Meatless Monday: Black Bean Tostadas

 

I am by no means a vegetarian but I like the idea of Meatless Mondays.  Especially after gorging myself on an Easter buffet this weekend.  A week or so ago, I saw this recipe for Black Bean Tostadas on the Dana Treat site.  It looked tasty, budget friendly, and simple to put together.  I was able to run to the store at 3:30 this afternoon and have everything prepped and ready to cook in under an hour. 

The hubs and I rated this recipe as a keeper, though I think I would change a few things up.  It ended up making not nearly as much beans as I thought it would, and way too much cabbage slaw.  I'd probably double bean recipe, halve (or even quarter) the slaw recipe, and use more of the avocado salsa cruda (which I actually entirely forgot to make).

We paired it with a side of (boxed) Spanish rice.  It filled us up and there was enough left over for my lunch tomorrow.  Always a bonus when you're on a budget!

Cheeto thought it looked pretty delicious too!

A Different Kind of Easter Egg

 

The Easter Bunny came early to my house on Friday when I got my egg-ish looking, brand spankin' new Prius.  I've been on the market for a new car since my old Jetta, with 125,000 miles, was up for a smog test which I knew it wouldn't pass this year.  I loved that car and shed a silent tear as we left it at the dealership Friday, but what I'm gonna love even more is being able to drive more than 5 miles without worrying if I'll make it home again.  Also, the 45 mpg I got over the past 2 days doesn't hurt either!  As much as they used to annoy me, I'm now loving my new Prius!

Anything exciting happen to you this weekend?

Fill In The Blank Friday

 

It's a beautiful, sunny (but cold) day here in Santa Monica.  I only wish it were a bit warmer so I could lay out by the pool.  But I am looking forward to heading over to my parents' house this weekend for Easter.  My sister and I (both in our 30's) still color Easter eggs every year.  So fun!

It's another Friday  and another Fill In The Blank from Lauren.  Enjoy!

1.   Fridays are  what I look forward to all week!  I only work a 1/2 day on Fridays so I'm off at noon.  I spend the rest of the afternoon shopping, running errands, going to the beach, lying on the couch....whatever I want.  It's such a great way to start my weekend!

2.  Baking,making and eating delicious desserts  make me terribly happy.

3.  Something that inspires me is     my husband.  He's always in a good mood, he doesn't let stuff get to him and tries to be positive.  He reminds me to lighten up and think positively.

4.  If I had the day off today I would    go wine tasting in Santa Barbara!

5.  If I had to put a label on my home decor style, I would say my style is   a mix of "Trying to make old college furniture look new" and "clean and simple, but warm."  I cannot wait to get new couches without stains on them and don't sag in the middle.  But we have a bigger purchase (a car) to make first.

6.  Concerning politics I would say I'm   a bit apathetic and sick of the name calling, pettiness that has taken over lately.  I don't totally lean one way or the other, and definitely need to educate myself more on some issues.  I am NOT looking forward to campaign season starting again - I hate be bombarded with commercials and signs everywhere.

7.  I'd like to go to       school      so I could     take a photography class and take better pictures!

Sunday Breakfast

Sunday morning.  

I had eggs. 

I had bread.  

I had an idea to make Eggs in a Basket.  

So I looked up this recipe on The Pioneer Woman site 

and in about 5 minutes had breakfast ready. 

Here's how it went:

Cut a hole in the middle of your bread

I used a heart shape cookie cutter since it was our 6 month anniversary

Melt some butter in a pan

Toss the bread in 

(I also buttered the bread in hopes it would brown up nicely

...and because I love butter!)

Pour the egg in the middle

Season with salt & pepper

Let it cook a minute or so until it sets up

Carefully flip it over and cook another couple minutes

This was a little tricky to not splatter the egg all over the place

Season with more salt & pepper

Cook until the yolk is still soft but not totally jiggly

The egg below is overcooked, with a hard yolk. 

Oops.

But still tasty.

Fill In The Blank Friday

1.   My favorite daily responsibility is, I dont really like any "daily responsibility" or anything I feel like I HAVE to do.  I guess I enjoy cooking dinner, though I'd enjoy it a lot more if I didn't have to work all day, then come home and cook!

2.  My least favorite daily responsibility is,   folding laundry or washing dishes

3.  My favorite cuisine to eat when going out is    I tend to eat a lot of fish when we're out.  I think maybe this is because I don't know how to cook really great fish at home.  And it makes me feel like I'm being healthy, though it's probably covered in butter or oil!

4.  My favorite cuisine to prepare at home is     Dessert!  I love baking (hence my blog) and would do it daily if I had a large crowd of people to shove cookies and cakes at!

5.  Andy Warhol said that everyone is famous for 15 minutes. My claim to fame is    umm, maybe when I was like 5 years old and had my picture in the paper for riding a tricycle through a little fake town at the mall.  I think was stopped by the "cops" for speeding.

6.  If I could have 3 wishes I would wish      to pay off my student loans, buy a house, and to start some kind of baking/cooking business.

7.  My biggest pet peeve is    I have so many!  I hate when people where sunglasses indoors.