mexican week - version 2

last days in pvr

we recently returned from a fabulous 2 weeks in puerto vallarta - so this week was mexican-inspired. with snow falling outside, couldn't seem farther away...
breakfast
yoghurt
fruit
banana muffins

snacks
rice cake nachos - just rice cakes topped with salsa, and a bit of cheese
pico de gallo
black bean dip

meals
- red peppers stuffed with chili and rice - pre cooked the peppers at 350 for 15 min to soften them up then stuffed with chili and rice and topped with a bit of cheese
- fish and salad - simple - pan fried haddock in garlic and chicken broth
- arepas with shrimp and beans - used masa harina to make the arepas
- rice and bean casserole - there was enough of the leftover shrimp and bean mix to make into a casserole with 2 cups of cooked rice
- mexican rice with fish (subbed fish for shrimp/chorizo)


i share my weekly meal plans at orgjunkie.com - you can find hundreds of meal plans on menu planning mondays there...helped me get back into meal planning.

arepas with shrimp and beans

i made arepas with masa harina and pressed them until they were like a pancake's thickness.

then for the topping
1 can white kidney beans drained, rinsed and pureed
1 c salad shrimp (just a bit over - 280g - 9oz
1 can tomato sauce
1 tbsp each of minced garlic, cumin and mexican chili spice
2tbsp taco seasoning mix
.5c water
.5c cilantro loose leaf


- just put all of the ingredients in the wok and blended and heated over medium heat until ready.

this was tasty and easy. we liked it enough to use the leftovers in a quick casserole ( basically just added rice and a bit of cheese, and a few quesadillas for the boys.

banana muffins - gluten free

should have taken another picture - lol

gluten free and more on the muffin side...
1c fat free sour cream
3 mashed bananas
2 eggs
3/4c demerara sugar
dash of cinnamon
2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa
1.5tsp baking soda
1/4c butter melted
4c flour (sorghum/rice flour mix


bake at 325 - 20 to 30min depending on your oven

these are decent but not overly sweet - another 1/4c sugar and banana would have made these much sweeter, but i like them a little less sweet especially since i have an almost 4yr old and 17mth old munching on these as well

black bean dip

ok
so i am trying to be better with my snacking
ban the doritos
make some lighter, healthier and more nutrition-rich dips
i've been feeling sluggish, and still have the demands of nursing a toddler wearing on my poor ol' body

so in an effort to clean it up...black bean dip (snacking on it with cucumber slices and rice cakes right now

1 can drained/rinsed black beans (mine said 19oz - 598ml
1/2c salsa (only had mild on hand so had to add some spice
1/2c fat free sour cream
2 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp cumin
1 - 1.5 tsp mexican chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 cup loose cilantro
1 spring onion chopped
- took the hand blender and blended it down

yum - yes, very descriptive. i love love love cilantro, so i love having it fill up the flavour of this. could use a bit less
love black beans too - so versatile (have "hid" them in brownies and other treats to make them more nutritious

tasty enough to be ok with my ban on doritos and ketchup chips...but addictive in its own way too.

today on the deck

was supposed to be hard at work online today for my travel writing job

but then...i got distracted...mid february and snow melting
the incessant dripping sounds of snow melting
the beaming sun firmly reminding me of this one day only this month sensation
so
i surrendered
blended up some frozen strawberries, bananas, agave nectar, lime juice, water...and cheap mexican rum (whose only place is in a girly drink)
and this was the state of my work affairs...

...and just taking in the view of the snow-covered river and hills from my little part of the world...