Dinner...success!

     Ok so it was nothing exciting, but is an EASY family favorite. Bean and cheese quesadillas and burritos. I love this meal because most of it is out of a can if I don't have time to make a pot of beans for the day, and the rest of it is made up of fresh chopped fillings. Between homemade guacamole, salsa, and loads of chopped olives, tomato, lettuce and cheese, you can even throw in some fresh cilantro or leftover rice and you have a completely filling meal. My youngest oddly enough will chow down on a burrito loaded with all the above, even stuffed with black beans and rice long before he would eat any of those items on his own! After throwing dinner together (I waited til the hubby came home to help with all the chopping and preparing, in fact he is not only my biggest critic but biggest help in the kitchen) I did have a couple of ideas for some recipes to include in this mornings post. Try the olive salad as a light side with grilled turkey burgers and sweet potato fries, and you're in for a real treat!


     Salsa (yes this is another Gary and me creation!)
1 can diced tomatoes
2-3 fresh tomatoes (also any combo and type of tomato, we went for roma and hot house)
2-3 fresh minced cloves of garlic
about 1/3 of a white onion
2-3 handfuls fresh cilantro
about 1/4 of a small jalepeno (fresh grn pepper works and a pinch of crushed red pepper for heat if you don't have any jalepeno)
black pepper and salt (we like LOTS of black pepper, but use each to your likes)
oil (as Rachel Ray would put it, eyeball it!) we use canola, this is the trick to really good salsa or guacamole, just a little really helps the flavors to go together!
Optional; fresh squeeze of lime or lemon (LOVE the lime)
pulse ingredients til desired consistency, if no fancy blender, just chop and puree about 1/3 of the ingredients to make more of a mildly chunky salsa


Bring on the tortilla chips! (p.s. if you are out, but have some frozen corn tortillas, use a pizza cutter to slice into triangles after defrosting and bake on a lightly sprayed cookie sheet at 375^ turning once or twice for about 20 min)




     Olive Salad (great idea for leftover olives after mexican food night)


1-2 stalks celery sliced
1-2 tomatoes diced (again, which ever brand you like or is cheapest!)
2 green onions diced
1 can black olives sliced (or 1 can already diced black olives)


Mix in a bowl with pepper and salt to your liking, and or subtract a little of each ingredient depending on what you like. ALL of these ingredients are a favorite here, and while I was growing up so this is a long used Bates family salad recipe (Thanks mom!) for when you get bored of the typical green salad.

P.P.S. Tried out using agave nectar in my buttermilk pancakes this morning. Not so much luck, but I am working on them, and will keep collecting agave info to pass on in a super fab weekly ingredient low-down!