Entrée: Mexican Spaghetti

Difficulty: Easy

Prep Time: 10 min

Cook Time 20 min

Serves (3-4)

Mexican night? Let's be unconventional--skip the tortillas and the beef. This vegetarian alternative to a beefy Mexican fiesta is still bringing flavor to the party. With spaghetti instead of tortillas and diced tomatoes instead of salsa, we're tipping our hat to Italian charm while saying, "Vamos!" to a great meal.

Ingredients: 8 oz spaghetti, 2 small yellow onions, 1 can diced (no salt) tomatoes, 2/3 cup low salt black beans, 1/3 cup corn, 2 tbsp freshly minced cilantro, 1 tsp onion powder, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/4 tsp cumin, chili powder, salt, black pepper

Bring water to boil in 2 qt pot for spaghetti. Cook until al dente.

Slice onions. Mince cilantro. Saute onions in oiled pan over medium heat. Once onions begin to brown, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and generously coat onions in chili powder (about 2 tsp). The sweetness of the yellow onions plays perfectly with the chili powder, so don't be afraid of over doing the chili powder. Add tomatoes, corn, black beans (drained) and cilantro to pan. Stir in onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, and salt and pepper to taste. Heat until mixture starts to bubble. Simmer over low heat, 5 min. Plate on top of spaghetti.

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.