Fresh Southwest Black Bean Chili with Scrumtious Golden CornbreadGolden

Fresh Southwest Black Bean Chilli

1/2 t olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

2 cloves of garlic, crushed and diced

2 cups cooked, strained black beans (sub. canned organic black beans)

1/2 t cumin

1/2 fresh habanero, diced

1 T of red or brown miso (sub. sea salt to taste)

1 carrot, diced

bean broth (from cooking beans, or liquid strained)

2 ripe tomatoes, diced

Avocado, diced

1 pack of flour tortillas

Handful fresh cilantro

First, in a medium frying pan over medium-high heat, saute the onion in olive oil until brown. Then add garlic and cook for about one more minute. Take off heat.

In a food processor, combine half of the black beans with half of the onion/garlic mixture. Add a splash of water, cumin habanero, and miso, and puree.

Combine contents of the food processor with remaining beans, garlic/onion mixture, carrots, and bean broth (Add at your discretion to reach desired consistency. Cover and simmer for 30-45 minutes.

Possible delicious toppings:

-fresh cut cilantro leaves

-fresh avocado chunks

-take a tortilla and cut into long thin strips. Bake in 350 degrees or until crispy. Adds a tasty crunch.

-fresh diced tomato

-sour cream

-cheese

Referenced: Angel Foods by Cherie Soria

Scrumptious Golden Cornbread Muffins

1 cup flour (all purpose, white, or wheat)

1 cup cornmeal

1/2 cup sugar ( I use just a bit less, organic cane sugar)

3 t baking powder

1 t salt

1 egg

1 cup milk (I use plain soy, I suspect vanilla would be delicious, though)

1/3 vegetable oil

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Take your cupcake pan and lightly line the cups with unsalted butter.

In a large bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Slowly stir in egg, milk, and oil, creating a viscous and even batter. Pour evenly into pan.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, keeping a close eye. Use toothpick to check the insider. The tops should be golden and the sides a light caramel brown.

These two recipes work well together, and create a hearty, yet healthy meal for a cold Indiana night. Tof and I were very pleased with the end result, and managed to finish off almost all of the muffins by the end of the night. Delish!

Camerones Al Ajillo + Raw Spicy Guacamole

Camerones Al Ajillo

1/4 cup olive oil (or a little less)

5 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped

1lb uncooked, unpeeled medium sized shrimp

1 lime

dash of salt

1/3 cup fresh cilantro

1/2 habanero, finely chopped

1/4 cup onions, diced

In a medium sized pan, heat the olive oil over a low temperature. As its smell becomes fragrant add the garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Raise the heat to medium and add the shrimp, cooking them until they turn pink, approximately 5 minutes. Take off heat, take shrimp out and let slightly cool, leaving onions and garlic in pan. Remove shells, put back in pan and return to medium heat. Add a dash more oil, lime juice, salt, habanero, onion, and cilantro.

Eat it hot! I ate with small soft taco shells, the guacamole below, organic black beans, a sprinkle of shredded Monterey jack, and salsa verde. I imagine they'd be good on salad, over past, on some sort of nacho mountain, stc. Get the uncooked, totally worth it.

Spicy Guacamole

2 fresh avocadoes, diced

1 medium size tomato, diced

1/2 medium white onion, diced

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, diced

1 habanero, diced

Pinch of salt

Squeeze of a lime

Blend. Tada! Fresh, raw, delicious guacamole, no seasoning packet required :).

Roasted Poblano and Tomatillo Spicy Tortilla Stew

This is a delicious recipe for a spicy vegetarian stew that is both healthy and satisfying. The broth is inspired by the flavors of green enchilada sauce, as it would taste if totally from scratch. Add a ton of fresh veggies and herbs, and ta-da! Even if you eat meat, you will not miss it. Almost like a southwestern stew, feel free to modify add-ins to your taste, and to share any changes you made. Enjoy!

Roasted Poblano and Tomatillo Spicy Tortilla Stew

2 Poblano Chiles, roasted, steamed, peeled, and pitted (instructions below)

20 ripe tomatillos, husked, washed, and halved

2 cubes vegetable bouillon

2 T olive oil

2 t oregano

2 medium onions, diced

1 can pinto beans, drained and thoroughly rinsed

2 ripe tomatoes, diced

¼ t of ground cumin

1 cup frozen sweet corn

1 avocado, sliced

1 orange, red, or yellow bell pepper, julienned

1 handful of fresh chopped cilantro

1 lime, juiced

3-4 cloves of garlic, minced

The first step to this recipe is to roast both the poblano chiles as well as the tomatillos. Preheat the oven on broil. Clean the peppers and place them on a clean baking pan. Put them in the oven and turn them until all of their outer skin in black and blistering. Take them out and put them in plastic bags, let them sit for 5-10 minutes. Take them out and peel off their outer skin and gut them. Set these aside.

While letting the chiles set, tune your oven down to 450°F, and spread the tomatillos across the baking pan. Turn them and let them cook until their sides are a golden brown and blistering, takes about 10-13 min.

Turn the oven down to 350°F. Take the flour tortillas and slice them into thin strips. Place on baking pan and put in oven till crispy as desired, about 10 minutes. Set aside

In large soup pan, combine the bouillon cube and four cups of water over a high heat. Set aside.

In a medium frying pan, heat oil on medium-high. Add onions and two cloves of garlic. Cook until lightly browned and transparent. Add tomatillos, chiles, 1 cup of broth, oregano, and a pinch of salt. Bring to a low heat simmer and let cook and break down for 10-15 minutes, until thick. Stir in ½ a cup of cilantro along with the lime juice. Blend until viscous.

Take the blended mixture and add it to the broth. Season this mixture with remaining garlic and cumin. Bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat to a low simmer. Add the beans, tomatoes, bell pepper, and corn. When ready to eat, garnish with avocado, cilantro, and tortilla crisps. Yums ♥

Introduction

As a young adult in the United States, I have recently become much more aware of how critical good choices in nutrition and exercise can affect your life in very a variety of ways. I have decided to start this blog to help give myself accountability for these choices, as well as use it as a place to share healthy, successful recipes I have used and created, to evaluating different exercise products on their effectiveness as compared to price, as well as share all the healthy, delicious food items I try and show how I used them. Although I am into being healthy and am a vegetarian for my own reasons, I tend to have discriminating taste that doesn't allow for cheap replicas or bland foods. Hopefully, by making my journey to nutritional enlightenment, I can help others make positive changes in their own lives. Till next time.

♥ , Kennedy.