YUM!

I'm a posting fool lately! Don't get used to it; my goal is 2-3 posts per week and only if I actually have something to say. Ok, something worthwhile.

Here's another recipe to share. It's another of my faves because it keeps me full all the way through bed time. Normally at 9 I begin foaming at the mouth looking for a snack, but not after this meal! The word recipe should actually read "recipe" because it's sooo simple. Steven, who needed my help to boil water at the beginning of our relationship (I kid you not) can make this perfectly. The secret? You can pretty much put whatever you want in it and it doesn't involve (much) cooking. And by cooking I mean heating up beans. We have made it multiple times and have made it different each time. It's kind of fun to try out new ingredients or combinations! It's cheap to make and healthy to boot! My blood sugar doesn't spike and dip after this meal, which I love because that feeling sucks. It feels sort of like hunger, only different enough that I know it's not true hunger, but it doesn't make me want to satisfy it any less. So I (and my ovaries) love meals that don't require my pancreas to go on overdrive.

I present to you.... Mexican Melt. Which is really just a deconstructed burrito, but I feel I get to name it since it isn't in burrito form. Oh, also? I'm not sure if Mexican Melt is offensive to anyone, but I was looking for two words that both started with the same letter and salsa made it feel like Mexican food.

Tonight's version:
Super delicious whole grain flour tortillas... it has flax seeds in it which I love. For those of you who are scared off by flax seeds, I don't notice them in the tortilla in this recipe. You can see them but not taste them.
Ridiculously delicious 3 cheese blend, both from Trader Joe's (I swear their cheese is a million times better than regular grocery store stuff)

If you are wondering about those cute little glass bottles with ribbons around them in the background, well, you will just have to wonder until after Christmas ;). 

Kidney beans- last time we used black eyed peas... I think... I don't know my southernish bean type veggies really well. I google image searched black eyed peas and, as you might imagine, found no pictures of  the vegetable. Anyway, I liked those a little better, but the kidney beans added awesome color.
Corn- this was a first and I probably wouldn't add it next time. Unnecessary starch and, as much as I reeallllly like corn, the sweetness threw me off. I think I prefer it by itself more. But some people love corn in stuff like this.

Salsa- mild because I'm a wuss.
Brown rice- yum. Quinoa is even healthier and better for you, but I'm a bit afraid to try it in this recipe. Maybe one day, but for now I'll stick with brown rice! If you are afraid of brown rice, this recipe is a good way to break yourself in gently.

Other variations:
Ground beef- the first time we made it, we put some ground beef in it. Just a little; don't go crazy! I like it equally both ways, but try not to eat a lot of meat and cutting that out automatically makes it more frugal.
Herbs- I think it'd be awesome to put some herbs in there. Maybe cilantro or something?
Scrambled egg- I <3 eggs in stuff (like in salad) but the idea may make you queasy. If you used a starchy veggie, this would kick up the protein a little.
Shredded lettuce- Another thing I love, and I think I've finally talked Steven into letting us add it to Mexican Melt next time.
Sour cream- A big no thank you in my opinion, but to each her own!
Diced tomatoes- A no-no for Steven (the boy just doesn't love veggies mixed in to meals) but I think it sounds delish!
Refried beans- we get the fat free ones as a treat sometime and they are sooooo good.

So, rip up your tortilla on the plate, and then layer everything on there just how you like it.

 I put it all in the microwave for about 45 seconds, including the salsa which I prefer to be warm versus cold. When the cheese gets melty, you are good to go!

Some people have reservations about using the microwave, so you could always heat it up in the stove if you have a super awesome plate like this one which is stove safe. We don't use the microwave much (anymore) so it doesn't bother me to use every now and again.


Probably at least a few of you are sitting there staring at your computer screens like "Whaaaa? Just roll it up in a burrito! What is wrong with this girl?!". Ah, but I have an answer for you! In the interest of being healthy, we got the regular sized tortillas instead of the big ones you actually use to make burritos. This means that if you lay the tortilla down, put all this in there, and roll it up, it breaks and falls out all over the place. Ask me how I know. That's how Mexican Melt was born. The next time around, we just shredded the tortilla up. If you wanted to cut some calories out, you could leave the tortilla out all together, but I'm a girl after whole grains! We bought the pack and freezed them, so now we just pull some out any time we are craving this (quite often).

I have a tortilla press and tortilla warmer on my wedding registry. Me thinks we will be eating this ALL. THE. TIME. once I am homemaking our tortillas!