lunch recipe Archives - 2 Sisters 2 Cities

Posted by 2 Sisters 2 Cities on February 17, 2013

Black Bean Burritos

A couple years ago, I posted this recipe for black bean burritos on our blog because it was a great quick meal that I made often. I just started making these burritos again to pack up for lunches during the work week. They re-heat really well and are delicious! I thought I would redo the recipe for all of you to give it a fresh face, plus add in all the changes I have made over the years.

The key to this recipe is a good tortilla. I previously used whole wheat tortillas, until I found a great white tortilla by La Tortilla Factory that is light and has less calories then the wheat ones I used previously. I also have been using these tortillas for my favorite fajitas and they are so good!

Black Bean Buritto Casserole

Black Bean Burrito Bake

Author: 2 Sisters 2 Cities

Recipe type: Dinner

Serves: 4

Ingredients

1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
½ cup of light or fat free sour cream
2 tbsp. finely chopped onions
1 cup of frozen corn, thawed
1 14.5oz. can of black beans, rinsed
4- 8 inch tortilla
Cooking spray
1 cup jarred salsa
½ cup shredded colby jack cheese

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Chop up the chipotle pepper finely and place in a medium sized bowl.
Add in ½ cup of sour cream to the chopped chipotle pepper and mix until combined. Let set for 10 minutes.
While the sour cream pepper mix sets, take half of the black beans in a small bowl and smash with a fork or potato masher.
Add crushed black beans, black beans, corn, and chopped onions to the sour cream mixture.
Take a 2 quart casserole dish and spray with cooking spray
Take 1 tortilla and place ¼ mixture in the center of tortilla, roll the tortilla tightly and places seam down in the casserole dish.
Repeat with remaining tortillas
With all 4 tortillas in the casserole, spray the tops with the cooking spray.
Top with 1 cup of jarred salsa then sprinkle with shredded cheese
Bake in oven for 20 minutes. Serve with additional salsa and sour cream if desired
*I place them in separate to go containers and place in the fridge to bring to work all week. I reheat for 2-3 minutes in the microwave and then it’s a delicious filling lunch. Mmmmmm.

Posted by 2 Sisters 2 Cities on February 19, 2012

This is one of my favorite recipes that I make. Not necessarily my favorite to make, but it’s my favorite to eat after I prepare it. For those of you that have made risotto before, you know that it is labor-intensive but the end result are something to feel proud about. I have made this recipe a bunch of times but never during the daylight to be able to get a good photo of it. My favorite main course to make with this particular risotto is Chicken Francese. I’ll give you my recipe in a future post.

Today I made the asparagus risotto for lunch for my boyfriend and me, which was the first time I have made it on it’s own. It was delicious as ever and even filling as the main entree. Risottos at restaurants can get really unhealthy with the abundance of creams and cheeses that are commonly in them. You don’t need all that to make a good risotto. This recipe is actually one of the healthiest recipes I have made of risotto and it tastes like it is loaded with cream and cheese. The lemon juice and zest add a great lemony flavor to the risotto, but is not overwhelming.

Asparagus Risotto

Author: 2 Sisters 2 Cities

Serves: 6- One Cup

Ingredients

1 pound asparagus
1 tbsp. butter
1 small onion, minced
1 cup uncooked Arborio rice
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp. white wine
zest from 1 lemon
4 cups of fat free chicken broth
⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Start by rinsing the asparagus, breaking off the tough bottoms and cutting into ½ inch pieces. Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Fill a large bowl with ice water and keep on the side. Blanch asparagus pieces in boiling water for 2 minutes. Immediately drain asparagus and then submerge into ice water; set aside.
In a Dutch oven or medium sized pot melt 1 tablespoon of butter over medium heat. Add onions to butter and cook until translucent, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add in rice and stir to coat. Cook for 2 minutes. Add in lemon juice and wine, stir until evaporated. In a separate pot, bring 4 cups of chicken broth to a simmer, keep on low heat.
Add ½ cup of broth at a time and continuously stir until absorbed. Repeat, a half cup at a time stirring constantly, until there is no more broth remaining. This should take about 20 minutes for all the broth to be absorbed. The rice will be creamy yet slightly chewy. Mix in Parmesan cheese until combined. Then stir in asparagus and lemon zest, and then salt and pepper to taste .

Weight Watchers Points Plus- 5 PointsPlus per serving

Source- Adapted from Weight Watchers Online and Better Homes and Garden New Cook Book
sisterk (2)

Posted by 2 Sisters 2 Cities on January 20, 2012

I’m not much of a sandwich person…I hardly ever make them or eat them. For lunches, I tend to eat leftover dinners, salads, or even just cheese and crackers. After I had Baby T, I found myself making one recipe in particular for lunch- cold sesame noodles! I think I would be ok with having this dish for lunch for the rest of my life. It also makes a great picnic/travel snack since it’s a cold dish and doesn’t have anything that would spoil if left out for awhile. I’ve adapted this recipe from Lucinda Scala Quinn’s cookbook Mad Hungry: Feeding Men & Boys (a great cookbook!)

Cold Sesame Noodles

Ingredients:
-12 oz Chinese egg noodles (you can also substitute spaghetti or linguine)
-1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
-6 tablespoons tahini
-3/4 cup water
-1 tablespoon rice vinegar
-3 tablespoons soy sauce
-1 and 1/2 teaspoons sugar
-2 garlic gloves, pressed
-2 scallions, thinly sliced
-1 tablespoon ginger, peeled and chopped
-Chinese chili oil
-1/4 cup roasted, unsalted peanuts, chopped

Directions:
Cook the egg noodles or pasta according to the package directions. Drain and toss them with the sesame oil to coat. Cover and let it cool in the fridge.

In a large bowl, whisk together the tahini with the water. Then, whisk in the vinegar, soy sauce, and sugar. Stir in the garlic, 3/4 of the scallion, and the ginger.

Once the noodles are cool, add in the sauce and stir together. Garnish with the remaining scallion and chopped peanuts. Drizzle it with a drop or two of the chili oil (don’t overdo it with the chili oil- this stuff is spicy!)

-m

p.s. Forgot to mention- I personally think this tastes even better the next day!

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