refried beans (make your own) and avocado soft tacos

Perfectly seasoned beans are balanced by the fresh flavors of avocado, lettuce and tomato for a healthier version of a fast-food favorite. Kick up the heat with your favorite hot sauce!

Ingredients:

1 medium white onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cup low-sodium vegetable broth, divided
1 (29 ounces) can no-salt-added pinto beans (about 3 cups), rinsed and drained
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
8 corn tortillas
2 cups shredded romaine lettuce
3 Roma tomatoes, diced
1 1/2 avocados, thinly sliced

Method:

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 to 8 minutes or until onion is translucent and very tender. Reduce heat to medium-low, add beans and cook 2 to 3 minutes 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.

In a dry skillet, warm each tortilla to soften. Top with a generous scoop bean mixture. Add lettuce, tomato and avocado. Fold in half and serve with your favorite salsa.


Nutritional Info: Serves: 4
PER SERVING:420 calories (110 from fat), 13g total fat, 1.5g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 340mg sodium, 64g carbohydrate (20g dietary fiber, 5g sugar), 14g protein

Mexican-Style Bean Salad

INGREDIENTS:

1 can black or kidney beans

1 can romano beans

1 cup cooked corn kernels

1/2 cup thinly sliced onion

1/2 sweet red pepper, chopped

2 Tbsp. fresh cilantro or parsley

FOR DRESSING:

1/3 cup lemon juice

2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

pinch sea salt & black pepper

PREPARATION:

Drain and rinse beans and place in bowl.

Add corn, onion and red pepper

FOR DRESSING:

In small bowl, whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, salt and peper.

Pour over bean mixture

Sprinkle with cilantro; toss to coat

Nutritional Information (1/2 cup serving size):

Calories:106

Fat: 3g

Protein: 5g

Fiber: 4g

Sodium: 280mg

Creole Dirty Rice with Sausage & Red Beans

serves 6.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup brown rice

7oz smoked lean andouille sausage

olive oil cooking spray

1 medium yellow onion, dices

1 green bell pepper, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

8oz dried red beans, soaked overnight in water in a covered pot

1 bay leaf

2 tomatoes, preferably Roma, finely chopped

1 1/2 tsp. Cajun seasoning

sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

4 Tbsp. fresh cilantro, minced

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. cook brown rice according to package directions. Remove from heat & set aside.

2. In medium pot, cover sausage with about 3 inches of water. Bring to a boil, boil 10 minutes. Remove from heat, drain and let cool for 5 minutes before slicing.

3. Heat a large pot on medium high. Mist with cooking oil spray- add onion, green pepper and garlic. Saute for 5 minutes or until cooked through.

4. Drain saoked beans and rinse with cold water. Add beans, bay leaf and 3 cups water to pot with vegetables. Bring to a boil and let it boil for 20 minutes before reducing the heat to medium-low.

5. Cook until beans are soft, stirring occasionally and adding more water as it evaporates, about 2 hours.

- When beans are cooke through and water has reduced to less than 1 cup, add tomatoes and cook for at least 15 more minutes.

6. Remove bay leaf, stir in Cajun seasoning, cooked rice and sausage- cook for about 10 minutes. Season with salt & pepper, garnsih wtih cilantro.

TIP: Feel free to go wtih canned beans instead, just remember to drain and rinse them first. You'll only need to warm them for 5-10 minutes instead of cooking them for 2 hours. And, you can reduce the water from 3 cups to 1/2 c.

NUTRITION per 1-cup serving:

Calories 292, Total Fat 2g, Carbs 53g, Fiber 4g, Sugars 4g, Protein 15g, Sodium 427 mg

From "The Best of Clean Eating 2" Cookbook, p. 126

Fast & Easy Chicken Bean Stew

Fast & Easy Chicken Bean Stew

Serves 8 Serving Size 1.25 cups
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour

Baby it’s cold outside! And when it is cold we want something hot and hearty to fill up our bellies and warm us up. Stews are perfect and Winter is the best time to enjoy them. Plus the recipes allow you to use almost whatever is in the fridge.

A cassoulet is typically made with meats such as duck, pork or goose, cooks for hours and is rather high in fat! So in keeping with one of my mini-goals to eat healthier I modified a simple cassoulet recipe I found. Since I changed the type of meat used and the cooking vessel I could not commit a culinary sin and call this a cassoulet. Hence, you have a filling stew that was prepared in less than 30 minutes with only an hour of cook time.

2 skinless boneless chicken breasts, sliced 1/2 inch chunks
1 15 oz can of Red Kidney Beans
1 15 oz can of White Kidney Beans
1 15 oz can of Black Beans 50 less sodium
1 24 oz jar of Pasta Sauce
(I used Safeway Select Spicy Red Bell Pepper Pasta Sauce)
25 Baby Carrots, raw chopped
8 Red Pearl Onions, chopped
1 Red Bell Pepper, chopped
1 Portobello Mushroom cap chopped
1 tsp of fresh Thyme

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix all ingredients in 3 quart baking dish. Cover and bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour or until carrots are tender.

Let rest for 10 minutes. Serve and enjoy!