Quick Quesadilla's

Quick Quesadilla's

Sometimes during the holiday you will find you are to busy to make a whole healthy meal.  That is why I always relies on this quick and healthy recipe!  It one of our family favorites!

I always use what ever I have in the fridge!  

• tomato diced
• green onion sliced
• soft cooked black beans(can substitute w/chickpea's, or leftover chicken or beef)
• frozen corn
• jalapeno pepper, diced real small, no seeds.(this gives it some kick...just enough that kids will still like it)
• shredded marble cheddar cheese

Arrange ingredients in separate bowl and let you family members load up there own tortilla's!  When they are done, fold in half, and bake till cheese is melted and tortilla crisp!

So simple! So yummy!  No extra seasoning required!

Eat it with a side of salad and Enjoy!

I hope you have fun with creating your own quesadilla!  
Let me know, what do you like in yours!

Black Bean Burgers! Yummy!

 Black Bean Burgers

I have been wanting to make black bean burgers for awhile now.  Today was the day!  I found a youtube video recipe that I really liked!  These are baked, not fried in oil!  I made them up as the video describes and added some more ingredients(left a few out too).  I thought the burgers were a bit on the wet side before I baked them, so I wasn't sure they would work out.  When they were done I was worried!  I took a bite out of one of the crumbly ones and I was worried that my family would not like it.  But I worried for naught!  After dressing the burgers up, Kaitie was asking for seconds, and Andrew was asking why I don't make them more often!  So this recipe is such a keeper!!!  I love when my kids like what I make!  Oh and you must make the chipotle mayo too!  Mmm Mmm!!!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups black beans cooked 
• 2 slices dry whole wheat bread crumbled into tiny pieces 
• 1/2 green pepper
• 1/2 red onion
• 1 large stalk celery
• 2 mushrooms
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro
• 1 egg (optional)
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp paprika

Directions:

1. Mash your beans in a bowl. Keep them a bit chinky.
2. Use your food processor and  process all ingredients and add them to your beans.
3. Mix egg and spices, add to bean mix.
4. Mix well by hand.
5. Form flat patties and bake in a preheated 350 oven for 10 min, flip carefully and bake for another 10 mins.  I made 5 very large patties.
6. Serve with your fave burger toppings.  ENJOY!

Chipotle Mayo  

• 3/4 Cup mayo
• 1tsp Dijon Mustard
• 1/4 Lime squeezed
• 1-3 tsp chipotle sauce (or you can mince 1 chipotle pepper)
• A little garlic powder to taste

Combine all ingredients add more or less to your own liking.

Watch this video to see how easy it is!  My recipe is tad bit different.

Submitting this recipe to Burger Club Free-For-All 

Sprouting Beans

I love sprouting!  Sprouting beans is easy, and fun, and healthy for everyone!   The sprouting process of beans increases the nutritional value of beans as well as reduces its calorific value too. They also increase the digestive enzymes which facilitates digestion process in your body.  So Bean sprouts are low in calories, are also a good source of B vitamins, and protein!   And just one handful provides 75 percent of the daily requirement of vitamin C!      

 How to sprout beans?

So how do you get started?  First buy some dried organic beans!  Mung beans and chickpeas(garbanzo) are good to learn with!  You can sprout fenugreek, lentils, soya beans, lima, maro, pinto, kidney, harlot, navy, aduki and broad beans. You can also sprout black-eyed, cowgram, pidgeon and redgram peas. Some of these may be difficult to find but are fast becoming more available.

1. First, pick through and discard any broken, moldy, discolored or disfigured seeds. They can contain harmful toxins that you would want to avoid.

2. Keep in mind that the beans will at least double in size during sprouting, so only prepare as many sprouts as you can eat in about 4 weeks.

3. Wash them and then soak them in cool filtered or spring water for 12-16 hours. I usually do this step at night. 

4. After soaking, keep the seeds damp. I put them in a large sieve, and rinse them under the tap a couple of times a day. The seeds need to be kept damp and aired, but not wet.

5.  On the 3rd day you should see a small tail!  Now your beans are ready to be enjoyed!

6.Finish sprouting by giving your beans a final rinse and then placing them in a container in the refrigerator. Sprouts should last about 2 to 6 weeks; however, it will depend on the length of sprouting and amount of moisture on the beans when you placed them in the refrigerator. Make sure that you smell the sprouts for spoilage after 2 weeks and toss them if you are in doubt.

Now what do you do with these very yummy healthy sprouts?

You can add them to any garden salad, or sandwich!

Use them in any curry(don't cook them longer than 3 mins!  Cooking destroys some of the heat-sensitive vitamin C in sprouts. To save it, steam the sprouts quickly, stir-fry them, or add them uncooked just before you serve the dish.)

Make my fave recipe! Curried Sprouted Mung Beans

Or as my kids do, grab handfuls and eat as is for a healthy snack!

   

Black Bean and Corn Quesadillas

Tonight We had Black Bean and Corn Quesadillas!  Unfortunately they were so good, that I forgot to get the camera to snap some pics of it :(  Cause we were all eating them up so quick!

So since I planned ahead I knew that I would have to soak some black beans...no more "I forgot", cause I planned ahead :)  If you know me I am more of a last minute kinda gal!  But I have heard you can freeze cooked beans to use for later...ah but I have the time so no matter.

So today was bread making day! er....Tortilla making day!  I have such a simple easy recipe to make tortillas!  I bet you could make them with what you have in your cupboard right now!  And do what I do and wrap up half the dough and put in the freezer till later!  So handy when you want tortillas at the last minute :)  Just thaw and make!

So this is so simple and easy to make!  Use what you have in the fridge!  Tonight I used...

tomato diced

green onion sliced

cooked black beans

frozen corn

jalapeno pepper

shredded cheddar cheese

Put what you like in a tortilla, fold in half, bake till cheese is melted!

So simple! So yummy!  No extra seasoning required!

Eat it with a side of salad and Enjoy!

For fun I let everyone make there own!  Kids love making there own and it really helps if you have a picky eater!

Beans: Fabulous Health Benefits, Weight Management and Nutrition at Very Low Cost

Shared on ...

Black Bean Brownies With Avacado Superlicious Fudge Spread!

Have you tried a black bean brownie?  I have and they are so good!  My friend introduced me to these yummy brownies from Heidi Swanson's 101 Cookbooks .   Then recently I ran into the Greener Eating  blog with this different Brownie recipe that looks so good!  I tried it today!  Also through my searches I went here, and from there, I went to here, then I found Superlicious Fudge Spread to "frost" my brownies!  Also found a recipe for ABC pudding which I am defiantly going to make!  The brownies are very moist and have almost a fudgy look to them.  

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 Cups soft cooked black beans
• 2 ripe bananas
• 1/3 Cup agave nectar
• 1/4 Cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1 Tbsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 Cup instant oats
• 1 Tbsp walnut pieces

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease an 8x8" pan and set aside. 
Combine all ingredients, except oats, in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth, scrapping sides as needed. 
Stir in the oats and pour batter into the pan. 
Bake approx 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 
Allow to cool before icing.  

Superlicious Fudge Spread

Ingredients: 

2 Avocado's

1/4 agave nectar

3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

Pour all ingredients into blender and blend until smooth.  

Tastes like chocolate pudding the kids raved!

Black Bean

Curried Sprouted Mung Beans

This is one of my absolute favorite dishes to make!   You just got to try this!

Curried Sprouted Mung Beans!  Yummy!  I put a dollop of yogurt on mine and had a garden salad on the side with lemon and yogurt dressing.  I wasn't sure of the measurements for some of the ingredients...so I just threw in about a teaspoon or 2 and lots of sesame seeds!

If you like this go check out www.lifeasMOM.com To find more yummy recipes with herbs and spices!

2bl oil
mustard seeds
2 cloves
cinnamon
cumin
sesame seeds
(cook to flavor)

1 med onion (cook 2-3 min)
garlic (I used 2 cloves)
ginger
1 green chili

6oz dry mung beans make into sprouted beans  (medium heat cook till tender)

To learn how to sprout beans go here!

1/2 tsp turmeric
1tsp cayenne
1tsp salt(I didn't use salt)
2tsp cumin
2tsp coriander(cilantro)
1oz coconut
1oz raisins
1oz peanuts

lemon(I didn't put it on mine)
Fresh chopped coriander(cilantro)

I also use this recipe for potlucks too!...It tastes so yummy served cold as a salad dish!

Watch the video for step by step instructions!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l56MiZqSLhU#
And if you do watch the video...It really does smell so good!  

 Mung Bean Sprouts contain pure forms of vitamins A, B, C, and E, in addition to an assortment of minerals including Calcium, Iron, and Potassium. Mung bean sprouts are free of cholesterol, and are ideal for anyone counting calories. One cup of mung bean sprouts contains only approximately 30 calories, 3 grams of protein, only 6 carbohydrates, and only .2 grams of fat. Sprouts also contain a high source of fiber, are easily digestible and contain a high concentration of enzymes facilitating the digestive process.