quesadillas

Quesadilla night at our house could also be called, “clean-out-your-refrigerator-quesadillas”!    These savory tortilla bites are so versatile and a great way to use up a hodgepodge assortment of ingredients on hand (or better yet, fresh vegetables from your garden!). Cheese is the unifying factor… choose one that compliments your ingredients.



2 cups Monterey Jack cheese, grated (or cheese of your choice)
flour or corn tortillas
Optional Mix-Ins (make sure the ingredients are cut into small pieces):
Chiles
Avacados
Corn
Tomatoes
Black beans
Zucchini
Red onion
Spinach
Scallions
Caramelized onions
Tomatillos
Grilled chicken, cut into thin strips
 

1. To fry the quesadillas:  Heat a cast iron skillet to medium heat.  Lightly grease with oil.  Place a tortilla in the skillet and cook for 10-15 seconds on each side; until air pockets begin to form.  Evenly spread on the cheese and lightly top with any additional ingredients.  Reduce the heat to low.  When cheese begins to melt, fold the tortilla in half, remove from pan and cut into wedges.
2. To bake the quesadillas:  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Place the tortillas on a baking sheet.  Spread the ingredients on the tortilla.  Add a layer of cheese.  Top with an additional tortilla; pressing down gently to make the filling adhere.  Bake until the cheese is melted, about 5-7 minutes.  Cut the quesadilla into wedges and serve. 
3. Serve with salsa and sour cream

pasta fagioli soup

Happy Meatless Monday!  Warm up with this souper duper recipe- pasta fagioli!  It’s hearty, healthy and so tasty {extra cheese for the kiddies, please}!   This soup has a whole bunch of kale in it… kale is a nutritional powerhouse.  It’s in the cabbage family & loaded with Vitamins A, C, folic acid, calcium and iron!

3 Tablespoons olive oil,

1 onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 14.5-ounce can of diced tomatoes (with basil, garlic & oregano)

2 14.5 cans vegetable or chicken broth

3 cups of water

2 cups small pasta (shells, rigatoni)

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 bunch fresh kale, tough stems discarded, chopped into 1/4-inch slices

2 cans small white beans, drained & rinsed

2 Tablespoons tomato paste

1/2 teaspoon salt, additional to taste

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Grated Parmesan for serving

1.)  Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat.  Add onion and cook for 5 minutes.  Add garlic; cook 1 minute.

2.)  Stir in tomatoes, broth and 3 cups of water.  Bring to a simmer over high heat.  Add pasta and Italian seasoning.  Cook, stirring for 5 minutes.

3.)  Stir in kale; cook 5 minutes more.  Reduce heat to medium and stir in beans, tomato paste, salt and pepper.  Heat through.

4.)  Ladle into bowls; garnish with Parmesan cheese.


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recipe adapted & photo courtesy of Family Circle

sweet potato fries

We’ve got a French twist for fries! For a healthier take, try these three different & easy oven-baked sweet potato recipes. They are high in beta carotene, fiber and Vitamin A.

(1.) Heat oven to 400 degrees.
(2.) Cut into wedges.
(3.) Toss with a little olive oil, salt & paprika OR toss with olive oil, brown sugar, salt, pepper, and chopped rosemary OR toss with olive oil, ginger, cinnamon, brown sugar and salt.
(4.) Place in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
(5.) Bake 20 minutes, toss the potatoes and bake an additional 10-15 minutes, until potatoes are tender.


 
photo courtesy of McCormick.com

curried pumpkin soup

This savory & creamy soup has a little curry heat and a little hint of sweetness... it's the perfect addition to any autumn meal!


1 large onion, finely chopped
1 cup celery chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tablespoons butter
1 – 29 oz. can pumpkin puree
4 cups vegetable (or chicken) broth
1 cup water *
2-3 teaspoons curry
3 Tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon salt
2 dashes nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1/4 cup of heavy cream or milk


(1.)  Heat the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, celery and garlic. Cook until the onion is translucent, about 10 minutes.


(2.)  Add the pumpkin puree, vegetable broth, water, curry, brown sugar, cumin, pepper, salt and nutmeg (everything else but the thyme). Reduce the heat to moderately low and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
(3.)  Transfer the vegetable soup to a blender (working in batches) and puree until smooth. Add the thyme and cream.  Taste for additional seasoning.
(4.)  Ladle the soup into bowls and serve.

* May need to thin out the soup with additional water (especially when re-heating).

black bean & goat cheese quesadillas

This delicious quesadilla is vegetarian-friendly and kid-approved! We got the recipe from Fine Cooking and made two small modifications - we reduced the level of spice for the little ones and added spinach for color & extra nutrition!


3 Tbs. olive oil
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
15-1/2-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teasspoon chili powder
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups spinach, packed
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tsp. fresh lime juice; more to taste
3 to 4 oz. fresh goat cheese, crumbled
1 large or 2 small ripe avocados, pitted and peeled
6 flour tortillas, 8 inches across


(1.) In a medium skillet, heat 2 Tbs. of the oil over medium heat until hot but not smoking. Add the onion and sauté, stirring, until it softens, about 5 minutes.
(2.) Add the beans, cumin, chili powder, and 1/2 cup water and cook, stirring occasionally, until almost all the water has evaporated, 5 to 7 minutes. Take the pan off the heat. With the back of a fork, break up the beans to make a chunky mash. Stir in the spinach and half of the cilantro and season with salt and pepper.
(3.) In a small bowl, combine the avocado, lime juice, and remaining cilantro and use a potato masher or the back of a fork to mash into a chunky paste. Season to taste with salt and pepper; add more lime juice if you like.
(4.) Spread the black bean mixture evenly over three of the tortillas. Scatter the goat cheese over the beans and cover with the remaining tortillas. Lightly coat a large heavy skillet or griddle with oil (about 1 tsp.) and heat over medium heat. Set one of the quesadillas in the skillet and cook until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Flip the quesadilla over and brown on the other side for another 1-1/2 minutes. Remove from the pan, cook the remaining quesadillas (add more oil to the pan each time) and cut each into eight wedges. Serve each wedge with a dollop of the guacamole.

sweet pea soup

A taste of the spring season that little ones and adults will both love! This delicately sweet soup has a vibrant green color with a fresh flavor.

5 cups peas

2 shallots, chopped fine

2 Tabelspoons butter

3 cups chicken or vegetable broth

1/3 cup heavy cream

salt

pepper

1.) In a soup pot over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally until soft and translucent, about 5-7 minutes.

2.) Add the peas and the broth. Simmer for 25 minutes.

3.) In batches, transfer the soup to a blender and blend until completely pureed.

4.) Stir in the cream. Season with salt and pepper.

5.) Serve the soup hot or chilled.

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 40 minutes

Serves: 4