179 Days of Dinner - Day 4 - Vegetable Quesadillas on Whole-Wheat Tortillas

Tonight's explosion of flavor was inspired by 100 Days of Real Food. 

This evening's culinary experiment was Vegetable Quesadillas on Whole-Wheat Tortillas.  I should warn anyone who wants to try this out that it is a bit of a process.  The longest part, by far, is the tortilla-making.  I made the tortillas last night and refrigerated them in preparation for this evenings dinner.

Here are the step-by-step photos of the tortilla making:

Dough!

Into the frying pan.

A plate full of whole-wheat goodness.

But if you want to try these out, you'll probably want to follow some better instructions with better pictures than mine ;) - this is the place for you:  Homemade Whole Wheat Tortillas.

Now for the main event - Quesadilla Making!

Pick out 2 cups of any veggies you like - I chose corn, grated sweet potato, zucchini and yellow squash.

3-4 minutes in the frying pan.

Add lime juice and chili powder (I don't like spicy food either - just trust me - do it).

Shred 2 cups of your favorite kind of cheese (I chose Monterey Jack) and mix in the veggies.

Spread the mixture onto one tortilla and top with a 2nd tortilla.

Oh my goodness - that looks tasty!

A whole stack of awesome.

I *devoured* this quesadilla.  I was worried that I wouldn't like the whole-wheat-ness of the tortillas and I wasn't too sure about adding chili powder to my food, but everything worked so well together I wouldn't change a thing about either recipe!

Vegetable Quesadillas on Whole-Wheat Tortillas

Ingredients

• 1 – 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ½ cup diced onion
• 2 cups mixed veggies, diced or shredded (grated sweet potato is an excellent addition to this recipe, and you can also use bell peppers, mushrooms, zucchini, yellow squash, & fresh or frozen corn)
• ¾ teaspoon chili powder
• Juice from one small lime
• Salt, to taste
• 2 cups cheese, grated (we prefer Monterey Jack and recommend grating it yourself to avoid the powdery anti-caking agent in pre-shredded cheeses)
• 6 whole-wheat tortillas
• Butter for cooking
• Optional toppings: sour cream, avocado, cilantro, hot peppers, salsa

Directions

1. Heat oil in a medium sized sauté pan over medium heat.
2. Throw in the diced onions and veggies and cook for 4 or 5 minutes until tender.
3. Add the chili powder, lime juice and salt (to taste) to the veggie mix.
4. Heat griddle to 375 degrees or you can cook the quesadillas in one or two pans on the stove over medium heat.
5. In a large bowl mix together the veggies and grated cheese. Spread a thin layer of the mixture on three of the tortillas and then top them with the other three.
6. Melt a little butter on the griddle or in the pan(s). Cook the quesadillas for several minutes until the bottom starts to brown. While I am waiting I like to add a little dab of butter on the top (for when I flip it over).
7. Once it browns flip and repeat on the other side until lightly browned.
8. Let the quesadilla cool for a few minutes before cutting for the best results. I like to use a pizza cutter to make perfect triangles.
9. Serve with your favorite toppings and enjoy!

Yield: 4 – 5 servings

179 Days of Dinner - Day 3 - Summer Chicken & Basil Soup

Tonight's dinner was inspired by a blogger called MommyPotamus.  On the menu for this evening was Summer Chicken & Basil Soup.  I chose this meal largely because I still had basil I needed to use up from my pesto-making zeal.  I was pretty wary about basil getting mixed up in chicken soup, but the flavor was perfect!

Here are the pictures from tonight's cooking adventure:

Getting the ingredients ready.

Simmer, simmer.

About 3/4 of the veggies are pureed and then added back into the soup.

The finished product!

A more detailed picture, complete with chicken, basil, and puree.

With great dinner comes great dish-sponsibility.

This soup was tasty and satisfying.  If I made it again, I'm not sure I'd puree the veggies - it made for a confusing texture since only some of them were pureed.  The only thing the soup was *really* missing was a good slice or two or crusty bread to dunk with!!

Summer Chicken & Basil Soup

(Courtsey of MommyPotamus.com)

Ingredients
½ to 1 chicken breast, cooked and diced or shredded
½ large onion, diced
4 tbsp ghee
3 small zucchini, sliced and quartered
2 medium carrots, chopped
2 cloves minced garlic
1 quart chicken broth
¼ cup basil, chopped
 
Instructions

1. Sautee onions for 4-5 minutes in 2 tbsp butter
2. Add 2 more tbsp butter and zucchini, carrots, and garlic and sautee for 5 more minutes
3. Pour in broth and bring to a boil
4. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes
5. Ladel about 4 cups of the veggie broth mixture into the blender and puree. Pour back in to pot.
6. Add basil and chicken to soup and simmer for 3-5 minutes.
7. Enjoy!

179 Days of Dinner - Day 2 - Leftovers :)

It's not glamorous, but it's cost-efficient, low effort and still delicious!

Day 2 - Leftover Pesto Pasta

179 Days of Dinner - Day 1 - Pesto Pasta

I was inspired for this evening's dinner by the one and only Pioneer Woman.  One of her latest posts extolls the virtues of pesto:

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/08/uses-for-pesto/

So, armed with basil and pine nuts, I headed to the kitchen.  Here are the delicious results:

Pesto Recipe
1 cup basil
1 clove garlic
1/3 cup freshly-grated parmesan cheese
1/3 cup pine nuts

Combine all ingredients in a food processor.  Put pesto into a bowl and add enough olive oil for desired consistency.  Enjoy!

179 Days of Dinner

As many of you know, my husband is "out of town" for the next 179 days.  ;)  During this time, it would be all too easy to run up the credit card bill by eating out every night, or, worse, by letting myself fall back on the convenience of frozen dinners. 

For the record, the last time Cody left (for a short 2 weeks) my entire diet consisted of Gardenburgers and Amy's Frozen Meals. 

This time around, I am determined to eat well.  It is my goal to try new recipes and use as little processed food as possible in my diet.  Wish me well on my journey!

Easy Eggs Florentine

Easy Eggs Florentine

They're like cupcakes, but they're made with ham, spinach, cheese and eggs. Adults and kids love 'em! Ingredients

• 3 ounce(s) ham, deli-style, (4 slices)
• 3 1/2 ounce(s) spinach, frozen, chopped
• pepper, black, freshly ground
• 4 large egg(s), organic, omega-3 and DHA-fortified
• 1/4 cup(s) cheese, cheddar, shredded

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2. Butter 4 cups in a 12-cup muffin tin. Place a slice of ham into each muffin cup and press to form a cup.

3. Divide spinach equally among the 4 cups, about 1 tablespoon each. Lightly season spinach with salt and pepper.

4. Crack an egg into each cup, being careful not to break the yolk. Bake for 10 minutes.

5. Top each egg with 1 tablespoon grated cheese. Return to oven for an additional 5 minutes or until the cheese has melted.

6. Using a heatproof spatula, carefully remove the Florentine cups from the muffin tin. Serve immediately.

 

Comments

I'll admit it - I was skeptical.  A ham, egg, spinach and cheese cupcake?  Wow.  They were good!!  And they were GORGEOUS!  Just think of the brunch possibilities!  This meal also allowed for a single sausage link (the other one in the photo was for Jack).

 

 

Disclaimer

None of these new recipes are mine.  I am on the "Sexy Forever" diet by Suzanne Somers.  All the recipes and credit belong to her!

Ginger Scallion Grilled Mahi-Mahi

 Ingredients

• 2 piece(s) fish, mahi-mahi, (or your favorite fish)
• 1 medium lime(s), juiced
• 8 whole scallion(s) (green onions), (finely chop 2 scallions and reserve for gingered soy sauce)
• 1 cup(s) soy sauce
• 2 teaspoon ginger, fresh, freshly grated
• 3 clove(s) garlic, minced

Preparation

To Make Mahi-Mahi:

1. Place the mahi-mahi, Gingered Soy Sauce, and lime juice in a resealable plastic bag. Marinate for at least 10 minutes, or up to several hours.

2. Preheat grill to medium high. Remove fish from bag, reserving marinade. Place fish and scallions on grill. Grill for 3 minutes per side. Brush scallions with marinade turning as necessary.

3. Serve immediately.

 

To Make Gingered Soy Sauce:

1. Combine soy sauce, ginger, garlic, and chopped scallions and set aside to let flavors meld.

2. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. 

 

Comments

I cannot tell you how incredible this fish tasted!  I should start by saying I'm not a huge fan of fish, in general, but my husband wasn't home when I made dinner, and I was tempted to eat his portion too!  This marinade (lime juice + gingered soy sauce) was so incredible, I'm looking forward to trying it out on chicken and steak too!  The vegetables in the photo are zucchini, fennel and red onion sauteed in olive oil with salt and pepper.

Disclaimer

None of these new recipes are mine.  I am on the "Sexy Forever" diet by Suzanne Somers.  All the recipes and credit belong to her!

Steak Fajita Bowls

  Steak Fajita Bowls

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoon oil, olive, extra virgin
• 2 cup(s) pepper(s), green, bell, chopped
• 1 cup(s) onion(s), red, chopped
• 2 pounds beef, tenderloin steaks, cut into bite-size pieces
• 4 tablespoon cheese, cheddar, shredded
• 4 tablespoon salsa, fresh
• 2 cup(s) mushrooms, fresh, sliced

Preparation

1. Add oil to large frying pan over medium-low heat. Add peppers, onions, and mushrooms and sautée, stirring frequently until onions become translucent (about 5 minutes).

2. Chop beef into bite-size pieces and add to peppers and onions. Continue to cook, stirring frequently until beef is cooked through (about 5 minutes).

3. Transfer to bowls, top with cheese, and serve with salsa.

 

Comments

For years, I have tried time and again to get the *perfect* marinade for fajitas.  Who knew that the mixture of steak, bell peppers and mushrooms without a marinade creates the flavor I've been after all this time!!

Delicious and satisfying (although I could have killed for a tortilla)!

Disclaimer

None of these new recipes belong to me.  I am following the "Sexy Forever" diet by Suzanne Somers.  The recipes and the credit go to her!

Arroz Con Pollo

Arroz Con Pollo

1.5 lbs. Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast, diced
1 Red Pepper, diced
1 Yellow or Green Pepper, diced
1 med. Onion, diced
3 cloves Garlic, pressed
4 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 Tbsp Adobo seasoning
1 packet Goya Sazon seasoning
1 Tbsp Paprika
1 can Diced Tomatoes
2 cups Rice
2 cups Chicken Broth

Heat 2 TB oil in a large pot - add diced chicken, sprinkle with Adobo and cook until no longer pink. Remove chicken from pot, add remaining oil and onions, peppers and garlic. Cook until soft (approx. 5 min). Return chicken to pot with onions and peppers, add tomatoes, rice and sazon - cook for 5 min. Add chicken broth and paprika, bring to a boil for 1 min. Reduce heat to med. low and cook 20 min. or until all liquid has been absorbed and rice is done. Enjoy!


Note: I also made black beans and served them with this meal.


Oh my Heavens - this was delicious!!

Pecan Bars

As most of you know, I am addicted to Pecan Pie. So when a friend gave me this recipe I was really excited to try it out!

Pecan Bars

Crust
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups flour
1 cup butter, softened



Filling
4 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
3 Tbsp butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups Karo syrup
2 1/2 cups pecan halves

Preheat over to 350 degrees. Grease a 10x15" baking dish. Beat together crust ingredients until the mix is fine crumbs. Press into the bottom of the dish and bake 20-30 min. or until light brown. Meanwhile, beat together eggs, corn syrup, sugar, butter and vanilla until blended. Stir in pecans and pour over hot crust. Bake an additional 30 minutes.

Verrrrrrry tasty!

Grammy's Chicken & Noodles

Poor Cody is sick this week - we had him tested for the flu and he is in the clear, but he still feels really under the weather. So tonight I made a feel-good favorite to warm him up from the inside out - his Grammy's Chicken & Noodles.

Grammy's Chicken & Noodles

4 Chicken Breasts with skin & bones
Egg Noodles
1/2 cup Peas (optional)
1 carrot, sliced (optional)
2 cans Cream of Chicken soup

Boil chicken breasts in just enough water to cover them for approx. 45 min. Once done boiling, take chicken out of the water and add the egg noodles, carrots and peas, adding a little more water if necessary to cover the pasta. Meanwhile, take the chicken off the bone and discard the skin. Shred the chicken and add back into the mixture once noodles are tender. Remove from heat and add 2 cans of Cream of Chicken soup - mix well. Serve hot.

Yum.

Chicken Parmesan with Homemade Tomato Sauce

Yes, I am Italian. Yes, I have some kick-butt family recipes. No - I can't take credit for either of these!

It may sound funny, but my completely un-Italian husband brought both of these recipes home for me to try. The first he found on the internet during a slow day at work, and it has been a favorite of ours ever since. The second comes from a German co-worker of his, and it is very close to the best tomato sauce I have ever tasted.

First of all, here is the final product combining the two recipes:

Mmmmmm.... :)

Rugar's Pasta Sauce (Rugar is the name of Cody's German Co-worker)

5-6 garlic cloves, minced
4-5 shallots
2 small/med. red onions
2 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. basil
1 carrot, diced
2 cans whole tomatoes w/juice
1 can tomato sauce
1 can tomato paste
3-4 oz. white wine
2 Tbsp. heavy cream (optional - this will mellow it a bit)

Saute garlic until golden, set aside.

Saute shallots, onions, oregano and basil until carmelized, set aside.

Yes, I know it's a ton of onions, but if you can suffer through the tears, it gives the sauce an amazing flavor!

Once the garlic and onion mixture have been set aside, saute the carrot 3-4 minutes before adding the whole tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste and white wine. Be sure to mash the whole tomatoes with the back of a spoon. Let simmer approx. 30 min. Add heavy cream and add the onions and garlic back into the sauce. Salt and pepper to taste and let simmer 10 more minutes. Enjoy!


Next up:

Chicken Parmesan

2 cloves garlic, minced
1 stick butter, melted
1 cup dried breadcrumbs
1/3 cup parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp. dried parsley
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. garlic salt
1 large pinch Italian Seasoning
1/8 tsp. pepper
2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken, cut into "nugget" sized pieces

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Combine garlic with melted butter. In separate bowl, mix bread crumbs, parmesan, salt, garlic salt, parsley, Italian seasoning and pepper. Dip chicken in garlic butter then crumb mixture. Drizzle remaining garlic butter over chicken and bake uncovered for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Yum!



These recipes, as implied earlier, receive two enthusiastic thumbs up!

Beef Stew

This recipe is very near and dear to my heart - it's one that my mom and I perfected over several years together and has been our family favorite for a long time. Now it has passed on to my family, and Cody and I (and Jack Ethan :) get to enjoy it together too! Here is the recipe from our families to yours.

Beef Stew

2 lbs. beef, cubed
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 lb. fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 large carrots, peeled & sliced
1 stalk celery, sliced
1 tsp. parsley
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 can tomato sauce
4-5 cups water (depending on how much you like broth)
1 cube beef bullion
4 potatoes, peeled & cubed
1 cup green beans OR 1 cup frozen peas

Saute meat in 1 Tbsp. olive oil over medium-high heat until browned on all sides, about 10-15 minutes. Add garlic, onion and mushrooms and saute for about 5 minutes. Add carrots, celery, green beans, parsley, oregano, and pepper and cook for 10-15 minutes. Add beef bullion cube, tomato sauce, water and potatoes. Let simmer until potatoes are tender.



Sometimes for a little extra flavor, I add a splash of marsala or red cooking wine. We hope you enjoy - we certainly did!

Minestrone Soup

Well, I'm on a roll with all this food - it could have something to do with the fact that work didn't schedule me this week so cooking is currently the only thing keeping me from going stir-crazy!

Tonight, the project was homemade minestrone soup. Those who know him know that Cody used to be crazy about the canned Progresso Minestrone, so I have been looking around for a good homemade recipe for quite sometime. I FOUND IT!!!

This recipe takes a bit of prep work and lots of chopping, but the end result is DELICIOUS AWESOMENESS!!! And yes, Cody loves it!

Italian Minestrone

1-2 cloves minced garlic
1 med. onion, diced
2 carrots, sliced
1/2 cup winter squash, cubed
2 stalks celery, sliced
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 cup (packed down) spinach
1 - 16 oz. can cannelini beans **
1 - 14 oz. can diced tomatoes w/ juice
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
6 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup pasta spirals, cooked
1/2 cup diced zucchini
1 cup green beans, ends removed
3-4 sliced basil leaves (optional)

**It could just be the Commissary's lack of selection, but I can't find "cannelini beans" anywhere - I substituted with "Great Northern Beans" and think it turned out great!

In large saucepan, saute onion, garlic, carrots, winter squash and celery for 3 minutes. Add spinach, cannelini beans, diced tomatoes, parsley and chicken stock. Simmer for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, cook pasta in a small saucepan. Add zucchini, green beans and cooked pasta. Cook until all vegetables are soft. Stir sliced basil leaves into the soup at the last minute for garnish and extra flavor.




As I said before, Cody and I love the way this recipe turned out - I have made it once before and frozen it with great success - if anything, the flavors seem to meld together more when it's served as a leftover dish!

This soup is just perfect for those cold, rainy days that German winters are known for. Be sure to try it out!