Meatless Monday (Taco Salad)

(sorry about the pictures that I forgot to rotate!)

This is probably my favorite recipe from when my church was on The Daniel Fast.

I thought it was going to just taste like beans and tomatoes, but it had so much flavor.

When I make it again, I'll add some tortilla strips, avocado & maybe some sour cream.

Be creative with this salad!

I got this recipe from a blog that I frequented a lot while on The Daniel Fast! I highly recommend it! www.ultimatedanielfast.com

Makes four 1.5 cup servings

Ingredients:

1 (15.5-oz) can pinto beans, undrained

1 (14.5-oz) can corn kernels, drained (I used a small bag of frozen corn)

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 cup diced onion

1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed & drained

2 cups lettuce or spinach

1/4 teaspoon salt

Taco Seasoning

(I used chili powder, cumin, paprika, oregano, & cayenne pepper to taste - I never buy taco seasoning packets. Have you seen the sodium on those things??)

Garnish Ideas: Avocado, sour cream, green onions, sliced black olives, diced tomatoes

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425°F. Spread corn kernels out in one layer on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until corn is browned and slightly crunchy.

While corn is roasting, place pinto beans in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic powder and salt.

Cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Using a fork or potato masher, mash beans until they are the consistency of refried beans.

Lower heat, and continue to cook until some of the liquid has evaporated and beans have thickened, about 10 minutes more. Stir frequently to avoid scalding beans on the bottom of the pan.

Heat olive oil over medium heat, and add onions. Cook until onions are soft and translucent. Add black beans, corn, and taco seasoning. Stir well to coat. Reduce heat to low, and keep warm until pinto beans are done.

To serve, place about 1/2 cup lettuce on each plate, and top with 1/4 cup pinto beans and a heaping 1/2 cup of black bean and corn mixture. I dumped a half a can of the spicy Ro*Tel®. Add desired toppings to salad.

I know that roasting vegetables brings out their natural sweetness, but I never roast my corn but I'm going to more often! It added so much to the salad.

I got this recipe from a blog that I frequented a lot while on The Daniel Fast! I highly recommend it! www.ultimatedanielfast.com

One Pot Spaghetti Squash

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 spaghetti squash

Half of an onion

Grape tomatoes

1 TBSP minced garlic

1/2 - 1 whole chopped zucchini

2-3 TBSP olive oil divided

1 TBSP fresh chopped parsley or dried parsley flakes

Black pepper to taste

Crumbled feta cheese to taste (optional)

Stab spaghetti squash all over with a knife or fork. Place in oven at 350F for about 30 minutes or until squash is tender to touch.

While that's in the oven, grab a skillet with high sides, or a saucepan (a frying pan with low sides won't hold the spaghetti squash well once you mix everything together) and sauté chopped onion and garlic in the olive oil.

After a few minutes add the zucchini.

Cook until tender.

When the spaghetti squash is tender to the touch, remove from oven and let cool enough to handle.

When cool enough to handle, cut in half lengthwise and remove pulp and seeds from the center of each half and dispose of them. Or dry, season, and roast them like you do pumpkin seeds. Seriously.

If you're new to making spaghetti squash, you might be concerned that you're throwing away the squash. An easy way to tell is that the part that you throw away is usually a bit darker in color than the "spaghetti strands" that you use.

Once you've removed all of the "ickies," grab a fork and scoop out the good stuff!

Every time I make spaghetti squash I marvel that it actually looks like spaghetti noodles.

Keep scooping.

I just scooped mine right into the pan I used that my vegetables were still sitting in. Add your tomatoes, parsley, & another TBSP or 2 of olive oil, mix it around and around, grind some black pepper over the whole thing, and you've got yourself an extremely healthy, delicious meal! I think that feta compliments this so well, but if you're doing The Daniel Fast, or not eating any dairy, go ahead and skip the feta. Also, feel free to use whatever vegetables you're craving, or that you need to use up. I like to use a variety of colors and textures.