Ranchero Beans

(1) soak one pound of pinto beans overnight. The next day, drain and rinse.

(2) Dice and cook one pound of bacon. In the grease, saute an onion.

(3) Add bacon, onion, and beans to crockpot with enough water to cover. Add a little Tabasco sauce and adobo seasoning. Cook all day on low.

These were so excellent I couldn't stand it. The boys mashed them in a bowl, put a little cheese on top, and ate as bean dip. D and I layered tortilla chips, mexican rice, and these beans in a bowl and garnished with cilantro, tomatoes, cheese, sour cream, corn, and salsa and it was so good I couldn't stand it.

Sloppy Joes

My kids love these.

one pound ground beef
a little seasoning salt
1 T mustard
3/4 c ketchup
3 t brown sugar

Cook and serve on hamburger buns.

Spicy Black Bean Cakes

The flavor on these was tremendous; the recipe is adapted from allrecipes.com.

Lime Sour Cream:
* 1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream
* 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
* 1 small fresh jalapeno pepper, minced
* salt to taste

Bean Cakes:
* 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
* 4 green onions, thinly sliced
* 6 cloves garlic, pressed
* 2 (14.5 ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
* salt and black pepper to taste
* 2 cups grated raw sweet potato
* 1 egg, lightly beaten
* 1/2 cup plain dried bread crumbs



1. To prepare lime sour cream, mix the sour cream, lime juice, 1 small minced jalapeno, and salt together in a small bowl. Cover, and refrigerate.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Cook green onions until softened, about 1 minute. Stir in garlic and diced jalapeno; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
3. Transfer contents of skillet to a large bowl. Stir in black beans, and mash with a fork. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Mix in sweet potatoes, egg, and bread crumbs. Divide into 8 balls, and flatten into patties.
4. Use indoor grill. Serve with lime sour cream.

Sausage Fried Rice

We really liked this.

INGREDIENTS

* 1 pound ground pork
* 5 eggs, beaten
* 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
* 1/2 head cabbage, cored and shredded
* 3 carrots, chopped
* 5 cups cooked brown rice, cold
* 1/4 cup soy sauce, or to taste
* 1 (14.5 ounce) can bean sprouts, drained
* 6 ounce frozen green peas, thawed
* ground black pepper to taste
* 3 green onions, chopped

DIRECTIONS

1. In a skillet over medium-high heat, cook the sausage until evenly browned. Drain, and remove sausage from the pan. In the same pan, using the remaining coating of grease from the sausage, scramble the eggs, stirring frequently until cooked through. Set aside.
2. Heat the oil in a very large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir fry the cabbage and carrots just until the cabbage has wilted. Add the rice, and fry, stirring so that there are no clumps. Mix in the sausage and pour in some soy sauce. Stir in bean sprouts, peas, and eggs, mixing well so there are no big chunks of egg. Season with pepper, and stir in green onions just before removing from the heat. Adjust soy sauce to taste, and serve.

Bagel Sandwiches

This is adapted from a Pioneer Woman recipe. These are so good:

toasted bagel
cream cheese, with finely diced chives mixed into it
cucumber
tomato
avocado slices
spinach leaves
gouda cheese slices
cheddar cheese slices

Cold Pea Soup

I must think of a more appetizing name for this. It is adapted from a Martha Stewart recipe.

Melt 2T butter and add 1 c green onion and 1 diced potato. Cook five minutes. Add 1/4c apple juice and 2c chicken broth and 2c water. Cook until potato is soft. Add 2c frozen peas. Cook 2 minutes. Run it through the blender. Add 1c buttermilk and salt and pepper. Serve cold.

Amy's Rice Salad

Amy is in one of my homeschooling co-ops. She brought this salad for a potluck and was besieged with recipe requests. I made a few modifications.

Mix together:
brown rice, cooked and cooled
chopped celery, carrots, cucumber and scallions
nuts
dried cranberries

Dressing:
2tbsp olive oil
1tbsp rice wine vinegar
1tbsp brown sugar
salt
pepper