Have you ever thought of adding beans and chorizo to macaroni? How about hummus with a Greek twist, or using butternut squash and beans on a tostada? Our April featured food bloggers Allie and Dan of Love and Risotto are always posting delicious dishes on their website. We are delighted that they offered to share with California Beans!
This first dish, Tex Mex Chorizo Macaroni, uses ingredients that are readily available. Not only is it easy to prepare, but it would be great to serve when the weather gets chilly.
photo courtesy of Love and Risotto
Ingredients
- 1 pound shell pasta
- 3 cups milk
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/2 cup flour
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, grated
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons taco seasoning
- Salt and pepper
- 8 oz. pork chorizo
- 1/2 cup kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 tomato, chopped
- 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
Instructions
- Boil water in a large pot and add elbow pasta. In a medium-sized pot, heat milk until it starts to bubble and then reduce the heat. In a separate pot, add the butter. When melted, slowly whisk in the flour. Whisk continuously for about 3 minutes. Add the milk slowly into the flour mixture and whisk continuously. Whisk mixture for another 3 minutes.
- Combine cheeses, taco seasoning, and salt and pepper to the mixture and stir. Add the cooked pasta and stir for 5 minutes.
- In a skillet, heat the chorizo until fully cooked. Add to the macaroni. Garnish the macaroni with kidney beans, tomato and cilantro. Enjoy!
Sun Dried Tomato & Feta Hummus would be perfect to take to a tailgate party this fall! I would slice up a baguette or make some pita chips to dip into this hummus.
photo courtesy of Love & Risotto
Sun Dried Tomato & Feta Hummus
Ingredients
- 1 can garbanzo beans
- 3/4 cup-1 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup sun-dried tomato spread
- 1/4 cup feta cheese
- 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes
Instructions
- In a small food processor, add the can of garbanzo beans and half of the oil and mix until smooth. More oil can be added if the mixture seems too thick. Add the sun-dried tomato spread and blend it in the processor, adding more oil if it seems paste-like. When smooth, pulse in the feta cheese. Serve with more oil on top and crushed red pepper flakes. Enjoy!
This recipe would be perfect for a do-it-yourself tostada bar for a party!
photo courtesy of Love & Risotto
Ingredients
- 1 cup butternut squash, cubed
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- 1 package tostada shells
- 1 can refried black beans
- 1 cup arugula
- 1 avocado, cubed
- 1/4 cup cilantro
- 1/4 cup feta cheese
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup roasted salsa
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Drizzle the butternut squash with olive oil, salt and pepper in a Pyrex dish. Bake for 25 minutes or until browned.
- Warm the tostada shells in the oven for about three minutes. Top with black beans, avocado, cilantro, and feta cheese. Before adding the arugula, coat the leaves thinly with oil, salt and pepper.
- To make the sauce, simply combine the salsa and sour cream in a mixing bowl. Drizzle over the tostadas. Enjoy!
