Texas Caviar: Delicious, Healthy Summer Salad

 My husband is trying hard to be heart-healthy, so we have been modifying our meals to be much more plant based. I'm not a gourmet cook by any stretch, and I think I often under season our food. So trying to find yummy foods that avoid meat and dairy is daunting. And to be honest, I also want EASY. 

As a result, I was so excited when I discovered this recipe. Oddly enough, I found it in a monthly magazine that we receive from the electric company that provides power to our rural property. 

The salad lasts beautifully in the fridge for several days. In fact, it becomes even more flavorful as it marinates in the dressing. If I am serving it to a large group, I include the avocado. If we, just the two of us, eat it over a period of several days, I add the avocado as I serve it so that it doesn't turn brown and mushy. The recipe includes bacon, but I simply leave it out to make it vegan. This dish has become a menu staple; I make it almost every week.

RECIPE:

1 can (15 ounces) black eyed peas, rinsed and drained (I often use garbanzo beans or other white beans)

1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained

1 cup corn, canned or thawed from frozen (I don't want to waste any of the corn, so I use the entire can)

1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced

1/2 cup diced red onion (if I don't have red, I use white instead)

1 cup halved grape tomatoes

2 slices crisp-cooked bacon, chopped (optional)

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 avocado, diced

The dressing:

1/2 c olive oil

1/4 c red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon lime juice

1 teaspon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cummin

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Drain and rinse beans. Slice and seed red pepper. Peel and dice onion. Chop cilantro. Half tomatoes. Peel and dice avocado. Cook, drain, and chop bacon. Combine all ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Mix dressing and toss with the salad. Chill and serve.

Enjoy!

Sweet Potato Burritos with Avocado Salsa Verde

9/6/20: I seriously still love this recipe! Still, I'm going to update it to reflect some of my tweeks. Since this is an involved recipe, I like to quadruple the spices and have my own "spice blend" in the pantry so I can just measure once and add 3.5 tsp of the blend to the sweet potatoes. Just a thought. Okay, on to the recipe...

California, how I miss thee. The wonderful weather, the self-driving Google cars, the parks every two blocks, and even the hipster eating trends. Okay, less so on the last one; I never even tried cold-pressed juice, and my first kale salad was in Utah, surprisingly.

Nonetheless, there seemed to be a self-awareness about healthy eating in our little town that a girl could appreciate. This meal makes me think of two things: California and Shay. Shay is the angel woman who brought me dinner not once, but thrice during those oh-so-difficult first months of new motherdom when SourPatch was so hungry and took such short naps. I have to say, this meal knocked me off my socks. It is amazingly delicious. It tastes fresh and flavorful, and it is packed with, well, vegetables. And the avocado sauce? It is sooooo good. So good.

I make this meal all the time, as, apparently, does Elin. I have to admit that it's tricky sometimes to avoid scorching the sweet potatoes. I've decided the key is to be generous with the oil and to check/stir the potatoes often. Also, if you've discovered the wonder of using silicon baking mats, I find they really help the potatoes achieve a nice, even roast without burning. Don't sweat it, though, if you accidentally let the edges get black. It's also a forgiving recipe. For example, Elin always leaves out the roasted red peppers, while I tend to omit the toppings. Sometimes I forget to buy cilantro and leave it out of the salsa, or my avocados are unusually large or small. Yet it always tastes delicious. Elin also uses corn tortillas and omits the cheese to create a gluten-free, dairy-free version which she prefers. So many options!

Also, I just spent a thorough 3 minutes browsing the internet to see if this recipe makes enchiladas or burritos. It seems to be a hybrid. I'm going with burritos? It's a big decision... kind of stressing me out.

Sweet Potato Burritos with Avocado Salsa Verde

Adapted from Cookie+Kate

INGREDIENTS

Burritos

4 medium sweet potatoes

¼-⅓ cup olive oil

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon paprika

¼-½ teaspoon cayenne

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

8-10 whole wheat tortillas (I use 8 inch)

1 12-oz jar roasted red peppers, drained and cut into long strips

2 15-oz cans black beans, rinsed and drained

2+ cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Avocado Salsa Verde

3-4 ripe avocados

2 cups mild salsa verde, jarred

4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

2 limes, juiced (approximately 4 tablespoons lime juice)

½ cup packed cilantro leaves
Optional: 1 to 2 teaspoons fresh jalapeño, deseeded and roughly chopped

Optional toppings:

shredded romaine

diced red onion

sour cream

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Rinse, peel, and chop the sweet potatoes  into large, bite-sized chunks, about 1.25x1.25x0.5 inches. In a separate bowl, mix the olive oil with the cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper. Toss the sweet potatoes in the olive oil, making sure they are lightly coated in oil on all sides. Spread the sweet potatoes in a single layer onto two large baking sheets lined with foil or parchment paper. Bake for 40-45 minutes, stirring the sweet potato chunks every 15 minutes, until they are cooked through and caramelized around the edges. 

2. While the sweet potatoes bake, make the avocado sauce. In a food processor or blender, combine the avocado flesh, salsa verde, garlic, jalapeño (if adding), lime juice, and cilantro. Blend until smooth and well-combined.

3. To assemble the burritos: In the middle of each tortilla, put down a couple strips of roasted red pepper, then add 1/3 cup roasted sweet potato chunks. Add 1/4 cup black beans down the center and top with 1/3 cup of Monterey jack cheese on top. Gently roll the burrito. Assemble remaining burritos. Bake the burritos at 350 degrees for about 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the tortillas are lightly crisp and golden.

4. Carefully transfer each burrito to a plate. Smother it in avocado sauce and add desired toppings.

Kit's Spicy Pumpkin Soup

It is almost November, and it finally feels like Fall! So, this is the perfect time for Kit's Spicy Pumpkin Soup. Kit is not only a truly amazing woman, she is also one of the best cooks I know. (Thank you, dear friend, for this taste of autumn. I think of you every time I make it.)

This recipe is easy, nutritious and delicious:

Spicy Pumpkin Soup

1 T oil (I use olive oil)
1 T garlic powder
1 T chili powder
1/2 t ground cumin
4 c chicken broth (from bullion cubes) or vegetable broth
1 15 oz can solid pack pumpkin
3/4 c bottled medium spicy salsa
1 19 oz can chick peas, rinsed, (or black beans, if you prefer)
1 c corn kernels, canned or frozen

Heat oil in a 3 quart saucepan. Add garlic and chili powder and ground cumin. Stir over medium heat for one minute. Add broth. Stir in chick peas, pumpkin, corn and salsa. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes to develop flavors. Serve with cheese and sour cream.
Note: You can add cooked, diced chicken for the meat-lovers in your family.

This soup pairs beautifully with biscuits, yummy rolls, tortilla chips, or crusty artisan breads. For a sweeter mix, make up a batch of these easy Two Ingredient Pumpkin Muffins. (Make that three ingredients if you throw in a cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips--which, of course, you should.)

1 Spice Cake Mix
1 15 oz can solid pack pumpkin

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix dry cake mix and pumpkin well with mixer. (Add chocolate chips, if desired.)  Fill muffin papers 2/3 full. Bake 14 to 17 minutes.

Enjoy!