Winter Smoothie

I'm dreaming of summer, and the fruit it brings.

Longing for the abundance of the fruit I love.  Longing for a smoothie.

I know that I've made quite a few smoothies for you over the past year, but this one is special.  It truly is.  You see, it uses winter fruit.  Yes, there is such a thing!  Oranges, lemons, and persimmons, to name a few.

So I created a Winter Smoothie for you, combining the flavors of persimmons and oranges. Sweet and tart, it's ohhh soooo good!

Look at this color...awesome!

Enjoy your day and a smoothie!

Winter Smoothie

Ingredients

1 6 oz container vanilla flavored lite yogurt

1/2  medium banana

¼ cup orange juice

3 persimmons, peeled and diced

1/2 cup of ice cubes

Directions

Combine ingredients in a blender and mix until combined.  Serve in a tall glass with a straw.

A healthy glass of winter fruit!

Black Bean Tostadas

It's been a long hard day at work, even the commute home was horrible.  It took me 1 hour to go 10 miles.


Needless to say when I got home it was late, hunger had set in, and I wanted something easy, fast, and satisfying.  Tall order huh?


Well I was inspired by a recipe I saw in one of my Cooking Light books for a tostada.  So I rooted around in the frig grabbing ingredients that included left over taco meat (yummy tacos we had yesterday!) and some spicy black bean dip we like, and decided to create a Black Bean Tostada.


Super easy to make, especially since most items are on hand.  This came together quick and I was pleasantly surprised that I was fulfilled, and satisfied.  It has both crunchy texture, and creamy flavors, plus spice that gives this a kick!  Yummy tummy!


So try this tostada version and take the easy road with something quick, delicious, and healthy.

Black Bean Tostadas


serves 4


2 cups of cooked taco meat, ground beef or turkey
1/2 spicy black bean dip
2 T salsa
2 T chopped cilantro
1/2 c sour cream
1/4 c chopped cilantro
2 T water
1/4 t black pepper
4 8" flour tortillas
Cooking spray
1 cup chopped mixed greens
1 avocado, sliced
Cilantro leaves (garnish, optional)


Preheat broiler.


In a skillet over medium heat add cooked taco meat, black bean dip, salsa and cilantro.  Heat, stirring until heated through, about 2 minutes.  


In a small bowl combine sour cream, cilantro, water, and black pepper.  Mix until well combined.  Set aside.


Spray both sides of tortillas with cooking spray and place flat, in a single layer, on a baking sheet.  Broil on first side until crisp, about 30 sec-1 min.  Flip over and cook the second side until crisp.  Watch closely so tortillas don't burn.


Divide the black bean topping among the 4 tortillas. Top each with lettuce.  Drizzle with sour cream mixture.  Top with avocado slices and cilantro.  Serve.