Cheese, glorious Cheese!

I always end up with a bunch of leftover parsley or cilantro and I’m never quite sure how to use it up. I saw this quesadilla recipe in my Phytopia Cookbook and thought the parsley spread was a clever way to prevent waste. Turns out that parsley is chock full of Vitamins A, C and Iron. And this recipe is versatile. You could make all kinds of parsley spreads using this basic recipe. Switch out the nuts, add some lemon juice, maybe throw in a few olives…just use your imagination and whatever you have laying around. I think a version of the paste would be excellent as a “sauce” for whole wheat pasta.

I renamed the recipe Jumping Pepita Quesadilla because:

1. I’m a big dork
2. The pumpkin seeds really do jump when you toast them, which I find entertaining

The Phytopia Cookbook is teh shizz. I’ve used mine heavily for many years and it’s all banged up and warped from spillage. All of the recipes I’ve tried are insanely healthy and delicious. Go buy it, you will love it.

Jumping Pepita Quesadillas

Adapted from The Phytopia Cookbook. You will need a food processor for this recipe.

Serves 4

For the spread:
1/3 cup raw unsalted pepitas (pumpkin seeds, found in the bulk section of Whole Foods or in the Mexican food section of larger grocery stores)
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded
1 clove garlic, peeled
1 1/2 cups fresh cilantro, rinsed and dried
1 cup fresh parsley leaves, rinsed and dried
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil

For the ‘dilla:
1 medium tomato
8 whole-wheat flour tortillas
1 cup grated Cheddar or Mexican blend cheese

1. Toast pumpkin seeds in a dry skillet over medium-high heat for a few minutes. They will start to jump and pop. Giggle with glee. Stir the seeds to prevent burning.
2. Mince jalapeno and garlic in a food processor. Careful, son. That’s raw garlic!
3. Add the remaining spread ingredients and process until you have a paste.
4. Finely dice the tomato. Assemble the ‘dilla by smearing 1/4 of the spread on a tortilla. Sprinkle with 1/4 of the tomato and about 1/4 cup of the cheese. Top with a second tortilla. Repeat for the remaining quesadillas.
5. Place each quesadilla in a skillet over medium high heat. Cook on each side until toasted, a few minutes. Cut into wedges and serve.

Uploaded with plasq‘s Skitch!

I have a bonus feature for you. I calculated the nutritional value of each ‘dilla on NutriMirror.com. Check out the numbers on this thing! Can you believe how nutritious a quesadilla can be? And this spread is yummy! If you are concerned about the fat and sodium, simply use low fat cheese and reduce the amount of salt in the spread.

When I first started shooting pro, I was told “get down close and shoot it like porn”…and natural light is best.

Check out Laura’s tasty food photos here.

She was right. Is this too much? It is, isn’t it.

Figs are said to be an aphrodisiac

Fig and Chile Pasta

Adapted from this recipe on Culinate.com. You should check out Culinate, it’s all about being healthy and conscientious while not totally depriving yourself.

Serves 4-6 as a side dish

12 dried figs
2 lemons
1- 6 oz container plain fat-free yogurt
12 oz whole-wheat fettuccine
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 fresh chile, seeded and finely chopped (don’t do what I did and dose yourself with too much chile. Ouch!)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1. Put a large pot of salted water on to boil.
2. Cut figs in halves or quarters and place cut-side up on a plate. I chose to use dried figs because the fresh ones at Whole Foods looked manky that day.
3. Grate the zest from the lemons and squeeze the juice of one lemon into the yogurt. Stir in the lemon zest.
4. Once you have achieved a righteous boil on the water, add the pasta and cook according to the package.
5. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. I cut the amount from the original recipe in half, just cuz. Add the figs and chile and cook for a couple of minutes. When the mixture looks softened remove it from the heat.
6. Drain the fettuccine, return it to the pot and stir in the lemon yogurt, the Parmesan and the fig and chile mixture. Serve immediately.

Plain yogurt makes a quick and healthy pasta sauce a la alfredo…stop laughing. OK, it’s not exactly alfredo, but it IS tasty. Is there anything yogurt can’t do? The final product is pictured below, next to the Heirloom Tomato Salad I wrote about on Houstonist.

I got a little behind in my posting. As you can see, this recipe is for late summer veggies, but it’s pretty much still summer in Houston so I figured I squeeze this one in. You can substitute the veggies in this recipe for what’s in season in your ‘hood. The standout here is the homemade pizza crust. If you have never done this before, don’t be scared. It’s really easy. The hardest part is waiting for the dough to rise for ~2 hours. This crust recipe is adapted from Smitten Kitchen. Go visit Smitten Kitchen! It’s food pr0n!

Homemade Late Summer Pizza

Makes one thin crust pizza that will serve 2 hungry adults
Total time 2-2.5 hours
Cost per pizza about $8

For the dough:
3/4 cups white flour
3/4 cups wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
1/2 cup lukewarm water
1 tablespoon olive oil

For the toppings:
1 teaspoon olive oil
2-3 Heirloom tomatoes, different varieties
1 small zucchini squash
1 ounce fresh goat cheese
1/2 cup shredded smoked mozzarella
Italian seasoning

1. Mix the flours, salt and yeast in a large bowl. Add the water and olive oil, stirring mixture into a ball. You will probably not be able to make it into a homogenous ball, but there’s an easy fix for that. Smitten Kitchen says to dump everything onto a floured surface and let it sit, covered by the empty bowl, for a few minutes. When you come back to it you should be able to incorporate every bit into a ball.
2. Knead the dough a few times: fold it in half, press it with the palms of your hands, turn it a quarter turn, repeat. Lightly oil the bowl and roll the dough ball around the bowl to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rise for 1-2 hours, until it has doubled in size.
3. Dump the dough back onto the floured surface and press the air out of it. Make it into a ball again and let it rest covered for another 20 minutes.
   
4. Preheat the oven to its highest temperature. Halve the tomatoes, then slice as thinly as you can. Slice the zucchini thinly. You can use a mandoline like I do to get super thin slices quickly.

5. With a rolling pin, roll the dough out onto the floured surface. I shoot for about a 12 inch round, but I can never get it perfectly rounded. My crusts have a more “organic” shape. Brush the top of the dough with the olive oil, then arrange the sliced veggies on top. Drop little dollops of goat cheese around the pizza, then top with the smoked mozzarella. Sprinkle on some Italian seasoning.
6. Sprinkle a little cornmeal on a baking sheet and slide the pizza on. Bake in the super hot over for about 10-12 minutes or until the cheese is browned and the crust is blistery.

I double this recipe and make two pies because this combo is heavenly and it goes fast. The smoked mozzarella gives it a meatiness, and the tomatoes and zucchini keep it light. This can be easily adapted to any season. Just use whatever is cheap and prominently displayed in the produce section. That’s usually how I remember what’s in season.

Surprise! I cook in a closet with a dorm 'fridge.

That is a SAD picture. Just look at my empty little ‘fridge! There’s no way I could create a meal with those offerings, right? Not really. When I find the ‘fridge empty I can always head to the cupboard, which I know will be stocked. That’s the key to cooking on the fly: a well stocked pantry. I won’t claim that what emerges from the pot is the most gourmet of meals, but sometimes I just need a quick healthy meal that doesn’t require a trip to the store.

Here’s how it usually plays out:

The Base: A pasta or grain of some sort. Pastas, rices, and grains can keep for several months in a cool dry place. I always have several options on hand. Tonight, I’m going for the whole wheat rotini pasta. Once it was cooked and drained I added…

The Veg: Here’s where canned soups and veggies are a busy gal’s best friend. Stick to low sodium soups and you can get quite a bit of nutrition for very little work. My other staple is a couple kinds of frozen veggies. I usually have spinach, broccoli and peas in the freezer at all times. I can grab a cup or so and add to a one-pot meal for a quick vitamin dose. For this concoction I reached for the spinach and some canned tomato soup.

Half-assed meal, half-assed photography

The Protein: No meat here, just dried or canned beans or lentils. When I’m traveling a lot I don’t keep meat around, so for these quickie meals I turn to legumes for the protein. Lentils go well with the flavors I picked out, so I cooked up a half cup and added them to the cooked pasta and veggies.

Tha Flavah: Cured olives, parmesan cheese, balsamic vinegar, pressed garlic, canned broths and spices can liven up what appears to be a rather dull meal. I had some parmesan in the back of the fridge, so I topped the pasta with a little and sprinkled on some Italian seasoning.

Those olive chips are TAY-STEE

These half-assed meals are typically one-pot, which makes preparing and cleaning up much easier. This particular meal took me about 25 minutes to prepare. Much of the time was hands off, giving me a chance to do other chores like laundry. Multitasking FTW!

I got fancy with the garnish

Real Simple is a great place to troll for recipes. The name says what it does, the recipes are simple and usually healthy. I like that they put the nutrition information at the bottom, too.

No-Cook Couscous and Heirloom Tomato Salad

Serves 4 as a main dish
Total time: 20 minutes
Cost per serving $3-4
1/2 cup whole wheat couscous
1/2 cup bulgur
1 medium lemon
2 large Heirloom (or beefsteak) tomatoes
2-3 green onions
1/4 cup fresh mint
1/4 cup (2 ounces) roasted almonds, roughly chopped
1 – 15.5-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup grated or shredded parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

1. Microwave 1 1/2 cups water until almost boiling, about 2 minutes. Place the couscous and bulgur in a large bowl, pour the hot water over the top, cover, and let sit for 10 minutes. The bulgur should be tender, and there is no need to drain. Fluff the mixture with a fork.
2. While the grains are soaking, grate the zest from the lemon and set aside. Chop the tomatoes into large chunks, slice the green onions, and chop the mint and almonds.
3. Dump everything into the grains. Slice the lemon in half and squeeze the juice into the bowl. Stir to combine.

Oh, did I mention it’s also a one bowl recipe? See how easy I make things for you?

A few months ago I was on a muffin kick. Fayza joked that every time she called me to ask me what I was up to my response was “Making muffins”. I tweaked this recipe until I got it the way I like it, and I swear to you I’m so eager to eat these in the morning that I almost want to wake up early so I can get at them sooner.

I said almost.

They're not pretty, but they sure do taste good

Best Breakfast Bran Muffins EVER

(it’s important that you capitalize EVER, should you pass this recipe around)

Hands on time: 15 min
Baking time: 20 min per batch
Makes 12 good sized muffins

1 cup wheat bran (find it at Whole Foods in the bulk section or at some larger grocery stores in the health food aisle)
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup whole wheat flour (I suppose you could use all purpose flour instead of wheat, but you lose the nutrition benefits of whole wheat)
1 ¼ teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 to 1/4 cup flaxseeds (optional, but I like the texture they give and they are full of good stuff)
1 ¼ cup buttermilk
1/3 cup sugar (original recipe uses 1/2 cup, but I don’t think it’s necessary)
1-4 ounce single serving cup of apple sauce
1 egg
1½ Tablespoon canola oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350° F. Spray no-stick spray into the cups of a muffin tin.
2. In a large bowl mix the wheat bran, white and wheat flours, baking soda, salt and flax seeds (if using). Set aside.
3. In a smaller bowl, mix the remaining ingredients. Stir them around for about 30 seconds to make sure the sugar is mostly dissolved.
4. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry, and stir until just combined. Spoon or pour batter into the prepared muffin tin. Bake the muffins for 20 minutes. Let cool in the pan, then pop them out.
5. Go ahead and eat one now. They’re healthy

Frou Frou Franks and Beans

The beans will serve 3-4, and you can make as many hot dogs as mouths that want ‘em
Total time: 10 minutes
Cost per serving: $3-4

1 can white beans (cannellini they are sometimes called)
1 can chunky tomato soup
1 cup frozen spinach
1-2 tsp balsamic vinegar

low-fat, all-natural hot dogs
whole wheat hot dog buns
roasted corn and poblano salsa from Whole Foods, or pico de gallo
Lemonaise (I love this stuff. You can get it at Whole Foods or just use regular mayo or even mustard.)

1. Drain and rinse the beans under running water and put in a pot. Add the tomato soup and the spinach and heat over med-high heat.
2. Heat a skillet over medium heat and spray with a little no-stick spray. Cut the hot dogs lengthwise down the center, but not all the way through. Flatten them out and place cut side down on the skillet. Heat for a few minutes.
3. While the dogs are cooking, open the buns and scoop out some of the bread on one side, like the picture shows. It will look like a boat. Fill the boat with salsa or pico de gallo. By removing some of the bread you can cram more salsa into the sandwich. Scrap a thin layer of lemonaise on the other side.
   
4. Flip the dogs over and let heat through on the other side. Turn the heat off the beans and add the balsamic vinegar. I like mine tangy so I go for 2 tsp, but you can add one first and see if you want more.
5. Put the dogs in the buns and serve with the beans and a peach for desert.

How’s that for fancy franks and beans? That salsa really makes the dog. It’s spicy and cumin scented and just delicious. If you don’t want to use the salsa or pico that’s cool, my feelings won’t be hurt. You just won’t know what you’re missing

This is a weekend meal for me, mostly because it takes about 30 minutes to prepare. The salmon burgers a little on the expensive side, but they are one of my favorite convenience foods at Whole Foods. Plus, salmon is just so darn good for you. I realized when planning for this dinner that I was gonna dirty up quite a few pots, so I made one pot do double boil duty. Check out the deets below.

Double Boil Pasta Madness!!

Total time: 30 minutes
Cost per serving: about $8 (those salmon burgers aren’t cheap, but they are delicious!)

1/2 cup green lentils
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 medium sized white onion
2 large garlic cloves
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
1 cup frozen spinach
2 cups whole wheat pasta (I like to mix shapes like shells and rotini, but if you want to be all boring then just go for one type)
cooking spray
4 salmon burgers from Whole Foods, any flavor
a few handfuls of fresh spinach
a few spoonfuls of pico de gallo
salad dressing of choice

1. Fill a large pot with waaaaaay more water than you think you need to boil the lentils. Put the lentils in the pot and bring to a righteous boil. Low the heat and let the pot simmer. Now pay attention here, we’re gonna do some math, HOORAY! Lentils need about 25 minutes to get cooked through. Some people like ‘em way mushier, but I prefer then to hold their shape so 25 minutes is max for me. Look at the pasta package and see how long it will take to cook it al dente. Subtract that from 25 and that is how long you will let the lentils boil before you add the pasta. Por ejemplo:

   25 minutes for lentils – 13 minutes for pasta = 12 minutes the lentils boil before you add the pasta to the water

   Make sense? This way you only use one pot for both.

2. While the lentils are boil pre-pasta, heat the olive oil over medium heat in a medium sized SAUCE PAN. Not a skillet or a fry pan, but a sauce pan that can hold a few cups of liquid. Chop the onion and mince the garlic and add it to the oil. Stir for a few minutes until the onion gets a little translucent and the garlic is fragrant. Dump the entire contents of the canned tomatoes into the pot. Don’t drain them, you want the juice. Let that heat to a simmer, then add the frozen spinach and stir until the spinach is, uh, not frozen. Set the sauce on low heat on the back burner and cover.
3. By now you can probably dump the pasta into the simmering lentils and crank up the heat again just until it boils, then lower back to a simmer. Keep an eye on the time, because there is no sin less forgivable than overcooked pasta.
4. While the pasta cooks, heat a pan over medium heat and spray the pan with cooking spray. Add the salmon burgers to the skillet and cook about 6-7 minutes on each side. Meanwhile, make the spinach salad by tossing the spinach, pico de gallo and dressing in a bowl. This is DOUBLE SPINACH MADNESS, too!
5. When the pasta is done cooking drain the entire pot in a strainer and return the pasta/lentils to the big pot. Add the sauce to the pasta/lentils and stir to combine. Serve along side the salmon burgers and the salad.

When I make something a little more complicated like this, I try to think ahead to how I can reuse pots and pans, like for the pasta and lentils and then again for the sauce. I don’t have a dishwasher so this saves me time when I clean up, too.

My camera is on the fritz, so I had to use the BlackBerry to take this

Hummus Sandwich and Non-Authentic-But-Still-Delicious Tzatziki

Total time: 10 minutes tops
Total cost per serving: a couple of bucks?

2 cups plain non-fat yogurt
1 small cucumber
1 large tomato
1 small garlic clove
a handful of pita chips
1 piece of whole grain bread (I use Whole Foods Seeduction Loaf here)
about 2 tablespoons of prepared hummus
1-2 tablespoons prepared pico de gallo
a handful of spinach leaves
1-2 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese
a handful of cherries
1 kiwi fruit

1. Grate the cucumber on the small holes of a box grater, or if you don’t have a grater then chop the buh-jesus out of it. You want small pieces. Chop the tomato and mince the garlic fine. Mix all of that in a bowl with the yogurt. This is the tzatziki, or at least my version. You can sprinkle a little salt in there if you want, but I don’t think it needs that.
2. Cut the piece of bread in half. I am only making a halvsies sandwich here, you could go for a whole one. I just know that with the tzatziki and the fruit I won’t need a whole sandwich for dinner. Spread the hummus on one piece, then spread the pico de gallo and feta on top. Is it weird to put pico on a sandwich? I think it tastes delicious, and it’s so easy. Top with the spinach and the other piece of bread.
3. Serve the tzatziki with some pita chips, with the cherries and kiwi for dessert. I leave the peel on kiwi fruit and just eat it for the extra vitamins and fiber. Also possibly weird, but that’s how people from New Zealand eat it…or so I heard.
   ]]> http://www.drmiggy.com/2009/06/09/quick-and-cheap-dinner-hummus-sandwich-and-tzatziki/feed/ 1 http://www.drmiggy.com/2009/05/26/quick-and-cheap-dinner-oh-crap-i-forgot-the-veggies/ http://www.drmiggy.com/2009/05/26/quick-and-cheap-dinner-oh-crap-i-forgot-the-veggies/#comments Wed, 27 May 2009 03:54:37 +0000 drmiggy http://drmiggy.com/?p=413 Life happens, even to the most prepared. Tonight I got home ready to make a meal I’d been thinking about all day, when I realized that I left the veggies at work.

   Aside: Do you think it’s weird that I schlepp veggies to and from work?

   OK, not a major catastrophe, but certainly it cramped my style in the kitchen. I thought about what I could throw together that incorporates the two things I wanted to get out of dinner, namely vitamins and fiber. Legumes to the rescue! Luckily I had the foresight to cook up a pot of black beans last night while I was puttering around. If you don’t have fresh black beans then canned ones will work perfectly. Lentils are one of my favorite quick fixes for many things, including salads and canned soups. They give dishes more “heft”, and are full of vitamins.

   

   Not a Freakin’ Veggie Around

   Total time: 30 minutes
   Total cost per serving: approximately $6 each for two servings

   1 cup dried lentils
   2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
   2 tortillas (corn, wheat…whatever your fancy. There’s so much fiber in this meal from the beans and lentils that it’s OK to go for taste)
   1/2 cup black beans (canned non-fat refried black beans or mashed up fresh black beans will work)
   1/4 to 1/3 cup grated cheese (for my soul)
   pico de gallo
   1/2 cup chopped celery (I cheated and bought the pre-chopped stuff from the store, and it’s still only ~$1.30)
   1/4 cup chopped RED onion (ditto with the pre-chopped onion. I use red onion here because I’ll be eating it raw and red onions are milder)
   1 lemon
   dried thyme
   (all measurements are approximate, go with what tastes good to you)

   1. Put the lentils in a pot and cover 1-2 inches with water. Bring to a righteous boil, then reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes. I like my lentils firm, but some folks like ‘em so mushy you can’t tell that they were ever solid. If you fall into the latter category then simmer them for up to 30 minutes.
   2. Meanwhile, cook the chicken in a pan over med-hi heat about 5 minutes on each side, depending on the thickness. You want to make sure it’s cooked all the way through, so check it by cutting if you’re unsure. While the chicken cooks spread the black beans on the tortillas. If you aren’t using pre-chopped onions and celery then now would be the time to chop.
   3. Once the chicken is done let it cool down until you can handle it, then cut it into chunks, smaller than bite size. Sprinkle the chicken on each tortilla, then the cheese. You might not use all the chicken, but that’s OK. Just save it for another meal.
   4. Put the tortillas in a toaster oven or a real oven and heat until the cheese melts. Top the tortillas with pico de gallo.
   5. Once the lentils are cooked strain out the water and let them cool a minute or two. Put the celery and onion in a bowl. Grate the lemon zest off the lemon, careful not to get the bitter white part, just the zest. Add that to the bowl. Cut the lemon and squeeze the juice into the bowl. Dump the lentils in with dried thyme to taste, and mix thoroughly. Serve with grapes, which are pretty much nature’s candy right now.

   To be fair, some might consider celery, onions and tomatoes veggies, but I don’t. Tomatoes are technically a fruit, there’s so little onion in this dish that it accounts for minimal nutritional value, and celery I just arbitrarily don’t consider a veggie, for no good reason. Don’t you love how I force things to fit into my description?

   I want to give one more shout out to black beans and lentils. Check out the links to see how badass these are nutrition-wise. Should you be concerned about the unpleasant after-effects of eating legumes, I have one word for you: Beano. That stuff is miraculous.

   ]]> http://www.drmiggy.com/2009/05/26/quick-and-cheap-dinner-oh-crap-i-forgot-the-veggies/feed/ 3