Black Bean Tacos

Black Bean Tacos
1 can Progresso black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can Old El Paso chopped green chilies, drained
1 large clove garlic, pressed (or 2-3 small ones)
½ tsp. Old El Paso taco seasoning
¼ cup yellow bell pepper diced
¼ cup red onion diced
¼ cup cherry tomatoes deseeded and diced
½ cup fresh cilantro minced
2 tsp. fresh lime juice
salt and white pepper to taste
¼ cup Old El Paso taco sauce
¼ cup sour cream
12 Old El Paso taco shells
1 ½ cups shredded Mexican 4-cheese blend

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place black beans and green chilies in a large bowl; add garlic and taco seasoning; mix well. Add bell pepper, red onion, cherry tomatoes, ¼ cup of the cilantro and lime juice to combine. Taste and adjust flavor with salt and white pepper, if desired. Set aside.
Mix together taco sauce and sour cream; place in a plastic sandwich bag (for decorative piping). Set aside.

Heat shells according to package directions for 5-7 minutes. Microwave black bean mixture for 1-2 minutes (stirring once) until heated through. Fill taco shells with black bean mixture and top each with equal amounts of shredded cheese. Cut a corner of the plastic bag holding the taco sauce and sour cream and pipe decoratively over the cheese. Sprinkle with the remainder of cilantro to garnish. Makes 6 servings.

Taco Pot Pie

I glommed onto this one when I was perusing the Food Network's site. A lady entered it in one of Emeril's contests. I made it tonight with great reviews from the peeps who stuffed their faces. Any changes I made to the original recipe are bolded.

1 lb lean ground beef
1 package taco seasoning (1.25 oz)
1/3 C water

1 Tbl oil (omitted)
1 (16oz) package frozen green, yellow, and red peppers and onions
1tsp garlic powder (omitted)
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp chili powder (added)
1/4 tsp salt (omitted)
1/8 tsp pepper (omitted)
1 (11 oz) can corn, drained (I used frozen corn that I quickly steamed in the microwave.)
1/2 C salsa
1 can pigeon peas, drained (I used the Goya brand. You can use any bean you like or omit them completely. They weren't in the original recipe.)
1 (15 oz) package prepared, refrigerated pie crusts, softened as directed on package
8 oz (2 C) shredded cheese - colby/monterey blend, cheddar, whatever.

Garnishes:
chopped green onions
salsa
sour cream

Preheat over to 400 degrees

1. Brown beef over high heat until thoroughly cooked. Drain visible fat and add taco seasoning and water. Mixed until well-combined. Place in a bowl.
2. Dump the frozen bag of peppers and onions into the same pan and cook until heated through. The defrosting process will help deglaze the pan.
3. Get a BIG bowl. Mix the meat, vegetable mixture, can of drained beans, corn, and salsa together. Add any specific spices if you feel it's not spicey enough.
4. Arrange one of the pie crusts on the bottom of the pie pan. Cover the crust with 1/3 of the cheese. Layer on 1/2 of the meat and veggie mixture. Add 1/3 of the cheese on top of that. Layer on the rest of the meat, cover it with the remaining cheese, and then, the top crust.
5. Crimp the edges of the shells together and cut a few steam slits in the top of the crust.
6. Bake for 40 minutes - keep an eye on the shell. You may need to place some foil on its edges to prevent overbrowning. I put the pie on a foil-covered cookie sheet in case it boiled over while baking.

Hope you enjoy!