White Northern Beans with Vegetables on a Tortilla

I have been finding more ways to incorporate a variety of beans into my diet as well as my families. The more I read about the nutritional value and the benefits of eating them It gets me more motivated. It is also been said that the more you eat beans it is easier for your system to digest them because they are use to them. Here are some health benefits to Northern Beans. I have enjoyed making them in my pressure cooker but if you are in a hurry you can just used canned beans. Loved this veggie wash that I got from Desiree.:) Thanks Desiree.

Ingredients:
2 C northern beans* Mashed
1/2 tsp cumin 
1/4 tsp chili powder
3/4 tsp salt
2 avocados chopped up
3-4 Roma tomatoes chopped
4-5 green onions chopped
1/2 chopped jalapeno if desired
1/4 purple onion chopped up
juice from a fresh lime
10 whole grain tortillas (Homemade are wonderful)

Directions:

1. Mash Beans in a bowl with cumin, chili powder, and salt. Set aside.

2. Put all the cut up vegetables in a bowl and toss with the lime juice.

3. Spread the beans on the tortillas and then put the vegetable mixture on top. You can squeeze on extra lime juice if desired.

* Cooking  Beans in pressure cooker. 1. Rinse the beans. 2. Put in the pressure cooker. 1 C of beans to 2 C water, and 1 T coconut oil. 3. Set on high pressure for 30 min. and let the pressure release on its on if you aren't in a hurry. It is very simple. If you have time the night before you can soak them ahead. You can also add 1/2 tsp of baking soda while cooking them to add extra potassium.   

Guacamole with Tortillas and Vegetables

I had some avocados so I wanted to put them to good use. This made a nice meal. You could lots of different kind of vegetables and throw them on top of the guacamole. My son was asking for more after it was all gone. That was a good sign. He likes the homemade tortillas too. We love guacamole around here. :) This has some extras in it, to make it extra yummy. This is another light and easy meal.

Ingredients: Serves 4
Guacamole:
2 ripe avocados
1/4 to 1/2 tsp chili powder
2 minced garlic cloves
salt and pepper to taste
1 to 2 T salsa
1 to 2 T lime juice
1/4 C finely chopped white onion or purple
2 Roma tomatoes chopped in small pieces

Vegetable tortillas:
guacamole (recipe above)
6 whole grain homemade or store bought tortillas (I used spelt flour for the homemade tortillas)
cut up vegetables zucchini, tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers, mushrooms, green onions etc....
salsa
Directions:

1. For the guacamole prep. Mash up the avocados till all smooth. Then mix in everything but, the onions and tomatoes. Then fold the onions and tomatoes in.

2. Then spread about 1 T guacamole on tortillas and then a thin layer of salsa. Throw on the vegetables of your choice. Then drizzle on some more salsa. Fold them in half. Serve!

Whole Grain Steak Soft Tacos

"Nearly a century and a half ago, President Brigham Young spoke to the Saints of his day. 'There is a great work for the Saints to do,' he said. 'Progress, and improve upon and make beautiful everything around you. Cultivate the earth, and cultivate your minds. Build cities, adorn your habitations, make gardens, orchards, and vineyards, and render the earth so pleasant that when you look upon your labors you may do so with pleasure, and that angels may delight to come and visit your beautiful locations. In the mean time continually seek to adorn your minds with all the graces of the Spirit of Christ' (Deseret News, Aug. 8, 1860, 177).

"The more you trust and rely upon the Spirit, the greater your capacity to create. That is your opportunity in this life and your destiny in the life to come. Sisters, trust and rely on the Spirit. As you take the normal opportunities of your daily life and create something of beauty and helpfulness, you improve not only the world around you but also the world within you."Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "Happiness, Your Heritage," Ensign, Nov. 2008, 119

This quote makes me happy! It makes me think about Spring. It also makes happy to think about the things that we can create and do each day. Each day has new opportunities for us to create in so many ways. What are you going to create today? Being in the kitchen is a great way to create. I love it.

This recipe is my latest creation. We had steak a couple nights before. It was a great way to use the leftover steak. I liked all the vegetables in it. My taco was 3/4 vegetables and 1/4 steak. It is a nice meal for this time of year.

Ingredients: Serves 4 or more

1 to 1 1/2 C cooked steak chopped up

2-3 garlic cloves minced

1 leek chopped in small pieces

1 onion chopped up small pieces

1 C bell peppers (yellow and red) chopped up

1 C mushroom chopped in small pieces

3 or 4 roma tomatoes chopped

2 tsp cumin

salt and pepper to taste

6-7 wholegrain tortillas

2 T oil

*I used 1 1/4 C of this too.

salsa and sour cream if desired

Directions:

1. Heat oil in pan. place garlic, leek, and onions and stir and cook 3-4 min. or till soft. Then add remaining vegetables and cook until softened.

2. Then add steak and cook for a couple minutes to heat it all the way up. Serve in tortillas shells.

Now you can make your own creation. :)

Whole Grain Vegetable Spinach Wraps/ Tortillas

Happy New Year! I have been busy with grand children this week. Which is a great thing. I was in search of new ideas for recipes. I talked to Jeanie, and she gave me a great idea of making spinach wraps. So I gave it a try, and this is what I came up with. It was a very exciting project, and gave me some ideas for the future. I was thrilled how they turned out. My family liked them too. Thank you Jeanie!

1. First I put about a cup of water in a sauce pan and then a colander, and then put the lid on and heated up the pan on medium high heat. I let it steam for about 8 min. When I was done steaming. It was about 1 cup. I then put it in the blender and pulsed it for a couple min.

2. This is what the pulsed mixture looked like.
3. This is what it looked after the flour was all mixed in.
4. I then formed it into balls. It made 13 of them.
5. This is the finished product.
6. I made 13 of them. I can use now and freeze some too. Sorry the color didn't turn out well.
This is the finished wrap ready to eat. It was good!

Ingredients:
3 C fresh spinach (was 1 cup after I steamed it)
1/2 C warm water (I used the water from the pan I steamed in. )
1 T fresh marjoram (optional)
1 1/2 T fresh Basil leaves (optional)
1/2 C warm water
2 peeled carrots
1 T dried onion minced
1/2 tsp garlic powder
3/4 tsp salt
1 leek washed
1/4 C olive oil
4 C whole grain flour (I used 1 C spelt, 1/2 C qunioa, 1/2 C brown rice, 1/2 C brown rice, then I ground them in my grinder. Came out to 4 C.)

1. Steam the spinach for about 8 min until soft. Then Pulse in the blender with the water, for a couple minutes. Then add the herbs, carrots, onion, garlic powder, salt and leek. Pulse for another couple minutes.

2. Pour the mixture into mixing bowl , add the olive oil. Then knead and add the flour slowly. Until mixture pulls away from the bowl. It should be a nice soft mixture.

3. Then put oil on hands and separate into balls. I have found keeping the balls moist really helps.

4. Then cook on tortilla maker according to manufacture instructions. (I have a Chef Pro) You could roll out and try it on a frying pan.

5. I then made this guacamole. Spread on a thin layer of guacamole on tortilla, then put on a thin layer of fresh spinach, pepper jack cheese slices, turkey slices, purple onion and tomatoes and roll the wrap/tortilla. Success Enjoy! You can come up with your own variation. ;))

6. This morning I scrambled some egg with pepper jack cheese, and put into the wrap for a breakfast burrito.

7. Then I put turkey and cheese in it, for a wrap for my sons lunch. There are lots of ways to use the wraps.

* Sorry the lighting didn't work as well on some of the pics.

Tortilla Soup

I have found a trick that works well for me. I can make my on chicken broth. I can just cook the chicken in water and add my own spices. It saves a ton of sodium. I have also substituted the broth with water and just added extra spices to the mixture. I have been happy with the results. I am enjoying making more things on my own, instead of buying them in a can. When it is possible I do it. This was a tasty meal and was easy as well.

Ingredients: Serves about 4

2 boneless chicken breasts (I used 6 chicken tenders)
6 C water
2 tsp thyme
1 tsp salt
1 onion (chopped up)
4 oz green chili
guacamole*
shredded cheese
tortilla chips
Sour cream* optional
salsa * optional

Directions:

1. Boil the water with the chicken and add the spices, and onions. Cook until the chicken is cooked completely. It should take about 2o min. I then put it in the blender and did it for less than a minute. (Cut the chicken up if you are using breasts, before you put it in the blender.) The result was wonderful. It shredded the chicken wonderfully. I didn't want chunks of chicken. You can choose your preference.

2. Then simmer and add the green chili's and cook for another 10 min.

3. Pour in a bowl, break up some tortilla chips. (I had it without and it still was yummy) Sprinkle on some shredded cheese and then a scoop of guacamole. You could also add a spoonful of salsa and a dab of sour cream. It was wonderbar!

Guacamole
3 avocados mashed up
1 tsp salt
1 T dried onions
1/8 tsp chili powder
1 T lime juice

Mash up the avocados in a bowl. Mix in the remaining ingredients. This is one of our family favorities. =) We love it with tortilla chips. Yum! Enjoy! Avocados are good for you as well.