Mushroom Swiss Quesadillas

Grilled flour tortillas filled with mushrooms (sauteed in balsamic vinegar, olive oil, white wine, and garlic), Swiss cheese, and scallions. Really easy, really tasty.

Green Smoothie

This was so good I almost cried. For realz. It was more delicious than a Whataburger chocolate milkshake (if one can even fathom such.) I made it without the spinach first, and then decided to try it as a green smoothie. Good idea. Here’s the breakdown for a one serving smoothie:

2-3 cups baby spinach
1 cup strawberries (fresh, frozen)
½ cup soymilk
½ cup orange juice
½ banana
1 tbsp honey
1 blop of plain, unflavored yogurt
2 medium ice cubes

Dig it.

Veggie Burrito

Pre-Roll (above) Post-Roll (below)

Veggie Burrito. High fiber tortilla filled with brown rice, black beans, avocado, light cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, salsa, sour cream, red peppers, purple onion, cilantro.

It's Me. Blogging.

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An Aside...

A quick clue-in: My seemingly interesting food creations are really just recreations of restaurant items that I hate spending my oh-so-limited cash on. In other words, my inner cheapsake rears its ugly head and Voila! I've learned how to make my favorite dish for half the menu price. I owe this personality tick to my father, who inculcated an unmatched sense of thrift in me and my sisters since our birth. Thanks, Dad. Not only will I NEVER buy a pair of shoes that I think I might wear less than 100 times, but I will also feel guilty every time I eat at nice restaurant.... FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE.

More recipes to come...

Italian Pasta Salad

3 cups bowtie pasta
5 oz baby mozzerella cheese, cubed ( or feta cheese)
2 cups baby spinach leaves, chopped

1/4 cup sliced black olives

1 cup soy pepperoni (I used the Smart Deli - Lightlife brand, but it tasted a little funny...)

4 tbsp Good Season's Italian dressing (packet), prepared as directed.

1/2 cup jarred roasted red peppers

1/2 cup artichoke hearts, quartered

1/4 cup pepperoncini's, chopped

1/2 cup sliced purple onion

Prepare pasta as directed. Drain and rinse with cold water. Toss with remaining ingredients and serve at room temperature or chilled. Serves 3.

Keep in mind that all of my recipes are impromptu. Add or subtract anything you see fit. And let me know if you have some suggestions.

Vegetable Tofu Stirfry w/ Brown Rice

1 cup brown rice
1 can of baby corn
1 pack of extra firm tofu (see notes on tofu prep)
1/2 white onion
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup of chopped red bell pepper
1/4 cup of chopped green bell pepper
2 green onions, sliced long ways
1 carrot, sliced
Handful sliced mushrooms
1/4 frozen green peas
1/2 cup Stirfry Marinade (recipe below)


Prepare rice as directed. Mix and marinate veggies and tofu. Heat 1 TBSP olive oil in wok or large skillet. Stirfry mixture for about 10 minutes, serve over rice. Serves 2-4.

Stirfry Marinade - no measurements, just add a bit of this and a bit of that to taste.

Soy sauce
Honey
Worchestershire
Garlic Chili Sauce
Lime juice
Brown sugar
Black Pepper
Crushed Red pepper
Rice Vinegar

Also - Kraft makes an awesome light Asian Sesame salad dressing. I threw in a little of that as well.

Notes on tofu prep: Tofu is a tricky ingredient. It can be horribly bland with icky texture. Or it can be super firm and full of flavor. When I buy a pack of tofu, I usually drain the liquid, slice longways, and place on several layers of paper towels. Then I press the tofu under a heavy book for 10-20 minutes. Sometimes I freeze the tofu slices (because I've been told that frozen, then defrosted tofu absorbs more flavor), but it depends on how much time I have before actually using the tofu.

Portabello Red Pepper Sandwich w/ Balsamic Salad

Broadstreet Bakery no longer owns my soul. Their Vegetarian Portabello sandwich used to keep me up at night. For years, I could find no match for its divinity. So...I made its match myself. (Pardon the alliteration.) And, YES, that pesto is homemade!

2 slices of 'good bread'
schmear of light cream cheese
spoonful of almond pesto (see recipe below)
portabello mushroom slices
red pepper slices
marinade (see below)
fresh tomato slices

Sautee mushrooms and red peppers in marinade. (apple cider vinegar, worschteshire sauce, balsamic, EVOO - dash of each.) Spread pesto on one slice of bread, cream cheese on the other. Mushrooms/peppers on top of the cream cheese, tomato slices on top of the pesto. Bake in the oven at 400 degrees for about 5-10 minutes. OR press on a panini grill for a few minutes. Serve with a simple salad & balsamic vinigrette.

SIMPLE PESTO

3 cups of fresh basil
1/2 cup of EVOO
2 cloves of garlic
dash of lemon juice
few tablespoons of water
1/2 cup parm cheese
1/2 cup of slivered almonds

Blend in food processor for several minutes. Note: Most pestos use pine nuts, but almonds are easier to find, cheaper, and they work just as well. (In my most humble opinion.)

Sushi (Sans le Poisson)

1 pack seaweed sheets (full size, not the hand wraps)
1 cup white rice
3 medium carrots
1 ripe avacado
1/2 bunch of fresh asparagus
1 cucumber
2 green onions
4 oz. cream cheese (light)
Splash of rice vinegar
1/2 tsp cane sugar
soy sauce
prepared wasabi
pickled ginger root


Prep: Cook rice as directed. While the rice is boiling, lightly steam asparagus (on stovetop or in microwave), set aside. Julienne carrots, cucumber, and green onions. Cube cream cheese into small pieces. Set all fillings aside. Scoop cooked rice into large mixing bowl. Add rice vinegar and sugar, let cool. Rice should be somewhat sticky. It will be the "glue" in the roll. Place seaweed sheet smooth side down on a cutting board. Cover with rice. Add veggies, cream cheese. Any combination. Leave out what you don't like, fill up with your favorites. Roll it up (like a joint, a cigarette, or whatever you fancy on the side). Place seam side down on cutting board. Repeat. This should make about 6 rolls. Slice each roll long ways. Et Voila! Serve with ginger, wasabi, and soy sauce.

Notes: Most - but not all - sushi contains some type of fish product. Crabmeat, crispy shrimp, tuna, etc. While I do eat some fish, I'm very picky about it - so I just leave it out. I suggest using only the veggies... I doubt you'll even miss the fish. For all the technical jargon associated with this most delicate edible art, please reference the book, Sushi: Made Easy.

Next time I will post pictures of sushi in the making, so you can see each step more clearly. I had some friends over to make this and everyone was surprised at how simple it is. Try it!! I think you'll like it...

Also, most instructional guides will suggest using bamboo mats to roll the sushi. However, I've found that it's just as easy to roll by hand and it means one less tool to wash after dinner...