Vegetarian Black Bean and Quinoa Burritos

The streak is over.  And by streak, I mean a ridiculous string of postings on sweets.  I know, it was getting a little excessive.  To offset all that sugar (and no, I haven't given up sugar yet like I was musing about previously and yes, today I thoroughly enjoyed the pumpkin bar I picked out from the cute little bakery next to my son's hair cutting place--speaking of ridiculous, my 5 year old son has such tricky hair to cut that I take him to a fancy children's salon and spend more on his haircuts than I do), I am featuring these extremely healthy, yet incredibly delicious burritos.

Black beans and the protein-rich seed quinoa are mixed with other Southwestern style ingredients including a quick lime vinaigrette and wrapped in whole grain tortillas.  If you leave the cheese off the top, they're even a vegan recipe! 

I sort of made them up as I went along and wasn't sure what I was going to end up with but I was really happy with the result.  I was also quite relieved since I had made an extra pan of them to bring to a neighbor who just had a baby--I know they always say not to try out new recipes on company and I never listen.  Sometimes I pay the price for that, but thankfully not this round!

I knew it was a good sign when my dear husband told me they were "top notch" and the baby ate thirds (never mind that the floor around his chair was scattered with black beans and corn kernels--those are the days I wish I had a dog...). 

Vegetarian Black Bean and Quinoa Burritos
1 can (about 15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup fresh corn kernels (about 1 small ear), you can also sub frozen or canned or omit
1/2 red bell pepper, diced (about 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup red onion, finely diced
1 small zucchini, diced
1 cup quinoa, rinsed and cooked according to package directions (can sub cooked brown or white rice)
large handful of fresh cilantro, roughly chopped (about 1/2 cup)
juice of 1 lime (about 2 tablespoons)
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 burrito size whole grain tortillas (Santa Fe Tortilla Company found at Costco recommended)
1 cup salsa
1/2 cup shredded colby jack or cheddar cheese, optional
sour cream for serving, optional

In a large bowl, mix together black beans, corn, red bell pepper, onion, zucchini, quinoa and cilantro.  In a small bowl, whisk together lime juice, cumin, garlic powder and salt.  Drizzle in olive oil and stir to combine.  Pour over bean mixture and toss together.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Grease a 9x13" glass baking dish with cooking spray.  Scoop 3/4-1 cup filling onto each tortilla.  Roll tortillas around filling and place seam side down in baking dish.  Pour salsa over top of burritos (I like it poured right down the center so that the edges of the tortillas stay dry and get crispy).  Sprinkle cheese over top, if desired.  Bake uncovered at 400 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until top of burritos are lightly browned and salsa is bubbly.

**Double the recipe, assemble half in a disposable baking dish and put it in the freezer to give to someone in need of a pre-made, healthy meal!**

Roasted Shrimp Cocktail

Now, this is more of a New Year's dish!  Low in fat, low in calories, high in protein and still quick, easy and elegant!  This is adapted from Ina Garten (The Barefoot Contessa)'s recipe.  This has become our "go to" for something light after a day of overeating (i.e. the day after Thanksgiving and New Year's Day night after we had totally overdone it on football snack food--watching all the Bowl games on New Year's Day is a very big deal with my husband's family).  It took me awhile to develop an appreciation for shrimp cocktail, but now I absolutely love it!  Although those assembled trays you can buy from the grocery store are pretty good, I think if I'm going to spend the money on shrimp, I want it to be great and a few extra minutes roasting them yourself achieves that!

They are great right out of the oven but also excellent leftover and cold right from the fridge.  How versatile! 

Roasted Shrimp Cocktail 
2 pounds peeled, de-veined raw shrimp, tails still on (we use 31-40 count size, defrosted from frozen are fine )*
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
your favorite prepared cocktail sauce
fresh lemon wedges

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Spread out shrimp in a single layer on a baking sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat.  Sprinkle evenly with salt.  Roast at 400 degrees for 6-8 minutes, or just until pink and firm and cooked through (The beautiful thing about shrimp is that they're pretty easy to tell when they're done.  They change color!).  Allow to cool and serve with cocktail sauce and fresh lemon juice, as desired.

*Note: In the United States at least, shrimp are sold by "count."  This meaning the number of shrimp that make up a pound.  The higher the count, the smaller the size of shrimp (and less expensive).  31-40 count shrimp are considered "large size."  You can feel free to substitute a different size of shrimp according to your preference and access, just adjust the cooking time accordingly.

Zucchini at its best

This is the time of year that zucchini have been growing furiously. You go to bed with blossoms and wake up the next morning with football-sized squash. I don't have a garden (I'm really pulling for my dad to come out and help me get started next Spring) and for now will just appreciate any extras that the neighbors may be able to pass my way (hint, hint ; ). That said, this recipe is good enough, I have even bought zucchini to make it! Oh, and for cake, you can rest easy knowing this is actually a very healthy recipe! Enjoy!

Pineapple Zucchini Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
The recipe is adapted from The Pioneer Woman's Tasty Kitchen site.
1 1/2 c whole wheat flour
3/4 - 1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
3 Tablespoons canola oil
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups grated zucchini (allow to drain on paper towels while assembling rest of cake)
1 (20 oz) can crushed pineapple in juice, drained (reserve juice)

Frosting:
1 8 oz package reduced fat cream cheese (Neufchatel), softened
2 tablespoons butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
reserved pineapple juice (if necessary)
Preheat oven to 350°.
To prepare cake, lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and spices in a large bowl; stir well with a whisk.
Combine oil, eggs, and vanilla; stir well. Stir egg mixture, grated zucchini, and pineapple into flour mixture. Batter will be stiff and dry but keep folding it and it will all come together. If it still seems too dry, just add a little splash of the pineapple juice.
Spoon batter into a 13 x 9-inch baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for about 33-35 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs and cake is pulling away from sides of pan. Cool completely on a wire rack.
To prepare frosting, combine butter and cream cheese in a large bowl. Beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth. Beat in powdered sugar and vanilla just until smooth. Add a splash of milk or pineapple juice if necessary. Spread frosting over top of cake.