Tortilla and Black Bean Pie

I've had this recipe saved for a few months. I originally saw it on Liz's blog, and again on Melissa's blog with a few modifications. Finally I fit it into our weekly menu. Boy am I glad!! This was so good and really simple to make. The most trouble I had was opening the cans of beans with my manual can opener! Don't worry, a new can opener is on my list of must-gets in the near future :) This was really yummy in it's original version, but I can already get a sense of how it would taste with Melissa's modifications - I imagine something akin to Taco Bell's Mexican Pizza, which I love. Also, I think I might try this some time by adding in some hard taco shells to add some crunch to it. I think this is a great recipe that can be modified here and there to give you a great result, however you might change it.

So if you love Mexican (like me and the hubs do), you MUST try this one!

TORTILLA AND BLACK BEAN PIE

Source: Everyday Food

4 (10-inch) flour tortillas (I happened to buy 8 inch tortillas which fit perfectly into my springform pan)

1 Tbsp canola oil

1 large onion, diced

1 jalapeno, diced (I used about 1 Tbsp jarred, diced jalepeno)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp cumin

coarse salt and ground pepper

2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed

12 oz. beer (or 1 1/2 cups water) (USE THE BEER!)

1 package (10 oz.) frozen corn

4 scallions, plus more for garnish (I didn't add mine into the pie because I prefer them fresh, crisp and cold)

2 1/2 cups shredded cheese (I used a block of colby-jack)

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1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Using a paring knife, trim tortillas to fit a 9-inch springform pan, using the bottom as a guide. Set aside.

2. Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Add onion, jalapeno, garlic and cumin and saute until softened, 5-7 minutes.

3. Add beans and beer to skillet; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium; simmer until liquid has almost evaporated, 8-10 minutes. Stir in corn and scallions, and remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Fit a trimmed tortilla in bottom of springform pan. Layer with 1/4 of the beans (I did 1/3) and 1/2 cup cheese. Repeat 3 times, ending with 1 cup of cheese on top.

5. Bake until hot and cheese is melted, about 20-25 minutes (mine was slightly browned at 20 minutes). Unmold pie, sprinkle with scallions. To serve, cut into wedges (serves 5-6).

Eating clean?

This is sort of a new concept for me. I sort of get it. I might just be overthinking it. Either way, my friend, Jess, was looking for a clean way to prepare tilapia and came across this blog and recipe. Jess raved about it, and of course I was leery, because avocado is something that I'm just learning to experience, all thanks to Jess for that one. But I decided to give it a try - I figured beans and rice and sour cream make everything better.

So I did my research on how to pick an avocado, and I think I did a pretty good job. And for a first timer, I had no trouble at all extracting the avocado from the pit and the skin. And considering that the dish ended up being fresh and fabulous, I can say that my first experience with using avocado was a hit.

I made enough for 3 meals and now have enough for 2 lunches after I had it for dinner tonight. And let me tell you - this was amazingly easy and FAST to cook up.





Ingredients (estimated):
4-6 Tbsp fat-free sour cream
4-6 Tbsp salsa
1 cup black beans
3/4 - 1 cup rice (I used brown rice)
3 tilapia fillets
1/2 avocado, diced
1 small tomato, diced
salt and pepper





1. Season your fish with salt and pepper. Coat a large pan lightly with a spray of EVOO (courtesy of Misto) or whatever you have on hand (the original recipe posted uses coconut oil). Lightly brown the fish on both sides until cooked through, them with a spatula, break up the fish into bits.

2. While your fish is cooking, mix up the sour cream and salsa in a medium sized mixing bowl.

3. When fish is done, toss all ingredients into the mixing bowl with the sour cream and salsa and stir gently to mix. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Tex-Mex Turkey Burgers

My WC sis, Lindsey, never ceases to give me reasons to love her. When I saw this dinner on her blog today, I began drooling all over my desk and had to pull out the disinfecting wipes. It was perfect because I had no dinner plans and was going to be home alone for dinner. I printed out the recipe and went straight to the grocery store after work to get some ground turkey. I couldn't wait to mush up these burgers.

I pulled out my digital scale and measured out 4 (5 oz.) servings from my package of ground turkey and froze 2 servings for future use. I decided to cook up 2 of these flavorful burgers so I would have something to take to work for lunch tomorrow (by the way, I so thought today was Friday, phhffft).

Here's the recipe scaled down for 2 burgers/servings:

TEX-MEX TURKEY BURGERS
Source: Lindsey

10 oz. 99% fat free ground turkey
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp black pepper
dash of hot sauce (I excluded because I was too lazy to grab it out of the fridge)
1 Tbsp diced jalepeno peppers
1/2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro (I omitted)
1/2 small yellow onion, thinly sliced (I generally only keep sweet onions on hand because I prefer the taste)
1 sliced bell pepper, any color (I used 1 cup frozen tri-color pepper strips)
1 tsp olive oil

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1. In pan over low heat, saute 3/4 of onion and bell peppers in olive oil; stir occasionally to avoid burning.
2. In mixing bowl, combine turkey, chili powder, paprika, garlic powder, cumin, cayenne black pepper, hot sauce, jalapeños, cilantro and the remaining 1/4 of the onion(finely chopped).
3. Using hands, mix until ingredients are combined. Divide mixture into two equal parts and form into patties.
4. Place patties on prepared grill or grill pan. Cook for five minutes per side or until no longer pink in center.
5. Remove from heat and top with onions, peppers and your favorite salsa.

To follow with Lindsey's suggestion, I served with 1/2 cup black beans

So, if you're looking for a very flavorful and quite healthy mexican dinner, you should definitely, hands down, give this one a try! Thanks, Lindsey!!

Weight Watchers points values per my calculations:
5 oz. 99% fat free ground turkey breast: 3 points
1/2 cup black beans: 2 points
1/2 tsp EVOO: 1 point
onions/peppers: 0 points
TOTAL: 6 points

Oh sweet nachos...

I love mexican food. Mexican food can sometimes be a challenge on the Weight Watchers diet. I heard great things about the Weight Watchers Take-Out Tonight! cookbook. And lucky for me, there was a special section for Mexican food alone. The first thing that grabbed my eye for ease of execution and best probability for tasting great was the Nachos Supreme. THANK GOD I found this recipe. Seriously - if you're on Weight Watchers, this recipe is a must-try!

NACHOS SUPREME
Source: Weight Watchers Take-Out Tonight! cookbook - copyright 2002

1 teaspoon olive oil (I excluded)
1 onion, finely chopped (I excluded)
1 garlic clove, minced (I excluded)
1/2 pound ground skinless turkey breast
2 Tbsp taco seasoning mix
1 (15.5-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 (8-ounce) jar taco sauce
6 (6-inch) corn tortillas, cut into quarters
1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese (I used a 2% mexican blend)
1 Tbsp sliced pickled jalepenos, chopped (I buy diced jalepenos in a jar)
1 tomato, diced
2 scallions, chopped
2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro (I excluded)
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1. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Swirl in the oil, then add the onion and garlic. Cook stirring occasionally, until softened, 3-5 minutes. (I skipped this entire step)
2. Add the turkey and the taco seasoning mix. Cook, breaking up the turkey, until browned, about 6 minutes.
3. Stir in the beans and taco sauce. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the flavors are blended, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
4. Preheat the broiler. Arrange the tortilla pieces in one layer on the broiler rack; spray the tortillas lightly with nonstick spray. Broil 4 inches from the heat, turning frequently, until crisp, about 4 minutes. (I cooked each side for 2 minutes - Keep an eye on them so that they don't burn)
5. Transfer the tortilla chips to a 9x13-inch broiler proof baking pan (I just used a baking sheet lined with foil for both steps 4 and 5). Spoon the turkey mixture evenly over the chips. Sprinkle with the cheese and jalepenos. Broil 4 inches from the heat until filling is hot and the cheese is melted, about 2 minutes (keep an eye on them).
6. Top with tomato, scallions and cilantro. Serve at once.

OPTIONAL: I served each chip with a small dollop of fat-free sour cream

SERVINGS: 6
NUTRITIONAL INFO (1/6 of nachos): 215 cals/4 g fat/5 g fiber
WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTS VALUE (1/6 of nachos): 4 POINTS



BONUS!!!!!
I use this recipe for my taco seasoning mix:

2 Tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp paprika
1 Tbsp ground cumin
2 tsp sea salt
2 tsp black pepper

It makes a good amount which I just store in a spice jar.