Black Bean, Tomato, and Avocado Wraps

Black Bean, Tomato, and Avocado Wraps

2 cups cooked black beans

1 fresh tomato, chopped

1 ripe avocado, chopped

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 to 1 teaspoon garlic powder, or use fresh

salt and pepper to taste

1 teaspoon onion powder, or use fresh

shredded cheese of your choice

Rinse the black beans thoroughly and let drain for a few minutes. Meanwhile chop up the tomato and avocado. Add seasonings and stir gently. Add the black beans. Let sit a few minutes so the flavors can blend. You can make this ahead and refrigerate if you prefer your wraps to be cold.

To make a wrap....

Heat an iron skillet on low for a few minutes. Warm a flour tortilla on both sides, then add a few spoonfuls of the bean mixture, sprinkle with cheese and then wrap like a burrito.

This makes a quick lunch or dinner, also great for meals on the go!

Makes 4 wraps, double or triple the recipe as needed.

We don't always have avocado on hand, they are just as yummy without them.

Once we didn't have tomatoes so we used sweet potatoes instead. I left out the seasonings, they were actually pretty great! The kids ate them up!

Make Ahead Cornbread Mix

Make Ahead Cornbread Mix

Ingredients for each bag...

2 cups corn meal
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 and 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon aluminum free baking powder
1 tablespoon sucanat or sugar

Layer these ingredients in a zip top baggie. You can use a regular or freezer bag. I like to make my mixes assembly line style.

To use the mix add....

 2 cups milk

2 eggs (beaten)

2 tablespoons melted coconut oil or butter

Stir until moistened, do not over mix. 

Our family prefers the cornbread to made like pancakes. I make them on a hot griddle or iron skillet. Makes 15-20 corn cakes depending on how big you make them.

I store my mixes in the freezer because we grind our cornmeal and flour fresh, and don't want it to go rancid. If you use store bought  items you could also keep the mix in canning jars on the shelf. I dont recommend storing them in just a baggie on the shelf, bugs will invade!

Hot Cocoa Mix

Hot Cocoa Mix

2 cups powdered milk

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup cocoa powder

Mix well and store in a cool dry place.

To use, add 3 tablespoons to a mug of hot water and stir.

Add a marshmallow or candy cane if desired. 

This mix makes great gifts! Buy inexpensive mugs or recycle ones you already have. Fill a baggie with mix and put inside the mug. Tie on a pretty ribbon. Instant gift that most everyone will enjoy. You can include the recipe so they can make more too.

Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal

Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal

7 cups water

5 cups old fashioned oatmeal

dash of salt if desired

1-1/2 cups pumpkin puree or 1 regular size can

3/4 cup sucanat or sugar

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

extra cinnamon if you like it a lot

milk (optional)

Bring the water to a boil and add the oatmeal slowly, stirring as you add it. Reduce heat to a simmer and let the oatmeal cook for 3 minutes or until it is thick. Remove from heat and add the pumpkin puree. Stir until well blended. Add the sucanat and stir well. Add the pumpkin pie spice and extra cinnamon if desired. Taste it first. Add  milk if desired to make it creamier, or eat it as is. 

Makes 7 cereal bowl size servings.

Enjoy!

Worm Salad

Worm Salad

This sounds gross, (yes, it does say "worm", but don't let that deter you) but it's named from the rotini pasta that is used.  I live on the river in a camp and I like to give my recipes "campy" names.   I first had this at a patient's house while I was a nurse.  They told me how they made it and I wrote it down when I got back in the car.  You can use any veggie you want as they come in the garden.

One package of twirly, wormy-looking pasta (the ones with different colors are especially nice).
     Cook until tender but still firm.  Rinse immediately in cold water to cool, and drain well.  Put in large bowl.

Add vegetables:
 Cubed tomatoes,
 chopped celery,
 chopped green onion, or a regular onion,
 sugar snap peas (cooked or raw),
chopped green pepper,
 broccoli stalks, peeled and cut into cubes
broccoli florets, cooked
carrots, sliced and cooked
cauliflower, cooked or raw
frozen green peas, thawed but not cooked (or cooked)
fresh mushrooms, sliced, cooked or raw, or (canned mushrooms, drained and sauteed in butter, and cooled)
other fresh veggies in season, like zucchini or yellow squash, kohlrabi, etc.

Other ingredients:

Olives, green or black
Cheddar cheese cubes (can add to salad after putting it on your plate)

Mix all ingredients and put in refrigerator to chill.  Put dressing on, if desired, in your bowl.  The original dressing was Cardini's Pesto Pasta dressing.  I like raspberry vinaigrette or Caesar dressing, and bleu cheese.  Don't smother it in dressing, use just a little.  Add salt and pepper, if desired, and some Parmesan cheese on top is very good.

You can fry cubed chicken breast in a skillet with some seasoning spices, and add the chicken on top of the salad.  I have added cooked salmon on top, and a grilled steak on the side is very, very good.

Carob balls

Carob Balls

What is carob?  It is a bean that is ground, and has the taste of chocolate, but is not bitter therefore recipes with it need less sugar.  After you've tried it,  you'll like it.  It's an acquired taste.  These are like chocolate fudge and are addicting!

1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup peanut butter (preferably natural, and chunky is good)
1/2 cup carob powder

Heat honey and peanut butter until barely warm over low heat, and remove from heat.  Add the carob and stir well.  Roll into balls the size of large marble.  You can roll them in sunflower seeds, coconut, or chopped walnuts, or whatever you might want to try.  Put balls on a plate and refrigerate until firm.  Transfer to covered container and keep refrigerated to keep them firm.

Rhubarb Strawberry Cake

Rhubarb Strawberry Cake

I love this in the spring when rhubarb and strawberries are plentiful.  This is very quick and easy cake to make and it is not real sweet, but be careful, its easy to keep cutting off little pieces and before you know it, half the cake is gone!  And you don't need a mixer for it.

Wash rhubarb stalks, cutting off root ends, and slice stalks lengthwise 2 or 3 times and slice into small cubes.
Wash strawberries and cut into small pieces.

In a bowl mix:  2 cups plain flour (can use half whole wheat pastry flour)
                        1 1/2 cups sugar
                         1 teaspoon baking soda

In mixing bowl put:  1 cup buttermilk
                               1/2 cup oil
                               1 egg
                               1 teaspoon vanilla

Add flour mixture to milk mixture and beat with a large spoon by hand until it is smooth and mixed well, 1 to 2 minutes is usually enough.

Add:  one cup of the rhubarb and 1 cup of the strawberries.  If you don't have strawberries, you can use 2 cups of the rhubarb.  Mix in well.

Pour into a 13 x 9 inch greased pan.

Add topping:  Mix 1/4 cup sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon.

 Sprinkle over the top of the batter and bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes, until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean and it is brown on top.