Courtney's Black Bean Couscous Salad

1 box Near East roasted garlic and olive oil couscous (found in most grocery stores)
2 tablespoons olive oil (for couscous preparation)
8 green onions, chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 (15 ounce) can corn, drained
2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, drained
salt and pepper

Dressing:
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 teaspoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon ground cumin

1. Prepare couscous as directed on the box, set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil (6 T), lime juice, vinegar, and cumin.
3. Add green onions, red pepper, cilantro, corn, and beans, and toss to coat.
4. Fluff the couscous well, breaking up any chunks.
5. Add to the bowl with the vegetables and mix well.
6. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve at once or refrigerate until ready to serve. Note: The salad is much more flavorful if you refrigerate it overnight.

The Brown's Favorite Pasta

Like others in the family, I'm not too big on pasta dishes, but Eric and I found one we both love and make over and over (and the leftovers are equally delicious).

Original recipe found here.

Ingredients
1 (12 ounce) package bow tie pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed and crumbled (also good with spicy sausage)
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup diced onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 (28 ounce) can Italian-style plum tomatoes, drained and coarsely chopped
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook pasta in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente; drain.
2. Heat oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Cook sausage and pepper flakes until sausage is evenly brown. Stir in onion and garlic, and cook until onion is tender. Stir in tomatoes, cream, and salt. Simmer until mixture thickens, 8 to 10 minutes.
3. Stir cooked pasta into sauce, and heat through. Sprinkle with parsley.

Angel's Guacamole

Angel brought this to our family Mexican night.  It was perfection!

2 avocados
2-3 tsp cumin seeds toasted in a skillet (or can use cumin powder)
Grind up the seeds.
Half a bunch of green onions, sliced
Tomato
2 T Cilantro
1-2 T lime juice
1/4 tsp salt

Put all ingredients in a plastic bag and smash them by hand.  Serve with chips.

Horchata

Christian is the king of drinks and brought this to our family Mexican night.  It was a huge hit!

Blend:
10 c. water
2 c. rice
Add cinnamon stick and let sit overnight.

In the morning, strain rice then add:
1 c. milk
1/3 c. sugar
1 T vanilla
1 T cinnamon

It goes well with cool shaped ice cubes.

Courtney's Salsa

This was a delicious salsa brought by Courtney to our family Mexican night.  The recipe comes from her Grandma.

2 cloves garlic

2 jalapenos (1 with seeds and 1 without)

 -- Courtney shared a great tip: roll the jalapenos before cutting them

2 green onions

1 can of diced tomatoes (28 oz)

A handful of cilantro

First roughly chop all of the green items and then put them with a little juice of tomatoes in a blender or food processor.  Pulse it and then add the tomatoes and pulse again.  Add salt to taste.

Mom's Au Gratin Hash Potatoes

1 (2 lbs) pkg frozen hash browns (small chunks)
1/2 tsp salt
1 c sour cream
2 c grated cheese
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 t. minced onion

Mix all together, place in baking dish. Top with 1 c. crushed cornflakes.  Bake for 45 minutes at 350.

Tinga from Katherine

6-8 chicken breasts
6-8 medium tomatoes
1 (16 oz) can chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
3-4 onions
1 tsp salt
2 TB vegetable oil
2 c. water
Tostadas from store

Toppings:
Crema (like sour cream)
queso fresco
lettuce
tomatoes
avocado

Heat large skillet with oil.  Add tomatoes, cook 5-10 minutes.
Remove tomatoes from skillet and put in blender.  Add chipotles to blend with tomatoes.
Add 1 cup water to blender and 1 tsp salt, blend.
Saute onions, cook about 5 minutes.  Add sauce to to skillet, mix well.
Mix chicken and sauce together.