Back in the saddle with taco salad

made some promise about posting more recipes a couple of weeks ago... faint, weak promises, I know. Then this past week I was reflecting on my love of taco salads... and today I made myself a heavenly salad for lunch. I realized then that I've never posted my version here. Must be rectified!

It's a pretty loose definition of a recipe, I'll give you that. But hopefully it will inspire you to whip up something along these lines and you'll fall in love with the salad 'o taco the way I have.

I even thought today that I could take on a Morgan Spurlock-type challenge (he's the Super Size Me dude) and eat nothing but taco salad and variations on taco salad for a month... but then I worried I might indeed get sick of it, so I'll just continue to partake as the cravings strike!

Taco salad for one
Greens: rip up a couple of cups of lettuce leaves
Tomatoes: I cut up about a half-cup of grape tomatoes, yum
Avocado: cube either a half or a whole avocado, depending on your mood
Cheese: a liberal handful of shredded cheddar or jack
Beans: warm up a cup of beans in the microwave--pinto, black, kidney... I love them all
Cilantro: roughly chop a handful of washed leaves
Salsa: optional, depending on your mood, and how wet you like your salad
Sour cream: a generous dallop!

In a large bowl (so you can mix it all up) put all the ingredients except the beans, salsa and sour cream; toss and mix gently. Take the beans, once warmed, and pour over the mixture; again, mix gently, adding salsa and sour cream as desired. Turn the salad out onto a plate and enjoy!

There are many variations possible: add some black bean and corn salad, rather than just beans... add olives if you enjoy that with Mexican cuisine... green onions would be a nice zippy addition, as would other onions, if you're not scared of the bite... get creative, go wild, have fun! Yum.

Sunday morning huevos rancheros

ggs, glorious eggs! Eggs are one of my favorite options for breakfast. And every once in awhile, I like to have them a bit differently prepared than my usual soft poached... so on those rare mornings (I'm still addicted to the breakfast shake we have most mornings), I look for something a bit more inspired. I happened to be browsing tastespotting last night and saw a huevos rancheros recipe and must have dreamed of it all night, because I woke up this morning bent on having my eggs thusly prepared.

Huevos rancheros
Makes 2 servings

Cooking spray or olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, coarsely chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced
1 15.5 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 15.5 ounce can diced tomatoes, some juice drained off
½ cup chopped cilantro
1 tsp ground cumin
4 eggs
Salt and pepper to tasteTortillas, shredded cheddar cheese, salsa and sliced avocado for serving

Preheat a large fry pan over medium heat, spray with cooking spray or add olive oil, whatever your preference. Add the onions and peppers and sauté until tender, about 5-8 minutes.

Add the beans and tomatoes to the peppers and onions. Stir well and continue to sauté for an additional 5 minutes. Stir in ¼ of the cilantro, as well as the cumin.

Turn the heat down to low. Make 4 wells in the bean/tomato mixture. Spray a little bit of olive oil into each well. Crack an egg into each of the wells. Season each egg with salt and pepper and cover the skillet. Allow the eggs to cook until they reach your desired doneness.

Spoon the eggs out onto two plates, with extra tomato/bean mixture as well. Serve with warmed tortillas, salsa, extra cilantro, diced avocado and sour cream. Enjoy!

On a foggy morning, this breakfast provides just the bit of sunshine needed to think about all that's on the to-do list! Now, off to clean and tidy up around the house, usual Sunday stuff.