Entrée: Shredded Chicken Burrito with Green Bell Pepper Mashed Sweet Potatoes and Peach Mango Pico de Gallo

Difficulty: Medium

Prep Time: 10 min

Cook Time:

2 hrs (chicken)

20 min (other ingredients)

Serves (4)

This dish is all about balance. The spiciness of the chicken is perfectly paired with amazing green bell pepper sweet potatoes, while fresh peach mango pico de gallo cools the pan seared burrito. Add in your choice of black beans, cheddar cheese, and sour cream, and your only regret will be that you can't stop eating.

Ingredients: 4 flour burritos, 1 lb chicken tenderloins, 2 medium sweet potatoes, 1 1/2 onions, 1 green bell pepper, 1 can low salt black beans, 2-3 tbsp chili powder, 2 tsp onion powder, 2 tsp brown sugar, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp cumin, salt, black pepper, sour cream, cheddar cheese, oil, butter Pico de Gallo: 3 medium tomatoes, 1 peach, 1/2 mango, 1/3 cup corn, 1/2 onion, salt, pepper, and cilantro to taste

**Chicken and Pico de Gallo can be made 24 hrs ahead of time.**

For pico de gallo, dice tomatoes, peach, mango, and onion. In medium mixing bowl, combine with corn, salt, pepper and minced cilantro to taste. Refrigerate at least 30 min.

Coat bottom of large pan with oil. Place chicken in pan with 2 tbsp of butter, 1/2 sliced onion, chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Cover and cook over low heat, 2 hrs.

As chicken finishes cooking, peel sweet potatoes and cut into small pieces. Place potatoes in 2 qt. saucepan, cover with water, bring to boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium and cook until tender (about 15 min).

If desired, heat black beans in 1 qt saucepan over medium heat.

Remove chicken from pan. Shred chicken with forks by pulling pieces apart. Cover and set aside. Slice bell pepper and sauté in the pan that was used for the chicken over medium heat. Cook peppers until they begin to blacken. Remove peppers from pan and mince.

Drain potatoes and mash. Over medium-low heat, combine mashed sweet potatoes and minced bell peppers back in the pan. Add 2 tbsp butter, brown sugar, and salt to taste. Remove from pan and set aside.

Sauté remaining onions in pan over medium heat. Remove from pan and set aside.

Place shredded chicken, sweet potatoes, black beans, sautéed onions, sour cream and cheddar cheese in center of burrito. Fold burrito sides in and over themselves to seal. Place burrito in buttered pan, folded side down, over medium heat. Cook each side 2 min. Remove from pan and top with sour cream and pico de gallo.

Entrée: Black Bean Taco Salad with Cherry Tomatoes

Difficulty: Easy

Prep Time: 5 min

Cook Time: 15-20 min

Serves (3-4)

This taco salad ignores distractions and sticks to the basics. With onions, beef, fresh tomatoes, and Hungarian peppers, the flavors are simple and uncomplicated. Add in black beans, and this dish moves from "salad" to cowboy hearty--minus the campfire smell. Your fingers will get messy, so bring the napkins.

Ingredients: 1 bag tortilla chips, 1 lb ground chuck, 1 medium onion, 1 Hungarian pepper, 1 cup cherry tomatoes, 1 can (15.25 oz.) black beans, 1/4 cup water, 1-2 tbsp chili powder, 1-2 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder, 3/4 tsp salt, black pepper to taste

Open can of black beans, pour into small pan, and heat over low heat.

Peel onion, cut into quarters, then slice. Cut open Hungarian pepper, discard seeds, and dice. Add onion and pepper to oiled pan over medium heat. Sprinkle with cracked black pepper. Allow onions to caramelize. Once onions are caramelized, move onions and peppers to sides of pan, and place ground chuck in middle of pan.

Continue to cook over medium heat, and work onions and peppers into the meat. Once meat begins to brown, add chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt. (Add more or less chili powder to taste.) Reduce heat, and simmer until thoroughly cooked. Add 1/4 cup water.

While meat is simmering, quarter cherry tomatoes. Remove black beans from heat, drain, and and add beans and cherry tomatoes to pan. Mix well. Allow tomatoes to plump and warm (about 1-2 min).

Place handful of tortilla chips on plate and top with meat.

Dessert: Cinnamon Bananas with Sugared Tortillas and Brandy Chocolate Sauce

Difficulty: Easy

Prep Time: 5 min

Cook Time: 15 min

Serves (4)

This modern take on fried bananas introduces a hint of brandy and a little architecture with sugared tortilla triangles. Quick to prepare and hard to mess up, prepare this dessert after nearly any Latin entree.

Ingredients: 1 banana, 1 flour tortilla, ¼ cup of Italian brandy, 2 oz dark chocolate (65% cocoa or less), 3 tbsp butter, oil for pan frying (light olive or canola), sugar, cinnamon, honey

Rough cut the chocolate into small pieces. Using a one quart sauce pan, heat ¼ cup brandy with 2 tbsp of butter and add chocolate pieces to mixture. Stirring constantly, boil mixture over medium-high heat for 2 min. Remove from heat and set aside.

Place frying pan on stove over medium heat. Add 1 tbsp of butter to pan, then add just enough oil to coat the pan bottom. While pan is heating, peel the banana. Cut banana in half, then lengthwise. Set aside. Cut tortilla into quarters. Cut each quarter in half to form eight triangles.

Once pan is heated, place tortilla triangles in fry pan, being careful not to overlap the triangles. (Triangles cannot be overcrowded or they will not brown evenly. If you need more room, fry two batches—four and four.) Sprinkle sugar and cinnamon on triangles in pan. Once bubbles form in the tortilla, turn over. Sprinkle other side with cinnamon and sugar. As soon as the edges are light brown, remove the triangles from heat. You do not want tortilla chips, but rather lightly warmed and slightly crisp triangles. Triangles should still be pliable.

Quickly place the quartered bananas—cut side down—in the excess oil/sugar in the pan and warm for 1 min. Remove from heat. Place one triangle on plate and place one quartered banana on top. Place another triangle on top of banana. Drizzle banana and triangles with honey and chocolate sauce. Dust with cinnamon. Repeat plating with remaining ingredients.