Black Bean and Scrambled Egg Breakfast Tacos

1 taco = 2 points

I made this recipe just like the Black Bean Tacos, except I only used 1 Tbs of black beans, added half a scrambled egg and skipped the cheese. This was a very good and filling breakfast!

Black Bean Tacos

5 points for 3 tacos

I've been making these tacos all week loosely-based on a blog post my sister Carrie sent to me. I've finally perfected the technique for cooking the tortillas so that they don't break when you turn them over! I just made 3 of these for dinner, so I will give instructions on how to make 3. They are SO good and it is hard to believe how low in fat and calories they are. The beans and the corn tortillas make a complete protein. The dairy is also a complete protein in itself.

Ingredients:

• 3 thin corn tortillas
• 6 Tbs black beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 Tbs salsa
• 3 Tbs shredded lowfat cheese* (divided)
• 1 Tbs light sour cream (divided)
• Olive Oil spray (or Pam if you don't have an oil sprayer)

Directions:

• Heat skillet to medium high.
• Place black beans in a bowl, along with the salsa. Mash with a fork until well blended.
• Lightly spray tortillas on each side with olive oil (or Pam) and place onto skillet. I have a large iron skillet and I was able to start one taco, then after I folded it over, I moved it to the side and was able to start on the next tortilla and so forth. By the end all 3 were folded over and cooking in the skillet at the same time.
• While tortilla is cooking, scoop 1/3 of black bean mixture (about 2.5 Tbs) onto it. Spread the bean mixture to run the diameter of the tortilla, but slightly off center.
• Using a spatula, fold the tortilla in half.
• Scoot the taco to the side of your skillet and start the next tortilla.
• Turn tacos over to cook the other side once the tortillas are getting a bit crispy** and is getting dark brown spots on them.
• When the 2nd side is getting a bit crispy** and has dark brown spots, remove tacos onto a plate.
• Add whatever you like to the tacos; I added some more salsa, 1 Tbs of cheese per taco and 1 tsp of light sour cream per taco. I didn't have any fresh lettuce or tomatoes, but that would have been really good in them.

*I used a sharp cheddar cheese made from goat milk from a local dairy; it has the same calories and fat as lowfat cow milk cheese. If you use regular cow milk shredded cheese, the points increase to 6. I'm not a huge fan of lowfat cow's milk cheese because it just doesn't seem to cook or taste the same. I'm willing to give up lower points for good cheese.

**These are not crispy corn tacos. The tortillas are still soft, but the outsides are a bit crispy/crunchy. I just wanted to clarify; if you were expecting an uber-crunchy taco like you might get at Taco Bell, you'd be disappointed. I love the consistency of these tacos. They don't fall apart when you eat them.

Quinoa with Black Beans

Quinoa with Black Beans

4 points per 1 cup serving

OMG I can't believe I haven't included this recipe yet?? Wha.....? I make this a lot and it is really good. I made it tonight for my in-laws and they liked it as well.

I "Hollified" this recipe quite a bit from http://www.allrecipes.com/. Here's how I made it tonight.

Ingredients

• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small onion diced
• 1 medium carrot shredded (sometimes I add this, sometimes not)
• 1.5 cups uncooked quinoa
• 3 cups water
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder (sometimes I add fresh diced garlic - about 2-4 cloves - instead)
• About 3 cups cooked black beans (about 2 cans)
• 1/2 large can of diced or crushed tomatoes (about 1 15oz can)

Directions

• Heat olive oil in non-stick skillet
• Saute onion and carrot until soft
• Add water and bring to a boil
• Add quinoa, chili powder, cumin and garlic powder and stir through
• Bring water back to a boil, and reduce heat to low
• Cook 20 minutes, stirring occasionally
• Add black beans and diced tomatoes, stir through
• Cook until heated through completely
  

This is a larger batch than I normally make. I typically will make this with just one cup of uncooked quinoa. Sometimes I use one can of black beans, sometimes two. It just depends on what I have in the pantry. As I mentioned in one of my previous posts this week, I made a pound of dry beans earlier this week, so I just used 3 cups of those beans, which is equal to about 2 regular cans of beans.

As I was typing this, I realized that I didn't top the quinoa with avocado tonight! That is the whole reason I made quinoa because I had several avocados that need to be used. Darn!! Anyway, it is really good with avocado.

Also, Jeff likes to make a wrap out of his. He puts a big scoop onto a large tortilla, adds cheese and salsa and wraps it up. Yum.

This larger batch made 7 cups total. I figure 1 cup is good (generous) serving size. Check out the Nutrition Facts below. Not bad!! Though, I am disappointed in the protein rating that NutritionData.com provided for this recipe. I always have heard that quinoa is a complete protein by itself, yet even with the beans, ND.com rated this only a 50. 100 or more is considered to be a complete protein. Hmmmm??? I'll have to research.

Vegetarian Black Bean Enchiladas
About 4.5 weight watchers points for 2 enchiladas

Last night, I made vegetarian black bean enchiladas. They were so yummy... Jeff said that they were ALMOST better than my pizza!!

Before you start, you have to make a batch of salsa. (Skip this step if you are using my Easier Enchilada Sauce.)


Ingredients for salsa:

• 1 28oz can of crushed tomatoes
• 1-2 jalapenos
• 1 small onion
• 4 cloves garlic (or 1tsp garlic powder)
• 1 bunch of cilantro
  

Directions for salsa:

• Coarsely chop jalapenos, onion, garlic and cilantro and place into blender or food processor. Process until finely chopped.
• Open can of tomatoes and put into large bowl
• Fold onion mixture into tomatoes until completely mixed

Now, for the enchiladas!!

Ingredients for sauce: (Or you can try making my Easier Enchilada Sauce!)

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1/4 onion, minced
• 4 garlic cloves or 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp oregano
• 2 or 3 Tbs chili powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 2 cups salsa
• 1 cup water

Directions for sauce:

• Heat olive oil and saute the onion and garlic for a few minutes - add the next 4 ingredients and stir. It will become a little dry and thick, so you can add a little of the water
• Add salsa and stir through
• Add water and stir through
• Heat through

Ingredients for enchiladas:

• 1 recipe of Enchilada Sauce (or you can make my Easier Enchilada Sauce!)
• 12 corn tortillas
• 1 can of black beans
• 1 cup of shredded cheese

Directions for enchiladas. (You might want to try my Variation of Black Bean Enchiladas for an easier prep!)

• Soak the tortillas in the enchilada sauce for a few minutes (you may want to let the sauce cool a little). Soaking isn't totally necessary but it helps keep the tortillas from cracking when you roll them up. It does sort of make them soggy, so you have to be careful and not break them when you handle them. But even if your tortillas are cracked or broken, its OK because everything gets covered w/ sauce and cheese and you can't even see the tortillas! If you don't soak, then just dip them into the sauce before rolling them up!
• Spray 9x13 casserole dish w/ Pam, then add about 1/2 cu of sauce to bottom of the pan
• Place 1.5 Tbl of black beans inside each tortilla and roll up into casserole dish. You may have some beans left over. Just put them anywhere you can once the tortillas are all rolled up.
• Scoop rest of enchilada sauce over the top
• Cover with cheese
• Cook for about 25-30 minutes in 350 degree oven