Bean and Veggie Taquitos

We hit a milestone last night. Keith and I went out with friends to see an exhibit at the MFA, and we left the three boys to fend for themselves. Joe is now almost 14, so legally it's all good, but we all know how brothers can be. I did a lot of praying. I also made this recipe for them to eat for dinner. Something new and interesting to help keep them happy so I could go look at art.

It turned out great! They are pretty quick, cheap and easy to make. This recipe makes 12 taquitos. I used pinto beans and red pepper because that is what I had. You could use any beans or meat that you like. Also feel free to change up the veggies to your liking. Black bean and left over cooked sweet potato would work great. This recipe is a canvas you can paint the way you like. Have fun!



Bean and Veggie Taquitos

Ingredients:
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 - 14oz can of beans, drained (pinto or black work well)
1/4 cup canned chopped chilis
1/2 red bell pepper finely diced
2 scallions diced
1/3 cup cubed cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp oregono
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp chili powder
salt and pepper to taste
12 flour tortillas
butter or oil for the pan

Directions:
1. Combine cream cheese, beans, chilis, pepper, scallions, cheddar and spices. Gently fold together to combine.

2. Assemble the taquitos. Lay one tortilla on a clean work surface, then place two heaping tablespoons of filling near the edge closest to you.

 Smooth out the filing along that edge and roll the tortilla tightly away from you starting with the filling edge. Heat your pan while you roll your tortillas.

3. Place 5-6 taquitos in a pre-heated skillet, seam side down. Cook until they brown, 2-3 minutes, then turn to brown on another side. Continue until all sides are browned. Serve right away. If you are cooking in batches, cooked taquitos can be kept warm in a baking dish placed in the oven at 200 degrees.

Ham and Cheese Brunch Roll Sandwiches

I found this recipe on Pinterest as I was looking for fun solutions for feeding a crowd. My family is always a crowd, especially with teenage and pre-teen boys. But when you add another family with multiple boys, you need a lot of sandwiches! This recipe made 24 sandwich rolls, and they all disappeared, which I take as a sign that they were a good idea. (this is also the reason there are no photos of the sandwiches being eaten)

One of the best parts of this recipe is the mustard glaze. Don't be afraid of this glaze friends. I am not a huge fan of mustard, and I found it to be very tasty and complementary.

I tweaked the recipe to suit the needs of my family. I have a super reliable pizza dough recipe that is easy, and I used. Please see PIZZA DOUGH RECIPE. If you are scared of making your own dough, or want to save time you can use refrigerated pizza dough. You will need two sheets of pizza dough to make 24 sandwiches.


Ham and Cheese Brunch Roll Sandwiches

Ingredients:

Pizza dough (Recipe)
24 slices of deli ham
24 slices of cheddar cheese (or any cheese your family likes)

Glaze:
4 tablespoons of butter melted
2 tbsp whole grain mustard
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp soy sauce

Directions:

1. Make your pizza dough. Divide the dough into two equal parts. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2.On a well floured surface, roll half of the dough into an 13x18 rectangle.

3. Place the dough so the longer side of the rectangle is facing you, then layer 12 slices of ham to cover the rectangle. Make another layer of 12 slices of cheese on top of the ham.

4. Roll the dough up tightly starting with the long side closest to you to make one large rolled-up spiral.

5. Using a serrated knife, cut the roll into 12 equal buns. (I like to divide the roll in half, then half again, then into thirds so I can make my cuts more accurate)

6. Place buns in a  greased 9x13 baking dish. Repeat steps 2-6 with the remaining dough.

7. Make the glaze: Melt butter in a microwave-proof bowl, or in a saucepan. Add mustard, brown sugar, and soy sauce. Whisk to combine.

8. Using a pastry brush, brush each bun with the Mustard glaze.

9. Bake, uncovered for 20 minutes. Cool a bit and serve.

Sweet and Sour sauce

We do a lot of stir fry in our house. Sometimes I buy sauces, but I don't like all the added sugar or corn syrup that shows up in most of them. Sometimes I make my own sauces, but they are inconsistent in how they turn out.

This one turned out great! I was very pleased and wanted to make sure I saved it. So here is my new favorite recipe for sweet and sour stir fry sauce.

SWEET AND SOUR STIR FRY SAUCE

Ingredients:

• 1/2 fresh   pineapple 
• 1 Orange, peel and pith removes
• 2/3 cup water
• 4 tablespoons vinegar
• 2  tablespoon soy sauce
• ¹⁄₂ cup  packed brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch 
• 1 tsp siracha sauce
• Salt and pepper to taste

1. Put all ingredients in a blender and blend at high speed for 2-3 minutes until smooth.

2. Add sauce to your stir fry when veggies are crisp tender and stir to combine. Bring to a boil and cook until sauce is thickened.

3. Enjoy!

For this recipe I added some left over smoked pork to the green bean, onion, carrot, summer squash and pineapple stir fry. The sauce works great with any combination of veggies and meat. Use what you have and make it your own!