I turned the oven on!

Who doesn't love a veggie filled, cheese topped, Mexican bean pie? I know, right? I definitely do! I actually turned my oven on today despite the high humidity (unlike yesterday!). I'm not sure I will ever be used to the humidity of Southern Ontario.. it's pretty intense. I could not be more thankful for my air conditioning. Last night we had some crazy thunder storms, including some funnel clouds nearby. It went from bright and sunny to black and gloomy in a nanosecond. The winds were really high, and there are trees are down all over the city. It makes me worry about all those little creatures who have made these trees their home. I can't think about it because it rips my heart out.

I got tonight's recipe from my lovely friend Mary Jo a long while ago. It's delicious!

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Black Bean Enchilada Pie

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, diced

1/2 red pepper, chopped

1/2 green pepper, chopped

1 medium zucchini, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup frozen corn

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup salsa + extra for the bottom

1 tbsp chili powder

1 tbsp cumin

4 cups cheddar cheese, grated

1 package corn tortillas

Preheat oven to 350.

Saute the onions, peppers, zucchini and garlic in olive oil until soft and fully cooked. Once it's cooked, remove from heat and add the corn, black beans, 1 cup salsa, chili powder and cumin. Stir well to combine.

Spread some salsa in the bottom of an 8x11 inch baking dish. Cover the bottom with corn tortillas. Add half of the bean mixture and spread it over the tortillas. Top with 2 cups of cheddar cheese. Add another layer of tortillas, the other half of the bean mixture, and the last two cups of cheddar cheese.

Cook for 15-25 minutes until it heats through and the cheese melts.

French Onion Soup FTW!

Dinner last night was a complete write off. Southern Ontario was warm. Actually, warm is an understatement! It was hot, humid, sticky and gross. I'm not a fan of the heat and humidity and honestly never have been (unless I'm at the beach!). The humidity around here is painful, but I knew what I was getting into when we moved out here. I refused to turn on the oven or even make anything to eat, so we quickly got ready when the kids got home from school, and Kyle got home from work and headed out for a bite to eat. Everyone except for me chowed down on BK veggie burgers, and I opted for a Quiznos sub. Dinner done, and no guilt. ;)

Avery had his first soccer game (#13!) of the season in the 35C heat. Kyle's the assistant coach so that left me tending to the other two rather whiney children. Have I mentioned that none of us enjoy the heat? Tiernan is the worst out of everybody, but that doesn't surprise me in the least considering how fair he is. My little blondie. Rhianna handles it better than her siblings... she just doesn't like being in the company of bugs! It's always something with kids, isn't it? After a few moments, they got over the heat and bugs and had some fun kicking around Avery's soccer ball and making new friends. :)

Oh, don't let this adorable face fool you.. this was right in the midst of our moments. ;)

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Today wasn't quite as warm, and the high winds helped cool the air down a bit. Tiernan had been asking me for a while if I could make some French Onion Soup (his favourite soup that I make), so today was the day. The best part is, it doesn't put a whole lot of heat off into the house. And it smells so amazingly yummy while the onions are being caramelized! I got the recipe a long time ago from Jamie Oliver (love him!). I was going to make mango smoothies to go with it, but we ran out of time - I don't think anyone missed them too much.

French Onion Soup

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp olive oil

a handful of sage leaves

6 cloves garlic, minced

5 onions, sliced (different varieties... I used vidalia, yellow, sweet, white, and baby)

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

2 litres veggie broth (I added a bit more.. depends on the size of the onions)

2cm thick slices of good quality stale bread

aged white cheddar, grated

worcestershire sauce (vegetarian friendly)

Put the butter, oil, garlic and sage into a cast iron pan. Stir everything around and add the onions. Season with salt and pepper. Place a lid on the pan, leaving it slightly ajar. Cook the onions slowly on low for at least 50 minutes, removing the lid for the last 20 minutes. The onions should be soft and golden.

Add the stock and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10-15 minutes. Toast the bread on max in the oven. Place soup in the ramekins, add the bread and cover with grated cheese. Broil until golden. Drizzle with worcestershire.