You know that one time (I'm sure it's only ever been once) where you had something magnificent planned for dinner and then at the last minute plans had to change. Maybe because you were out of a key ingredient, or maybe because you didn't get home from errands in time, or maybe because you were glued to the computer for much longer than needed and therefore ran out of time (that NEVER happens to me). Well, the next time you find yourself in that situation - the Easy Peasy Bean Taco's is your great non-recipe-recipe that will save your butt!

Easy Peasy Bean Taco's
- Flour or corn tortillas, smaller size
- Shredded cheese
- Can of refried beans
- Toppings you like on tacos…tomatoes, salsa, sour cream, guacamole, lettuce, etc.

Preheat your oven broiler. Heat up the can of beans in the microwave.

Place the tortillas on a cookie sheet. Sprinkle some cheese on half of the tortilla (you can also heat them up on the stove, whichever you prefer).

Keep a close eye on the cheese, making sure not to leave in too long that the tortillas will burn.

Remove the pan and shmear the beans over the cheese and add your other favorite toppings.

We really liked these tacos, and I loved how simple they were to make. But I’ve gotta say, I think a few grilled peppers and onions would give the tacos nice flavor and crunch…but yeah, that involves chopping stuff AND dirtying another pan. So don’t worry too much about it. These are Easy Peasy Bean Tacos, after all.


What is your "go-to" recipe when your original plans fail?

Asia meets Mexico for a bang of a dish! This was a new find from my mom's neighborhood/ward cookbook that I stole from her last week. But apparently there is a similar version on Rachel Ray's website at FoodNetwork. It's very spicy, but can be adjusted to your own taste and level of heat desired. We even liked the cashews - and if you know my family well, you'll know we don't usually like nuts. I was hesitant to put the honey & maple syrup in, but I did anyway. In the end I actually didn't notice it, so perhaps next time I'll leave it out to save on the sugar calories. Not sure what that will do to the taste, but I'm willing to try.

2 lbs chicken breasts, cubed
2 T Montreal Steak Grill Seasoning
2 T olive oil
2 T soy sauce
1 c onion, chopped
1 c red bell pepper, seeded and diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can waterchestnuts, drained and chopped
1 c frozen peas
1 T chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
1 T cumin
2 T honey
1/4 c maple syrup
1 c cashews
cilantro for garnish
cooked rice

Chop chipotle pepper into a paste. This is less than 1 pepper from a can. You can individually wrap the remaining peppers and freeze for future use. Set aside chipotle pepper. Toss chicken cubes in Montreal seasoning and then brown lightly in large skillet in olive oil. Add soy sauce, onion, red pepper and garlic and cook 2-3 minutes over medium heat. Add waterchestnuts and peas. Stir in chipotle pepper and cumin. Drizzle in the honey and maple syrup and stir. Turn off heat and add cashews and chopped cilantro. Serve over cooked rice.

Makes 6 servings. Nutritional information does NOT include the rice. Calories 556, Fat 26.7g, Saturated Fat 5.8g, Carbohydrates 29.9g, Dietary Fiber 3.0g, Protein 49.6g. Weight Watchers = 12pts

If you take out the honey, syrup, and cashews, and then grill the chicken with a light pan spray instead of olive oil, it helps in reducing the calories and fat. The new nutritional information would be as follows: Calories 329, Fat 11.6g, Carbohydrates 7.8g, Dietary Fiber 2.3g, Protein 46.0g, Weight Watchers = 7pts

On Saturday we had a family favorite for dinner, 7 Layer Mexican Bean Dip. It's the typical layered bean dip complete with sour cream, guacamole, and cheese served with tortilla chips. We like it so much, we eat it as a meal. On Monday, I was back at the market and while I was in line to check out (don't ever go shopping when hungry), I was trying to keep myself distracted from the candy calling my name to the left of me by reading the magazine titles on my right. I was attracted to the Taste of Home spring edition featuring a fabulous alternative to the classic layered bean dip.

(I was going to take a picture of this fantastic fusion explosion, but it was eaten so fast I never had a chance! So I lifted this directly from the magazine, please don't turn me in!)

Subtract the sour cream, guacamole, and cheese - add in fresh papaya, smooth avacado, and "kick" it with ancho chili pepper and serrano's -- and this MAKEOVER is complete! It's not designed to be a "main dish" so I added chicken. It was still not as filling as I'd like, but Brian ate so much of it, he was full!

Tropical Fusion Salad with Spicy Tortilla Ribbons

2 cups cubed and peeled papaya
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 medium ripe avocado, peeled and cubed
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
1/2 cup golden raisins
2 serrano peppers, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro

Dressing:
1/4 cup orange juice
2 T lime juice
1 T cider vinegar
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp ground ancho chili pepper
1/4 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt

Tortilla ribbons:
corn tortillas
salt
ground ancho chili pepper

In a large bowl, combine salad ingredients and dressing ingredients together. For the chips, cut tortillas into 1/4 inch strips and place on a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Sprinkle with salt and chili pepper. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes until crisp. Serve with salad.

Yields 4 servings: 1 1/4 cup salad with 10 tortilla strips equals 321 cal., 8g fat (1g sat fat), 58 carb., 11g fiber, 9g protein. Weight Watchers=6 pts