I don’t know about you, but I have a hard time containing myself from buying too much every time I’m at my farmer’s market or favorite local produce shop.

How could you resist not going home with one of everything here??

Greens of every kind (I came home with swiss chard, fresh spinach and dandelion greens on this trip), local tomatoes (ours typically come from Ruskin, FL and you can literally smell the freshness as you walk up to the boxes of tomatoes), and a variety of beautiful eggplants, peppers and squashes you don’t typically see on your regular trip to the grocery store. Produce heaven!! I love it. Absolutely love it.

I pretty much always come home with a big bag of tomatoes. That’s a given.

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Like this easy Corn and Cream Cheese Stuffed Jalapeno recipe? Pin the recipe here!

This recipe for easy Cream Cheese Stuffed Jalapeno Peppers was originally posted on July 5, 2011. Since then, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve made this recipe for get-togethers. My friend Heidi always serves them as an appetizer for parties at her house and just told me she likes to bring them to friends’ houses as well – that’s a true compliment and testament to how good they are! She also has told me she freezes them, so they are freezer friendly!

I wanted to share this recipe for these baked stuffed jalapenos with you again since it’s been so long, and since football season is right around the corner and you’ll be looking for easy appetizer recipes to make for game days. Check out the instructional video on how to make this simple stuffed jalapeno recipe below.

Enjoy!

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One of the keys to keeping my weight under control is to have grab and go options ready for me in my fridge. Right now, my family’s schedule is jam packed and I’m finding myself constantly in need of something quick, filling and healthy to grab for lunch or a snack. Quinoa salads (or grain salads in general) have always been a great option for me and this Corn and Black Bean Quinoa Salad has particularly been one of my favorites for years. You can pretty much always feel good about eating a protein rich salad like this when you are hungry and don’t want to sabotage all of your efforts at the gym (if you know what I mean!).

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I can’t tell you what a life saver having part of dinner ready before dinner time has been lately. Grain salads, like this Black Bean and Rice Salad, are hearty and healthy and can be made ahead of time to go with pretty much whatever you are serving. They are pretty good on their own too quite frankly (I had leftovers for lunch just yesterday along with torn fresh spinach, extra lime and a few dashes of hot sauce, so good). I’ll add that my bean loving daughter took some in her lunch box too.

This Black Bean and Rice Salad is also perfect picnic or barbecue food. (Is anyone out there picnicking or barbecuing this time of year? I ask because in Florida right now the thought of being outside is the last thing on my mind. August has officially become my least favorite month with it’s super high heat index and humidity. It’s just gross I tell ya.)

So whether you are looking to make dinner time easier, or need something to bring to a late summer pot luck, this is just the type of dish you need in your repertoire. A hearty grain like brown or wild rice, some basic veggies and a couple of cans of black beans simply dressed in fresh lime juice, olive oil and a couple of spices. Easy peasy.

Hope everyone is having a great week!

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I discovered this amazing pineapple salsa a few years back when my friend Heidi brought it to one of our get togethers. I’ve made it several times since (when I’m not asking Heidi to make it for me) and it’s always enjoyed by everyone. Really, what’s not to love when you combine fresh pineapple with lime, jalapenos and cilantro – each bite truly makes your taste buds sing. Or break out into a little dance. Or whatever suits your fancy.

This pineapple salsa was part of a spread I put together for my husband Larry’s 40th birthday bash this past weekend. We celebrated my husband with all of his favorite things – food being a big part of it obviously. Our good friend, Rich, worked his smoker the day before the party cooking up a ridiculous amount of pork and beef that we served sandwich style with horsey sauce along with several bottles of Larry’s favorite barbecue sauces. In addition to this salsa there was this Cucumber and Feta Greek Yogurt Dip paired up with pita chips (my weakness!) as well as tomato and mozzarella skewers and fresh fruit skewers. We also picked up some glorious macaroni and cheese and cornbread salad from our favorite local BBQ place. There was some good eating going on.

To say we had a great time would be an understatement. It brought me such pleasure to see my husband surrounded by all of his favorite people, dancing to his favorite music, watching clips from his favorite videos on the big screen, drinking his favorite drinks, eating his favorite food. Larry provided the entertainment – because in case you didn’t know, that’s what he’s good at – and we partied the night away. Since his birthday isn’t actually until this Friday, the 8th, the celebration continues this week…but in a little more low key let’s-go-out-for-fondue-with-the-kids kind of way.

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I asked Bev, from Bev Cooks over today to cook for you. If you don’t know Beverly yet, then you must get to know her. This girl makes me smile each and every day…she’s hysterical and can cook her butt off. I’ve been hanging out on her blog a lot the last few months and have enjoyed the heck out of it. Her cooking style is very similar to mine and I think you are going to really enjoy her Spicy Shrimp and Avocado Lettuce Cups. I can’t wait to make them myself…the photos alone are making me drool.

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When the fabulous Aggie came to me about being a guest poster on her blog, I: A) Immediately ran down the street singing “What a Feeling” at the top of my lungs. B) Shaved my legs because in my head, IT TOTALLY MATTERS FOR THIS. And C) Threw on a red sequin gown and stilettos so high, I could give you a separate weather report.

So I got a teensy bit excited. What?

Thank you, Aggie.

. . . . .

It’s the end of summer and we’re all desperately clinging to the last bits and pieces of the relaxing, sun-soaked days of the season. The pool has closed. Pencils are sharpened and the smell of notebook paper wafts through the hallways at school. Echoes of the high school marching band and football team make their way through our windows in the early hours of the morning. New sitcoms prepare to air and entertain us weekly throughout the chilly months. And best of all, comfort food will be flying through our mouth holes for approximately the next 6 months. This time of year RULES IT, YOU GUYS.

With that in mind, I decided to post a light, end-of-summer meal with a kick. And when I say, “with a kick,” I mean go ahead and set up the sprinkler system to blast your eyeballs every 5 seconds. No, I mean it.

I love this type of meal because anything shrimp makes me giddy, anything with spicy, fiery, blow-your-face-off heat makes me sing love songs, and anything in the form of a wrap makes me dance the cha-cha.

I do hope I haven’t frightened you.

Please, try it!

Spicy Shrimp and Avocado Lettuce Cups:

Here are the roasted peppers. You can’t see it with the human eye, but they are secretly plotting all kinds of sexy hotness for your taste buds.

The toasted cumin and coriander. Seriously, scents so beautiful you’ll forget your own name.

This is where it gets dangerous. And awesome. And you might need to open a window. Or stick your head in the freezer.

This is where it gets pretty. And even more awesome-er. You can pull your head out of the freezer now.

Toss the spicy, fiery hot-as-a-mama marinade with the shrimp for a few minutes.

Crisp lettuce cups. You just wanna pet them, don’t you?

Aaaand the finished dish. Go ahead, wave to your fans. They’ll understand if your face is melting off and your head is back in the freezer.

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Spicy Shrimp and Avocado Lettuce Cups and a visit from Bev Cooks

• Author: Bev Cooks
• Yield: serves 4
• Category: Fish
• Method: Oven/Stovetop

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Spicy Shrimp and Avocado Lettuce Cups – you will love EVERYTHING about these flavorful low carb, shrimp lettuce wraps.

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Ingredients

• 1 pound extra large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 2 heads butter lettuce, rinsed and leaves separated
•  4 jalapeno peppers
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbs. cumin seeds, toasted
• 1 Tbs. coriander seeds, toasted
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro, plus more for garnish
• 4 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil, plus 1 Tbs.
• 1 tsp coarse salt
• 1 tsp freshly ground pepper
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 avocado, diced
• 1 lime

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400.
2. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the peppers with a little oil. Roast for 20 minutes, or until pretty charred on all sides.
3. Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes. Give them a rough chop.
4. Using a mortar and pestle, crush the toasted cumin seeds and coriander until finely ground. Add the minced garlic, and toss in a pinch of salt. Grind away, until it becomes slightly pasty. Toss in the peppers and grind grind grind again. It become a firey paste that will blow your face off. Add the cilantro and olive oil and grind more. Seriously, so hot. So awesome.
5. Toss the marinade with the shrimp and let sit a few minutes.
6. Heat skillet over medium-high. Arrange the shrimp in a single layer and sear 2 minutes. Flip and sear 30 more seconds. Remove from pan and set aside.
7. Add a little more oil if needed and add the red bell pepper. Saute 2 minutes.
8. Stuff each lettuce cup with shrimp, red bell pepper and diced avocado. Spritz with lime and  get ready to cry. And I mean, from the heat. Seriously, have that sprinkler system ready and aimed.

Thank you so much, Aggie, for letting me blab my face off on your blog today!

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Click here to Pin this Roasted Veggie and Black Bean Burrito recipe!

Lately, I’ve been trying to have more “veggie” meals for dinner.  You will not miss the meat in these vegetarian Roasted Veggie and Black Bean Burritos.  The flavor is awesome…smoky sweetness from the roasted sweet potatoes and vegetables combined with a nice kick from the jalapenos.  The black beans bulk it up, the cilantro keeps it fresh…and the melted cheese puts it over the top.  It might seem like an odd combination, but trust me, it works.

To make things easier for myself at dinner time, I chopped and roasted the veggies earlier in the day.  I stored them and the black beans in the fridge until I was ready to roll up the burritos later on.  I chopped the veggies fairly small, a little less than 1″ in size…the smaller the cut of the vegetables the quicker they roast up.  And keeping them cut small and uniform helps while stuffing the tortilla wrap.

If you are looking for something to quickly grab and go in the evenings you are busy with your children’s activities, these are a great option to have on hand. For anyone who likes to meal prep, roll up your burritos ahead and wrap in foil or plastic wrap to gently heat up later on.

What vegetables go burritos?

These are not your typical burritos! They are filled with veggies and no meat to make it a great meatless option when you have a craving for Mexican flavors.

In these roasted vegetable burritos, I added a variety of peppers and onion along with sweet potato and black beans.

• sweet potato
• red onion
• red bell pepper
• jalapeno

How do you make vegetarian burritos?

1. In a bowl, toss veggies in olive oil and season with spices. Place in large baking dish and roast in 425 degree oven for 20 minutes, tossing around halfway in between.
2. Let cool. Add to a bowl of rinsed black beans. Add cilantro and squirt of lime juice. Combine gently. At this point, mixture can be stored for later use.
3. Warm wraps in microwave according to directions on package. Add two heaping tablespoons of vegetable and bean mixture to center of wrap. Top with shredded cheese. Fold over, fold in sides and continue to roll. Place on baking dish, seam side down and spray with nonstick spray or brush with olive oil.
4. Bake in 375 degree oven for about 15 minutes or until golden brown. Baking this way will make tortilla wrap crisp. For a softer burrito, spray burrito with nonstick spray or brush with oil, then wrap in aluminum foil and bake for same amount of time.

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Roasted Veggie and Black Bean Burritos

• Author: Aggies Kitchen
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 35 minutes
• Total Time: 45 minutes
• Yield: 6 burritos
• Category: Vegetarian
• Method: Oven

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Savory sweet Roasted Veggie and Black Bean Burritos are a delicious vegetarian meal even meat lovers will enjoy!

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Ingredients

• 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed (small)
• 1 red pepper, cubed (small)
• 1 red onion cubed (small)
• 2 jalapenos, diced (if you want less heat sub another red pepper)
• 1tsp cumin
• 1tsp chili powder
• salt and pepper
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 15oz can black beans, rinsed & drained (I like to use Bush’s Black Beans)
• handful chopped cilantro
• squeeze lime
• shredded cheddar
• Whole Wheat Tortillas or Wraps (burrito size – I used Ezekiel Sprouted Grain Tortillas)
• nonstick olive oil spray

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Instructions

1. In a bowl, toss veggies in olive oil and season with spices. Place in large baking dish and roast in 425 degree oven for 20 minutes, tossing around halfway in between.
2. Let cool. Add to a bowl of rinsed black beans. Add cilantro and squirt of lime juice. Combine gently. At this point, mixture can be stored for later use.
3. Warm wraps in microwave according to directions on package. Add two heaping tablespoons of vegetable and bean mixture to center of wrap. Top with shredded cheese. Fold over, fold in sides and continue to roll. Place on baking dish, seam side down and spray with nonstick spray or brush with olive oil.
4. Bake in 375 degree oven for about 15 minutes or until golden brown. Baking this way will make tortilla wrap crisp. For a softer burrito, spray burrito with nonstick spray or brush with oil, then wrap in aluminum foil and bake for same amount of time.

More black bean recipes to try:

Taco Turkey and Black Bean Rice Bowls

Mexican Slaw Salad with Black Beans

Black Bean and Egg Tostadas

Oven Baked Black Bean and Cheese Quesadillas

Pulled Pork with Black Bean Cornbread | Reluctant Enterainer

Southwestern Black Bean Pasta Salad | She Wears Many Hats

Black Bean Salsa Stuffed Sweet Potatoes | The Lemon Bowl

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