Black Bean Chiquale

This is one of my favourite vegetarian recipes. It is from Moosewood Retaurant Low-Fat Favourites-the moosewood collection of recipe books is a great place to look for yummy vegetarian recipes. They don't use a whole lot of tofu or things like ground round, which I can't stand.

1 cup chopped onions
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup chopped tomatoes
1 1/2 cups corn kernels-I just use a standard can of corn
1 1/2 cups cooked black beans (15-oz can) drained
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 cups rinsed, stemmed and chopped swiss chard or spinach
2 cups crushed baked tortilla chips
1 cup grated low-fat sharp cheddar cheese
2 cups salsa

Preheat oven to 350. Saute the onions, stir in tomatos, corn, black beans, lime juice, salt and pepper. Continue to saute for about 10 min, then remove from heat.

Blanche the greens in boiling water until just wilted. Drain immediately and set aside. TIP: I just put the greens in a colander and pour boiling water over them-works just as well!

Grease a 8x8 casserole dish. Spread half the crushed chips on the bottom. Spoon the sauteed vegetables over the chips and sprinkle with half of the cheddar. Arrange the greens over the cheese and spoon on half of the salsa. Finish with the rest of the chips and top with the remaining salsa and cheddar. Bake for about 35-40 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbling and beginning to brown.

I love this recipe, in fact I may have to make it this weekend. It is a very forgiving recipe, you can easily substitute things or add extras. The leftovers are delicious!

Whole Wheat Pancakes

1/2 cup white flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 tbsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup milk
1 egg
1 tbsp melted butter
1 tsp vanilla

Mix wet ingredients into dry ingredients until just mixed. Add blueberries, raspberries, whatever fruit you have around and fry in a non-stick pan over medium heat.

Charlynn's Roast Chicken

Hi guys, sorry it's taken me so long to join in and post a recipe, but here it goes! I don't usually use recipes and measurements, so you'll have to be patient with me, and ask me if something doesn't make sense!

Charlynn's Roast Chicken

1 Small roasting chicken, or 4 chicken breasts, with bone and skin attached.

In a food processor, mix:
1/2 bunch of cilantro (about 1 cup)
2 cloves garlic
juice of one lime
1 tsp chilli powder
Salt and pepper
Process together, then add enough olive oil to make a paste.

Loosen skin from meat of chicken. Put paste under skin. Rub some more olive oil on the outside of the chicken, then sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Bake in a 400 degree oven for 15 min, then turn oven down to 350 degree for another half-hour, or until a meat thermometer reads 175 deg.

Or, you can also BBQ it if you have a double burner BBQ. Heat up the BBQ to medium heat, then turn off one of the burners. Place the chicken over the burner that has been turned off, then shut the lid and walk away for at least a half-hour! Opening the lid before then will allow all of the heat to escape. BBQ for about 45 minutes-I always check the internal temperature-sometimes it can take an hour.


This is really good with roasted veggies, and the leftover meat is yummy in salads or in sandwiches.