Black Bean Salsa

- submitted by Nell -

1 can black beans, rinsed & drained
1 cup frozen corn, thawed (can use drained, canned corn)
1 large tomato, chopped
1/4 cup green onions, chopped (can use yellow onion, chopped)
2 Tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped
2 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Mix together. Garnish with lemon wedge or cilantro.

As a side note to this recipe, I am not a cilantro fan so never put it in. I also use lime juice for all or a portion of the lemon juice whatever you have on hand works well and whatever taste is your preference. I also add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of cumin when I make this.

Yummy Onion Rings

We were in the mood for some nice fried onion rings and I found this recipe on allrecipes.com. It is delicious and can feed a family of four easily. We only ate half the batch and I used one onion. The recipe says it takes about 20 minutes, but it took me about 45, and it was well worth it. When they were done frying, I put them on a cookie sheet lined with paper towels and set them in the oven at 200 degrees to stay warm. Also, we don't have a deep fryer, so I just filled a frying pan with oil and it worked great! That is also why it took a little longer. (the picture doesn't do it justice because we already ate half the batch!)

INGREDIENTS:

1 large onion, cut into 1/4 inch slices 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 1 egg

1 cup milk, or as needed 3/4 cup dry bread crumbs seasoned salt to taste 1 quart oil for frying, or as needed

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Heat the oil in a deep-fryer to 365 degrees F (185 degrees C).
2.	Separate the onion slices into rings, and set aside. In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt.

3.

Dip the onion slices into the flour mixture until they are all coated; set aside. Whisk the egg and milk into the flour mixture using a fork. Dip the floured rings into the batter to coat, then place on a wire rack to drain until the batter stops dripping. The wire rack may be placed over a sheet of aluminum foil for easier clean up. Spread the bread crumbs out on a plate or shallow dish. Place rings one at a time into the crumbs, and scoop the crumbs up over the ring to coat. Give it a hard tap as you remove it from the crumbs. The coating should cling very well. Repeat with remaining rings.

4.

Deep fry the rings a few at a time for 2 to 3 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove to paper towels to drain. Season with seasoning salt, and serve.

Cheese Sauce

I got this from another cousin, Cami! She uses this with Penne Pasta, or on top of broccoli, or even on fish! I just used a shell pasta, because that's what I had! My cousin also suggests that after the sauce is made and you've poured it on your pasta, if you put the pasta in an oven safe dish she sticks it in the oven at 400 for 5 minutes, or until the cheese is slightly browned. I didn't do that with mine, but thought I'd pass on the tip!

2 T butter or margarine
2 T flour
Dash pepper
Dash salt
1 1/2 c milk
1 1/2 c shredded cheese (start with less and add till it's what you want)

Melt the butter in a sauce pan, then add the flour and salt and pepper. Cook and stir for a minute or two, then add the milk all at once. Turn the heat up to medium high, and stir frequently. Cook until bubbly, plus one minute more. Remove from heat, and add the cheese and stir. You may want to add more salt to taste.