Southwestern Quinoa and Black Bean Casserole

Here I go again with my love of all things Quinoaaaaa! This Mexican style dish is amazing and life changingly good! This casserole is flavor explosion of just the right amount of spice combined with crunch. It is perfect for attacking your friends and family with quinoa without them even knowing it. We all have those people in our lives who wont try the kin-o-wa since it is different and they already know they hate it {cough. Charlie Badger. cough}. The dish is loaded with Mexican flavors that make anyones mouth water just upon smelling it!
So enough with the description here is the delicious recipe...

Southwestern Quiona and Black Bean Casserole

serves: 9

Ingredients

3 large cloves garlic, minced {low-key... I bought pre-minced cloves because I can.}

1 onion minced {now I wish onions came minced because I cried for a long time doing this}

2 jalepeños, seeds and ribs removed, minced {TOTALLY OPTIONAL.. mine does not have jalepeños in it because I'm a baby when it comes to spice}

1 tablespoon oil

4 1/2 cups cooked black beans, rinsed

1 1/4 cup vegetable broth 

2 cups cooked quinoa

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin

4 bell peppers, diced {I used red and yellowwww}

1 1/4 cup shredded Mexican cheese {really however much you would like}

Directions

1. Black Beans. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute the garlic and onions {possibly jalepeños} for 4 minutes. Stir occasionally. Stir in broth and black beans and bring the mixture to a boil and cook for 5 minutes. The mixture should be thick, not watery. {if there is a lot of water let the mixture cook out on low heat for another few minutes}

One of the times I made the back beans I only made half the black beans and added refried beans! It was sooo delicious :)

2. Quinoa. In a dry skillet over medium-high heat, toss and toast the cooked quinoa with the cayenne, chili powder and cumin. 1-2 minutes.

3. Peppers. In the same dry skillet over medium-high heat, place the diced peppers and do NOT stir. {not stiring allows the peppers to get a brown roasted look on the outside} Don't over cook the peppers because they will, at the end, become soggy if over cooked.

4. Assemble. Preheat the oven to 375F degrees. Spoon black bean mixture into a baking dish. Top with Quinoa, Bell Peppers and Cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 20 mins. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 10 mins, or until the top layer of cheese is golden and bubbly. 

5. Serve with sour cream, tortilla chips, on tacos, salad or as a side!

ENJOY

Spaghetti Squash

Im sure most of you have noticed the increasing number of recipes being added to FiveTimesFun! Cooking and baking are definitely two of my favorite activities and to make sure I don't blow up from all this cooking, I've started looking into healthy eating alternatives. One of my favorite favorite foods to eat is spaghetti. Pasta of any kind is my guilty pleasure. I LOVE PASTA! sooo as bikini season rapidly approaches it is time to avoid white breads and pastas! So sad. 

I have found a super yummy and delicious alternative to eating pasta... Spaghetti Squash!

Spaghetti Squash is a yellow fruit and it can be baked, boiled, steamed or microwaved. It contains many nutrietnts, including folic acid, potassium, Vitamin A, and beta carotene. This squash is low in calories-- about 42 calories per cup! The flesh is similar to most other squash but once cooked the flesh falls away from the fruit in ribbons similar to spaghetti.

Spaghetti Squash is super easy to cook and can be substituted in any pasta dish as the pasta! Here is our favorite spaghetti squash recipe...

Ingredients:

1 small spaghetti squash

extra-virgin olive oil

salt and peper

1 pound thin asparagus, steamed tender

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary

1/2 cup part-skim ricott cheese

1 tablespoon toasted pine nuts

Preparation:

Halve the squash. 

Microwave on high for 20-30 minutes {I always do 25 minutes! but microwave for as long as you want, until it is fork-tender} Discard the seeds. Scape the squash out with fork {it should come out easily and look like spaghetti ribbons}

Place the squash into a bowl. Drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper. 
Keep It Warm!

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick pan over medium heat. Slice asparagus into small pieces and sauté with garlic and rosemary until tender {around 1-2 minutes} 

 

Stir ricotta into the squash. Then, sauté until hot and creamy and top with pine nuts {and maybe a little parmesan cheese if you wish!}

 

There is your delicious creamy spaghetti squash with asparagus and rosemary. I've changed this recipe up a little bit by adding tomatoes {sun dried or cherry} or by adding a rosemary chicken. All alternatives are great!

Let us know what you think :) and submit any recipes you have! We would love to feature some recipes right here on Five Times the Fun!

Baked Parmesan Kale Chips

In honor of this leafy green holiday I decided to share a super yummy leafy green recipe with all of you!  Here is a recipe I found from SkinnyTaste for Baked Parmesan Kale Chips that I can't stop eating and the best part is that kale is super super healthy for you!! Incase you haven't learned the pros of this nommy green veggie here are some key facts:

Kale

• low fat
• low calorida
• low carb
• gluten free
• vegetarian
• antioxidant rich

So without further adue here is the delicious recipe to make these naturally delicious chips.

Baked Parmesan Kale Chips

Servings: 6 Serving Size: 1/6th Old Points: 1 Points +: 1

Calories: 50.2 Fat: 2.8g Protein: 3.6g Carb: 3.4g Fiber: 1.1g Sugar: 0.7g Sodium: 126mg (without salt)

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch of kale (12 oz after removed from stems)
• 1 tsp olive oil (spray)
• a sprinkle of sea salt
• 1/2 cup of shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a baking sheet with oil

Wash and dry the kale. Remove the leaves from the thick stems and tear into bite sized pieces.

Put the kale onto the baking sheet and spray with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt.

Bake the kale for about 10-12 minutes. Make sure to turn and move them around as they shrink to make sure the whole leaf crisps up evenly.

Top with shredded parmesan cheese and bake them an additional 5-6 minutes, keeping a close eye until the edges are crisp but not burnt.