Grilled Black Bean and Sweet Potato Quesadillas

Yummo!! I've been so excited to make these once I found the recipe in Better Homes and Gardens Special Ultimate Mexican. I may just try every recipe in this magazine!! I really liked this one. The smoothness of the mashed sweet potatoes with the melted cheese with the black beans was wonderful. Mark is not a sweet potato fan, but he did enjoy these!! Kailyn peeled hers open and ate all of the inside leaving just the tortilla. It took Luke a while to try them, but once he did he enjoyed it.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cloves minced garlic
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 Tbsp lime juice
1 tsp dried oregano crushed
1 tsp ground cumin
4 10 inch flour tortillas
1 1/2 cups mashed, cooked sweet potatoes
1 cup shreddd Monterey Jack cheese (4 oz)
1 1/2 cups tightly packed baby spinach leaves
tomato salsa, corn salsa, and/or guacamole to serve with

Wash and peel potatoes. Cut into quarters and boil in saucepan for 25-30 minutes or until tender. Drain and mash. In a large skillet cook onion and garlic in oil over med heat until onion is tender. Stir in black beans, lime juice, oregano, and cumin; heat through. Set aside. Layer 1/4 of mashed sweet potatoes on 1/2 of tortilla, 2 Tbsp cheese, 1/4 bean mixture, 1/4 spinach, and another 2 Tbsp cheese. Fold each tortilla over filling and press gently. Grill, uncovered for 3-4 minutes or until cheese begins to melt then flip and grill other side for 4-5 minutes until tortilla is crisp. I used my George Foreman grill and it worked perfectly. Cut into wedges and serve with salsa or whatever you choose.

Jill

Oaxacan Grilled Corn

This corn was great! It tasted wonderful, but not so figure friendly. We will not make this often, but fun for a special treat. Lucas really liked it too! Oh yes, came from Better Homes and Gardens Ultimate Mexican Special.

Ingredients:
8 ears fresh sweet corn
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 Tbsp chili powder
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
3/4 cup of light mayo or salad dressing (we used mayo)
3/4 cup freshly grated queso anejo (couln't find so I used queso fresca)
2 limes, cut into wedges

Tie husks back (I just pulled them back) and remove silks. Hold ears over a plate and brush with butter. In a small bowl combine chili powder and cayenne pepper. Place mayo, cheese, and limes in separate bowls and set aside. Grill corn on high heat for 12-14 minutes or until corn is carmelized. To serve, spread corn with mayo, then sprinkle with cheese and spice mixture and squeeze lime over all.

Jill

Coconut Rice

This side dish is a little bland, but goes perfectly with a spicy meat. I made this with the Garlic Shrimp and Pineapple Skewers. It came from Better Homes and Gardens Special Ultimate Mexican.

Ingredients:
1 cup basmati rice
1 Tbsp butter
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup frozen peas

In saucepan cook rice in the butter until rice begins to brown. Add chicken broth,coconut milk, and salt. Bring to boil; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, about 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Stir in 1/2 cup frozen peas. Coverand let stand for 5 minutes. Makes 4 cups

Jill

Garlic Shrimp and Pineapple Skewers

I made this for Mark's Father's Day meal and it did not disappoint. He absolutely LOVED it!! It had a little bit of a kick, but not overpowering. I did modify one of the skewers for the kids because I knew it would probably be a bit spicy for them (and it would have been). I served this with coconut rice (I will post recipe) and a mango, avocado, tomato salad (which Mark did not love). This recipe came from Better Homes and Gardens UltimateMexican Special.

Ingredients:
24 fresh or frozn large shrimp
1/2 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp finely choppped fresh cilantro
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
3 oz guava paste, cut up (could not find so used guave juice)
4 tsp water
1 canned chipolte chile pepper in adobe sauce
2 Tbsp chopped red onion
1 small fresh pineapple, peeled, cored, and cut into chunks (2 cups)

Thaw, rinse, pat dry shrimp. In a small bowl combine oil, cilantro, garlic, and cayenne pepper. Pour over shrimp. Seal bag; turn to coat shrimp. Marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour, turning bag occasionally. In food processor or blende combine guava paste (juice in my case), water (i used a little more), chile pepper, and red onion. Cover and process until almost smooth. Use slotted spoon to remove shrimp fro marinade and transfer to bowl with guave mixture; toss gently to coat. Add pineapple to shrimp mixture (do not leave pineapple with shrimp longer than 5 minutes or will make shrimp mushy). Alternately thread shrimp and pineapple on skewers. Grill for 6-10 minutes or until shrimp fully cooked. May brush extra guava mixture on skewers 1/2way through grilling (we did not do this).

*Do not put leftover pineapple in same container with shrimp or shrimp will become mushy

Jill