Texas Caviar

4 large avocados
1 green bell pepper
1/2 {or less} red onion (to taste)
2 cans black eyed peas
1 can Rotel
Italian dressing

Cut up all the veggies and drain the juice from the peas. With the Rotel you'll want to drain most of the juice, but not all of it.

Dump everything in a large bowl, then squirt on the dressing. It will take about a cup of dressing, but just get your tortilla chips ready, and add the dressing until it's to your liking.

*This makes A TON of dip, so if you're not going to a big party, half it.

Fiesta Ravioli

I got THIS recipe from Sisters Cafe.


Picture courtesy of Sisters Cafe

This was {surprisingly} good. I was skeptical at first, because of the frozen ravioli, but trust me. And Mike loved it too!

1 pkg (25 oz) frozen beef ravioli
1 can (10 oz) enchilada sauce*
1 jar (8 oz) salsa
2 c, shredded Cheddar-Monterey Jack cheese
1 can (2 oz) sliced black olives, drained (optional)
Sour cream and lettuce for garnish

*We happened to have some leftover green enchilada sauce mixture, leftover from a mishap Mike had with THIS recipe, so that's what we used. I'm not a huge red sauce fan, so I think we'll always use the green sauce. It's awesome though!

Cook ravioli according to package directions.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet combine enchilada sauce and salsa. Cook and stir over medium heat until heated through.
Drain ravioli, add to sauce and gently stir to coat.
Top with cheese (and olives, if desired).
Cover and cook over low heat for 3-4 minutes or until cheese is melted.
Bring to the table and enjoy with lettuce and sour cream.

Approx. 6 servings

Black Bean Chili

Picture courtesy of Pass The Beans Please

I was browsing through recipes on Sisters Cafe and saw this recipe in one of the comments. I tried it last week and it was awesome.

1/4 c. oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 bell peppers, diced (use red & green)
1.5 T minced garlic
2 T paprika
1/2 t cayenne
1/3 t salt
1 fresh jalapeno pepper, very finely chopped*
1 T cumin seed
1 T dried leaf oregano
2 c. cooked black beans
1.5 c. canned chopped tomatoes in puree**

Heat oil in large saucepan.
Add onion, bell peppers, garlic, paprika, cayenne, salt, and jalapeno peppers. Saute until onions are soft.
Add cumin, oregano, beans, and tomatoes.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and cook slowly for an hour.

* - I used 1/2 a jalapeno pepper, and it was PLENTY spicy.
** - The recipe on Pass The Beans Please said they used Rotel with green chilies, so I did that. One can of that to every two cans of black beans.

We ate this over tortilla chips and added cheese and sour cream to it. Mike was a crybaby and added ground beef to his - I guess the thought of having a meatless chili was just too much for him. You can also serve over rice.