Great Northern Pumpkin, Kale & Sausage Stew
I made a delicious stew the other day with pumpkin, kale, Great Northern beans, and chicken sausage.
It’s a bowl full of comfort and goodness.
Head over to my blog’s new home for the recipe.
Fire-Roasted Salsa Sisters
I’ve had some really good salsas lately that were fire roasted, so I decided to try making some. The key to making a fire roasted salsa is to roast the vegetables on the grill. The “fire” from the grill gives the salsa a delectable smoky flavor. (Okay, it’s really smoke from the coals that adds the smoky flavor, not fire, but “smoke roasted salsa” just doesn’t have the right ring to it …)
It’s very simple to do, really, but it makes for such a delightful-tasting salsa. So the next time you fire up the grill, I suggest tossing some peppers, tomatoes and onions on there and make up a fire roasted salsa. It’s the perfect healthy, delicious condiment to go with a good quesadilla (like this chipotle black bean quesadilla with avocado cream I made the other day), tacos, eggs, and so much more … I really love a good salsa and always have some homemade salsa in my fridge. This fire roasted salsa has totally won my heart. Strangely, it’s the simpler red one that I love the most, although the hearty Adobo salsa with cilantro and white beans is also lovely in its own chunky way. They each have their own personality, so to speak, just like sisters.
Rojo Fuego Salsa (Red Fire Salsa)
For this salsa, I peeled the tomatoes and peppers after grilling them, resulting in a brilliant fire-red colored salsa.
- 4 whole hot chili peppers (use more or less depending on how hot your peppers are and how hot you like your salsa. Mine were super-hot and a brilliant red color!)
- 4 large garden fresh tomatoes
- 1 onion, cut in fourths (skin on!)
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 1 teaspoon salt
Directions:
- Heat up the grill and put the chili peppers, tomatoes, and onion directly over the heat to roast. Turn as they cook so all sides are roasted. The skins on the peppers should turn black and charred on all sides, the tomatoes should be soft with the skins cracked, and the onion should be lightly brown.
- Once they are cooked on all sides, remove from the grill and let the vegies cool off until they are cool enough to touch. Pull the skins off the tomato and peppers and onion and discard the skins.
- Put the peeled vegies into a blender or food processor and pulse till everything is very finely chopped and mixed well. If you want a smoother salsa, puree in the blender/food processor to your liking. Store in a covered container in the fridge.
Adobo Fuego Salsa (Adobo Fire Salsa)
When I made this salsa, I didn’t peel the peppers after roasting. The charred bits of skin add a bit of extra smoky flavor to the salsa.
- 2 large garden tomatoes
- 2 – 7 jalapeno peppers (adjust the number of peppers for how hot you want your salsa … if you want a very mild salsa, use bell pepper in place of the jalapeno)
- 1/2 onion
- 2 -3 cloves garlic
- 1/4 cup cooked white beans
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon adobo seasoning
- A few sprigs of cilantro (just the leaves, not the stems)
Directions:
- Heat up the grill and put the jalapenos, onion and tomato directly over the heat to roast. Turn as they cook so all sides are roasted. The skins on the peppers should turn black and charred on all sides, the tomatoes should be soft with the skins cracked, and the onion should be lightly brown.
- Once they are cooked on all sides, remove from the grill. Do NOT peel the peppers, but do pull the peel off the tomato and onion.
- Put the tomato, jalapeno, and onion into a blender or food processor with the rest of the ingredients and pulse till everything is very finely chopped and mixed well. Store in a covered container in the fridge.
This recipe was shared at Fit & Fabulous Fridays, Friday Food Fight, and Scrumptious Sunday.
Fairy Tale Tomato, Corn & Bread Salad
with Great Northern Beans & Tahini Yogurt Ranch Dressing
Have you ever made something once and thought “it’s good, but it really ought to be better?” Yeah, that’s what happened here. The first time I made it I used a great big eggplant and I tried cooking it on the grill. Except my coals ran out of heat and the eggplant didn’t get properly cooked and it was this awful rubbery texture. I ended up picking all of the eggplant out of my salad that night and just eating the tomatoes with the corn and bread … not that that was a BAD thing, it was quite delightful that way. I just hated wasting the lovely eggplant …
So: take 2. This time I used a couple of my fairy tale eggplant. If you’ve not seen fairy tale eggplant, they are those tiny purple eggplant that look SO adorable because they are about finger sized or a little bigger, maybe half my hand size? You never have to peel them or salt them because their skins are perfectly tender and they are never bitter. If you’re inexperienced with eggplant, fairy tale eggplant are a good place to start. This time was definitely better … but something was missing … oh my gosh! the corn! I totally forgot the corn. Okay, so I went and grabbed some corn from the freezer, cooked it up and added it … ah! much better!
Fairy Tale Tomato, Corn & Bread Salad
Adapted from Williams Sonoma. For one hearty serving or two small “sides”:
- 2-4 fairy tale eggplant (about 1/2 cup after roasting/chopping)
- 1 cup fresh garden tomato, chopped into bite-size chunks
- 1/2 cup cooked white beans, drained
- 1/2 cup cooked corn, drained
- 2 slices of sweet onion, chopped coarsely
- 1 – 1 1/2 cups toasted whole wheat bread cubes (about 1 inch in size … or smaller … to your liking)
- A few fresh basil & tarragon leaves
- A few roasted sunflower seeds
- Tahini yogurt ranch dressing (recipe below)
Directions:
- Slice the fairy tale eggplant lengthwise in 1/2-inch slices. (You can use other eggplant in place of Fairy Tale, but you may need to peel them first.) Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and set the eggplant on the baking sheet. Spray them with cooking spray and sprinkle with a bit of salt or Red Robin Seasoning. Roast the eggplant in the oven or toaster oven at 400 for about 10 minutes or until they are tender.
- While the eggplant are cooking, chop the tomato and onion and heat the white beans and corn up. Also, set the bread cubes on another oiled baking sheet and let them toast in the oven for the last few minutes of the eggplant roasting or until the cubes are lightly browned and toasted.
- Chop the eggplant into bite-size chunks. In your salad bowl, toss the eggplant, tomato, corn and onion till well mixed. Gently fold in the toasted bread cubes, drizzle with tahini ranch dressing and sprinkle with fresh herbs and sunflower seeds.
Tahini Yogurt Ranch Dressing
- 1/2 cup nonfat greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup lowfat buttermilk
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons tahini
- 1 Tablespoon light mayonnaise
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 cup mixed fresh herbs (I used rosemary, basil, thyme, tarragon, oregano, parsley … dill would be wonderful too, but my dill plant has died off)
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon salt (start with 1/4 teaspoon and add more to taste as needed) + freshly ground pepper to taste.
In a handi chopper or food processor, blend all ingredients till the herbs and garlic are well chopped and the mixture is fairly smooth. Taste the dressing and add salt and/or pepper to taste. Store any leftover dressing in a covered container in the fridge.
This recipe was shared at Cast Party Wednesday, Friday Favorites and Newlyweds Recipe Linky.
Bulgur Black Bean Salad with Tomato & Avocado
My friend gave me some cooked bulgur when we went camping together … in a way, I wonder if she gave it to me just so she could see what I would do with it. I brought it home. It sat in the fridge till I was nearly sure it must have gone bad already … and then, suddenly, I was craving Mexican food. Something with black beans and jalapenos and tomatoes and cilantro and onions. And then it occurred to me what to do with the bulgur: give it a KICK! I made this salad one day last week and munched, munched, munched all afternoon.
Last weekend my friend came up to my parents’ place for the first time EVER, with her hubby and youngest son. We ate antelope & venison that my dad cooked on the grill, dad’s garden potatoes mixed with peppers, spices and cheese and my tarragon roasted vegetables. Then the next day we munched on Dad’s fabulous fresh garden melons. I fed them caramel peach bread pudding, chocolate zucchini cake, and sandwiches made from the roasted veggies and grilled meat (yes, in that order).
And after we had eaten all of that, I remembered the bulgur salad. Everyone was stuffed, but I made my friend taste a bite of it anyway, since she had given me the bulgur. She loved it, so I sent it home with her.
I played around a little with stuffing a couple tomatoes with the salad for a pretty presentation … what do you think? (Vegies in the background are stray bounty from my mom & dad’s garden … it’s everywhere!)
Bulgur Black Bean Salad with Fresh Tomato & Avocado
This is a hearty, spicy, flavorful salad that you could serve as a meal all by itself.
- 1 1/2 cups cooked bulgur
- 3/4 cup chopped sweet onion
- 1 cup cooked black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 or 2 medium fresh garden tomatoes, chopped
Dressing:
- Juice of 1/2 lime
- 1/2 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon honey
- Fresh cilantro or parsley
- 1 Tablespoon chopped jalapeno (use more or less jalapeno according to how hot & spicy you like it)
- 1/2 – 1 whole avocado, peeled, pitted, and chopped (I only had about 1/2 an avocado, but I think the salad would be tastier with more!)
- Garnish: cilantro or parsley leaves and a slice of fresh lime
Directions:
- Toss together the cooked bulgur, onion, black beans, and tomatoes in a bowl and set aside.
- In a separate small bowl, whisk together the lime juice, olive oil, cumin, honey, and cilantro (or parsley) until well blended. Gently fold the avocado pieces into the dressing to coat. (This will help keep the avocado from turning black.)
- Pour the dressing over the salad and toss gently to mix. Garnish with a twisted slice of lime and some cilantro (or parsley) just before serving.
This recipe was shared at Fit & Fabulous Friday.
Zummus {A zucchini-lima twist on hummus}
It’s funny how a recipe evolves sometimes. The other night I was talking to my yoga instructor/artist/foodie friend and she was telling me how she had made Baba Ganoush (a middle eastern eggplant dip) with zucchini, and she had done the zucchini on the grill so it had this wonderful smoky flavor and I was thinking to myself “I gotta try that” … especially because I have several lovely zucchini left that my sister brought me and I love Baba Ganoush ALMOST as much as I love hummus.
Then the next day, I got onto facebook and two of my foodie friends (Katrin from Running with the Deviled Eggs and Terra from Cafe Terra) had both done a hummus with lima beans. Lima beans? Seriously? Wow. They both looked totally yummy … but the really funny part about this was Katrin was challenging me and another of our friends to do this too.
Now I have never in my life cooked with lima beans, but I thought, what the heck, I’ll take your challenge. I stopped and got lima beans on my way home from yoga. As I went into the kitchen to begin making it, the idea struck me to combine these two ideas and make some sort of baba ga-hummus thing … see then I could have the best of both worlds all in one! … but with zucchini and lima beans in lieu of the eggplant and chickpeas.
I was trying to think of a good name for this crazy creation, mixing baba ganoush, hummus, lima beans, zucchini … I settled on “zummus” … mostly because I have a thing for the letter Z and hey, we are totally on a zucchini kick here lately. By the way, it’s every bit as good (or better) than any hummus or baba ganoush you’ve ever tasted. You would never guess it’s made with zucchini and lima beans. It’s got that yummy hummus texture and the garlicky tahini taste with a hint of smokiness. I totally love this stuff.
Zummus
This makes a small amount. If you’re making it for a crowd, double or triple the recipe. You’re gonna need it … trust me.
- About 1 cup of zucchini pulp
- Smoked paprika
- 1 cup frozen lima beans
- 2 – 5 cloves of garlic (depending on how garlicky you want it!)
- 1 Tablespoon tahini
- 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- a handful of fresh parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- juice of 3/4 of a lime
Directions:
- Cut a large zucchini lengthwise and using a grapefruit spoon or other such instrument that’s good for digging into summer squash, hollow out some of the pulp inside. It’s quite alright if it’s seedy because this is all going to get roasted and blended into a puree. Chop the pulp into chunks. (Save the zucchini shells for stuffing …)
- Spray a baking pan with cooking spray, set the zucchini pieces on it in a single layer, and sprinkle liberally with smoked paprika. Bake at 350 for about 10 – 15 minutes or until the zucchini is completely tender. The zucchini cooks down as it roasts, so you should end up with about 1/2 cup of zucchini after you’re done roasting.
- Now, measure out your lima beans and put them in a microwave-safe bowl. Add a couple tablespoons of water, cover the bowl with a plate and microwave for 2 – 3 minutes, stirring about halfway through, or until all the beans are nice and tender. (If you’re making a bigger batch, you’ll have to adjust the cooking time to get all the beans to cook.)
- Put the roasted zucchini and the lima beans (complete with cooking water!) in a food processor or handi chopper and add the remaining ingredients. Blend until everything becomes a lovely paste. Add water to get it to the consistency you desire. I like it a little thick, so it’s spreadable.
- Serve with toasted pita wedges or flatbread or vegies. It also makes a great spread for sandwiches, wraps and little toasts.
Check out the other lima bean hummus recipes:
- Katrin: Running with the Deviled Eggs
- Terra: Cafe Terra
This recipe was shared at Scrumptious Sunday, Manic Monday, Thursday’s Treasures, Fit & Fabulous Fridays, and Share It Saturdays.
Spinach Avocado Quesadillas
It was the big day, the day the dancers prepare for all year. My girl is in competition dance so she gets so many opportunities to perform, but it all leads up to THIS. The day of the big end-of-the-year dance recital.
I thought I was being clever, but really, in hindsight, perhaps it wasn’t such a good idea to plan a vacation right after recital. That meant I was scrambling at work today to finish up all the loose ends … and on top of that, I had to make sure she got fed and drank enough water and run her to rehearsal and back. And find her lost costumes and the missing jazz shoe (that never did turn up … she had to borrow a shoe from a friend!) … and help her with her hair … and then my family was coming for the recital so I was bugging my son to clean up and wash all the bedding. My mom, dad, and sis showed up at 4 and I hadn’t even showered yet! I quickly cleaned myself up and we rushed off to find some food before the recital …
It all added up to a lot of craziness and stress that really didn’t need to be QUITE that crazy. The show went really well, but I could tell at the beginning of the show that my dancer didn’t quite have her head in the game. I feel a little pang of “mom guilt”, like could I maybe have been a little less stressed and rushed today and had more patience with her?
So you know I had NO time to cook today. But still after scrambling with everything all morning, I really really needed to eat! I found some of the cheese mixture I’d used for my fish quesadillas in the fridge and threw together this quesadilla for lunch today in a few minutes … and it turned out really good. I’m glad I took a short break to make this … I’m wishing now that I had taken the time to make my sweetie girl the waffles that she wanted this morning. Ah well. There is always tomorrow. Finally, some time to just unwind and do as we please …
Spinach Avocado Quesadillas
For the cheese mixture:
- 1 cup cooked white beans (Great Northern or Cannellini)
- 1/4 cup plain nonfat greek yogurt
- 1 Tablespoon of liquid from the beans
- 1 Tablespoon goat cheese
- Green onion (I used two)
- Garlic scapes (I used two)
- 1 Tablespoon finely chopped jalapeno (use more or less according to how spicy you want it)
- A few cilantro leaves
- 1 cup finely shredded Mexican blend of cheeses
For the quesadilla:
- 2 whole-grain flour tortillas
- A handful of baby spinach leaves
- Chopped tomato (I used 1/2 of a medium tomato for one quesadilla)
- Chopped red onion (just a bit)
- Avocado, part sliced, part chopped (I used half an avocado for my quesadilla)
- Fresh cilantro leaves
- Salsa (I used my dad’s simple salsa fresca)
Directions:
- In a food processor or handi chopper, blend the white beans, yogurt, goat cheese, and a bit of cooking liquid from the beans till smooth. Add snipped green onion, garlic scapes, jalapeno, and cilantro and stir (or chop if you like), then blend in the shredded cheese. (You can make the cheese mixture ahead of time and store it in a covered container in the fridge.)
- Spread both tortillas with a thin layer of the cheese mixture. On one of the tortillas, arrange the spinach leaves, tomato, red onion, chopped avocado and cilantro. Top with the 2nd tortilla.
- Heat a frying pan or cast iron skillet to medium low heat and spray with cooking spray. Put the quesadilla in the pan, cover and cook briefly. Check often and when it is brown on the bottom, slide it onto a plate, then flip it over and slide back into the pan and cover to brown the other side. When both sides are brown and the cheese is nicely melted, slide the quesadilla out of the pan onto a cutting board, cut into pieces, and serve immediately topped with avocado slices with salsa on the side.
This recipe was shared at Fit & Fabulous Fridays and Weekend Potluck.
Flippin’ Amazing Barbecue Chicken Salad
with Jalapeno Cilantro Ranch Dressing
There was this barbecue restaurant in California we used to go to for lunch … I can’t remember the name of it, but I could drive right to it if I were there … I know right where it is. They made the most amazing barbecue chicken salad. I think I ordered that salad every time we went there because I can’t recall eating anything else there.
I haven’t had that salad in years … and I”m not really quite sure why not. I’ve been back to that area several times. I’ve certainly had many, many opportunities to MAKE a barbecue chicken salad. I mean, barbecued chicken is one of my daughter’s all-time favorite meals!
But today, I am trying to use up things in my fridge. We barbecued chicken last night and this salad just popped into my mind. I actually went to the store and bought an avocado and tomato to make it (and I’m supposed to using up things? hello? what are you thinking?)
Anyway, I took one taste of this salad and I started asking myself why the HELL did I wait so long to make it?
So this is really a two-meal kinda deal: the first night you grill up some mighty fine barbecue chicken. And maybe some asparagus (or corn on the cob!) and grilled cornbread to go with it. Make extra chicken for the next day’s meal. Your first meal might look something like this:
The Moistest Barbecue Chicken Ever
- Plain yogurt (I used about a cup for 3 chicken breasts)
- 2-4 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon or so of your favorite seasoning mix (I tried some of the Mystic Blue Tandoori Masala Spice mix … ooh that stuff is NICE!)
- Uncooked pieces of chicken (last night it was chicken breasts)
- Your favorite barbecue sauce (we used Famous Dave’s Rich & Sassy BBQ sauce because that’s my kids’ favorite)
At least an hour or up to a day before you want to cook the chicken, mix enough of the plain yogurt with some garlic and seasonings to completely cover the chicken. Put the chicken in a bowl, pour the spiced yogurt mixture over it and let it marinade in the fridge for an hour or overnight, turning once or twice to make sure you evenly coat all the chicken.
Fire up the grill and put the chicken on. I like to start my chicken over the hot, hot coals and sear it on both sides, “Paint” it with barbecue sauce on both sides, then move it to the side and let it cook till it’s done while I cook other things (like the asparagus and the cornbread). The chicken is done if when you cut into it with a knife, the juices run clear and there’s no pink flesh left inside. I usually paint the chicken with sauce a couple more times during this process.
Refrigerate your leftover chicken and then on the second day, you can make this amazing salad …
Flippin’ Amazing Barbecue Chicken Salad
- Mixed greens (or Romaine is nice)
- Leftover barbecued chicken, sliced or shredded and heated
- Sweet corn, cooked
- Beans, cooked (I would usually use black beans, but I had white beans to use up)
- Red onion, sliced thin or chopped
- Tomato, cut into chunks or wedges
- Avocado slices
- Fresh cilantro leaves
- Shredded Mexican cheese (cheddar, monterey jack, or other … I used a Fiesta blend)
- Jalapeno Cilantro Ranch Dressing (recipe below)
- A bit of barbecue sauce for drizzling
Directions:
Make the salad dressing and set it aside. Fill your salad bowl or your plate with lots of greens. Heat the beans and sweet corn. Arrange the chicken, red onion, tomato, and avocado over the greens, then add the beans and corn (or make a mound of beans and corn in the center). Sprinkle with cilantro and a bit of shredded cheese. Drizzle with the jalapeno cilantro dressing and a bit of barbecue sauce.
The above pictures were the “civilized version” before I added the shredded cheese and the dressing drizzles. Things get a little messy once you do that … then you dig into the salad and it gets even messier … that’s part of the joy of it. Just like any good barbecue, right?
Jalapeno Cilantro Ranch Salad Dressing
Makes about 1 cup of dressing (8 servings/2 Tablespoons per serving)
- 1/3 c. light mayonnaise
- 1/3 c. 1% milk
- 1 clove of garlic
- About 1/2 a handful of fresh basil leaves
- Several fresh parsley leaves or ½ teaspoon dried parsley
- A few fresh dill twigs or ½ teaspoon dried dill weed
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- Several chives
- Freshly ground pepper
- A sprig of fresh rosemary leaves
- 3 green onions (tops only)
- A handful of cilantro leaves
- 2 – 3 teaspoons of finely chopped jalapeno
- 1/4 of a ripe avocado (you could probably even add more avocado if you want …)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt (Leave out the salt altogether if you want less sodium … I made sure to taste it before I added salt, and it was delicious.)
- 1/3 c. nonfat greek yogurt
Whir all the ingredients except the yogurt in a handy chopper or food processor until smooth. Stir in the yogurt. Adjust seasonings to taste. Store any leftovers in a covered container in the fridge.
This recipe was shared at Cast Party Wednesdays, Thursday’s Treasures, Tastetastic Thursdays, Fit & Fabulous Fridays, and Summer Salad Sundays.
Asparagus White Bean Pesto
I love pesto. Love love love love it! And Asparagus! Oh I can’t wait for spring every year so I can have asparagus … so last week I ran across this intriguing idea for Kale, Apsaragus & Chickpea pesto from Munchin with Munchkin and I just couldn’t put it down. Asparagus in pesto? and beans? … what a concept …
My pesto isn’t really very much like hers. I mean, I really couldn’t abandon my beloved basil. Or the parmesan … oh please, no, I must have my cheese! And while I love olive oil, I thought if you added asparagus and white beans, well, that would eliminate the need for having so much oil in the pesto. You could reduce the oil and still have a wonderful flavor that would stick to your pasta.
And what do you know? It worked! Beautifully. So get this: in one fell swoop, I upped the nutrition, protein, fiber, AND the flavor and lowered the fat and calories in the pesto. It’s such a wonderful thing! It’s sort of like a cross between pesto and hummus. Not only does it go well on pasta, it’s a great dip, a fantastic spread for a sandwich or wrap … or, um, well anything you could think of that you might do with pesto OR hummus.
Now how about them beans?
Asparagus White Bean Pesto
- 1 cup raw asparagus, chopped (I used the stem ends of the asparagus, saving the “pretty top parts” for later …)
- 1 cup (packed) fresh basil leaves
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1/2 cup freshly shredded parmesan
- 1 cup cooked white beans, drained (save the juice though!)
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1/4 cup pinons
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
Place all ingredients in a handi chopper or food processor and blend till smooth. If you need a little more liquid to get everything to blend nicely, add a bit of the liquid from the beans.
This recipe was shared at Mealtime Monday, Tuesday Talent Show, Totally Tasty Tuesdays, Cast Party Wednesdays, Tastetastic Thursdays, and Fit & Fabulous Fridays.
Huevos Rancheros
The other day, I woke craving Huevos Rancheros. From my favorite restaurant in Albuquerque: Charlie’s Front Door. Oh Charlie’s how I miss you! … but of course I’m not there, I”m here.
I can’t make Huevos like Charlie’s Front Door does. They have this green chile sauce they smother it in that is just flipping amazing. I am not even going to try to replicate that … I just want to tell you, if you happen to get to Albuquerque, please stop in and visit Charlie’s Front Door … they have so many dishes there I would almost kill just to taste them one more time … the Jocoque and the Indian tacos are ooooh so good …
Don’t get me wrong! I CAN make a pretty mean Huevos Rancheros. AND it’s a healthy, filling Mexican meal you can make in minutes, so it’s doable even on a busy workday. And the awesome advantage of these is you can have them just about anywhere, anytime. All you need is tortillas, eggs, cheese, and a few basic Mexican toppings.
Huevos Rancheros
(per serving)
- 1 small tortilla (corn or flour … whole wheat is good … I didn’t have any corn so had to use flour)
- Refried beans (or whole beans … I just happened to have some very tasty spicy chipotle refried beans on hand)
- Shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 or 2 eggs (how much space do you have on your tortilla? how much protein do you want?)
- Salt & freshly ground pepper
- Toppings: Salsa, chopped onion, avocado, tomato, jalapenos, green chile sauce, cilantro … (did I miss anything? what else could you use?)
Heat a skillet pan (or cast iron skillet) over medium heat and spray it with cooking spray. Put a tortilla in the pan and let it toast until it’s golden brown on the bottom. Flip it over.
Slide it out of the pan briefly and on the toasted side, spread it with refried beans and sprinkle with a bit of sharp cheddar cheese. Put it back in the pan with the un-toasted side down. Crack an egg (or two) over top.
Now cover, and cook on medium low heat until the egg white is cooked and the cheese is melted and bubbly. Check it periodically to make sure it isn’t burning the tortilla on the bottom. (If your egg covers the cheese and beans, you can even flip it to cook the egg “over easy” … I wouldn’t recommend that approach if you have any cheese sticking out, though.)
Slide your lovely cheesy egg tortilla onto a plate and garnish with your choice of toppings. The bottom of mine was a little crunchy. That’s totally okay in my book. I love crunchy! … by the way, I added a big, messy slather of my sister’s salsa after I took the pictures …
Now, if you’ll excuse me, things are starting to get a little messy over here …
This recipe was shared at Fit & Fabulous Fridays, Weekend Potluck, Everyday Mom’s Meals, Scrumptious Sundays, Moosewood Monday, Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways and Mealtime Mondays.
Hot & Cheesy Seafood Spinach Dip
Post #2 of 5 in my Five Favorite Things for my Five Thousand Foodie Friends series …
I have to combine some of my favorite things or I’m not going to fit them all in five posts!
I am quite taken with appetizers … little bites … dips … party food! Also I looove seafood … although I don’t cook it that often, since we are quite land-locked and it is difficult to get good seafood here. Unless you count walleye, silver bass, northern pike … THAT is quite attainable in these parts. But I made an exception for this special occasion and splurged on some seafood. Shrimp and crab … ah yes!
This yummy dip also features wine. And cheese. Another two of my foodie flavor loves. And a few veggies, because veggies and I are buddies too.
Let’s put this all together, shall we? Don’t let the long list of ingredients scare you … it’s really quite a simple dip. You will be popping it in the oven to heat up in no time … it’s also great as a make-ahead-and-pull-it-out-and-bake-at-serving-time dip.
Hot & Cheesy Seafood Spinach Dip
- 1/3 cup finely chopped red onion
- 1/3 cup finely chopped celery
- 2 large cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
- 1 1/2 teaspoons of olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons of Chardonnay (or other dry white wine)
- 1 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce
- 1/3 cup frozen spinach, thawed, with the moisture squeezed out of it
- 1/2 cup white beans (great northern or cannelini beans)
- 1/4 cup light mayonnaise
- 2 oz. light cream cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
- Juice of 1/4 of a lemon
- 1/4 cup plain nonfat greek yogurt
- 1/3 cup freshly shredded Romano cheese (or other sharp, hard cheese like Parmesan)
- 1/3 cup shredded smoked Gouda cheese (or other soft, melty cheese like Swiss)
- 1 Tablespoon (or more) of fresh snipped dill weed (or 1 teaspoon of dried dill)
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 6-oz. can of crab meat, drained (or 4.25 oz. of fresh crab meat)
- 1/3 cup of pre-cooked shrimp, chopped fine (I used medium frozen shrimp, but you could use any size … if yours are fresh, pre-cook them a little before adding them)
Toppings: a bit of extra shredded Romano and/or gouda cheese, some crushed crackers or breadcrumbs, and some chopped fresh chives and/or dill
Directions:
- In a frying pan or cast iron skillet, cook the onion, celery and garlic in the olive oil over medium heat until the onion is translucent and soft. Add the wine and worcestershire sauce and sautee until the liquid evaporates. Set aside.
- In a food processor, combine the spinach, white beans, light mayonnaise, and light cream cheese. Whir until well pureed and everything is a fine paste. If the mixture is too thick, add the lemon juice as well and maybe even the yogurt.
- Now in a medium-sized bowl, mix the sauteed veggies, the pureed mixture, and the remaining ingredients except for the toppings.
- Spray an oven proof bowl or small casserole with cooking spray and pour the dip into the bowl. Spread it with a spatula till it’s flat, then sprinkle with extra cheese and crushed crackers or bread crumbs.
- Bake at 400 for 10 – 20 minutes or until everything is hot and bubbly and the cheese is melted. Top with the fresh chives and/or dill before serving. It is good to put a shrimp on top to clue everyone in on what they can expect from this luscious dip!
Serve with crackers, toasted pita or bagel chips or vegies. (You can also put it in a mini-crockpot at a party to keep it warm.)
This is even better if you make the dip ahead of time and let the flavors meld overnight (or longer) in the fridge, then pull it out, top it and bake it just before you serve it.
This recipe was shared at Midweek Fiesta, Cast Party Wednesday, These Chicks Cooked Whole Foods Recipe Swap, Tastetastic Thursdays, Full Plate Thursdays, Fit & Fabulous Fridays, Fabulous Fridays, Weekend Potluck, and Strut your Stuff Saturdays.
Bread and White Bean Salad with Feta & Basil
Yesterday my little blog reached a new milestone: 5,000 “likes” on my facebook page. I was so excited I took a screenshot! … I have met sooo many wonderful foodie friends through this blog. It has been an incredibly rewarding journey for me. My foodie friends take me on culinary journeys all over the world, but not only that, they lift me up when I am down, they always have a cheery good morning and a good night, a cup of hot coffee, and oh the amazing foods we share. We have parties together, share stories, food, music, drinks … They are my inspiration, but more than that, they are my friends … I want to do something to celebrate and thank all of you but I wasn’t quite sure what to do. One of my friends suggested “5 different things” … we tossed around some ideas for that … at first I was thinking party foods, but I think I will go with 5 favorite foods.
First of Five Favorites: Salad. One of my very favorite foods is salad. I loooove salad! I think I could eat salad every day. Salads are often meals for me. I dress them up with all sorts of things, and I love to make my own salad dressings. And I love sharing my salads with my foodie friends.
For this salad, I wanted to do something like an Italian Bread Salad with my sunflower spinach parmesan bread, but I didn’t follow a recipe. This salad just sort of “happened”, like a lot of recipes in my kitchen do. I just wing it. Most of the time it turns out pretty good. This one was really good, but I’ll warn you it’s super garlicky. Personally I like that. One of the things I want to do before I die is to get to the garlic festival in Gilroy, CA. I already have two garlic cookbooks from there and they are very well used. We drove through Gilroy once. You can smell the amazing garlic from inside the car. For a couple minutes, our car smelled like an Italian kitchen. I bet everyone in Gilroy cooks with a LOT of garlic. I think I’d fit right in …
Bread and White Bean Salad with Feta & Basil
Makes 1 “meal-sized” salad or 2-3 side salads. Multiple if you are cooking for more people!
Croutons
- 1/2 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic
- 2 slices of french bread or Sunflower Spinach Parmesan Bread
- 1/2 cup cooked Great Northern, Cannellini or other white beans
- 2 whole canned tomatoes
- Granulated garlic
- Red Robin seasoning (or seasoned salt)
- Italian seasoning
Salad
- Mixed greens
- Red onions, thinly sliced
- Feta cheese crumbles
- Fresh basil leaves
- Sunflower seeds, toasted
- Lowfat garlic ranch dressing (I used this one) … or I think a garlicky balsamic vinaigrette would be nice on this salad too …
Directions:
- In a small bowl, mix the olive oil and granulated garlic. Cut the bread into cubes, and brush lightly with the olive oil. Bake at 400 degrees for about 5 – 10 minutes or until the bread is toasted and crunchy.
- While the croutons are baking, put the beans in a small bowl and crush the tomatoes over them, allowing the juices to drip into the beans, then add the tomatoes. Season to taste with garlic, Red Robin seasoning and Italian seasoning. Heat the beans in the microwave or a small pan till they are hot.
- Assemble the salad: in a salad bowl, toss the greens with the onions, beans, and croutons. Sprinkle with feta, basil leaves, and sunflower seeds and drizzle with the dressing.
This recipe was shared at Totally Tasty Tuesdays, Midweek Fiesta, Cast Party Wednesday, Tastetastic Thursdays, Fit & Fabulous Fridays and Weekend Potluck.
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Bean with Bacon Soup
What was your favorite soup growing up? I remember I really, really loved Campbell’s Bean with Bacon soup. I’ve discovered lately, though, that the canned soups just don’t have as much flavor as I remember … so when Melissa from ChinDeep posted a recipe for Bean with Bacon Soup, well, I just had to try it. I love making soups, and it was raining this morning and this seemed like just the perfect thing to make … I ate two bowls of it for lunch. And now I’m tempted to go have another bowl of soup for supper.
Bean with Bacon Soup
Adapted from ChinDeep
- 4 slices of bacon
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 3 celery stalks, chopped including the leaves
- 2 large cloves garlic, minced
- 2-3 teaspoons chopped, fresh rosemary
- 3 cups cooked Great Northern Beans
- 1 large red potato, cut into chunks
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup crushed tomatoes with juices
- Several baby carrots, sliced (or 1 long carrot)
- 1 bay leaf
- freshly ground pepper
- chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
In a large pot, cook the bacon until just lightly browned. It should still be floppy. Remove the bacon, set on a clean dry towel to soak up the fat, and pour out the excess fat from the pan. Loosely chop the bacon and set aside.
Add the onion, garlic, and celery to the pot and sautee over medium high heat until the onion is translucent and soft. Add everything but the reserved bacon and parsley leaves and bring the soup to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes or so or until the potatoes are tender.
Add the bacon, and heat just until the bacon is hot. Serve hot, garnished with fresh parsley leaves.
This recipe was shared at Sunday Night Soup Night.
Crunchy Beef, Bean and Egg Breakfast Tacos
This is no ordinary taco … Do you see what’s inside there? I tried to get up really close and personal, but I know it’s still a little hard to tell … okay, yeah, I know the name of this post kinda gave it away … there are eggs in that taco! Oh I put taco meat in there, too, and refried beans, and cheese … ooh can’t forget the cheese. Yes, salsa too, and peppers and onions. And even though it’s for breakfast, I added the lettuce and cilantro. I would’ve added tomatoes too if I had had some readily available, but then again, there are tomatoes in the salsa.
Crunchy Beef, Bean, & Egg Breakfast Tacos
- Taco shells
- 1 egg (or more depending on how many tacos you want to make … 1 egg makes about 2 tacos), beaten, sprinkled with Red Robin Seasoning (or just salt & pepper)
- Taco meat (I use a seasoning mix to make my taco meat … but I don’t actually use beef, I use ground venison. It’s leaner and tastier and you don’t have to wonder whether it was free range or grass fed …)
- Refried beans (canned or make your own, whatever … most of the time I try to make my own, but sometimes I use the canned kind)
- Sharp cheddar and/or other shredded Mexican cheese
- Chopped onion & bell pepper (or use a hotter pepper like jalapeno if you prefer!)
- Your favorite salsa
- Chopped lettuce and cilantro and tomato (if desired)
Directions:
- Heat the taco shells in the oven till they’re crispy. Heat the refried beans in a pan or in the microwave.
- Add a couple tablespoons of taco meat per egg to the beaten egg. Heat a sautee pan over medium heat and add the onions and peppers and sautee briefly to soften the onions a bit.
- Pour the egg and meat mixture over the onions and peppers and then top with shredded cheese. Lower the heat to medium low and scooch the egg mixture around in the pan, sort of scrambling it a bit, but leaving the cheese on top. Cook until the cheese is melted and the egg is done.
- For each taco, spread one side of the crisp taco shell with refried beans, then add the egg mixture. Top with salsa and lettuce.
This recipe was shared at Totally Tasty Tuesdays, Newlyweds Recipe Linky, Tastetastic Thursdays, Midweek Fiesta and It’s a Keeper Thursdays.
My Sister’s Simple Trick for Cooking Beans
Somehow I had convinced myself I couldn’t cook beans. I had tried and tried and every time I tried to cook up some dried beans, they just didn’t have the flavor I wanted. I could make a great chili and soups with beans IN them, but I couldn’t manage to cook up plain old beans that were as good in flavor as the ones you buy in a can.
So I resigned myself to buying canned beans. Yes, I’m fully aware of the BPA issues in canned foods. I tried not to think about that.
At holidays when we were all up at my parents’ place, my sister would bring a little container of black beans she had cooked up and we would toss them on chips with cheese a microwave them for a quick snack with salsa.
Her beans were so good, I asked her what her secret was. And she told me.
Here’s the secret:
A bay leaf. That’s it. She puts the dried beans in a pan with a bay leaf, some chopped garlic, some water and simmers them (partially covered) until they’re done. She says the secret is you do NOT salt them till they’re tender.
Okay, so I tried it, first with black beans and it turned out wonderfully! Just like hers. Then I did pinto beans. Perfect! YES! … and this batch you see here was some Cannellini beans for my Cannellini hummus. Sometimes I have to add some water because it cooks off, but I have finally mastered the art of cooking beans!
It takes an hour or two for the beans to get good and soft, but when they turn out this good, who needs to buy canned beans?
(My sister says the salting rule goes for salty meat too … if you want to add bacon or ham or other salty meat, wait until the beans are tender, then add the meat. Cook them for 20 minutes or so after you add the meat to let the flavor soak in.)
I LOVE YOU SIS!
(And by the way, you can freeze cooked beans. My parents insist that you can’t, but I do. I have even served some of the beans I cooked then froze and reheated and they couldn’t tell the difference. HA!)
Cannellini Bean Hummus with Feta & Oregano
I have a not-so-secret fascination with hummus. That creamy garlicky lemony dip with a kick of tahini … ah it is one of my very favorite foods. I snack on it, spread it on my sandwiches, would probably bathe in it if I had enough of it! Well, no, that would be a waste. Because I would want to eat every. last. little. bit. I would be licking the tub. That would not be pretty.
That is how much I love hummus. I have seen hummus made with cannellini beans instead of chickpeas, so I had to give that a whirl. Oh, it turned out delicious. Too bad it is already gone … I didn’t make enough! So I recommend you double the recipe. Or maybe triple it? I SO need to make some more.
Cannellini Hummus with Feta and Oregano
- 1 c. cooked cannellini beans
- 1 t. olive oil
- 3 cloves of garlic
- A bit of lemon zest
- Juice from 1/2 a lemon
- 2 T. crumbled feta cheese
- A few sprigs of fresh oregano or 1/2 t. dried oregano
- 2 T. pinon nuts
- A few drops of sesame oil
Blend all ingredients in a blender or food processor till smooth. Add a little water if you need to for getting it to blend smooth. Serve with toasted pita chips.
How to toast pitas into chips:
Spray a baking pan with cooking spray. Cut the pitas into wedges and arrange in a single layer on the pan. Spray liberally with cooking spray. Bake at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes or until lightly brown and crisp.
Baked Eggplant Cannellini Burgers with Hummus
I am not a vegetarian. Admittedly, I do have a great affinity for vegetables, but I’ve never ever made vegie burgers before.
But when I saw these Eggplant burgers on the Tolerant Vegan’s blog, I wanted to make them. BADLY … it took me a few days, but I did! I tried to follow her recipe pretty closely, but I never can quite follow directions when I’m cooking.
This time I used the precious white eggplant my mom gave me. See the white one there, hiding amongst the little purple ones? I used the whole thing. It was over a cup, but not that much.
Blending the mixture took me a while because I don’t have a food processor, just a little handi-chopper. I thought my blender would blend it TOO smooth, so I did several batches of blending … it was a messy process that I’m sure would have been MUCH easier with a proper food processor.
Baked Eggplant Cannellini Burgers
Ingredients:
- 1 red onion, diced
- 1 14 ounce can cannellini beans
- 1/2 an eggplant (should equal about 1 cup)
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- Several fresh basil leaves
- 1 tablespoon pine nuts, toasted
- 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 1 teaspoon Red Robin Seasoning (or seasoned salt)
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 cup hummus (I bet Basil-iferous hummus would be nice in these …)
- 1 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs
- 1 T. pesto
- tomato, sliced for topping (optional)
- lettuce, for topping (optional)
- red onion, for topping (optional)
Hey, why do they call red onions “red”? They are not red; they are most definitely purple!
Directions:
- Roast the eggplant by cutting it into 1/4″ slices and spraying each side with cooking oil.
- Bake for 10 minutes at 400 on one side, then flip and bake on the other side a few minutes till cooked through.
- Place the eggplant, onion, beans, parsley, basil, pine nuts, garlic, seasoned salt, hummus and cumin into a large bowl and stir to mix.
- Place the mixture into a food processor and blend everything together. This step took me a LOT longer than 15 seconds … (oh if I only had a REAL food processor!)
- Pour back into the bowl and stir in the breadcrumbs.
- Spray a baking pan with cooking spray. Form into patties and place the “burgers” on the baking pan. Nikki (the Tolerant Vegan) made 4 big burgers. I like to eat little bites of things, so I made 9 “slider size” burgers.
- Bake at 400 degrees F. for 20 minutes on one side. Flip the burgers, then bake about 20 – 25 minutes on the other side, till nicely browned.
- Serve on buns (or toasted ciabatta!) with hummus, lettuce tomato, red onion and tomato.
Someday (when I find tahini!) I would like to try Nikki’s tahini sauce on these …
