Let me just say that this is not a food blog. I am not a professional. I usually make extremely adequate food. However, last night’s dinner that I whipped up was superb and I just have to share it with you.
First of all, I must start out with veggie news. I know a lot of people who are vegetarians. Or vegans. Or vegetarians who don’t eat meat or eggs but do eat fish and cheese. Or vegetarians who only eat organic. Or frutarians who only eat produce that has actually fallen from the plant because fruits and veggies have souls and when we pick them it should, in fact, be called murder. Ok, that last one isn’t true for anyone except that weird girl on the movie Notting Hill. But, to sum up, I live in the northwest and people here eat weird.
Something I have noticed, however, is that the veggies (meaning anyone in the above categories) I know are rather slender and healthy. Their hair is shiny. Their teeth are whiter and they fly to work with their angel wings. Ok, maybe not. But they do seem generally healthier and have more energy than me. Meat is no big thing to me so I wondered if I could do the veggie thing. It has always seemed intriguing but I have one major obstacle. Ok, four major obstacles. One adult and three children.
Could I give up meat? I think so. Could my family? Um, no. Oh yeah, I cook for them. I gave it up for breakfast and lunch (way easy) but dinners are different. Maybe I could cook two vegetarian dinners a week. And then make it three. And then… Well, we’ll see.
So I have been trying to sneak vegetarian dinners in without them knowing so they’ll fall in love with the food and be forced to admit vegetarian food is great (or something like that). Last night I fooled them all. Ellie was calling them “Chicken Quesadillas”. Joke’s on her, I guess.
Here’s how I threw it together.
Mix together the following:
1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 can sweet corn, drained and rinsed
1 chopped red bell pepper
1 chopped tomato
1/2 Walla Walla sweet onion (1/4 if it’s one of those mondo huge ones), diced (if you don’t have Walla Wallas, yellow onions will do. But if you’ve ever tasted sweet onions you know why I recommend them. Yum.)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro – the key ingredient, if I do say so myself…and I do
1/4 cup chopped green onion
1 tbsp lemon or lime juice
You should end up with some kind of goodness that resembles this:
Fresh Deliciousness
If you don’t like something in the mixture, leave it out. Mess with the quantities as much as you like to suit your preferences. You can really use any kind of bean. If you like it spicy, add some diced jalepenos. If you like it heartier, add some rice. (Rice…yuck! But that’s just me.) If you like it saucy, add some enchilada sauce. Take the beauty above and make it yours. Own it. As Tim Gunn says, “Make it work.”
Once you have your filling delicioso, take a tortilla, pour some filling on one side and sprinkle on some taco seasoning, pero solamente un poquito. That spanish may be wrong, but you get the picture. Only a little.
Top with cheese (we used cheddar, but pepper jack or monterey jack would work as well) and fold the tortilla over to close. Lay gently in a skillet over medium heat. When the bottom is toasted, GENTLY turn it without letting all the filling fall out. When the other side is toasted, remove from skillet, cut into triangles and eat with homemade guacamole.
Mmmmmmmmm
Meat free is yummy. If you like chicken you can add some. But you’d have to change the name because they wouldn’t be “veggie” anymore.
Haley and Jeannie, this recipe is inspired by and dedicated to you. My lovely veggies.
