pineapple tofu stir-fry

pineapple tofu stir-fry
adapted from Eating Well

Any thai/chinese dish with pineapples is fine by us!  I enjoyed this recipe as it's light, healthy and perfect for shedding some of those holiday pounds!  I doubled this recipe, used agave nectar instead of brown sugar and used 1 whole green pepper and one half of a red pepper.  Of course, A added a good bit of Sriracha for an extra kick.  Overall a really tasty dish and I definitely will be making this again.  I served with brown rice but next time will try it with quinoa.

Serves 3-4 people

tuesday night tostadas

tuesday night tostadas

4 baked tostada shells
1 cup homemade refried beans
2 cups lettuce, chopped
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 tomato, finely diced
1/4 onion, finely diced
fresh guacamole
pickled jalapenos, to taste
salsa, to taste

Spread a large spoonful of beans over the tostada shell. Sprinkle on the toppings and eat!

refried pinto beans, homemade

 

I love the idea of spending less than $1 for a pound of beans which will last us at least 4-5 meals versus spending $1.29 for 1 can of beans which lasts us one meal!  Try this recipe and you'll be hooked too!

refried pinto beans, homemade

1 lb pinto beans, rinsed and picked for debris
1 tbsp + 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
3/4 cup onion, diced
1 green chile, finely minced
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1/2 cup bottled salsa

In a pressure cooker, place rinsed pinto beans with water measuring 2 inches above the beans and 1 tsp of olive oil.  Place on high heat for 30 minutes.  Turn off, wait for pressure to release.

Once release, open the cooker and add onions, green chile, garlic and salsa.

Cover and cook for an additional 10 minutes.  Wait for the pressure to release and then mash the beans.  You can also use an immersion blender for a creamier texture.  Then place the mashed beans into a heavy bottom pan with 1 tbsp of olive oil to "refry" the beans.  This is not necessary but I wanted to be authentic :)  Saute for a 2-3 minutes and then turn off heat and wait until cool before filling into containers.  Enjoy!

ocho rios, jamaica

A and I whisked away to Jamaica for a week of sun, good food and even better drinks!  We stayed at the Jewel's Dunn in Ocho Rios which is an hour and half bus ride from the MBJ airport.  It was an all-inclusive resort which was exactly what we enjoy to truly relax and have no worries about food what the doctor ordered :)  We left from IAH airport and luckily A, and I both got upgraded to first class!

Amazing view during breakfast each day:

After breakfast I usually lounged and read my books/magazines while A, played several games of beach volleyball.

Best pizza served poolside!

One of our favorite dinners was at the hotel's japanese hibachi grill where the chef who referred to himself as "blackanese"

After dinner we usually went to the hotel's nightly scheduled entertainment.  It ranged from local bands playing, karoake, games, beach bonfires, "dive-in" movies and clubbing.

As part of our stay, the hotel takes guests to the James Bond beach via mini Hobiecats.  There, our sailorman did a complete photoshoot for us.  Most of the pics are quite cheesy but here's one good one.

Enjoying more fun in the sun :)

Until next time Jamaica :)

spicy black bean chili

 













spicy black bean chili
adapted from eat live run

We're having a very mild winter in Houston but if you've been reading my blog for awhile you know about my love of soups and chili so there's no way some 70 degree weather was going to stop me!  I bookmarked this recipe a few months ago, bought all the ingredients a last week but was waiting for the right day as it takes a few hours to cook.  The only changes I made were to add 1 tsp garam masala and added 1/2 cup of corn the last 10 minutes of simmering.

Serve with grated cheese, sour cream and crumbled tortilla chips.  Serves 3-4 people.