White Bean Burritos are super easy to whip up.  Cooked Great Northern beans or Navy beans are quickly mashed, seasoned with cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper, then heated up like refried beans.  I could totally see this as a healthy snack dip or eaten as a filling for tacos, chalupas and, yes, burritos.

For folks accustomed to eating Pinto beans or red beans in your Tex-Mex treats, you may think the Northern or Navy beans don't have enough "bean" flavor.  That's what I thought the first time I attempted to make tacos using them.  The second time, I cooked them up like I would a pan of traditional refried beans.  Mixed with a topping of cooked red bell pepper, onions and a few spicy jalapenos, they turn into a tasty alternative.

I ran this recipe through the Kid Approval Process, using my two plus a kid from the hood.  EVERY ONE gave a thumbs up and Max went back for seconds.  He claimed he liked them MORE than the regular kind.  I, personally, wouldn't go that far, as I am a die hard pinto bean refried bean eater.  However, as I said before, using the Northern bean shakes it up a bit.  I want to play around some more with this recipe.  I feel it could be more exciting.  Today's version is purely for the kiddos, picky eaters, and mild spice consumers.

HERE'S ALL IT TAKES

this makes 4 to 5 small burritos

• 1 small onion, sliced into rings
• 1 small bell pepper, sliced the same thickness as the onion
• 1 tablespoon bacon drippings (essential seasoning in refried beans)
• 3 cups cooked Great Northern or Navy beans
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• salt & fresh pepper to taste
• flour tortillas, fajitas size
• jalapenos, sliced (totally optional)
• cheddar cheese, grated

In a medium fry pan over medium heat, heat a little canola oil and cook the onion and bell pepper until soften, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from pan, set aside and keep warm.

Using the same pan, warm the bacon drippings, add in the chili powder and cumin, then add in the beans.  If you're using canned beans, pour in the whole can, liquid and all. Carefully use a potato masher to mash about 3/4 of the beans into a thick consistency.  If you need to,  add a little water if the bean mixture is still too thick.   Salt and pepper to taste.  Cook the beans on medium heat for 7 to 10 minutes until they have thicken back up, stir often to keep from sticking to pan.  Remove from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes.  The refried beans will thicken the more they cool down.

Meanwhile, prep your burrito building station. Warm the tortillas, either in the microwave on medium power for 20 to 40 seconds, or in the oven set to 250ºF degrees for a minute or two.  You pick. Grate the cheese, get out the jar of jalapenos...

Allow everyone to build their own burritos and you're ready to eat!

Pick up the NEW book Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg & Zoe Francois from Amazon here.

I'm calling this a dip, rather than a salsa, because it's thick like a dip.  I've made tomatilla salsa a few times with many ingredients and spices.  Everytime it turned out great, however, this time I was looking for a simple, uncomplicated, truly tasty green condiment to go on top of chicken fajitas.

You know, as well as I, the best way to find out if a recipe is good, is to take it to a party.  Saturday night, we spent the evening with a large group of kinfolks and kinfolk-in-laws.  It was comprised of many picky eaters and some that would eat anything you put in front of them.  It was the perfect testing grounds.

The roasted tomatilla dip was a HIT! They chowed down on it with chips, but a lot of folks used it as a condiment for their fajitas. Many said they enjoyed it's fresh mild flavor, instead of being another spicy salsa.  YEAH!!!

SO, HERE'S ALL IT TAKES

• 10 to 15 tomatilla
• canola oil
• salt & pepper
• 1 bunch of cilantro
• 4 green onions
• 1 garlic clove
• fresh juice of 1/2 lime

Preheat the oven to 400F degrees.

Remove the husks from the tomatillas.  In a large bowl, wash the tomatillas in warm water with a drop or two of dish soup until the sticky skin is not more. Rinse well.

Cut the tomatillas in half or quarters, whatever it takes to make them the same size.  Place on a sheet pan, drizzle with enough oil to keep them from sticking, season with salt & pepper.  Roast tomatillas for 10-15 minutes.

Meanwhile, grab a handful of cilantro, rinse and pat dry, then drop into a food processor.  Roughly chop the green onions and garlic clove, throw them into the processor and give them a few pulses until all is minced up.

When the tomatillas are out of the oven and slightly cooled, scrap them and their juices into the food processor, add the juice of the lime.  Pulse a few times until all is well mixed and slightly pureed.  It doesn't take much.

You're ready for dippin' or spreadin' it on! Like most good eats, it's ALWAYS tastier on the 2nd day.  It might be better on the 3rd, but this dip didn't last that long to find out.

Pick up the NEW book Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg & Zoe Francois from Amazon here.

Remember when I talked about making Fish Tacos? Well, I wondered what it would be like to make Fish Nachos.  Seeing how I didn't have any tortillas on hand, but a fresh bag of tortillas chips, it seemed like an idea worth trying.

I had two new ingredients this time that I didn't have for the Fish Tacos, Panko Bread Crumbs & chipotle peppers in adobo sauce.  Which by the way, is rockin' drizzled over eggs or Tex Mex Cheesy Macaroni.

Now, I'll say it right up front.  I liked these nachos, because I like crispy fish, black beans, roasted peppers and onions.  The creamy adobo sauce idea I borrowed from Tyler Florence, made these nachos taste even better!

HERE'S WHAT I DID

First, Tyler's Pink Chile Mayonnaise

• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 chipotle in adobo, plus 1 tablespoons of adobo sauce
• 1/4 lemon, juiced
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Crispy Fish

• 1 talapia fillet
• 1 egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon water
• salt & fresh ground pepper
• Panko Bread Crumbs

Heat a fry pan over medium high heat with 2 tablespoons of oil.  Dip the fish in the beaten egg, season generously with salt and pepper, then finally coat with bread crumbs.  Cook fish until it flakes, depending on the size of the fillet 2 to 3 minutes each side.  Transfer fish to a plate lined with a paper towel.

For the Other Nachos Flavors

• 1 (15oz.) can black beans, drained & pureed
• small red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• small yellow onion, thinly slice
• 1 bag corn tortilla chips restaurant style

Preheat oven to 350F degrees

On a large cookie sheet, spread pureed black beans on each chip.  Add one bite size piece of fish to each nachos, then top with pepper & onion slices.  Bake for 5 to 7 minutes.

Move Nachos to serving plate and drizzle spicy, spicy pink mayonnaise across the nachos.

CAUTION
The pink mayo is NOT for kids or adults who don't dig spicy.  If you are serving these folks, then I highly recommend topping their nachos with sour cream.

Pick up the NEW book Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg & Zoe Francois from Amazon here.

Black bean nachos are served regularly round my house. Well, the other day, I didn't have my normal flat, restaurant style chips and I had to use scoops. The kids loved the variety (they thought I'd made something new).

I kept them simple for Max and Mag, but topped mine with chopped chicken, sliced onion and a dot of habanero sauce.

HERE'S ALL IT TAKES

• Tostido Scoops
• 1 (15oz) can of black beans, drained
• cheddar and jack cheese, shredded
• thinly sliced onion (optional)
• chopped cooked chicken (optional)
• habanero sauce (optional)

Preheat oven to 350F degrees.

Fill each scoop chip with any combination of the ingredients above.
Bake for 7 minutes. Serve hot!

Pick up the NEW book Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg & Zoe Francois from Amazon here.

Every Texan, I believe, ALWAYS keeps a jar of salsa in their frig. It's as much a highly valued pantry staple as flour or sugar. Oh sure, there's those that like to make their own from scratch. But I'll bet ya, they store a back up jar in the back of the pantry.

But can you believe? Me, born and bred from Dallas, Texas (actually Garland or as my grandfather would say "Gawland"). Did not have one back up jar available the other day when I needed it! YIKES!

Oh WAIT A MINUTE.... Here's a can of diced tomatoes with Chipotle Peppers, I can use it. Shew!

I'll admit to you folks that I'm watching my spending these days. If I can get away with buying a store brand verses the larger name brand without sacrificing taste, I'll do it. My local grocer carries Food Club products and this week I happened to have picked up some petite diced tomatoes with chipotle peppers for 69 cents. SOLD!

I've tried making salsa from canned tomatoes before, and didn't really like the taste. Something was always missing; the smoky flavor mostly.

Well, Food Club got it right and their spicy tomatoes are delicious and full of flavor! All I really needed to add was a handful of cilantro and we were ready to eat!

HERE'S ALL IT TOOK FOR THE SALSA

• 1 (15oz) can Food Club petite diced tomatoes with chipotle peppers
• handful of fresh cilantro; rinsed, thick stems removed
• 1 small garlic clove
• juice from 1/2 lime

Drain about 1/3 to 1/2 of the liquid from the can. Pour tomatoes into a small food processor and place cilantro and garlic on top. Pulse for 20 to 30 seconds, just until there's a happy medium of small chunks without it being pureed.  Transfer to bowl and stir in lime juice.

We were all impressed that it didn't taste like it came from a can. Since making it, I've poured it on top of my morning eggs, my afternoon nachos, and my dinner time bean burritos. I'll hestitate buying another jar of salsa. I think I'll just keep a can of these tomatoes in the pantry instead.

Extra Photo

I must have been hungry when I got behind this truck, because this is what I saw.

Pick up the NEW book Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg & Zoe Francois from Amazon here.

Go easy on yourself tonight and make crunchy, delicious tacos for dinner.

For the kiddos that don't like spicy taco meat filling, feed them bean & cheese tacos. Grown ups can enjoy crunchy tacos loaded with meat, beans, spicy salsa, sour cream, lettuce and jalapeños!

HERE'S ALL IT TAKES

• 1/2 pound fresh extra lean ground beef
• 1/4 cup chopped onions
• 2 to 3 teaspoons chili powder & cumin, as much as you prefer
• salt & pepper

• 1 box of taco shells
• 1 (15oz.) can of pinto beans, drain & reserve liquid
• 1 (2 cup) package of shredded cheddar cheese
• shredded lettuce
• lite sour cream
• jalapeños
• your favorite salsa

Preheat oven for heating taco shells (see directions on box).

Start by browning beef in a medium size skillet over medium heat until fully cooked (there's no pink meat); stir occasionally. Add onions, chili powder, cumin, pinch of salt and pepper, and approximately 1/4 cup water; cook until onions are translucent; stir occasionally. Remove from heat and set aside.

Between the moments of stirring and cooking the beef, blend pinto beans in a one cup food processor until semi-smooth with chunks of beans here and there. If the consistency is too thick, stir in the reserved bean liquid a tablespoon at a time to thin. Careful not to add too much liquid or it gets soupy after it heats up. Move the blended beans to a microwaveable bowl and heat until hot, 1 to 2 minutes depending on your microwave.

Whether you stick clean spoons in the salsa, sour cream and jalapeno jars or you put each in their own small bowls, prepare a taco assembly line so everyone can build there own tacos.

Once the meat mixture is ready, fill taco shells with beans or meat or both, and shredded cheese and lay them on their sides on a cookie sheet. Bake for the amount time designated on taco shell box, 6-8 minutes usually. Then it's time to EAT!

For dessert, serve up fat free Vanilla Yogurt with a crushed cinnamon granola bar sprinkled on top.

Pick up the NEW book Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg & Zoe Francois from Amazon here.

I'm thinking of serving these crunchy and delicious nachos tonight.

HERE'S WHAT I HAVE ON HAND

• 1 (15oz) black beans
• 1 medium onion
• 1 small red bell pepper
• 1/2 block of Wisconsin sharp cheddar, shredded
• 1/2 block of Wisconsin Monterey Jack, shredded
• 1 jar Joe T. Garcia's spicy salsa
• 1 jar jalapeños
• 8 oz. sour cream
• 1 bag Tostidos Restaurant Style chips

I'm going to cut up the onion and bell pepper the same size slices and cook them over medium high heat in 1 to 2 tablespoons oil, until they're soften. (If I had leftover roasted chicken breasts, I would add shredded chicken, a teaspoon of cumin & chili powder.) Set aside. Preheat the oven to 350F degrees.

Puree the black beans in a one cup food processor until mostly blended but still shows a few beans. Spread the bean mixture on each chip and top with shredded cheese. For the grown ups, I'm adding the cooked onion & bell pepper slices. Place the loaded chips on cookie sheet covered with aluminum foil and bake for 7-10 minutes. Remove from oven, top with sour cream and salsa.

Yep, that sounds pretty good to me. What are you making for dinner?

Pick up the NEW book Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg & Zoe Francois from Amazon here.

HERE'S ALL YOU NEED TO DO

• Follow the Recipe links and print the recipes
• Print the Shopping List provided
• Follow the cooking suggestions

ON THE MENU

• Roasted Chicken Breasts
• Ground Beef Cooked Ahead
• Black Bean Salad, Chicken Quesadillas
• Rich & Meaty Lasagna
• Chicken Fajitas
• Hamburger & Jalapeño Pizza

SHOPPING LIST

• 3 small onions
• 2 fresh jalapeños
• 1 head of green leaf lettuce
• 1 bulb of garlic
• 1 bunch of cilantro
• 1 fresh lime

• 1 box Oven Ready Lasagna Noodles
• 1 (26 oz.) can/jar Spaghetti sauce
• 4 oz. whole kernel corn, small can
• 1 (15 oz.) can Southwest Style tomatoes
• 2 (15 oz.) cans black beans
• 1 jar of your favorite salsa

• 1 package of Mission Zesty Garlic Flour Tortillas
• 1 package Mama Mary's Gourmet Thin & Crispy Pizza Crusts, comes with two medium crusts
• Corn Tortilla chips for dipping

• 1 to 1.5 pounds lean ground beef
• 4 chicken breasts, bone in, skin on
• 1 pound chicken tenders

• 8 oz. container sour cream
• 16 oz. container small curd cottage cheese
• 1 package (2 cups) Mexican Blend shredded cheese
• 1 package (2 cups) Monterey Jack cheese
• 1 package (2 cups) Italian Blend shredded cheese
• 1 package (2 cups) Pizza Blend shredded cheese

.

COOKING SUGGESTIONS

1. Roast the chicken breasts and cook the ground beef.  Divide up the cooked meats to use in the recipes, and store in airtight containers or freezer bags to have ready.  You'll have 2 extra cooked chicken breasts to use as you wish.
2. Wash, prepare and store green leaf lettuce and cilantro in airtight containers to have ready to use.
3. Make the Black Bean Salad, Chicken Quesadillas before the chicken fajitas, there will be plenty of black bean salad to add as a side for the fajitas.
4. Reserve 1/3 cup spaghetti sauce from the lasagna recipe to use on the Hamburger pizzas.  You can add 1/3 cup water/vegetable/chicken broth back to the lasagna sauce and no one will know the difference.
5. The Rich & Meaty Lasagna will make enough to eat for two dinners.  So, there's one night you don't need to cook, just reheat leftovers.

Okay, now I've done all the planning, list building, and given you easy to follow instructions.  Go live it!

THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT
Come back and tell me if this meal plan worked for you and your family.  Should I make more of these?

You gotta speak up.  This was a bigger task than I thought it would be, but I would do it again and again, if I knew it would help you through the week.

Pick up the NEW book Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg & Zoe Francois from Amazon here.

Oh yea, it's as good as it looks and zesty too!

I found this delicious version of guacamole in one of my favorite children's books, Chicks and Salsa by Aaron Reynolds. Of course, I did alter it a bit to suit my fancy and it turned out beautifully and all the chicken's said, "Ole!"

HERE'S ALL I DID

• 1 large garlic clove, finely minced
• 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• the juice of 1 lime
• 2 avocados, cut into cubes
• 1/2 teaspoon salt or more to taste

A HANDY TIP
A simple trick to cutting an avocado into cubes; after removing the seed, score the flesh in a criss cross pattern then run a spoon around and under the flesh to remove it from the skin.

Bring all the ingredients together in a small bowl, toss lightly. You can mash half the avocados and leave half in cubes to make a chuncky style dip. It's all up to you. Serve immediately.

If you're planning ahead, cover the guacamole with plastic wrap, being sure the wrap clings to the dip and the sides of the bowl. This will help keep the dip looking fresh.

Have fun today!

Pick up the NEW book Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg & Zoe Francois from Amazon here.

This is what I'm serving my family tonight.  Mmmmm, I can't wait to chow down!

HERE'S ALL I NEED TO DO

• 3-4 cups cooked ground beef
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 can green chilies, optional
• 1 package of 10-12 flour tortillas (fajitas/soft taco size)
• 1 large can ranch style beans
• 3/4- 1 cup water
• 2 cups grated cheddar/jack cheese

Preheat oven to 350^oF.

Reheat cooked meat, chili powder, cumin and water in medium pan over medium heat.  Remove from heat and add green chilies.

Drain ranch beans and RESERVE red sauce. Mash beans until you get a refried bean texture, you can add a little water to loosen beans. Fill one tortilla with meat, beans, & cheese. Fold and lay in greased casserole dish.

After dish is full, mix remaining beans to reserved red sauce, plus 1/2 cup water then pour over burritos. Add any leftover meat mixture and cheese for topping.

Cover with foil and bake at 350^oF for 30-40 minutes. Can be prepared earlier that day and left in refrigerator until ready to cook.

Serve with salsa, sour cream, and tortilla chips.

Kid Friendly Tip
Leave out the green chilies in the meat mixture, or leave out the meat mixture all together. Fill half the casserole dish with bean and cheese filled burritos. Be sure to mark the bean filled side of the dish by toping it only with cheese, do not top with meat mixture.

Pick up the NEW book Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg & Zoe Francois from Amazon here.