Enjoying 100% and Veggie Burritos

Most often we take our health for granted. We go about our daily lives with a headache here, a muscle ache there, some sinus or allergies issues; however, for the most part we feel good. We feel great! But we don't realize how great we feel until we get hit (bam) with some type of stomach bug (just for example). Then we feel awful. So awful it is hard to realize that it is only temporary and this too shall pass. Then we start to recover and we feel a bit better each hour, each day until we feel back to 100%. And on that day is the day we realize what 100% actually feels like. It feels awesome. And for most of us who aren't suffering from some serious condition or chronic pain, that 100% is probably what we are feeling a majority of the time. And that 100% is what we take for granted.

Today I am taking some time out to be thankful for my overall health and my 100%. What does this have to do with the recipe I am sharing with you today? Nothing. But it is still a good recipe so try it and enjoy your 100%. You can add chicken or steak to this recipe if you please.

Makes 4 Vegetable Burritos.

1/2 red pepper, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
4 oz mushrooms, diced
1/2 tbsp chili powder
1/4 tsp paprika
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
pinch of red pepper
4 flour tortillas
2 cups cooked rice
15 oz can of black beans, rinsed

Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add veggies and saute for about five minutes. Add spices and saute for about 3-5 more minutes then remove from heat.
Add sour cream, rice, beans, and veggies to tortilla and roll into a burrito. Top with salsa.

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My Cousin, Tortilla Soup & Mushroom Quesadillas

Tortilla Soup & Mushroom Quesadillas are the new Tomato Soup & Grilled Cheese.

Once upon a time I had a cousin. Well I still have her and actually I have like a gazillion cousins, but stay with me. My beautiful and talented cousin was amazing in the kitchen. She could cook anything and never needed a recipe. My favorite thing she made was a tortilla soup. She taught me how to make it which involved touching and boiling an entire hen. If you know something about me, you know how much I dislike dealing with poultry. But she assured me this was the best and only way to get such a flavorful broth. And while she was likely right (dang her for being beautiful and right), I had to find a shortcut. Let's just say my tortilla soup is not her tortilla soup but it sure cured a craving and spared me the dance with the chicken.

This recipe serves about 3-4 so double it if you want leftovers or have a big crew to feed.

1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1/2 yellow pepper, chopped
1 small jalapeno, diced
1/2 onion, diced
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts*
5 oz diced tomatoes
16 oz chicken broth**
2 cups water
1 can pinto beans (rinsed)
cilantro, chopped

Drizzle olive oil onto chicken breast, sprinkle with seasoning mixture and cook in the oven on 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until cooked thoroughly. Remove from oven and shred with two forks and set aside. Add 1tbsp olive oil to a medium soup pot on medium-high heat. Add veggies and saute for a few minutes, add the remainder of the spice mixture and saute for a few minutes. You can use a packaged taco seasoning but making your own will eliminate excess salt and preservatives. Add shredded chicken, diced tomatoes, chicken broth and water. Bring to a boil, turn down and simmer for 45 minutes. Top the soup with cilantro and serve with mushroom quesadillas.

*So I did have to handle some chicken but way different than boiling a whole one. You can also use leftover chicken. If the seasonings are not tortilla soup friendly, rinse the chicken under water before adding to the soup.
** Try to find a good quality, less salt, no preservatives chicken broth. It is worth paying more money for a better tasting broth.

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Creative Leftovers: Five Guys Breakfast

Some of us happen to be more creative than others. Creative energy comes from many places. It can come from a picture, a smell, a time of year, a weather forecast; however, most of the time it comes from another person. We get our creative energy from others, we give off our creative energy to others and it becomes one big snowball of energy rolling down a hill. Our ideas are rarely original without some form of inspiration from someone else. And the more creative we are, the more creative we become.

While spending some time with a creative friend and feeding off of her energy (or maybe sucking it out of her), we came up with an idea for reusing leftover french fries. Now I don't know if this will work for every leftover fry but if you have a Five Guys Burgers and Fries in your area I can guarantee success. And if you have a FG in your area and have experienced it you know three things: 1) they are getting rave reviews; 2) their employees are super friendly; and 3) you will never finish the fries they serve you even if you share a small. If you do not have an FG in your area try using crispy-wedge-potatoes from your dinner the night before.
 

leftover FG fries (or crispy wedge potatoes)
1/2 green pepper, diced

1/4 onion,diced

3 eggs

Heat olive oil over medium heat and saute onions and green peppers for a couple minutes. Toss in fries and saute for a couple more minutes.

 In another skillet cook an egg to your preference

Throw the egg on top. Serve. 

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Mediterranean Tilapia and Quinoa Salad

Girl meets boy. Falls in love. Gets married. Buys a tiny space in the city. When something needs attention, Girl and Boy call Maintenance Man.

Girl and Boy move to the country. Buy a HOUSE. When things need attention, Girl and Boy spend their days at Home Depot bonding over the "how to".

Oh my friends, I hope I didn't leave you hungry. While your imagination and mine placed me in my new fabulous kitchen stirring up creative ideas during my month of blogger silence, this scenario was a bit different than reality. I spent some time in the kitchen, yes. But mostly I spent time at the home improvement store of choice buying blinds and lawn tools; listening to the insulation company in the attic and the gutter company on my roof; bringing my husband Gatorade, shoveling and moving gravel, and loving every minute of it. Well most minutes of it.

Anyway, enough about me. Let's talk about you and how hungry you are for more Simple Plates. It doesn't get any easier (and healthy) than fish my friends. So light and fresh and so easy to flavor. And it just might leave room in your caloric budget for some dessert. That is if you have done some shoveling or any other type of physical activity today.

Mediterranean Tilapia and Quinoa Salad

2 fillets of tilapia

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp oregano
1/2 tsp salt

1 lemon

1 cup of quinoa

1 cup of vegetable broth

1 cup of water

10-15 kalamata olives, diced

1 cucumber, diced

1/4 red onion, finely diced

1/4-1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled

Heat a small sauce pan on medium heat, add 1 tbsp olive oil and finely diced red onion. Saute onions for a couple minutes and then add 1 cup vegetable broth, 1 cup of water and 1 cup of quinoa. Stir the quinoa, bring liquid to a boil, turn to low heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until water is absorbed. Once the quinoa is done set aside in a bowl and let cool. Next add olives, cucumber and feta cheese and combine with quinoa. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, brush 1 tbsp olive oil onto tilapia fillets and add salt and oregano. Thinly slice some lemons and lay on top of the fish. Cook for 12-15 minutes or until fish is white and flaky. Serve fish immediately with a side of quinoa salad.

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