For this dish, I started with spinach, cilantro, onion and zucchini. Optional toppers: tomatoes and avocados. My task was to figure out how they could all go together.

Spinach-Cilantro Sauce

1 cup cilantro, packed

1 cup spinach, packed

2 cloves garlic

1 t crushed red pepper

1/2 juice from one lime

2 T olive oil, plus more for saute

salt and pepper

Saute cilantro, spinach, garlic and red pepper in garlic to help the flavors come out. Add saute to blender, with lime juice and olive oil. Puree so that a sauce forms.

Vegetables and Beans

2 zucchini chopped

1 small onion chopped

1 can black beans drained

Saute zucchini and onions in olive oil. Add drained black beans to heat through.

Pasta

Cook 2 cups spiral pasta. Drain

Spinach Cilantro Pasta Salad

Place pasta in a large bowl. Add Spinach Cilantro Sauce, sauteed vegetables. Combine and serve warm or cold.

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I couldn’t help but wonder what their opinions are regarding the bill.

I wasn’t at the grocery store however to interview people or to overly think what’s happening with the State. I was at the grocery store picking a few odds and ends and thinking about Creamy Taco Mac.

There is nothing too spectacular about the preparation or ingredients in this recipe. It’s just plain simple and tasty.

I enjoyed this outside enjoying the last few days of Spring, sipping a virgin margarita .

Creamy Taco Mac

Ingredients:

1¼ lbs. ground turkey

8 oz. dry pasta shapes

1 small onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 (14 oz.) can diced tomatoes, drained

4 tbsp. taco seasoning

3 oz. cream cheese

½ cup sour cream

Salt and pepper

Shredded cheddar cheese (optional)

Directions:

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Cook pasta according to the package directions. Drain, reserving ½ cup of pasta water. Set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet or sauté pan, cook the ground turkey over medium-high heat until no longer pink. A few minutes before the turkey is cooked through, add the chopped onion to the skillet. Once the turkey is cooked through, mix in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Mix in the diced tomatoes and taco seasoning and let simmer over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Stir in the cooked pasta, cream cheese, sour cream and reserved pasta water, and continue stirring until the cream cheese is melted and the sauce is well blended. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer over medium-low heat 3-5 minutes to reduce the sauce a bit. Remove from the heat and top with shredded cheddar cheese, if desired.

Source: adapted from Delish

via Annie’s Eats.

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Last year in an issue of Cook’s Illustrated, they had an article on perfect Restaurant Style Hummus. Chickpeas in hand, I made my first batch. It was delicous and dare I say, really easy. A year later, I was ready to venture out and made different variations.

The basic recipe, not photographed, is so simple, I have it memorized.

Restaurant Style Hummus

1 can Chickpeas
6 T. Tahini
1/4 c. water
garlic, cumin, cayenne pepper, salt to taste

Smoked Paprika Hummus

1 can Chickpeas
6 T. Tahini
1/4 c. water
garlic, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, salt to taste

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

1 can Chickpeas
3 T. Tahini
1/3 c. Roasted Red Pepper, drained and patted dry
garlic, cayenne pepper, salt to taste

Cilantro Jalapeno Hummus

1 can Chickpeas
1/4 c. water (or 2 T water and 2 T lime juice)
3 T. Tahini
1/3 c. cilantro

2 jalapenos, remove seeds
garlic, salt to taste

This trio made a perfect main feature to a Sunday night Mediterranean platter and left enough for lots of left overs this week.

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Pretty soon we’ll have breezes that feel like you’ve turned on a hair dryer and pointed it straight at your face and night time temperatures that don’t  dip below triple digits. And when all your phone conversations to home have some sort of comment about the Arizona dry heat.

My summer cooking regiment in Arizona is an odd mix of “mix it in” salads and cupcakes. Salads because they’re cool and refreshing and cupcakes, because summer is the time of year when I feel most confined to the house. I celebrated one of the last heat tolerable nights of the Spring by making a Black Bean and Tropical Fruit Salsa.

Black Bean and Tropical Fruit Salsa

1 can drained and rinsed black beans
1 cup of yellow corn
1 cup diced fresh pineapple
1 cup diced fresh mango
3 T finely diced purple onion
2 T finely diced jalapenos
2 cups diced tomatoes
1/2 chopped cilantro
3 T fresh lime juice
Season with garlic, salt and pepper to taste

Mix in a bowl and give it an hour in the fridge so the flavors can mix.

This “salsa” ate more like a spiced up black bean salad although that didn’t stop me from using a chip as my preferred delivery device.

Other mix in salads on this blog:

Confetti Salad
Quinoa Salad
Black Bean Couscous Salad

Other salad recipes:

Black Bean Confetti Salad at Smitten Kitchen
Confetti Pasta Salad at Good-bye Martha

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Now, it’s back to usual in the Valley and I really need to get back in the saddle with taking my lunch to work. I cannot stress how much better I feel during the day when I bring my own lunch, rather than eat whatever is available. Because if I was left to my own devices my daily nutrition would consist of a breakfast Jack, Sonic Wacky Pack and Hostess Cupcakes from Circle K. I’ve actually survived for days on that diet. Ugh.

Part of what helps me during the week with taking my lunch to work is prepping lunch on Sundays. My goal with weekday lunches is to:

• Prepare something that will last at least 4 days in the fridge.
• Look for recipes that I don’t have to reheat.

I typically end up with some freshly cut fruit and some sort of salad. This summer so far has been all about confetti salads. For me, those are rice based salads with lots of mixins. This past week, I learned that you can spice up your rice by combining in spices while the rice is cooking. Adding a teaspoon of cumin, tumerick or lemon zest to the boiling water before adding the rice can add a new level of flavor to the rice.

Cumin Rice Salad

Ingredients
1 t ground cumin
1 t olive oil
1 cup rice, uncooked

Chopped roasted red peppers, green peppers
1 can drained and rinsed black beans
1/2 can drained and rinsed sweet corn
Sprig of Cilantro

Method
Heat the cumin in your rice pot, add olive oil and when the flavors release add your water and rice and cook according to the directions on the package. Once rice is finished, allow it to cool and add peppers, beans, corn and cilantro.

Check out these other lunch perfect salads:

Citrus Quinoa Salad

Black Bean Couscous Salad

CRUNCHY SALAD

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This salsa is so refreshing and light and flavorful and it was a perfect snack after hiking Camelback Mountain’s Echo Trail yesterday. And not to brag, but temperatures were in the mid 70s, sky was crystal blue and this is the type of weather that makes you happy that you live in Arizona.

I think Carey and Corey were a little sun-struck too! We did a bit more sight seeing, had a margarita in Old Town Scottsdale and then headed home to grill dinner. Look at the love birds. Holding hands and hiking.

Texas Caviar
Active Prep Time 10 minutes/ Inactive 3 hours

1 can black beans, drained
2 cans black eyed peas, drained
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 pint plum tomatoes, quartered
4 stalks scallions, diced
cilantro to taste
8 oz zesty Italian dressing
salt and pepper

Mix all ingredients and allow to marinate for at least 3 hours.

Variations: Add jalapeños, green chilies, garlic.

Other recipies:

Old San Antonio Texas Caviar 

Texas Caviar 

Grandma’s Texas Caviar 

Cowgirl Hall of Fame Texas Caviar 

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I was just preforming an act. Following. But do you know what began happening? I starting seeing so many other opportunities in my life to be more conscience. AND IT FEELS GOOD.

This weekend I became uber conscience of the pantry. Ugh. How many times when running to the store did I pick up another can of Rotel or Cream of Mushroom soup?

Guess where all this goodness is going? To the food bank. It’s amazing how so much food came out of the pantry and I had a stock pile still.

The good news, since I’m more aware of what I have, my mind is just bouncing with all the goodness I can still cook with what I have. Lunch today is Black bean Couscous Salad. Delish! I might, I dare say, be starting to feel a little motivation!

Black Bean Couscous Salad

Prep 10 minutes Cook 5 minutes Serves 6

1 1/2 cup uncooked couscous
1 1/2 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 green onions, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
4 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained
salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Bring chicken broth to a boil in a 2 quart or larger sauce pan and stir in the couscous. Cover the pot and remove from heat. Let stand for 5 minutes.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, vinegar and cumin. Add green onions, red pepper, cilantro, corn and beans and toss to coat.

3. Fluff the couscous well, breaking up any chunks. Add to the bowl with the vegetables and mix well. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve at once or refrigerate until ready to serve.

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