tomatoes
shredded lettuce
diced onions
cilantro
salsa or avocado salsa
taco sauce
sour cream
anything else you like

Sometimes I prepare the burritos, put them in a baking dish and pour on a green sauce from Trader Joe's to make them "wet."  Then I bake them in the oven until they are heated through.

These are such an easy meal.