Black Beans & Rice with Chicken & Apple Salsa

This recipe was shared with me by a coworker of mine, who happens to be an amazing cook.  Seriously, she astounds me each week with the quantity, creativity, and quality of dishes she whips up in a 4 hour chunk of time on Sundays.  It's like she's in her own personal Iron Chef competition.  Anyway, I'd been putting off making this dish for no apparent reason, but after she reiterated that it was fairly quick and easy, I decided to make a go of it.

Plus, if I made a large batch of brown rice, I could use the rest of it for a Glory Bowl.  Sold.

The husband made quick work of shredding the rotisserie chicken (with some very insistent furry critters demanding some of the bounty).  I had a fair amount of chopping to do, but I don't mind that prep work.

The original recipe called for the apple to be peeled before it was chopped, but I thought that was needless, extra work.  Plus, the green of the skin with the red onion and cilantro was very visually appealing.

The verdict: VERY good!  Another healthy, quick, and easy recipe to add to the rotation.
The husband's thoughts: They were excellent flavors that all worked together.
Changes for next time: None!  Well, maybe the addition of some queso fresco, because cheese makes everything better...
Difficulty: Easy!  Just requires a bit of prep.

Black Beans & Rice with Chicken & Apple Salsa
(from Epicurious)
Makes 4-6 servings

1 cup chopped Granny Smith apple
1/2 cup chopped cilantro, divided
1/3 cup finely chopped red onion, divided
1 teaspoon (or more) fresh lime juice
1/3 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground coriander
3/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
3 cups low-salt chicken broth
2 15-ounce cans black beans, rinsed and drained
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 cups cooked brown or white rice
1 2–3-pound rotisserie chicken, skin discarded and meat shredded
4–6 lime wedges

Combine apple, 1/4 cup cilantro, 2 tablespoons onion, and 1 teaspoon lime juice in a small bowl; toss to coat. Set apple salsa aside. 

Combine remaining onion, bell pepper, and oil in a large skillet. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until completely softened, 6–7 minutes. Add garlic and next 3 ingredients; stir constantly for 2 minutes. Stir in broth and beans; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium; simmer briskly, mashing some of the beans with the back of a spoon and stirring often, until sauce is thickened, 8–10 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and more lime juice, if desired. 

Divide rice and beans among plates. Top with some chicken and apple salsa. Garnish with remaining 1/4 cup cilantro and lime wedges. 

Enjoy!

Black Bean & Sweet Potato Tacos with Swiss Chard Pesto

I know you might be thinking, "That sounds like a weird combination of ingredients."  Stay with me on this, you won't regret it.  You want to try new things, right?  I've made a black bean and sweet potato burrito before, which was good, but this is way better!  Roasting the sweet potatoes is tasty and very appealing to the eye (always a plus).  And the addition of the swiss chard pesto is very unique and adds an interesting flair.

Also, you can adjust the spiciness level to whatever you prefer.  The boyfriend and I differ on this a bit, although we both have a similar Midwestern background.  I'm a wimp.  It's sad.  I try and try to enjoy more spice, but alas, I cannot.  I can't taste anything past the fire.  So I'm the perpetual "1 star/mild" girl at restaurants.  However, the boyfriend's multi-year stint in Colorado has served his taste buds well and he loves medium-hot cuisine.  Yay for him, but it does require some finesse in our shared cooking.

This pesto isn't too terribly spicy, as written.  The swiss chard absorbs a fair amount of any kick, so if you like it spicy, add in more, and taste, taste, taste!

This recipe is also a snap to put together, which is always welcome, of course.  I will admit that the boyfriend was a bit wary (even if he won't say so), and wasn't as excited as I was to try this recipe.  BUT, you can't argue with results, and the result was that we ate it all.

Tasty.  Easy.  Affordable.  Healthy.  Pretty.  It's a... quintuple threat.

Black Bean & Sweet Potato Tacos with Swiss Chard Pesto
(from the Bev Cooks blog)
Makes 4-6 individual tacos, with lots of leftover pesto, so make more potatoes and beans, or freeze the pesto!


Pesto:
1 bunch swiss chard, cut into chunks
1 jalapeno, roughly chopped, seeds removed
3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
2 Tbsp. green hot sauce

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste

Sweet Potatoes:
1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into a small/medium dice
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder
Salt & pepper

Black Beans:
1 (14.5 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic salt

8 white corn or flour tortillas
1/3rd cup queso fresco, crumbled
1 avocado, diced
lime and cilantro for garnish

Preheat your oven to 400.

On a rimmed baking sheet toss the diced sweet potato with the oil, 1 tsp chili powder, 1 tsp cumin, a pinch of coarse salt and pepper. Roast for 30 minutes.

In the meantime, toss the swiss chard, jalapeno, garlic, and hot sauce into a food processor. Season with salt and pepper. Start pulsing. With the motor running, pour the oil into the processor in a thin stream, until you have pesto. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired.

Toss the beans into a small sauce pan and season with the remaining cumin, chili powder and garlic salt. Heat through, 5 minutes.

On a small grill or skillet, warm the tortillas.

Assemble: tortilla, sweet potatoes, beans. Dollop with a good 2 Tbs. of swiss chard pesto. Sprinkle on the diced avocado, queso fresco, a good spritz of lime and a few cilantro leaves.

Enjoy!