Spicy Bean Salsa

(Altho, this ought to be called Rainbow Salsa because it's seriously so pretty with all those colors!)

First up - I apologize for including so few photos!  As you know, normally, I like to include a whole slew of pictures with my posts.  But I made this recipe on a whim for a New Year's party and didn't bother to document the step-by-step as I threw it together.  And it turned out so yummy, that I decided to share it with you and hope you'll forgive the lack of elaborate directions :)

What first grabbed my attention with this recipe is that it's pretty darn healthy.  It's basically some legumes, veggies, and a little salad dressing (that can definitely be low-cal).  Now that I've made it, I totally agree with the Allrecipes reviewers in that at first, this salsa doesn't look or taste like anything spectacular.  But as it sits in your fridge, you'll find yourself grabbing the bowl over and over again; it's kind of addictive.  Seriously, give this stuff a chance.

Enjoy!

Spicy Bean Salsa

adapted from Allrecipes

1, 15 oz can black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained

1, 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained

1, 15 oz. can whole kernel corn, drained

1/2 c. chopped red onion

1/2 c. chopped orange (or red or yellow) bell pepper

1, 4 oz can diced jalapeno peppers

2 roma tomatoes, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 c. cilantro, minced

1/2 - 3/4 c. Italian-style salad dressing**

Throw all the ingredients into a large bowl and stir to combine.  Refrigerate at least overnight before serving.  Best if it marinates for a full day before serving.

** Start with 1/2 cup dressing and add more, depending on how juicy your mixture is.

Sausage Stuffed Peppers

A few months back I scored a subscription to Redbook magazine for $5 on Amazon.com. It has paid for itself in spades because I've gotten some yummy recipes from it such as this one that I bring to you today.

My husband devoured his and finished off the ones 2 of my kids wouldn't eat. My oldest loved it and 2 days later even asked me when I could make them again. I LOVE hearing things like that from my kids about things that I make!

I had left over stuffing mix and my husband took that to work for lunch. Boy, I sure got mileage out of this recipe!

Ingredients:
4 red, yellow, or orange bell peppers, cut in half length wise and seeds removed
olive oil spray
3 cups of brown rice (I used white)
8 oz. spicy Italian chicken sausage links, fully cooked and diced (I used regular sweet sausage)
4 scallions, sliced
2 cups marinara sauce
2 Tbsp. fresh oregano
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 400degrees F
2. Place halved peppers in a large roasting pan, cut sides up and coat with olive oil spray

3. In a large bowl, toss rice, sausage, scallions, oregano, marinara sauce and mozzarella sauce.



4. Fill pepper cavities with mixture.

5. Cover peppers with foil and bake 20 minutes until peppers are tender.

6. Serve with extra marinara sauce.

Side idea: serve with mixed green salad

Nacho Mama's Nachos

This nacho recipe combines quite a few veggies like bell peppers and purple cabbage with ground turkey to create some yummy and healthy nachos.

To make:

Combine 1/2 chopped red bell pepper, 1/2 chopped yellow bell pepper, 1/4 red onion chopped, 3 finely minced garlic cloves and 1/4 chopped purple cabbage in a saute pan coated in olive oil. Saute for 3 minutes until crisp tender. Salt and pepper to taste. Add 1 lb of ground turkey and 1/2 cup Saucy Mama Lime and Chipolte Marinade. Break up turkey and cook through.

Top tortilla chips with meat and veggie mixture and top with 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese. Melt cheese under broiler.

This was a quick easy way to use up meat mixture from my recipe submission Tasting the Rainbow Turkey Burgers and Spicy Baked Corn on the Cob!

I love that these nachos pack a punch nutrition wise while still tasting good. This recipe was rated 4 spoons by Hubby and I - kids were at a sleepover and didn't get a chance to try it.

Thanks to Saucy Mama I have a set of mustard, olives and marinades to giveaway at Getting all my Ducks in a Row - Make sure you stop by to enter to win!


I was provided with Saucy Mama samples to review and giveaway but was not compensated in any other way. All opinion expressed is mine and mine alone.

Bell Pepper Salad

With the warm weather we've had this week it has made me anxious to get my "garden" growing.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not great in the garden.  In fact I'm better known for my brown thumb.  However, every year the kids and I go out and plant some flowers and veggies around the yard.  The easiest I have found to grow are green beans and cucumbers, even my brown thumb can't seem to kill those.  Cherry tomatoes are ALWAYS in our garden and my son will pick them and eat them right off the vine.  The past few years I've tried eggplant and bell peppers, these seem to be a little trickier and I don't get the abundance of the other veggies but it is always fun to try and the few we do manage to harvest taste that much better for the effort.

So, in keeping with a healthy theme this week I'm bringing you a super easy side salad that you can grow right in your own back yard this summer!  Feel free to do any combination of peppers, I enjoy the orange bells as well.  A balsamic dressing is super yummy on this too. I rate this one a 5 spoons for it's ease, healthiness, and yummyness.  Hope you enjoy!



Ingredients:
1 medium red bell pepper, sliced
1 medium green bell pepper, sliced
1 medium yellow bell pepper, sliced
1/4 cup fat-free vinaigrette dressing

Directions:
Mix peppers in large bowl and toss with dressing.  Refrigerate until ready to serve. 

How easy was that?