Lish's Scrumptious Vegetarian Tacos

These tacos were absolutely delicious. Garrett and I both really enjoyed this recipe (as in no leftovers!). I will definitely be making them again in the near future. They are full of a variety of vegetables and I added beans for some sustenance and protein. A filling meal; healthful, and without the cost of organic meat! It's a very simple recipe and can be thrown together quickly.

2 garlic cloves

1/4 of a small white onion, chopped

1 can white beans; drained

1/2 red bell pepper, chopped

1/2 poblano pepper, chopped

1 cup frozen corn

2 roma tomatoes, cubed

4 green onions, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon lime juice

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped

whole wheat tortillas

Heat a frying pan over medium heat with 2 teaspoons olive oil, and add poblano pepper, chopped white onion & garlic cloves.

Saute until fragrant, 2-3 minutes; add can of beans, bell pepper and corn.

Cook until corn is warmed and soft, 10 minutes or so.

Add tomatoes & green onion, stir and then add the lime juice and balsamic.

Cook just to warm the tomatoes and green onion; then serve immediately in whole wheat tortillas with fresh cilantro, a dalop of sour cream and avocado slices.

These tacos can easily become gluten-free or dairy-free for anyone out there with food allergies. Simply omit the sour cream dalop for dairy-free and use corn tortillas for gluten-free.

As a side note:

If I had had any leftoever, I would've turned it into chicken enchiladas later on in the week. For that, just boil & shred chicken breast, mix shredded chicken into the leftover vegetarian taco filling, and put into tortillas with a bit of cheese and cook at 350 for about 25 minutes. I don't cover my enchiladas with red sauce until the last 7-10 minutes of baking. I like crispy enchiladas; not soggy, mushy blah tortilla.

Here is a simple red sauce for your enchiladas:

1 - 28 oz can fire roasted tomatoes (muir glen)

2 garlic cloves

handful of cilantro or parsley

1/2 of a medium onion or 1 small onion; yellow or white

2 teaspoons chile powder

2 teaspoons ground cumin

dash of cayenne, or more if you like heat

Put all ingredients in a blender and puree until you have a smooth sauce.

build a better BLT

We love BLTs. They are an easy solution to the common, uh-oh it's 5 o' clock and I don't have anything remotely resembling a planned dinner rolling around in my mind. But we have grown a little weary of the old standby, so I decided to spice it up a bit. Background: I do not like mayo or miracle whip, so I usually just butter the toast. It always tasted a little dry, like it was missing that moisture or cream to smooth out all the flavors. And I can hear all of you out there are going, duh woman - that's why we use the mayonnaise. Not me, no thank you. So this time, I got a little inventive in the kitchen and here's what happened: It was delicious.

How to build a better BLT:

Cook your bacon.

Thinly slice onion.

Thinly slice tomato. Dill and pepper your tomato. What? I can say that. I know it sounds wierd, but it's really illogical considering we say "salt & pepper" things all the time. You don't need any salt because of how salty the bacon is (this coming from a salt-addict), but you do need dill because it goes so well with tomato slices.

Toast your bread.

Drizzle a vinaigrette dressing over your toast (such as Brianna's homestlye dressings) and then top each toast with crumbled cheese. I used goat cheese, however; one could also use feta or parmesan reggiano. Any cheese with a punch, you want to taste the cheese without having to use a lot of it. Personally, I think the goat cheese was, as the Italian chef would say, magnifico! The tanginess of the goat cheese married perfectly with the BLT-ness. After you've drizzled your toast with vinaigrette and cheese crumbles, build a "normal" BLT. Put the warm bacon directly onto the cheese to make it melt ever so slightly. Yum. Enjoy. You're welcome.

Quiche; Lish style

I used to make my own quiche and pie shells. Then I became a mama. So I happily traded in the glory days of whipping up my own from-scratch shells for the Wholly Wholesome shells (found at King Soopers & Whole Foods). They are moderatly priced and make the whole quiche process such a snap. I am one who bakes my shell before filling it with yummies because I personally abhor a soggy quiche or pie shell. But the directions say it's not necessary. For me, it is!

1)Bake or Don't (I'm wincing even as I type that) Bake your Shell

400 degress for approx. 10 minutes

2)Fill it with yummies

Ideas: Choose at least one of each

Veggie - chopped onion, bell pepper, green onion, leeks, tomato, spinach, asparagus, potatoes

Meat- ham, turkey, bacon, crab

Shredded Cheese -anykind, use 1 cup shredded cheese. If you like a creamier flavor, stick with mozzarella, or mix in some parmesan or romano. Otherwise, go for a sharp flavor with white cheddar or swiss.

Pour the yummies into your cooled pie shell

3)Whip up in a bowl:

5 eggs

1 cup half and half

salt & pepper

Pour the eggs over the yummies and fill that shell to the brim.

Bake @ 375 for approx 40 minutes.

Serve with hashbrown for breakfast or a nice green leafy salad & hearty roll for dinner.