Cantina Black Bean Taco Salad

¼ cup vegetable oil
1 pound frozen whole kernel corn

4 -15 oz cans black beans

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 Tab. lime juice

16 oz. ranch dressing

1 Tab. chili powder

1 lb. romaine lettuce
ready to use, chopped

3/4 pounds yellow cheddar cheese
shredded

2 cups grape tomatoes
fresh, whole, or cherry

2-6 oz. cans olives
sliced, ripe, canned

2 bags round tortilla chips

To Prepare Black Bean Corn Salsa

Heat vegetable oil in skillet over medium heat.
Add frozen corn to skillet, stir until edges start to brown.
Rinse and drain beans. Add beans to skillet.
Add cumin and lime juice to skillet, gently fold until combined.
Set black bean corn salsa aside in refrigerator.

To Prepare Taco Ranch Dressing

Mix ranch dressing and chili powder in a bowl.

To Assemble Salad

Place 1 cup of lettuce in each salad bowl.
Portion ¼ cup cheese on top of lettuce.
Portion ¼ cup tomatoes on top of cheese.
Rinse and drain olives. Portion ¼ cup olives on top of tomatoes.
Portion ½ cup black bean corn salsa on top of salad.

Serve with Taco Ranch Dressing, and tortilla chips on the side.

Instapot Split Pea Soup

1 yellow onion
3 carrots
3 ribs celery 
2 cloves garlic 
1 lb split peas 
2 Tbsp oil
1 bay leaf 
1/2 Tbsp smoked paprika 
1/4 tsp thyme 
Freshly cracked pepper 
6 cups vegetable broth 

Crusty bread

Dice the onion, slice the carrots and celery, and mince the garlic. Place the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic in the pressure cooker along with all the remaining ingredients.
Secure the lid on the pressure cooker, close the steam valve, and set the cooker to high pressure for 15 minutes (Instant Pot: Manual function, set time to 15 minutes). After 15 minutes of high pressure, allow the cooker to release pressure naturally. (Total cook time with coming up to pressure, cooking, and natural pressure release is approximately 45 minutes.)
Once the cooker returns to normal pressure, open the steam valve, open the lid, and stir the soup. Taste and adjust the salt or other seasonings as needed. Serve hot with crusty bread for dipping.

Southwest Black Bean Salad

Salad:

15 oz can of black beans
drained and rinsed

10 oz can of corn kernels
drained and rinsed

1 red bell pepper
finely chopped

1 cup cherry tomatoes
quartered

1/4 cup red onion
finely chopped

Dressing:

1 ⅔ tablespoons olive oil

1 ⅔ tablespoons white wine vinegar

1 teaspoon lime juice

1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/2 tablespoon honey


Toss together all Mexican bean salad ingredients in the vinaigrette. Keeps for up to 5 days.

Caprese Salad

1 tomato
large, sliced into 8 slices

8 oz fresh mozzarella
sliced into 8 slices

5 basil leaves
sliced or whole

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp balsamic vinegar

salt

black pepper


Place sliced tomato on a large plate or platter. Whisk together olive oil, vinegar and salt and pepper. Top tomato slices with mozzarella and then drizzle olive oil and vinegar mixture over all the slices. Spread basil leaves evenly over all slices.

Garden Caprese Salad

8 plum tomatoes, eeded and cut into 1/2 inch chunks

2 cucumbers
medium, seeded and cut into 1/2 inch chunks

1 red onion
small, small dice

1 Tbsp olive oil

3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 oz (15 leaves) fresh basil
chopped

¼ tsp salt
optional

¼ tsp black pepper

113g (4 oz) fresh mozzarella
cut into small chunks


In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. Mix well. Best if marinated in refrigerator for a couple hours.

Lemon, Kale, and Goat Cheese Flatbread

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
2 cups kale, packed, chopped, ribs removed
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
salt, to taste
black pepper, to taste
2 whole grain naan flatbreads
olive oil for brushing breads
4 ounces goat cheese
1 lemon, thinly sliced
Crushed Red Pepper, if desired


Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

In a medium skillet, heat 2 teaspoons olive oil. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add the chopped kale and fresh lemon juice. Season with salt and black pepper and cook until kale is tender and wilted, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat.

Place the Naan flatbreads on a large baking sheet. Brush each flatbread with a little bit of olive oil. Sprinkle chunks of goat cheese evenly over the breads. Top with cooked kale and lemon slices. You will want 3-4 lemon slices for each flatbread. Sprinkle crushed red pepper over the flatbreads, if using.

Place baking sheet in preheated oven and cook for 12-14 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Remove from oven and cut into pieces. Serve warm.

Note-I like to eat the lemon, but you can always remove it. It will still add great flavor!

Ploughman's Lunch

 

crusty bread

cheeses

eggs

hard boiled

fruit

seasonal

pickles

Small

chutney. optional

beer

Southern Fried Potatoes

 

10 medium Russet potatoes (4-5 pounds)
1 large onion, diced
1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
1 to 2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

Wash, peel, and slice the potatoes into 1/8-inch rounds.
Heat a large cast iron or nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil and heat until it starts to ripple. Add the potatoes evenly and sprinkle the onions over the top. Cover and cook about 8 minutes. Remove the lid and add the salt and pepper. Flip the potatoes and continue to cook for about 10 more minutes, flipping once or twice more, or until golden brown and tender. Drain on paper towels if desired. Serve immediately.

Vegetarian Appalachian Soup Beans

1 pound dried pinto beans

1 Tab. salt
3 Tab. olive or canola oil
1 cup chopped yellow onion
5 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups vegetable stock
2 cups water
2 tea. Liquid Smoke
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
2 bay leaves
1½ teaspoons kosher salt
Chow chow and cornbread, to serve, optional

Cook rinsed dried beans and salt in Instapot under bean setting.

Add onion to oil in a frying pan; cook over medium heat until softened, about 4 minutes. Add garlic; cook for 30 seconds.
In a 5-to 6-quart slow cooker, add cooked beans, onion mixture, stock, water, Liquid Smoke, peppers, and bay leaves. Cover and cook until beans have blended with the spices, up to  4 hours on low. Uncover. Taste and add salt if needed and continue to cook on low for up to an 1 hour more. Using the back of a spoon, mash a few beans, if desired. 
Serve with chow chow and cornbread, if desired.

Focaccia Bread

1/2 cup milk +
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp yeast
3 1/3 cups flour +
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup yogurt
1 tbsp dried rosemary
1 egg
3/4 cup Italian mixed cheese
3 1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 cup olive oil
Optional toppings
Sliced olives
Green onions tops
Sweet pepper
Red pepper flakes
Pepperocini

Mix together milk, sugar and yeast, let it rest until the yeast blooms. Meanwhile mix together flour, 1 1/2 tsp salt, and baking powder. In a separate bowl mix together yogurt and egg. Once yeast blooms pour the yeast mixture and yogurt mixture in the flour mixture and mix together until you get a shaggy mixture. You might need to add more milk or flour if it's too wet or dry. Once it gets into a shaggy mixture knead until everything combines and it becomes a tight ball. Let the ball of dough rise in a oiled bowl for an hour or until doubled in size. Once doubled press the dough into a well oiled cookie sheet and oil the top, sprinkle on cheese, salt and rosemary. At this point you can add in whatever toppings you want. These toppings can be made into a picture or just generally sprinkled. Gently press in the toppings and let the dough rise for another 30 minutes. After that bake at 425° for 20 minutes. Enjoy!

Source: Bigger Bolder Baking

Easy Broccoli Cheese Quiche (5 Ingredients)

2 cups broccoli florets (about ½ pound)
5 large eggs
¾ cup milk 
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 9-inch pie crust

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Roll out pie crust, if not already shaped, and chill until ready to use.
Place 1-2 cups water in the bottom of a small pot. Add the broccoli, cover, and bring to a boil. Cook the broccoli until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Transfer broccoli to a colander, rinse with cool water, and drain. Chop broccoli into small pieces.
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Stir in the chopped broccoli and cheddar cheese. Pour into the prepared pie shell.
Bake quiche for 35-40 minutes, until eggs are set in the center. Check on quiche starting at 25 minutes and tent with foil if crust is browning too quickly.
Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Source: Kristine's Kitchen

Patatas a la Importancia

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 medium sized yukon gold potatoes
2 cage-free organic eggs
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 onion finely diced
3 cloves garlic finely minced
1 tbsp corn starch
1/2 tsp sweet smoked Spanish paprika
1/2 cup white wine
3 cups vegetable broth
handful freshly chopped parsley
sea salt
black pepper


Slice 2 Yukon Gold potatoes into rounds that are a 1/4 inch thick, crack 2 large eggs into a bowl, season with sea salt & black pepper and whisk together, in another bowl add in a 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour, season with sea salt & black pepper and mix together

To coat each slice of potato, start with the flour mixture and then into the egg wash, making sure to shake off any of the excess flour and egg wash

Heat a large fry pan with a medium heat and add in 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, after 2 minutes start adding the coated potatoes, cook in batches to not over-crowd the pan, after 3 minutes flip to cook the other side, after another 3 minutes remove the potatoes from the pan and transfer to a plate with paper towels, continue to cook until all the potatoes are done

Using the same pan with the same heat, add in 1/2 onion finely diced and 3 cloves garlic finely minced, mix with the olive oil, after 3 minutes add in 1 tbsp of corn starch and a generous 1/2 tsp of sweet smoked paprika, mix together until well combined, then add in 1/2 cup white wine and continue to mix until you form a thick sauce, then add in all the slices of potato (it´s okay if they are stacked around each other) and pour in 3 cups of vegetable broth (or just enough to cover all the potatoes), turn up the heat to a medium-high, at this point you don´t have to mix anything, but do give the pan a quick shake once in a while.

After about 25 minutes and almost all the broth has been incorporated into the potatoes and they are fully cooked through, remove from the heat, serve directly out of the pan garnished with freshly chopped parsley, enjoy!

Source: Spain on a Fork

Large Family Spinach and Cheese Strata

2 (10-ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry 

2 large onions, finely chopped 

6 tablespoons unsalted butter 2 teaspoon salt, divided 

1 teaspoon black pepper, divided 

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg 

 2 loaves (16 cups) cubed French bread 

4 cups Italian cheese blend 

5 ½ cups milk 

18 large eggs 

4 tablespoons Dijon mustard 

 Prepare two 9×13 casserole dishes with nonstick cooking spray. In a large skillet over medium heat, saute the onions in butter, cooking until the onions are transparent and stirring as needed. Stir in 1 teaspoon of salt, ½ teaspoon of black pepper, and nutmeg and cook for an additional minute. Add the spinach, mixing until evenly distributed. In a large bowl, toss together the bread and spinach mixture. Divide the combination between the two casserole dishes. Sprinkle two cups of cheese blend over each casserole dish. Whisk together the milk, eggs, mustard, and remaining salt and pepper. Divide evenly between the two 9×13 greased casserole dishes, pouring over the top over the cheese. Cover and place in the refrigerator overnight or wrap well and freeze. When ready to bake: If frozen, thaw the strata in the refrigerator. Remove the casseroles from the refrigerator and allow to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes prior to baking. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Uncover and bake for 45 to 55 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Source: Large Family Table