Black Bean Taco Salad wwpp=4

Here I thought I was done for the day, but I had to fix lunch. I was just going to go ahead and fix it quick, but I thought, gee, maybe there is someone out there that needs a little inspiration. Maybe just a little nudge on how eating healthy can be easy. Maybe a weight watcher buddy waiting for an idea.

Actually I opened a can of black beans and drained them, I got 1 and 1/2 cup of actual bean. Hmmmm, when you are watching what you eat or if you are doing Weight Watcher's like me, every point counts. So from now on I am  going to make my own beans in the crock pot, that way I get just beans and any juice I get, I got it without sodium and such.

Black Beans remind me of my days in Spanish Harlem, NY. I lived in a apartment building with many apartments occupied with my Brazilian friends. Most of my friends were from the tiny city of Tiros, a small country place. The food they made was from there. They were constantly making Feijoada, a black bean stew, with some kind of meat. They added a mixture of spices, I really don't remember what they were, but I remember it being a light green and smelled wonderful. They would cook this all day long.
They never needed a crock pot, just a giant pot. Along with that they would fry pork fat (torresmo) and yuka pieces (Mandioca). Feijoada, Mandioca, and Torresmo. Every meal always seemed like a hugh banquet of delights. Oh how my memory serve me well.. Those meals with my Brazillian friends are forever embedded in my heart. I made a lot of friends, taught English to them all, and enjoyed great meals. Sadly I haven't heard from them in years, but I hope I left them with a few good memories. Maybe one day, one will happen along my blog....wouldn't that be cool.

Okay... Now that I am hungry again.

There are so many things that you can do to make this quick, so it can be a "go to kinda thing".

If you pre-made the beans you could just pull them out and warm them up.(I am sure that they freeze well, most beans do)

The lettuce, I prefer to use romaine or head lettuce, a little more crisper, stands up to the warm beans.

I also keep diced tomato, and onion in the fridge. I do this in 2 cup containers. I use it almost every day. So don't waste if you aren't going to use it.

Black Bean Taco Salad   wwpp=4   (this is just for one salad, you could make more just by adding more beans)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup of black beans ( on the taco salad, I actually used all of mine, because I like them, So it was messy, you could have gotten by and just used a 1/4 cup)

1/2 small onion ( I love onion and I put more)

1 clove of garlic

1/4 Jalapeno

2 corn tortilla's

diced tomato

diced raw onion

2 tbsp of fat free sour cream

3 tbsp of salsa

Instructions:

1) Lets prep the tortillas to become a bowl.

a) two tortillas stacked and cut slits

b) line them up

c) weave them together

d) make a foil rectangly thing

e) put on cookie sheet and drape over the foil

2) Put in 400 degree oven for about 5 minutes, watch it until it is toasty brown.. yummy, crunchy.

3) Now lets prep the beans. In a small pan, pour in a bit of the bean juice, your diced onion (save a bit for the top of the taco, and your garlic and let them sweat on low to make tender.

4) Then put in the beans, to warm. I added a little salt, pepper, a jalapeno, and some hot sauce. The beans are the main source of your flavor, so get them tasting good.. taste them..


5) When everyone is ready, Put the salad together.
Fill your shell with lots of lettuce,
Pour over your warm bean mixture,
Then some salsa,
Diced tomato, onion, and what you like on top.
A little dash of sour cream ( on ww you are allowed 2 tbsp of sour cream fat free for one point)

I had this for lunch and it was very filling and good. I found no need for any cheese, I added a bit more salsa but that was really good.

Make some and let me know, If you have any great ideas for me, just drop me a line. If you have a recipe and you would like to see if I can help you remake it, give me a try.

So from here in GA, the weather is beautiful, get out there and have a wonderful day..