Low Fat Refried Bean Wraps

I always have a few cans of refried beans stashed away. They are a great protein source, side dish and if you buy the lowfat version, healthy. I love the nonfat lime chile refried beans but my new favorite is black bean refried beans. I love black beans and I will choose them over pintos or kidneys any day. I also have a favorite recipe for those cans of refried beans. I am still looking for more good ways to use refried beans in recipes. They are a pantry staple. And please don't tell me about the famous refried bean pie. I have heard it is delicious. I am just not brave enough to try it yet and I really am a big fan of fruit pies. So I don't really want to try refried bean pie. On the other hand, I love these roll-ups. I have used them for years as an appetizer for potlucks. I always get requests for the recipe.

Last week I tried them with my new fave black bean refried beans and I ate the whole thing for lunch. It was a tasty low fat meal that was a nice change from my regular lunch diet of salads. You can adapt this recipe from one to six wraps.

I am going to give you the directions for one. It is an easy no-cook recipe that can easily be doubled or tripled.

Flour tortilla

2 TB non fat or low fat black bean refried beans or chile lime refried beans (heated)

2 TB Low fat or non fat sour cream

1-2 TB of salsa

2 tsp chopped olives
1 green onion

1 Tb of shredded cheese (optional)

Layer ingredients in order on top of tortilla. Spread each layer to within an inch of edge. Roll tightly and chill for at least 10 minutes.

For an appetizer roll tightly in plastic wrap and chill at least 1/2 hour. Remove and slice into 2 inch slices. Serve.

Dessert Peach Burritos w/ Caramel Sauce

I had to squeeze in a little Cinco de Mayo post. And that's not all  that I am having to squeeze in after the awesome pork carnitas, seafood nachos, black bean refried beans (at least these were lowfat) and peach dessert burritos I stuffed myself with tonight. Oh it was good. And although I really have no reason to celebrate Cinco de Mayo I have to eat Mexican on this day. Perhaps it is for my two native Mexican born aunts. Love and miss those ladies.

OK these peach burritos are sweet little bites of heaven on so many levels. First of all I love that there was no frying involved ( all I could find were fried desserts for tonight), no flan involved -- sorry not a flan fan and so easy. Second they are super foodstorage, pantry friendly. Hey you can even make your own tortillas if you feel so inclined. I have a recipe for that --  tortillas.

Finally, they were a hit with the family -- every last one of them.

So without further ado.

Peach Burritos.

2 to 4 flour tortillas depending size. I used the biggest tortillas you have ever seen and therefore only needed two for my fam of 5.

1/2 cup peach preserves (I used cinnamon peach)
1 pint of canned peaches, drained
1 tsp of cinnamon (optional)

Caramel sauce.
1/2 Cup margarine or butter
1/2 Cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup water.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make sauce

Heat sauce ingredients in a medium saucepan until boiling, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and simmer 3 minutes. Remove from heat.

Spray a rimmed cookie sheet. Place tortilla on sheet before filling.

Spread burritos with peach preserves add a row of peach slices down the middle. Sprinkle with cinnamon.

Roll tortillas and cover with caramel sauce. Reserve about 1/4 cup.

Bake for 20 minutes.

Remove from heat and drizzle with more sauce.

Authentic Beef Sopes

Featured Food Storage: Refried beans, canned shredded beef, masa .
Suggested Pantry Item: Masa Harina or Instant Corn Masa Flour. A great item to have on hand for homemade tortillas or sopes.

I have been searching for this recipe or even this item on a menu for the past 14 years. Once, a long time ago,my college roommate's sister-in-law made us these fried masa bowls filled with refried beans and taco toppings called sopes. I was in Mexican food heaven. I have searched every Mexican restaurant I have visited since then for a similar item. Did you realize you could have a craving for longer than a decade? I recently found sopes on the menu at a new restaurant in town and it is possible I drove my husband crazy with my excitement. However, they totally charred my shredded beef. I vowed to find the recipe myself. After an online search I discovered I needed that Masa Harina stuff. I grabbed a bag and lo and behold the recipe was on the back of the bag. Wow! If only I had known. So I rolled up my sleeves and made myself some of these delicious little sopes, that were loved by one and all in my family. I do however intend to leave them a little thicker next time when I roll them out.

For the meat, I actually used leftovers from my sister-in-law's crockpot shredded beef recipe but I fully intended to use the canned shredded beef in my food storage. I just didn't know I would have so many leftovers from the crockpot beef roast. I love the Costco shredded canned beef and that is why this recipe would be perfect to add to your food storage recipe arsenal.

RECIPE for 8 sopes
1 Cup Instant Masa flour
2/3 Cup water
1/8 tsp salt.


1 to 2 Cups shredded beef
1 can of refried beans or 1 1/2 Cups
shredded cheese
shredded lettuce
tomatoes
salsa and sour cream


Combine water, masa, and salt. Mix thoroughly for about two minutes or until a soft dough forms. If dough is too dry add a little more water, a tablespoon at a time. Divide dough into 8 balls and cover with a damp towel. To form tortillas use a tortilla press or, as I did, place balls between two pieces of plastic wrap and press down with a heavy frying pan to form a ball appx. 3" in diameter and about 3/8 inch thick. I accidentally made mine too thin.

Cook each sope for one minute on a preheated ungreased skillet. Turn and cook second side until lightly browned.

Remove from heat and carefully pinch the sides on the first cooked side to form a raised rim about 1/4 inch high. Be careful, sopes are hot. Repeat with each heated sope. Heat 3/4 inch of oil or just toss in the deep fryer and fry sopes until light golden. Drain on a paper towel-lined cookie sheet kept in a warm oven.

Heat beans and spread on sope. Top with shredded meat and toppings.

Tip: Shredded pork or chicken are also great on these.

Get Well Soon Taco Soup

I was still a young mom when my sweet friend and neighbor Karynn brought me this soup. I was sick with a nasty cold and she had the cure. No, not chicken noodle soup but a make your eyes water and your sinuses clear out taco soup. It was not the last time she brought me this cure for a cold. I love this soup on so many levels. It is delicious, it is easy, it is extremely pantry friendly and most of all it always reminds me of Karynn. Everything but the cheese and sour cream can come straight out of your food storage. And if you get it spicy enough it really does clear out a stuffy head. I make it milder for my non spicy loving kids but when I am trying to kick a cold, like I am this week, I spice it up with more chili powder.

Karynn's Get Well Soon Taco Soup (With a very few changes)

2 or 3 cups shredded chicken (You can use canned chicken for this or a preroasted chicken)
1 can Corn with liquid
1 can Kidney beans with liquid
1 - 4 oz can Green chilies or add a jalapeno with its seeds for more heat
1/3 to 1/2 Cup salsa
1 can Stewed tomatoes chopped with liquid
1 to 2 Cans of Water
3 tsp chili powder for mild soup. Add more chili powder for more heat
1 Dash garlic powder
1 dash salt
1 or 2 squirts of lime juice (optional)

Toppings
Baked corn chips (we love the Chili lime chips by Tostitos) they add a little kick to the soup. If you don't have the lime flavored chips, add a little lime juice.
Sour Cream
Grated Cheese

Directions: Combine all soup ingredients in a large pot and simmer until heated through, about 15 minutes.
Top with chips, cheese and sour cream.

Tip:
If you want a thinner soup add more water.

Heritage Cooking -- Nana's Enchilada Casserole and Cowboy Caviar

I am so excited that Cinco De Mayo and my kids' spring break coincided. We cooked our Mexican meal a day early because we will have to settle for fast food tacos on the real Cinco De Mayo, due to the fact that we are going to planted at the baseball field for two hours during chow time.

I have been eagerly awaiting my kids next break so I could teach them this easy family favorite made by their Nana. I amped up the recipe by adding the fried eggs, or I should say my husband fried up the eggs. We have been missing an enchilada montada from a now closed down Mexican restaurant. The owner moved on to greener money pastures. I decided that a fried egg with a soft liquid center would be perfect on top of his Mom's enchilada casserole. The "Cowboy Caviar" which is by no means an exclusive family secret is still a family favorite made often by my sister-in-laws. Like the casserole, it also uses a lot of pantry staples. This meal resulted in happy people and an especially happy husband. My kids enjoyed shredding the store bought roasted chicken and layering the casserole. Of course, you can always use canned chicken. It just won't be as tasty. I love when family dinner is the highlight of the day.

Here is a link to the Cowboy Caviar recipe. Cowboy Caviar.

Enchilada Casserole (serves 12)
1 roasted chicken (shredded)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 TB dried onions or 1 onion finely chopped
1 Cup salsa
1 1/2 Cups milk
2 Cups shredded cheese (A sharper cheddar or a monterey jack makes for a tangier casserole.)
12 corn tortillas

Spray with nonstick cooking spray, a large casserole dish.
Combine liquid ingredients and stir until well combined.
Spread 1/4 Cup sauce onto bottom of casserole. Cover with 1/3 of corn tortillas.
Evenly layer 1/2 chicken, 1/3 cheese, 1/3 sauce mixture.
Repeat layers starting with tortillas.
Add third layer of tortillas, remaining sauce and cheese.
Spray a piece of tinfoil to cover casserole.
Bake at 325 for 1 1/2 hours.

Top with a fried egg if you feel so inclined.

Mexican Pizza

Featured Food Storage Items: Canned Diced Tomatoes and Canned Chicken

I found the original recipe for this tasty pizza on foodbuzz at the Muir Glen site. It was a perfect food storage meal and I love that it helped me find a new use for at least one can of the new flat of diced tomatoes I bought. I did change it up just a little. I thought it could use some warm, melt in your mouth avocado topping and I added a little wheat flour to the cornmeal crust. I also think this Mexican Pizza would be tasty with some corn on the top. Mmm. A little roasted cheesy corn sounds like a taste of sunshine to me. And we are seriously lacking in the sunshine department lately. Pizzas make a great food storage meal when you whip them up from scratch and this recipe adds a little variety to your pizza repertoire.

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour or 3/4 wheat and 3/4 all-purpose
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons regular active dry yeast
1/4 teaspoon coarse (kosher or sea) salt
3/4 cup warm water
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/3 cup yellow cornmeal
Additional cornmeal
2 cups Mexican cheese blend (8 oz)
1 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken (I used a large can of chicken, because it is already cooked and preshredded.)
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
1 medium avocado chopped
1/2 Cup corn
1/4 cup sliced green onions (4 medium)

1. Heat oven to 450°F. In medium bowl, mix 3/4 cup of the flour, the sugar, yeast and salt. Stir in warm water and oil. Beat with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds. Beat on high speed 1 minute. Stir in 1/3 cup cornmeal and remaining 3/4 cup flour to make a soft dough.
2. On lightly floured surface, knead dough until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. I know it is cheating but I used my Bosch to knead. Cover; let rest 10 minutes.
3. Spray large cookie sheet with cooking spray; sprinkle with additional cornmeal. On cookie sheet, press dough into 14×10-inch rectangle; prick with fork. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until edges just begin to turn brown.
4. Sprinkle with 1 cup of the cheese blend. Top with chicken, tomatoes and avocado and corn if using. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup cheese. Bake 6 to 8 minutes longer or until cheese is melted and edges are golden brown. Sprinkle with green onions.