Corn & Barley Salad

Original Recipe HERE

This is a hearty side dish that could be a main course if you added some kielbasa or chicken.

I tweaked amounts based on what I had in my pantry.  I used one good-sized clove of garlic in the vinaigrette, and it was too sharp.  Next time I'll use a smaller one or leave it out entirely.  A little bit of sugar could balance the red wine vinegar and tomato, too.  And some diced cheese would probably be good.  We had brie on our burgers the same night I made this, and I was intrigued by the idea of adding some to the salad...but I ran out of time.

And "...but I ran out of time" is how I end just about every statement of good intentions these days.

Ingredients

* For vinaigrette:

1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes

1 small clove garlic

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 Tablespoons water

1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

1 Tablespoon diced red onion

salt & pepper

* For salad:

1 cup barley or brown rice [I used barley]

2 cups fresh or thawed corn [I used frozen]

1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, quartered

1/2 to 1 cup finely diced red onion

4 to 6 slices bacon, chopped

1 avocado, chopped [I didn't use]

salt & pepper

Directions

* For vinaigrette:

(1) Combine tomatoes and garlic in a small food processor (I used my magic bullet).  Process until smooth.

(2) Add oil, water, vinegar, lemon juice, and red onion.  Process until well combined.

(3) Add salt and pepper to taste.

* For salad:

(1) Place corn in a colander to thaw, if necessary.  Top with red onion.

(2) Cook barley according to package directions.  Drain into colander with corn and onion.

(3) While barley is cooking, cook bacon until crisp.  Drain.

(4) Combine barley, corn, tomatoes, onion, bacon, and avocado (if using) in a large bowl.

(5) Pour vinaigrette over salad.  Stir until well combined.  Chill.

Kid Participation: Stirring...that's about it.

Mexican Pizza

Original Recipe HERE

 

I've made this recipe several times already, and each time the entire thing is devoured by my family.  It has the convenience of homemade pizza without the post-meal feeling of being weighed-down as one often does after consuming lots of salty sauce, bready crust, and greasy cheese.  Of course, you could easily transform this one to fit that bill.  But the fresh, raw vegetables and screw-with-your-head concept ("But I don't use half a jar of Prego?!") are enough to make me really look forward to making pizza again and know I don't have to anticipate a food coma tinged with regret.

 

Depending on what culture my pizza is supposed to originate from, I add particular seasonings to my crust.  My go-to crust is this one (though the original recipe for this one has its own crust recipe), and for this pizza I add a few shakes of garlic powder, chili powder, and smoked paprika.  I don't like cumin, but I'm sure it would work.  If a premade crust is being used, the same seasonings can be added to the "sauce" instead.

 

Ingredients (NOTE: all are approximations and can be tweaked for personal preference)

pizza crust

1 cup refried beans [I use vegetarian or fatfree]

1/2 cup salsa

2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend [or cheese of choice]

toppings: shredded lettuce, sliced avocado, black beans, sliced green onion, chopped tomatoes, etc.

 

Directions

(1) Prepare pizza crust as desired.  It is suggested that the crust be prebaked for a few minutes.

(2) Thoroughly combine refried beans and salsa.  Spread over crust.

(3) Sprinkle cheese evenly over "sauce."

(4) Finish cooking pizza.

(5) Top with vegetables immediately, while cheese is still melty.  Gently press into pizza if necessary.

 

Kid Participation:

* Prepare pizza crust

* Whisk together beans and salsa

* Sprinkle cheese over crust (while you hover, making sure they don't touch the hot pan)

* Spread toppings (see "while you hover" instruction directly above)

 

Southwestern Black Bean Salad

Original Recipe HERE

I picked this as a last-minute addition to dinner because I needed a side dish.  It turned out to be tastier than the entree.  This was enthusiastically gobbled up by my husband, my 3-year old, and my 1-year old.  Since I was in a rush, I added the avocado along with everything else and didn't have time to refrigerate it for 30 minutes.  It still tasted great, and it was even better the next day after the dressing had had time to really permeate the vegetables.  See helpful information on how to cut an avocado without making a massacre of it here.

This is similar to my standard homemade salsa recipe: same ingredients as well as finely chopped mango and a few spoonfuls of store-bought pineapple or peach salsa, as well as some minced jalapeno and garlic if I want it spicy.

Ingredients

1 can (15.5 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained

9 oz frozen corn, thawed

1 tomato, chopped

1 small hass avocado, diced

1/4 cup chopped red onion

1 scallion, chopped

3 Tbsps lime juice [or juice of one lime]

2 Tbsp red wine vinegar

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp sugar

1 Tbsp cilantro [optional]

salt and pepper

Directions

1) Combine beans, corn, tomato, onion, scallion, cilantro, salt and pepper in metal or ceramic bowl.

2) In separate bowl, whisk together lime juice, vinegar, olive oil, and sugar.

3) Add dressing to vegetables.  Marinate in refrigerator 30 minutes. Add avocado before serving.

Notes: None.

Kid Participation: Just mixing everything together.

Black Bean Veggie Nuggets with Creamy Avocado Sauce

Original Recipe HERE

Do not let the appearance of the nuggets deter you - I know what you're probably thinking.

I picked this recipe because *N* loves black beans - I think she could polish off an entire can in one sitting.  My daughter has the appetite of a 14-year old boy most days.  It was somewhat labor-intensive, but a lot of the work could've been done ahead of time, including making the avocado sauce.

A word to the wise: chop up the avocado into pretty small pieces.  I left it in big chunks, and the Magic Bullet couldn't handle it.  I had to switch to a big blender, and it still didn't work until I added more yogurt.  I considered adding garlic salt or other seasoning to the avocado sauce, but I'm glad I didn't.  It had decent flavor but wasn't overpowering.

*N* ate several of these for dinner and asked for more, but I insisted she eat her chicken and creamed spinach before she had yet another helping.  Still, she managed to eat a giant portion of beans after all, per usual.

Ingredients

Nuggets:

2 15-ounce cans black beans, drained and rinsed

5 scallions, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced

1 cup grated raw, peeled sweet potato [about 2/3 of an average-sized potato]

1/2 cup panko

1 large egg

1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder

1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon hot sauce (optional) [I did not use]

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup fine cornmeal

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

Safflower or canola oil

Sauce:

1 ripe Hass avocado

1/2 cup plain yogurt [I used Dannon Fat-Free]

Juice of one lime

1/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt

Pinch of sugar

Directions

1) Line a baking sheet with plastic wrap.

2) In a small bowl, combine egg, chili powder, salt, hot sauce and pepper; beat lightly and set aside.

3) Place black beans in a large mixing bowl and coarsely mash with a potato masher or the back of a fork. Add the scallions, sweet potato, panko and egg mixture; mix well.

4) Take heaping tablespoons of black bean mixture and roll each lightly between your hands to "pack" the mixture together.  Place on prepared baking sheet and flatten into patties [yielded 24 nuggets]. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.

5) Combine flour and cornmeal in a shallow dish; set aside.

6) Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a large heavy cast iron or nonstick saute pan over medium heat.

7) Dredge patties lightly with the cornmeal mixture and place in pan (be sure to leave enough space to turn them.) Cook until patties are brown and crisp on one side, about 3 to 4 minutes.  Turn and cook until other side is brown and patties are heated through, 3 minutes more.

8) Remove cooked nuggets to a paper towel-lined plate. Repeat with remaining patties, adding more oil to pan as necessary.

9) To make the avocado sauce, place all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. If mixture will not blend, add more yogurt, a tablespoon at a time, until smooth and creamy [I used 2 tablespoons in addition to the 1/2 cup].

Notes: Next time I'll add some garlic salt to the bean mixture to give it a little more spice.  Some finely grated cheese might be nice as well.  Since the avocado sauce was pretty thick (perhaps I didn't thin it enough?), I spread it on top of a few nuggets and we ate them that way instead of dipping.  Next time I'll substitute low-fat sour cream for the yogurt and throw in a scoop of salsa - we had so much left over, it would be nice to use it as a guacamole.  Finally, I was dismayed at how much oil I used, but the pan kept "drying out."  I'll brainstorm ways to make that step healthier - different oil?  Baking?  Broiling?

Kid Participation:

* Whisk egg and spice mixture.

* Mash beans and stir mixture together (use a very large bowl to contain the bits and pieces that will try to escape due to enthusiastic stirring).

* Combine flower and cornmeal.

* Push buttons on blender (if you don't mind authorizing the use of kitchen appliances).