Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup

This is a really flavorful soup with lots of goodies in it other than the black beans.

Avocado Mango Arugula Salad with Cilantro Citrus Dressing

This has been one of my favorite salads for a few years now, after I had it at a friends dinner party.

Mango Salsa With Jicama

On hot humid summer days like today I don't feel like eating much, but a fresh salsa like this I can grace on the  whole day!

Tamale Pie

Tuesday dinners around here usually have a Mexican  flair to them.

Grilled Chicken Pita Sandwich With Tomato Salad And Spicy Yogurt Sauce

I look at the local newspaper from my hometown Bergen, Norway almost daily.

Chicken Chili With Hominy

I love chili so much. It is one of my favorite things to eat during the cold weather season.

Black Bean Burgers

Making Black bean burgers from scratch was a first for me and it is definitely not the last.

Fresh salsa with home made tortilla chips

As I was unpacking my CSA goodies this week I quickly realized I had all the ingredients to make fresh salsa.

Enchilada Casserole

This is another healthy and tasty recipe from Cooking Light. Their recipes rarely disappoint although I adjusted the seasoning considerably this time.

Black bean, corn and jicama salad

This salad is so festive. I just love the colors and the crunch.

Baked black beans

This dish is really versatile. In addition to being the perfect side for any kind of fajita or tacos, it would be a great appetizer served with chips.

Grilled chicken fajitas with peppers and onions

This is my favorite Fajita recipe. It is from my trusted New Basics Cookbook. Many years ago some friends made these and I was hooked! It has become a favorite summer meal. They do take a little bit of time and planning ahead of dinner time, but the result is incredibly moist and great tasting chicken and vegetables.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Throughout this past winter one of my favorite foods to eat for lunch was Tortilla soup. A couple of my local grocery stores made it fresh and hot to go, and I would get a cup just about every week. Hot soup season is slooowly winding down, but since it has been so rainy and blustery around here lately, I thought this was an opportunity to make my own Tortilla soup.

Flautas

I  saw  this recipe on one of the many cooking blogs out there, fortheloveofcooking-recipes.blogspot.com. This girl has a huge following. She makes beautiful meals and takes great pictures. Something to aspire to for sure. I had never heard of flautas before (Spanish word for flutes). Mexican  in origin, these are meaty tortilla roll-ups usually deep fried. These however, are baked.   They sounded so good I just had to try them. And they are terrific! I recommend you all make these for a delicious family dinner. Thanks Pam for sharing with all of us!

I Changed the recipe slightly to accommodate my family. This makes for a mildly flavored  version.

Pork tenderloin, caramelized onion, and Monterey Jack baked flautas

2 T olive oil (divided)

1 sweet yellow onion, sliced

1 pork tenderloin (1 1/2 lbs), diced

1/4 t Chili powder, or to taste

1/4 t coriander, or to taste

1/2 t paprika, or to taste

1/2 t garlic powder, or to taste

1/4 t ground cumin , or to taste

1 t dried oregano, or to taste

sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste

2 1/2 cups Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

10 flour tortillas

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees

Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil and cover with cooking spray.

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook stirring often, about 10-15 minutes until caramelized and tender. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil in the skillet over medium High heat. Once the pan is hot add the diced pork tenderloin then season, to taste, with all of the spices. Cook for 8-10 minutes, until golden brown, but not yet cooked through (it will finish cooking in the oven). Remove from the stove.

Wrap flour tortillas in wet paper towels and microwave them for 1 minute or until soft.

Place a bit of Monterey Jack cheese in the center of the tortilla then add caramelized onion and the diced pork:; roll. Place seam side down on prepared  baking sheet. Finish rolling the rest of the flautas, then spray each with cooking spray. Place in the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes then turn over and cook for an additional 5-6 minutes or until crispy and golden brown.

Serve with guacamole, sour cream and salsa.

Makes 10 flautas

Skillet sloppy beef sandwiches



Sloppy Jo's is a very common weeknight dinner here in the US. I call it "Sloppy mess" !