Tortilla and Black Bean Pie

Let’s hear it for another not-so-pretty dinner, but it was OH, SO GOOD!!!  I knew we would like this dinner just by reading the recipe, but it far exceeded my expectations.  It was really simple to put together and had fantastic flavor.   I think it is good without the sour cream and salsa, but adding those really put it over the top to awesomeness (yes, it’s a word!)  It was delicious as leftovers too.  We are happy with vegetarian dishes but for those who must have some meat in their meals, I’m sure you could add some grilled chicken or ground beef to the bean mixture and it would be wonderful that way as well.  What else can I say, just an all-around winner!

Tortilla and Black Bean Pie

Ingredients:

4 (10-inch) flour tortillas

1 tbsp. canola oil

1 large onion, diced

1 jalapeno chile, seeded and minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

½ tsp. ground cumin

coarse salt and ground pepper

2 (15-oz.) cans black beans, drained and rinsed

12 oz. beer, or 1 ½ cups water

1 (10-oz.) package frozen corn

4 scallions, thinly sliced, plus more for garnish

8 oz. shredded Mexican cheese

sour cream and salsa, for serving

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°.  Using a paring knife, trim tortillas to fit a 9-inch springform pan, using the bottom of the pan as a guide.  Set aside.

 

Heat oil in skillet over medium heat.  Add onion, jalapeno, garlic, and cumin; season with salt and pepper.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, 5-7 minutes.

 

Add beans and beer to skillet and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer until liquid has almost evaporated, 8-10 minutes.  Stir in corn and scallions and remove from heat.  Season with salt and pepper.

 

Fit a trimmed tortilla in the bottom of the springform pan; layer with ¼ of the beans and sprinkle evenly with some of the cheese.  Repeat three times, using all of the remaining cheese on the top layer.  Bake until hot and cheese is melted, 20-25 minutes.  Unmold pie; garnish with scallions.  To serve, slice into wedges and serve with sour cream and salsa.

Source: Liz’s Cooking Blog

Tropical Fruit Salad

This was a quick and easy dish to add to the shower menu.  I think this is a really nice change from regular old fruit salad.  I am not crazy about cantaloupe or papaya myself, but I enjoyed this overall.  I think it would be great to mix it up a little with some other tropical fruits like kiwi, starfruit, etc.  My favorite thing about this is the gorgeous color palette it brings to the table.  I also enjoyed making this because I learned how to cut both papaya and cantaloupe properly. 

A side note about the shower menu - several people have asked for recipes not yet posted.  The remaining recipes I will be posting include smoked salmon rolls, pesto palmiers and pineapple chicken salad.  Look forward to those, they should be posted in the next couple of days.

Tropical Fruit Salad

Ingredients:

½ cup shredded coconut

1 ripe pineapple, peeled, cored and cut into ½ - inch chunks

1 ripe papaya, peeled, seeded and cut into ½ - inch chunks (or small scoops)

1 ripe cantaloupe, peeled, seeded and cut into ½ - inch chunks (or small scoops)

1 ripe mango, peeled, pitted and cut into ½ - inch chunks

6 fresh mint leaves (optional)

 

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°.  Spread the coconut on a baking sheet and toast in the oven until golden, about 5 minutes.  Set aside to cool.

 

Combine all the fruit in a large bowl and mix together.  Just before serving add the toasted coconut and toss to mix well.  Garish with mint leaves if desired.

Source: adapted from Williams Sonoma

Spinach Feta Pine Nut Tart

Wow, I’ve had a lot of awesome successes in the kitchen lately but I am a bit behind on blogging them.  Hopefully I will be caught up in the next couple of days.  I actually made this tart last week, and it was so wonderful that I just had to make sure I blogged about it.  It was fairly simple to throw together.  The phyllo is a little bit of extra work but I think it was definitely worth it in the end.  I had smaller phyllo sheets than the recipe calls for so I had some filling I didn’t use, but it worked out fine.  While typing up the recipe I realized I made several minor errors while cooking, probably due to lack of sleep, but it still turned out fantastic so I think this is a very forgiving recipe.  I served it with baked garlic rice pilaf and it was a wonderful meal!

Spinach, Feta and Pine Nut Tart

Ingredients:

½ cup pine nuts

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 tbsp. olive oil

2 10-oz. packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed

2 large eggs

½ tsp. salt

½ cup crumbled feta cheese (I probably used closer to 2/3 cup)

7 sheets phyllo dough (12”x17”)

5 tbsp. unsalted butter

6 tbsp. plus ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan

 

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375°.

 

Toast pine nuts in a small skillet over medium heat. 

 

Meanwhile, wet spinach leaves and place in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Cover and cook until spinach wilts, 2-3 minutes.  Wring dry and roughly chop.

 

In the same skillet used for the spinach, heat 1 tbsp. olive oil over medium-low heat.  Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally until softened.

 

In a large bowl, whisk eggs.  Stir in spinach, onions, pine nuts, salt and feta until well-combined.  (Filling can be made 1 day ahead, covered and chilled.  Bring to room temperature before proceeding.)

 

On a clean, dry work surface, stack phyllo sheets and cover with a damp towel.  In a small saucepan melt butter.  Allow to cool slightly.  Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray.

 

Place one sheet phyllo dough on the baking sheet and brush lightly with melted butter.  Sprinkle 1 tbsp. Parmesan evenly over buttered phyllo and repeat, layering 5 more phyllo sheets, butter and 5 tbsp. Parmesan.  Arrange last phyllo sheet on top and brush lightly with butter.  Spoon filling onto phyllo, spreading evenly and leaving outer 1 ½ inches free of filling.  Fold edges of pastry over filling, leaving center uncovered, and lightly brush top of phyllo with butter.  Sprinkle remaining ¼ cup Parmesan over exposed filling.  Bake tart in middle of oven until golden, 25-30 minutes.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

Source: The Way the Cookie Crumbles

Spicy Broccoli Pasta

This is another staple in our dinner menu rotation.  We love this pasta dish because it is so simple yet delicious.  The red pepper flakes really allow you to control the “kick” of the dish, so add more if you enjoy a bit more spice.  It is excellent as leftovers as well.  I don’t have much else to say about it except that we love it!

Spicy Broccoli Pasta
Ingredients:
1 lb. broccoli
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 lb. pasta, cooked  

Directions:
Cook broccoli in boiling water, 3-5 minutes until just tender.  Heat oil in skillet over medium heat.  Add garlic.  Cook over medium heat until just golden, about 2 minutes.  Add drained broccoli and red pepper flakes, and cook 5 minutes.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Add hot sauce to cooked pasta.  Toss and serve. 

 

Source: Pasta by Dorling Kindersley

Tomato and Mozzarella Pasta al Forno

Oh my gosh, I *love* this dinner.  I have been eating this dish for several years.  In high school I was quite the pasta addict, and I bought my dad a pasta cookbook in an attempt to get him to serve it more often.  This is one of the great recipes that came from that book and I am still crazy about it.  I think I love it even more now because it is so simple and quick to make, and feeds us for multiple meals.  I don’t even have any tips or changes to add.  This is just a super yummy and easy recipe that is always a hit in our house.

 

Tomato and Mozzarella Pasta al Forno
Ingredients:
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2-14 oz. cans diced Italian plum tomatoes
1 tsp. dried oregano
S&P
1 lb. pasta (tubes)
8 oz. mozzarella cheese, cubed
2/3 c. parmesan 

Directions:
Heat oil in skillet.  Add garlic and cook over medium high heat, 1 min.  Add tomatoes and oregano and simmer rapidly, stirring occasionally until thickened, 15 min.  Add S&P.  Meanwhile, cook pasta.  Toss pasta with sauce.  Place half of pasta in an oiled 9×13” dish.  Cover with half parmesan and half mozzarella.  Top with remaining pasta, then parmesan and mozzarella.  Bake at 400° for 15 minutes. 

Source: Pasta by Dorling Kindersley

Black Bean Enchiladas

I have been cooking up a storm lately but haven’t had much time to update the blog and now I’m backed up with lots of great recipes to post! Now that I’m on break I should have plenty of time for posting so expect lots of updates in the near future.

I have had this recipe starred for a very long time now. I love black beans, I love enchiladas, therefore I knew I would love this dish. I also love how versatile the filling recipe is. It could be used for so many things - black bean dip, on top of nachos, mixed with rice, etc. We really loved it in enchilada form. I made the filling a day ahead so that I could have a pretty quick dinner by just assembling the enchiladas the next evening. I’m glad I did it that way because I doubt I would have had the energy for the whole process on a regular weeknight. I doubled the dip recipe and filled about 8 medium tortillas. We still had a fair amount of dip left over afterward, so that in addition to the leftover enchiladas fed us for a while. We will definitely be having this again.

Black Bean Enchiladas
Ingredients:
For the bean filling:
2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 tbsp. oil
1 cup chopped onion
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup corn kernels
1 ½ cups chopped tomatoes
1 cup salsa
2 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. chili powder
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
¼ cup fresh cilantro
2 tbsp. lime juice

For the enchiladas:
3 cups black bean filling (above)
8-10 medium flour tortillas
shredded Mexican cheese (about 2 cups)
1 can enchilada sauce

Directions:
To make the black bean filling, place the black beans in a medium sized mixing bowl. Partially mash the beans. In a medium sized skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Stir in onion and garlic and sauté for 4 minutes. Mix beans, corn, tomato, salsa, cumin, and chili powder into the skillet. Cook for 5 minutes or until thickened. Remove the pan from the heat, mix in cheese, cilantro and lime juice. Stir until cheese is melted.

Grease a 9×13” baking dish. Preheat oven to 350°. To make the enchiladas, spoon some of the black bean mixture down the center of a tortilla. Top with some cheese, fold sides over the filling and roll up. Place seam side down in the baking dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas. Pour sauce over the tops of the enchiladas. Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove foil, sprinkle with remaining shredded cheese and bake 2-3 minutes more or until cheese is melted.

Source: Two Novice Chefs, One Tiny Kitchen (Julia and Tyler’s blog)

Roasted Tomato Soup

When I was a kid, I hated tomato soup. I rarely ate it and certainly never requested it. Of course, that is probably because what I was used to being served as “tomato soup” was the kind from a Campbell’s can. I never understood the whole “tomato soup and grilled cheese” combination, because I couldn’t figure out why you would ruin one of the greatest sandwiches ever with nasty old tomato soup. Well, it turns out that my hubby actually grew up liking tomato soup (the same kind I hated) so last year I thought I would try to find a recipe to make for him - I had no intention of liking it. This is the recipe I ended up with and OH MY GOSH it is the BEST SOUP EVER!!! I am sure that I will never make another recipe for tomato soup because this is just the greatest. And, it pairs wonderfully with the amazing grilled cheese sandwich.

The only drawback to this soup during the winter is the use of fresh basil (I miss my herb garden!), but it is worth the price. I don’t think I use the full amount in the winter though - maybe closer to 1 cup. It doesn’t seem to make a big difference, just as long as you use some fresh basil. The original recipe also calls for fresh thyme but I wasn’t about to pay for any more fresh herbs, so I used dry instead. This soup is great to make ahead and eat throughout the week or to freeze for later.

Roasted Tomato Soup
Ingredients:
3 lbs. ripe tomatoes, cut in half, insides scooped out
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. kosher salt
1 1/2 tsp. pepper
2 cups chopped onion
6 garlic cloves
2 tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 (28 oz. can) whole or chopped tomatoes, with their juices
2 cups fresh basil leaves
1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves (or ½ tsp. dried)
4 cups chicken stock

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°.

Toss tomatoes, 1/4 cup olive oil, salt and pepper in a large mixing bowl. Spread tomatoes in 1 layer on a baking sheet covered in foil and roast in the oven for 45 minutes.

In a large stockpot over medium heat, sauté the onions and garlic with 2 tbsp. olive oil, butter, and red pepper flakes for 10 minutes until the onions start to brown. Add the canned tomatoes, roasted tomatoes, basil, thyme, and chicken stock. Bring to a boil and simmer uncovered for 40 min.

Pass through food processor. (I recommend doing this in two batches. I have a full-size food processor, but putting all of the soup in at once creates an enormous mess. Trust me on this one.)

Source: passed on to me by Nestie bakingblonde

Tortellini Primavera

This recipe has been a favorite of mine for a loooong time. It is smells so great when you are cooking the sauce, and it tastes amazing! I also love it because it is a very colorful dish (maybe not so evident from the pic, but it really is in person). My dad actually used to make this when I still lived at home and then I learned to make it when I moved out because I missed it a lot! Tonight I changed it up a little and used reduced-fat cream cheese to make it a little healthier, but I think the full-fat version is better. This also makes great leftovers - I always look forward to them.

Tortellini Primavera
Ingredients:
1 cup mushrooms, chopped
½ cup chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tbsp. margarine
10 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
8 oz. cream cheese
1 tomato, chopped
¼ cup milk
¼ cup parmesan cheese
1 t. Italian seasoning
salt and pepper, to taste
family size cheese-filled tortellini, cooked and drained

Directions:
Heat margarine in a skillet. Add mushrooms, onion and garlic and sautee. Add all remaining ingredients except tortellini. Heat until all have melted together and are well blended. Cook until the mixture just begins to boil, stirring occasionally. Stir in tortellini.

Source: Great American Favorite Brand Name Cookbook

Black Bean and Salsa Soup

This recipe has long been one of my favorites. It is incredibly simple, quick, healthy, and delicious - what more can you ask for? I love to make this when I get home from a long, busy day because it is so quick and easy but still tastes great. It is even great as a leftover. I think the garnish really adds something special to this soup, so I wouldn’t recommend skipping it.

Black Bean and Salsa Soup
Ingredients:
2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1.5 c. vegetable broth
1 c. salsa
1 t. cumin
sour cream, green onion, shredded cheese for garnishing

Directions:
Combine beans, broth, salsa and cumin in a food processor. Blend until fairly smooth. Heat soup in a saucepan over medium heat until thoroughly heated. Put soup in bowls and garnish as desired.

Source: Allrecipes

Pasta with Five Fresh Herbs

Another great dinner with ingredients straight out of my own herb garden. I realized tonight that back when I was first teaching myself to cook, more than half of my cooking repertoire was pasta dishes. Now that I have become more adventurous and actively sought out more variety, we don’t eat pasta nearly as often as we used to. That doesn’t mean I love it any less - it is still one of my most favorite foods This is an awesome dinner…really, really good. I am so glad I finally tried it. I don’t really know what else to say, except that you should try it!

I made a few of my own changes to the recipe. The original calls for 2 pints of cherry tomatoes, but that seemed like a lot to me and I only had one on hand, so I just used one pint and quartered them. I also doubled the amount of garlic. Below is the recipe with my changes. Scroll down for a link to the original.

Pasta with Five Fresh Herbs
Ingredients:
1 lb. penne rigate
4 tsp. extra virgin olive oil, divided
¼ cup chopped fresh basil
½ tsp. chopped fresh oregano
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. pepper
1 pint fresh cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp. chopped fresh chives
½ tsp. chopped fresh thyme
½ cup low sodium chicken broth
2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
½ cup (about 3 oz.) goat cheese, crumbled

Directions:
Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Place in a large bowl. Add 2 tsp. olive oil, basil, oregano, salt and pepper to hot pasta, and toss well to combine.

Heat remaining 2 tsp. olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add tomatoes and garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Add chives and thyme; sauté 1 additional minute or until tomatoes are slightly charred and skins are just beginning to burst. Add broth; bring to a boil. Cook over high heat 1 minute. Add tomato mixture and parsley to pasta; toss gently to combine. Sprinkle with cheese; serve immediately.

Source: Cooking Light