Turkey and Black Bean Taco Cups

The Super Bowl I can give or take.  Same with the usual game-day fare:  buffalo wings, mayonnaise-laced dips, greasy loaded potato skins, frozen prepared stuff that comes out of a box....

That being said, I sort-of watched the game this year (mostly just the second half) and I definitely did some eating.  So here you go, my version of game-day eats.

I've made wonton cups many times before, so this really wasn't an original idea for me but I loved the filling of taco-spiced turkey and black beans this time.  And the small size of these cups made eating them super easy, especially with a beer in the other hand.  You can find the Won Ton wraps wherever they sell the refrigerated tofu in your grocery store.  

Turkey and Black Bean Taco Cups
makes 24 muffin-sized cups
recipe inspired by Bev Cooks

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 sweet yellow onion, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound ground turkey (not extra-lean)
1 14.5 oz can low sodium black beans, drained and rinsed
4 tablespoons taco seasoning (I generally use this recipe here) or 1 packet of your favorite taco seasoning
2 tablespoons water
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
24 Won Ton wrappers

cilantro, finely chopped green onion, diced tomatoes, greek yogurt or sour cream, guacamole - for topping

Preheat oven to 375 degrees*

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add onion and saute 3 minutes, then add garlic and saute 1-2 minutes more.  Remove onion and garlic to a medium sized bowl.

Add the ground turkey to your (now empty) pan and saute, breaking up with a spatula, until browned and cooked through, drain off any accumulated fat.  Add your taco seasoning and 2 tablespoons of water, stirring well to coat turkey and cook 1 minute.  Add black beans and your cooked onion and garlic mixture back to the skillet, tossing everything together, cook 2 more minutes.  Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper as desired.

Spray two 12-cup muffin tins lightly with non-stick cooking spray and place one wonton wrapper into each cup, pressing the bottom and sides against the tin.  Bake the empty wrappers 3 minutes.

Remove from oven and fill each cup with a few tablespoons of the turkey and black bean mixture.  Top with about a teaspoon of the shredded cheese on each cup.  Return to the oven and bake 8-10 more minutes or until cheese melts and wontons crisp up, watching to make sure the edges do not burn.

Top each taco cup as desired with sour cream or greek yogurt, guacamole, diced tomatoes, cilantro or green onions.

*The original recipe calls for 350 degrees but I found that it took longer at this temperature, and my wontons did not get as crisp.  In my oven, 375 degrees was optimal but if you go with the hotter oven, just make sure to keep a close eye on your wontons so that they don't burn.

Turkey and Black Bean Taco Cups

The Super Bowl I can give or take.  Same with the usual game-day fare:  buffalo wings, mayonnaise-laced dips, greasy loaded potato skins, frozen prepared stuff that comes out of a box....

That being said, I sort-of watched the game this year (mostly just the second half) and I definitely did some eating.  So here you go, my version of game-day eats.

I've made wonton cups many times before, so this really wasn't an original idea for me but I loved the filling of taco-spiced turkey and black beans this time.  And the small size of these cups made eating them super easy, especially with a beer in the other hand.  You can find the Won Ton wraps wherever they sell the refrigerated tofu in your grocery store.  

Turkey and Black Bean Taco Cups
makes 24 muffin-sized cups
recipe inspired by Bev Cooks

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 sweet yellow onion, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound ground turkey (not extra-lean)
1 14.5 oz can low sodium black beans, drained and rinsed
4 tablespoons taco seasoning (I generally use this recipe here) or 1 packet of your favorite taco seasoning
2 tablespoons water
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
24 Won Ton wrappers

cilantro, finely chopped green onion, diced tomatoes, greek yogurt or sour cream, guacamole - for topping

Preheat oven to 375 degrees*

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add onion and saute 3 minutes, then add garlic and saute 1-2 minutes more.  Remove onion and garlic to a medium sized bowl.

Add the ground turkey to your (now empty) pan and saute, breaking up with a spatula, until browned and cooked through, drain off any accumulated fat.  Add your taco seasoning and 2 tablespoons of water, stirring well to coat turkey and cook 1 minute.  Add black beans and your cooked onion and garlic mixture back to the skillet, tossing everything together, cook 2 more minutes.  Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper as desired.

Spray two 12-cup muffin tins lightly with non-stick cooking spray and place one wonton wrapper into each cup, pressing the bottom and sides against the tin.  Bake the empty wrappers 3 minutes.

Remove from oven and fill each cup with a few tablespoons of the turkey and black bean mixture.  Top with about a teaspoon of the shredded cheese on each cup.  Return to the oven and bake 8-10 more minutes or until cheese melts and wontons crisp up, watching to make sure the edges do not burn.

Top each taco cup as desired with sour cream or greek yogurt, guacamole, diced tomatoes, cilantro or green onions.

*The original recipe calls for 350 degrees but I found that it took longer at this temperature, and my wontons did not get as crisp.  In my oven, 375 degrees was optimal but if you go with the hotter oven, just make sure to keep a close eye on your wontons so that they don't burn.

Impromptu Sunday Brunch for Two

So, Brian and I were planning on going for a run this morning.  We had every intention, I promise.  But when his alarm went off at 8 am it suddenly dawned on him that he had confirmed a skype-date with our French "family" for today at 8.  So we dashed out of bed and hopped online for a nice long chat with The Moreau's (well, Brian did most of the chatting, my French n'est toujours pas bon).

After we finished up around 9 my stomach was grumbling and I was starting to get a coffee-withdrawal headache (I need it, don't judge me!)  So we decided to skip the run and go straight for brunch, it's a gorgeous day outside though, so I think we will try again a bit later this afternoon for a run.

I've been craving a quiche for the last week but didn't want to make such a large quantity just for the two of us, nor did I really care to wait while it baked in the oven for 30+ minutes.  Once I'd had my first cup of coffee, a great idea came into my mind:  Mini Quiche Cups using pre-made wonton wraps!  And what a brilliant idea it was :-)

You see, I picked up a package of Nasoya Won-Ton Wrappers at the supermarket the other day with the intention of using them to make little mini pumpkin pies (don't worry, there are PLENTY leftover that I intend to use for exactly this purpose).  The wrappers are just very thin pre-cut squares of dough that can be baked or fried, filled with any kind of filling your mind can imagine.  Well, my mind imagined individual servings of quiche, so that's what we had for Brunch, along with a salad of romaine hearts, some salsa (Brian ate the salsa, not me) and  a half of a banana with some almond butter and Bare Naked Maple Pecan Granola (a gift from Mom and Dad that I've been enjoying for the last month or so!)

Between the two of us, we ate 6 Mini Quiches and decided since there were just 6 left we would keep them in the refrigerator for snacks/breakfast/lunch over the next day or two.  But I think they could easily be frozen, then thawed and re-heated for a breakfast on the go!  Another great thing about quiche is the versatility of the fillings:  I used red bell pepper, onion, cheese and some crispy bacon but you could keep it all veggies (I think cooked spinach and mushrooms would be divine!) or fancy-it-up with herbs and goat cheese.  Your imagination is the limit here.  I also think these would make a great party appetizer, maybe even use a mini muffin pan for tiny two-bite quiche...the holidays are coming!



Wonton Mini Quiches
makes 12 mini quiche (I think a good serving size is 2 or 3 quiche per person)
a Jules original

1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup red bell pepper, finely diced
1/4 cup sweet yellow onion, finely diced
4 strips thick cut bacon, fully-cooked and crumbled (I bake mine so it's very crispy:  12-15 minutes in a 375 degree oven)
12 Nasoya wonton wrappers
6 large eggs
1/3 cup reduced-fat or skim milk
ground black pepper, to taste (optional)
1/4 cup shredded cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a medium skillet, heat 1/2 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add red bell pepper and onion and saute, stirring frequently 4-5 minutes until translucent.

Spray each well of a regular muffin pan with non-stick spray.  Press one wonton wrapper into each muffin well, ensuring it is pressed all the way into the bottom and along the sides of the muffin pan, creasing the wonton wrapper where it overlaps with itself.

Transfer the cooked bell pepper and onion mixture into the wonton wrappers so each gets 1/12th of the mixture (it should be about 1 teaspoon per quiche) and then add the crumbled, cooked bacon to the quiches.

In a large liquid mixing cup or small bowl with a pouring spout, place all 6 eggs and the milk and whisk until well combined, season with black pepper if desired.  Pour eggs and milk mixture into each muffin cup over the veggies and bacon.  Sprinkle cheese over each quiche.  (Each muffin cup will be about 2/3 to 3/4 full).  Bake at 375 for 13-17 minutes, until eggs are set and wonton wrapper  edges are golden brown.

And on an unrelated note:  Check out this baby we picked up at the Hyde Park Village Art Fair yesterday!  Brian was the one who picked it out but I fell in love with it the moment I saw it.  It's a handmade vase by Glenn Woods made in Palm Harbor, Florida which has a beautiful crystalline glaze design.  We especially loved the colors and the unique rings formed by the mineral crystals after they are heated and cooled.

Impromptu Sunday Brunch for Two

So, Brian and I were planning on going for a run this morning.  We had every intention, I promise.  But when his alarm went off at 8 am it suddenly dawned on him that he had confirmed a skype-date with our French "family" for today at 8.  So we dashed out of bed and hopped online for a nice long chat with The Moreau's (well, Brian did most of the chatting, my French n'est toujours pas bon).

After we finished up around 9 my stomach was grumbling and I was starting to get a coffee-withdrawal headache (I need it, don't judge me!)  So we decided to skip the run and go straight for brunch, it's a gorgeous day outside though, so I think we will try again a bit later this afternoon for a run.

I've been craving a quiche for the last week but didn't want to make such a large quantity just for the two of us, nor did I really care to wait while it baked in the oven for 30+ minutes.  Once I'd had my first cup of coffee, a great idea came into my mind:  Mini Quiche Cups using pre-made wonton wraps!  And what a brilliant idea it was :-)

You see, I picked up a package of Nasoya Won-Ton Wrappers at the supermarket the other day with the intention of using them to make little mini pumpkin pies (don't worry, there are PLENTY leftover that I intend to use for exactly this purpose).  The wrappers are just very thin pre-cut squares of dough that can be baked or fried, filled with any kind of filling your mind can imagine.  Well, my mind imagined individual servings of quiche, so that's what we had for Brunch, along with a salad of romaine hearts, some salsa (Brian ate the salsa, not me) and  a half of a banana with some almond butter and Bare Naked Maple Pecan Granola (a gift from Mom and Dad that I've been enjoying for the last month or so!)

Between the two of us, we ate 6 Mini Quiches and decided since there were just 6 left we would keep them in the refrigerator for snacks/breakfast/lunch over the next day or two.  But I think they could easily be frozen, then thawed and re-heated for a breakfast on the go!  Another great thing about quiche is the versatility of the fillings:  I used red bell pepper, onion, cheese and some crispy bacon but you could keep it all veggies (I think cooked spinach and mushrooms would be divine!) or fancy-it-up with herbs and goat cheese.  Your imagination is the limit here.  I also think these would make a great party appetizer, maybe even use a mini muffin pan for tiny two-bite quiche...the holidays are coming!



Wonton Mini Quiches
makes 12 mini quiche (I think a good serving size is 2 or 3 quiche per person)
a Jules original

1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup red bell pepper, finely diced
1/4 cup sweet yellow onion, finely diced
4 strips thick cut bacon, fully-cooked and crumbled (I bake mine so it's very crispy:  12-15 minutes in a 375 degree oven)
12 Nasoya wonton wrappers
6 large eggs
1/3 cup reduced-fat or skim milk
ground black pepper, to taste (optional)
1/4 cup shredded cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a medium skillet, heat 1/2 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add red bell pepper and onion and saute, stirring frequently 4-5 minutes until translucent.

Spray each well of a regular muffin pan with non-stick spray.  Press one wonton wrapper into each muffin well, ensuring it is pressed all the way into the bottom and along the sides of the muffin pan, creasing the wonton wrapper where it overlaps with itself.

Transfer the cooked bell pepper and onion mixture into the wonton wrappers so each gets 1/12th of the mixture (it should be about 1 teaspoon per quiche) and then add the crumbled, cooked bacon to the quiches.

In a large liquid mixing cup or small bowl with a pouring spout, place all 6 eggs and the milk and whisk until well combined, season with black pepper if desired.  Pour eggs and milk mixture into each muffin cup over the veggies and bacon.  Sprinkle cheese over each quiche.  (Each muffin cup will be about 2/3 to 3/4 full).  Bake at 375 for 13-17 minutes, until eggs are set and wonton wrapper  edges are golden brown.

And on an unrelated note:  Check out this baby we picked up at the Hyde Park Village Art Fair yesterday!  Brian was the one who picked it out but I fell in love with it the moment I saw it.  It's a handmade vase by Glenn Woods made in Palm Harbor, Florida which has a beautiful crystalline glaze design.  We especially loved the colors and the unique rings formed by the mineral crystals after they are heated and cooled.