Hello TCL readers!!! I have recently developed a serious love/obsession with re-fried black beans. I’m not too crazy for them in regular form, but mash ‘em up in a skillet, and I am all over it. I had a delicious brainstorm the other day to combine my other food love – avocado – with the beans in a warm and crispy tortilla, served with fresh pico de gaillo. It was magical. I am actually craving more right now! (p.s. – today is bonus recipe day! I’m putting up my recipe to make vegan black beans as well!)

Ingredients: Scratch made black beans, vegan-friendly butter or olive oil, 1/2c vegetable stock, avocado, sliced thin, quesadilla cheese (omit for vegan-friendly & they are just as tasty w/o), tortillas, tomato, diced, yellow onion diced, cilantro finely chopped, juice from one lime, separate lime, quartered, smoked paprika, salt & pepper

canned black beans work fine too, but 1 – they won’t be as tasty, 2 – make sure you find vegetarian cooked beans, if you want to stick to a veggie/vegan friendly dish

Directions:

- In a large skillet, add a bit of butter or olive oil & heat over med setting. Spoon cooked black beans into skillet & simmer until bean liquid starts to bubble.

- Begin mashing beans with a potato masher or the back of a large spoon. Slowly add vegetable stock if beans begin to get too thick. Stir and mash until beans reach desired consistency. Don’t worry if they are too thin, leave the heat on low until the liquid reduces a bit & the beans thicken back up. Taste & add salt, pepper or paprika as needed.

- Spread beans on a tortilla, add a couple of avocado slices & cheese (optional), squirt a bit of lime juice over the top & sprinkle paprika over everything. Fold in half & cook in skillet until tortilla begins to get crispy. Place to the side or in a  warm oven. Continue in this manner until you have either used up all the ingredients, or made the amount you want to serve.

- In a med bowl, assemble diced tomato, onion & cilantro, add lime juice & a dash of salt. Stir to combine & serve with quesadillas.

Made From Scratch Vegan Black Beans -

Ingredients: 1c uncooked/ rinsed black beans, 3c vegetable stock, 1 chipotle pepper packed in adobo, 2 tbls adobo sauce (less if you want to reduce the heat, although adobo is very mild), 1 small yellow onion, diced, 2 tbls smoked paprika, salt to taste

Directions:

- Combine all ingredients in a crock pot & set on low heat. Cook for at least 8 hrs. (I usually set this up right before I go to bed & let them cook all night). Test beans after allotted time for doneness & add additional stock if necessary. Taste & adjust seasoning as well. Place in an airtight container & refridgerate.

Enjoy! XO, Bridget from Love Peace Family.

Happy Thursday! Hope all of you awesome TCL friends are enjoying the start of summer (and staying cool too)! Summertime is a great time to mix up your weekly food routine and try out some delicious fresh and crisp flavors! One of my favorite summertime foods are noodle salads. They are super easy to make and you can mix it up with your favorite seasonal produce. And the best part, you can serve them cold! A cold noodle salad is the perfect dish for a hot summer picnic! This salad features some beautiful produce in a variety of colors & everything is either raw, or just barely cooked so you get a very nice crunch with every bite.

Ingredients: 1c baby spinach, rinsed, 1c purple cabbage, sliced thin, 3-4 small carrots, cut up into sticks, 1c button mushrooms, rinsed & sliced, 1 package of steamed edamame, hulls removed, 1 yellow bell pepper, seeded & sliced into sticks, 1 small yellow onion, sliced thin, 1 package of thin rice noodles, 1/4c tamari or soy sauce, 1/2 tsp. ginger root, minced, 2-3 garlic cloves, minced, 1 tblsp. honey (sub agave or brown sugar for vegan-friendly), 1 tblsp rice vinegar, 1 tblsp. sesame oil.

Directions:

- Pre-heat oven to 350*

- Fill a large pot with water & bring to a boil, cook noodles according to package directions. Once cooked, drain and rinse thoroughly with cold water & set aside.

- Mix together tamari or soy sauce, ginger, garlic, honey, rice vinegar & sesame oil & set aside.

- Arrange carrots, bell pepper, onion & mushroom on a baking sheet & drizzle half of the dressing over the veggies. Roast for approx. 10 min or until veggies just begin to soften. Be sure to remove them before they over cook, you want to retain the crunch of the veggies.

- In a large salad bowel, combine cold noodles, spinach, cabbage, edamame, carrots, bell pepper, onion & mushroom. Toss with the remaining half of the dressing ( feel free to add dripping from baking sheet too) & serve.

Enjoy! XO, Bridget from Love Peace Family.

Happy Thursday! I wanted to share my version of Vegan Chili with you all. If you are from Texas, you know how much meat is a staple in many dishes. Chili is very much an iconic Texan food, just like barbecue and chicken fried steak. This version will satisfy the delicious flavor and texture of chili without the need for meat.

Ingredients: 4c vegetable stock, 2c water, 1c brown rice, uncooked, 1 can organic black beans, 1 can organic corn, 1 can organic crushed tomatoes, 1 jalapeno (optional), 1 small yellow onion, diced, 2-3 garlic cloves, minced, 1 tsp tomato paste, 1 tsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp, chili powder, 1 tsp olive oil, salt & pepper. Diced avocado & chopped cilantro for garnish.

Directions:

- If you are using jalapeno, pre-heat oven to 350* & wrap pepper in tin foil to roast. Roast for 10-15 min, until skin turns black & blisters. Once cool, remove skin & dice, removing seeds & stems to lessen heat.

- In a large pot or dutch oven, heat olive oil and saute onion and garlic until fragrant & translucent.

- Add brown rice, saute for about 5 min.

- Pour stock and water into pot. Add spices, diced jalapeno, tomatoes & tomato paste as well. Bring to a boil.

- Reduce heat to a low simmer and cook for about 1 hour, or until rice grains are soft.

- Add black beans & corn & heat through out.

- Serve with avocado & cilantro & a side of vegan tortilla chips!

Enjoy! XO, Bridget from Love Peace Family.