Black Bean, Avocado and Chicken Wraps

I don't know that I really consider this a recipe, but I do know I liked it enough that I plan on making this many times over the summer with different variations. The original inspiration for this dish came from the May/June 2009 issue of Clean Eating magazine. I added several more ingredients to my wrap as indicated below in red.

Black Bean, Avocado & Chicken Wrap

1/4 cup avocado, mashed with fork
1/4 cup salsa (I used Muir Glen organic cilantro salsa)
2 oz roasted or baked chicken breast, chopped (I used chicken tenders that I roasted in the oven)
1/4 cup low sodium canned black beans, drained rinsed and lightly mashed with a fork (I left mine whole)
1/2 cup organic canned corn
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 lime
2 small (6 inch) whole wheat flour tortillas

Mix salsa with mashed avocados. Scoop avocado mixture onto center of tortilla. Add layer of beans, corn, chicken and cilantro. Squeeze fresh lime juice on top. Tightly roll to enclose filling.

Adapted from Cleaning Eating May/June 2009.

Easy Summer Egg Salad Sandwich

I realize I have been neglecting my poor blog this week. Last week was pretty hectic and we ate out a few times so I didn't have anything exciting to post. This week I have several meals planned that hopefully will be blog worthy! Last night I wanted to do a sandwich and with the current tomato issues, BLT's were out. I'm afraid this is going to be the summer of no tomatoes. Inspired by this month's issues of Martha Stewart Living, I decided to do an egg salad sandwich. Instead of the recipe in the magazine, I pulled one from Martha's website. We really enjoyed this recipe. It was a lot different than my usual recipe. I liked the flavor combinations and the simplicity of the dish. I would have never thought to use Old Bay in egg salad, as its more traditionally used to season seafood dishes. I served this on a Spelt Bread I purchased at Whole Foods. When toasted it comes out like a sour dough. Perfect for an egg salad sandwich. I also added some arugula leaves. To accompany this meal, we had a bowl of tomato soup. Note, the recipe only makes enough for one so you have to adjust accordingly.

Southern Egg Salad
Source: Martha Stewart

Serves 1

• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons light mayonnaise
• 1 small shallot, minced
• 2 teaspoons sweet pickle relish, or chopped pickle
• 1/8 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 2 slices dark bread, such as multigrain or pumpernickel carrot sticks, for serving (optional)

1. Place eggs in a small saucepan, and cover with water by 1 inch. Bring water to a boil; immediately remove from heat, and cover. Let stand 12 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold running water.
2. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine mayonnaise, shallot, relish, and Old Bay Seasoning. Peel eggs; coarsely chop, and fold into mayonnaise mixture. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Top one slice of bread with egg salad and remaining slice of bread. Wrap in waxed paper or plastic and refrigerate, up to overnight. Serve with carrot sticks, if desired.

Gourmet BLT

A friend of mine had me over for lunch and served a delicious gourmet BLT. I recreated the sandwich with a few changes and it has become one of my favorite quick dinners or weekend lunches. I serve this with Honey Dijon Kettle Chips and fresh fruit. I'm not a big potato chip eater but I really love the Kettle Chips. Here is the recipe for the sandwich.

Ciabatta Rolls (I get them at our local grocery store)
Arugula
Bacon (I like the applewood smoked bacon)
Spreadable Brie (sold with the speciality cheeses)
Mayonnaise
Avocado
Fresh Ground Pepper

I spread mayo on one side of the bread and the spreadable brie on the other. I then add the cooked bacon, a handful of arugula, sliced avocado and tomato. Season with freshly ground pepper and enjoy.