Guacamole, Black Bean Salad, and Napolean Quiche

OK. This is what I made today. If I hadn't forgotten to soak the beans last night, it wouldn't have taken long. I did take pictures, but I will have to add them in later as I'm not sure how to upload here.

Snack: Easy Guacamole

Truthfully, any guacamole is easy. Just chunk up some avocados and throw in a little lime juice and voila! You've got guacamole. This version takes advantage of some leftover ingredients for a second recipe.

You need:
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5 avocados - halved, pit removed, giant dice, and scooped out

1/4  red onion

1 clove garlic minced

1 lime - juiced

handful of cilantro – chopped

salt & pepper - to taste, but I usually do a "big pinch" of salt and several grinds of pepper

½ 7oz.  jar diced pimentos (drained)

Put all of the ingredients in a bowl and use a potato masher to pulverize it to a chunky dip consistency. Taste and adjust seasonings. To store, squeeze more lime juice on top put a piece of plastic wrap directly on the dip (do not leave it exposed to air).  This will last several days (though probably not once you start finding an excuse to snack...)

Cold Salad: Black Bean Salad

This can really be made with any bean you have; I just think it's pretty with black beans.

You Need:

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1 lb. black beans – cooked by directions in heavily salted water

½ red onion

½ 7 oz. jar of diced pimentos (drained)

1 clove garlic

3 T. oil

1 T. stone ground mustard (I already had this, but you can use a dijon too)

¼ c. vinegar (white balsamic, apple cider, or really anything you would make salad dressing out of)

heavy pinch salt

heavy pinch pepper

1 cucumber seeded and diced

2 bell peppers diced (any color, but I prefer red/orange/yellow over green)

1 handful of italian parsley – rough chopped

Mix the onion, pimentos, garlic, oil, mustard, vinegar, salt and pepper in the bowl first to make the dressing. Add the vegetables and beans. Mix to coat and chill in the fridge. This is great to eat as a side dish with some chicken or as a salad to take to work. 

Main Course: Napoleon Quiche

Quiche is easy and makes a great breakfast too. It doesn't seem very filling (especially to men), but when served with a nice bowl of soup or a side salad, it makes a great dinner. This makes two quiches (I needed to get rid of a dozen eggs hovering on extinction), but if you don't eat both in the week (unlikely), they freeze really well (or you could always gift one out to a friend or coworker to brighten their day!

You need:

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12 eggs

2-pack frozen pie crusts (I don’t bake)

¾ c. ranch dressing (or any other creamy salad dressing)

1 c. ricotta cheese

2 c. shredded cheese (any kind you have on hand)

1 sliced tomato (each slice cut in half)

1 c. fresh basic leaves – rough chopped

salt & pepper

Beat the eggs and dressing together (props to Katrina for teaching me this trick!). Ladle in the mixture until the shells are 1/2 full. Dot the quiche with ricotta cheese and top with chopped basil. Add the rest of the egg mixture. Top with pieces of tomato and salt and pepper. Top with cheese (as much or as little as you like). Place them in a 375 degree oven until done; it usually takes about 45 minutes for both. (*to make putting the quiche in and taking them out easy, put them on a baking sheet for easy handling)

 Coming Later This Week

Gazpacho (uses up cilantro, parsley, and some stock veges I have lying around)
Pasta Pesto (uses up basil)