Monday, May 4, 2009

Project Restoration- Elizabeth Oates

We loved having Elizabeth Oates on the show tonight! Check out her website at http://www.projectrestorationministry.org/

Don't forget to look up her curriculum, Dealing With Divorce, published by Zondervan.

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Cinco de Mayo Recipes:
Patriot’s Favorite Guac

4 avocados (deep brown & yield slightly to pressure) 
1 fresh lime (or orange, for a twist) 
1-2 cloves of fresh garlic 
1 fresh tomato (diced) 
Salt & pepper to taste
Half avocados and remove fruit with a spoon in to a bowl (leave at least one pit in the guac to help prevent browning).  Juice the lime (or ½ an orange:), dice the tomato and mince the garlic (or use a garlic press directly into bowl).  Add the lime juice, garlic, and tomato---stir well with a fork to mash everything together.   Add salt & pepper to taste.  Stir again.
We serve tortilla strips or goldfish for our little one to ‘dip’ into his guacamole.   Always a hit at our house:0)
enjoy! 

Black Beans and Rice
4 standard sized cans of black beans 
½ yellow onion 
6  cloves of garlic 
1 bunch of cilantro 
8 oz. shredded Montery Jack Cheese 
2 c. whole grain brown rice 
2 avocados 
1 jar salsa 
1 c. sour cream 
1 bag tortilla chips 
 
Preheat oven to 350. Heat black beans in a pot over medium-high heat, keeping most of the juice.  Chop onion and  cilantro, mince garlic, and place all in a saucepan and sauté.  After beans have heated for 20 minutes, stir the sautéed ingredients into the black beans.  In a separate pot, begin preparing the brown rice (follow bag instructions).  Pour black bean concoction into a 13x9 inch pan and add shredded cheese on top, covering extensively.  Cover w/ aluminum foil and bake for 30 min at 325 degrees.
Serve black bean entrée over the brown rice, having a nice spread of chips, slices of avocado, salsa, extra shredded cheese and sour cream as toppings.

chicken enchiladas...

 
10 1/2 ounce can of "chicken a la king"  (that's actually what it is called and it comes in a soup can size, at wal-mart it is usually by the canned chicken/tuna, but if they don't have it, then I have substituted just a can of chunk chicken, which actually gives you way more chicken, and then I just mix in about a half a can of cream of chicken soup)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon chili powder
1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
2 1/4 cups monterey jack cheese (I sometimes get the mexican blend of cheeses)
1/2 cup salad oil
8 corn tortillas
1/4 cup sour cream (I usually use way more)
 
In a bowl, combine the chicken, all the spices, 1 1/2 cups of cheese.  Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat.  When oil is hot, put each tortilla in the oil for a few seconds on each side.  (i've tried to skip this step, and the tortillas break and come apart when you are trying to roll them up)  Then fill each tortilla with filling, roll up and put in a baking dish.  Then spread the sour cream on top and sprinkle with the rest of the cheese.  Bake at 350 F for 20 minutes, or cheese is melted.