Black Bean Burritos

Ole!

Got to put dinner on the table fast with little fuss??  Lean toward making burritos!  Not just any burrito.  How about a spicy black bean and meat burrito?  Sounds good huh!  These little babies whip up in about 20 minutes and provide you with a hearty meal with flavors that will have your mouth going MMMnnnn!  A healthy mix of black bean dip, along with ground sirloin is your base. Add in some salsa, spices, and cheesey goodness...oh boy, such a great combination.  You may remember the black bean dip from another of my recipes, Black Bean Tostadas.  Click on the link to visit that recipe as well.


Burritos are easy to make, kid friendly, and hubby's love them too!  The lend themselves to many variations, but I think these Black Bean Burritos have just a little bit more zip to them!  Serve them with a side of rice and a mixed green salad and you have a great meal!  Or....put the rice in the burritos!


Method Pics:

 


Try them soon, and don't forget to let me know what you think!

Black Bean Burritos


serves 4


1/2 lb ground sirloin
3 T. red onion, diced finely
1/4 - 1/3 c black bean dip
4 T. salsa
1 t chili powder
1/2 t cumin
1/4 t red pepper flakes
salt & pepper to taste
1 c shredded Monterrey jack cheese
4 burrito sized flour tortillas
sour cream, salsa, green onions, as toppings (optional)


Preheat oven to 300 degrees.


In a skillet over medium high heat, brown the ground sirloin and the red onion until cooked through.  Add the black bean dip, salsa, chili powder, cumin, and red pepper flakes.  Stir until all ingredients are combined and items are starting to bubble.  Turn down heat and add salt & pepper to taste.


Tear off 4 sheets of aluminum foil and set a tortilla on each sheet.  Using 1/4 cup of cheese for each burrito, spread half of each portion, or 1/8 cup on the tortilla.  Top with one quarter of the black bean mixture.  Top with another 1/8 cup of cheese.  


To roll burrito, fold side in toward the middle and roll up from the bottom.  Wrap in the aluminum foil.  Repeat creating the burritos with the remaining black bean mixture.  Folding each one and wrapping in foil.  Place all burritos in the oven for 5 min to melt the cheese.  Serve.  Variation:  Add Spanish rice to the burrito and reduce the amount of ground sirloin used.  

Baked Ravioli

Sorry, I've been a little remiss in my postings this week.

I've been under the weather.  Every time I travel in an airplane I seem to catch some bug.   A nasty cold is not my idea of fun.  Maybe I should travel with a gas mask!


So this post is going to be short and sweet.  Like this dish.  Need dinner fast?  Want some comfort food?  This fits the bill and will tantalize your taste buds, and satisfy your tummy.  Kids love this one too!  To make this go quicker I suggest using fresh pasta you can buy in the refrigerator case at the grocery store.  Frozen will work to if you like.


Baked Ravioli lends a homely comfort feeling and is great with the addition of a side salad for a complete meal.  Add a little crusty bread and you are good to go.   Dinner is on.!

Baked Ravioli


serves 5 - 6


2 9 oz. pkg. fresh cheese ravioli
1 25 oz jar of marinara or tomato and basil sauce
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 t dried basil
1/2 c part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded


Cook ravioli in a large pot of boiling water, as per package instructions.  
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.


Coat a medium casserole dish with cooking spray.  Line bottom of dish with the cooked ravioli.  


In a medium bowl combine the marinara sauce, garlic, and basil.  Pour over the ravioli and stir to coat.  
Place casserole dish in the oven and bake for 30 minutes, until bubbly.  Remove from oven.


Sprinkle cheese over the top and return to the oven to bake another 5-10 minutes until slightly golden.
Serve.

Pioneer Spotted Dog

St. Patrick's Day is coming up!

It makes me think of my ancestry.  My Grandmother, Elizabeth was 1/2 American Indian, and 1/2 Irish and lived in Oklahoma.  What a great combination huh?  My Great Grandmother Addie McCleary was the Irish member of the family.  

Digging through my mom's recipes again, I came across an old hand written recipe for a version of Irish Soda Bread.  This is an Irish bread that typically had only a few ingredients, flour, soda, buttermilk, or sour milk.  That's it.  But being Irish-American, things changed along the way.  Food was adapted to what was on hand.  Farmers used what was available to them, or what could be bought.  This version is actually called Spotted Dog.  A little more sweet than the original and has the addition of fruit.  I used currants, although the recipe called for raisins.  I thought they look really cute in the bread, and lend a nice sweetness.  

So in ode to my Irish ancestry I bring to you this old recipe....Pioneer Spotted Dog.  (Oklahoma in origin)

We couldn't keep our hands off this bread!  It's that good.  Make a batch or two and see if your family can resist.

Some step by step pics...

 

 

The end result....wow...look at this bread!

Enjoy and have a happy St. Patrick's Day!



Pioneer Spotted Dog

makes 1 loaf

3 1/4 cups flour

1/3 cup  sugar

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

½ cup cold butter

1 1/3 cups buttermilk or sour milk

3/4 cup currants

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Add flour, sugar, baking soda and salt to a large bowl. Cut in butter with pastry blender until it looks like little crumbles.  Add buttermilk and currants; stir just until moistened.

Knead dough on a board until dough forms.  Shape bread loaf.  Should be round and about  2 ½ inches thick. Place on a greased baking sheet (I used cooking spray).  Cut an X in the dough and sprinkle with a pinch of sugar if desired. 

Bake for 50-55 min.  Allow to cool and cut into wedges. Note:  Bread will lasts 2-3 days stored a room temperature.