Summer Bean Dip

Here is a delicious dip that will not make you feel guilty for scarfing down a bag of greasy chips and a tub of sour cream and onion dip at the beach (whilst wearing a bikini, no less).  I first tried this as a store-bought dip, from Costco.  I basically devoured a tub of it and tried to figure out what the heck it contained while I was wolfing it down. I ended up finding the recipe online (don't kill me but I have absolutely no idea where) and decided to make it for Cinco de Mayo. It was a hit, and I've made it a few times since then. :)
It's always a great dip to take to a summer get-together and like I said, you don't feel guilty if you eat too much of it (I can't say the same for the chips).  You can alter it in a few ways to your personal preference, and it is another cook-free recipe - just mix, refrigerate, and serve. I'm pretty sure it would also make a delicious topping for fish, tacos, on a salad, etc.


Summer Bean Dip

Ingredients

1 15.5 oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 15.5 oz can of yellow corn, drained and rinsed
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 red tomato, chopped
2 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup packed cilantro, chopped
1/2 bunch of scallions, thinly sliced

Directions


Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and serve with tortilla chips.

Vegetable Stir Fry

So I've gotten into the habit of writing these during my lunch break and I always end up craving whatever it is that I'm posting about. lol
This is something I've made a couple times and I'm always really happy with it.  The good thing about this dish is that I can make it as a side, like I did in the photos below, or I can add meat, chicken, shrimp, anything, really - and it is my full meal.
For the vegetables, I usually use a pre-mixed stir-fry bag... especially when it's a last-minute decision on making this for dinner. Most of the time, I prefer my fresh farmer's market veggies, but this is an exception.

Regardless of what you use, the end result is delicious.

Vegetable Stir Fry

Ingredients
1 bag stir fry vegetable mix (you can also use fresh, if you prefer)
1tbsp plum sauce
1tbsp sesame oil
1 pinch red pepper flakes
1tsp soy sauce
1 tsp teriyaki sauce
1 tbsp grated ginger
1 garlic clove, minced

Instructions
Heat wok on medium-high heat & coat with nonstick cooking spray.  Place garlic and vegetables in wok. Pour in teriyaki, soy, sesame, and plum sauce. Stir in ginger. Sear for 5 minutes, or until vegetables are cooked but still crunchy.

If you are adding meat, poultry, or seafood, sear it first until it is almost cooked through before adding the vegetables.

Serve and enjoy. :)

XoXo

Jen

Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

Well I hadn't posted in a few days, but I hadn't really cooked much since my last post - we had a very busy President's Day weekend.
Some of the highlights:

Farmer's Market - where I purchased several of the fresh ingredients that are used in today's post! Yum!
Boat Show - we went to see the huge yachts and really enjoyed ourselves and pretending we could afford yachts that were over 100 feet long.
Coconut Grove Arts Festival - Lots of delicious food and drinks, and some pretty good art, too. ;)
Movies - "Just Go With It" Super cute, super funny movie. Eddie and I were in stitches the whole time!  Definitely recommend the movie - the kids in the film might actually be my favorite part, they were too adorable!

At the Arts Festival

At the Boat Show

On to the food... as I mentioned earlier, we went to the Farmer's Market and bought a few fresh ingredients for the week. One of the things I've really been wanting to make is stuffed Portobello mushrooms, so I made sure we bought some mushrooms.

The recipe packs a very flavorful punch and was pretty easy to make (I feel like I say that about all my recipes. lol).  The original recipe was for the mushrooms to be grilled, but I didn't really feel like grilling anything, so I went with this way.  I liked this meal a lot - it is very light (the original recipe says it is 216 calories per serving!), so after a weekend of stuffing my face with anything and everything you can imagine, this was a great light meal to have at the beginning of the week. And again, it was very flavorful - the cheese and oregano give it a great taste.

Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

Ingredients
2 portobello mushroom caps
2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1 garlic clove, minced
1 small onion, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano
1 cup bagged baby spinach leaves
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup Italian-seasoned panko
1 1/2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Directions
Remove brown gills from undersides of mushrooms using a spoon; discard gills. Set mushroom caps aside.

Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushroom caps, garlic, and onion; saute 2 minutes. Remove mushroom caps from heat. Add oregano and spinach to skillet; saute until spinach wilts.

Transfer spinach mixture to a medium bowl; stir in remaining 1 teaspoon oil, cheese, panko, vinegar, and pepper. Divide evenly among mushrooms, spooning onto gill sides.

Return mushrooms to skillet, and saute mushrooms with filling for 5-7 minutes.

I served this with asparagus spears, which I also sauteed (in the same skillet), after seasoning with salt, pepper, and paprika.

Enjoy!

Xoxo, 

Jen

Recipe adapted from: Cooking Light Fresh Food Fast Weeknight Meals